Multi-sensory Room

[Guest lesboyle]

Hello,

I have just taken on a job as nursery teacher in a maintained nursery school teaching 3-5s. Havent taught quite this young before and am having to make some adjustments. I have been given the task of converting the music room into a chill out/multisensory room while still being needed for music sessions - does anyone have any ideas???

slightly bewildered and frazzled

Lesley

[Guest]

I recently visited a place called the cabin........... it was at one time a mobile classroom which had been converted into a glorious sensory place.

 

It was out coventry way.......... will look later to see if I can find you an address........ see if it is within travelling distance.

 

If its not close enough to visit I took millions of pics.................

 

Could try and attach some on this thread!

 

Let me know.

[Guest]

did a google search; These might help the 'thought, creative process for you'

 

HERE

 

and

 

HERE

 

 

Some nice, not too expensive ideas.

 

Just a thought, it's a shame multi-sensory rooms tends to be mainly considered for children with special needs whereas ALL children can benefit from sensory stimuli. In my preschool I didn't have a sensory room, but I did have a draw unit full of sensory, everyday items which the children would explore. One of the favourites being a piece of corregated paper taken from a box of chocolates, the chocolate smell lasted for ages.

 

I also made a bead board, and used Kandoo pots for collage, but could be used for different sensory 'finds', textures and smells. Sensory bottles are good fun too, looking at different liquids / coloured sands etc, or for various sounds.

 

 

Peggy

[HappyMaz]

Love your photos as ever, Peggy: how did you make your bead board? Were the two different coloured sections also different textures? You know me, Peggy: always one to exploit someone else's ideas!

 

Maz

[Guest]

I loved the pics Peggy and the great use of those KANDOO wipes boxes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Marion]

If you have any funding you might want to check out Spacekraft or just use it as inspiration for your own resources.

[HappyMaz]

If you have any funding you might want to check out Spacekraft or just use it as inspiration for your own resources.

Thanks for this reminder Marion: I shall be looking them up at the Show in October. They usually have all sorts of bargains on their stand!

[Guest lesboyle]

Thank you all so much! Such an inspired bunch of colleagues.... I am going to spend some time on developing the room over the next couple of days. Scarlett - I dont think I will be able to make it to Coventry, but any pictures would be gratefully recieved. Loved your pics Peggy. Best get to work!

Lesley

[Guest]

I have a few photos taken in our multi-sensory room at work (I teach in a school for children with severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties). I obviously can't post the ones with the kids in them but I do have some that the kids and myself have taken of me and the equipment. If you're interested just let me know!

[Guest]

Yes please Nichola would be very interested and helpful........

Thanks

[Guest]

Yes please Nichola would be very interested and helpful........

Thanks

Our bubble tube and mirrors (only 1 bubble tube there but mirrors on 2 sides make it look like lots more! Also see our fibre optic curtain and tails (tails are now slightly different as those ones broke and we replaced with the safer plastic firbre optics that you can now get)

 

Our mirror ball which we can have shine several different colours such as red, blue, orange, green, pink, white, yellow and red.

 

A small part of the lights from the infinity tunnel, a fab thing that has just 1 row of lights in a square shape and then some mirrors which make that effect. Using switches you can change what colours come on and off so the kids can affect it.

 

This is the fan wall. It either just moves in a specific pattern or you can plug in a microphone and it moves according to the noises/speech that you make. It's great as you can turn the sensitivity right up so even those children who make very little vocal noise can affect the equipment.

 

We also have a computer programme which operates most of the equipment (not the infinity tunnel or fan wall) which allows us to put music and lights together in a sequence and also allows the children to activate all the individual pieces of equipment.

The room itself has no windows in it so it does get very hot in there at times (we have several fans that we bring in!) and the walls are all white.

Everything all together (there are a couple more lights that I haven't got pictures of plus a ceiling hoist for those children who are too heavy to lift) cost about 25,000 which was raised completely by fundraising.

[Guest]

Nichola, your sensory room looks great, I love the idea of sitting, laying, experiencing the atmosphere these must create. It's a shame children in mainstream settings don't get access to this kind of equipment.

 

Peggy

[Guest]

Love your photos as ever, Peggy: how did you make your bead board? Were the two different coloured sections also different textures? You know me, Peggy: always one to exploit someone else's ideas!

 

Maz

 

 

Painted hardboard, both colours same texture, but could be made different textures using textured paint, sand or even different materials. Beads bought in the local market and superglued on.

My daughter and I made it one summer holiday, withdrawal symptoms from work.

 

Some of the beads did fall off, so needs risk assessing depending on age of children accessing it, but this could be overcome by maybe using a different method to fix the beads to the board, polyfilla???

 

The creative problem solving is all part of the fun, eh?

 

Peggy

[Guest]

Nichola, your sensory room looks great, I love the idea of sitting, laying, experiencing the atmosphere these must create. It's a shame children in mainstream settings don't get access to this kind of equipment.

 

Peggy

 

I love it in there! I could sit there for hours! I'm the person trained to do the programming of the music and lights so all the songs in there are ones I like or ones that staff have specifically asked for. There's an awful lot of my own music in there! We do a variety of sessions in there. I have 2 a week in there, one is a lively one, focusing on the skills of using the switches or making choices, the other is a chill out session where we have quiet music and a more relaxed feel to the session and we sometimes do massage in there with them.

 

Oh I forgot that we also have a hand wall which has lots of kids hand prints on them and when you press them it makes a sound! You can change what sound come on too so you can have a space style sound or a piano or a trumpet sound etc. THat's great for one of mine who practises reaching up tall (very stiff in the arms) to get his favourite notes!

[Guest]

I love it in there! I could sit there for hours! I'm the person trained to do the programming of the music and lights so all the songs in there are ones I like or ones that staff have specifically asked for. There's an awful lot of my own music in there! We do a variety of sessions in there. I have 2 a week in there, one is a lively one, focusing on the skills of using the switches or making choices, the other is a chill out session where we have quiet music and a more relaxed feel to the session and we sometimes do massage in there with them.

 

Oh I forgot that we also have a hand wall which has lots of kids hand prints on them and when you press them it makes a sound! You can change what sound come on too so you can have a space style sound or a piano or a trumpet sound etc. THat's great for one of mine who practises reaching up tall (very stiff in the arms) to get his favourite notes!

 

 

You'll have to get them to install a footprint one to aid your ankle recovery eh

 

Don't get those expeiences stacking shelves at Tesco either, thanks for reminding us of just one of many examples of why working with children is so wonderful.

 

Peggy

[Guest]

We are just planning a sensory room for our pre-school. We have used some of the funding we got from transformation fund to buy equipment. We found a whole sensory room package (from Spacekraft) on e-bay at nearly half the price over £1,000 cheaper!! Look under special needs.