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Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
A beautiful picture of Abbie<br />
for everyone to enjoy
Contents<br />
Information Exchange celebrates the journey that we all<br />
make along the 'journey of understanding' about the<br />
special babies, children, <strong>you</strong>ng people and adults who<br />
share our lives. It exists as a Forum and support for all<br />
who have, along with sensory <strong>need</strong>s, other complex ones.<br />
Information Exchange is compiled with help from many<br />
corners of the world - ideas written and spoken, ideas<br />
seen and experiences shared. It is fully independent and<br />
the Editorial Team work hard on a voluntary basis to<br />
bring out the magazine - three times a year. There are<br />
also unseen supporters of the magazine who help in<br />
many ways.<br />
Information Exchange has a buzz that is fostered when<br />
readers get together through the magazine itself. The<br />
basic remit of the magazine is the exchange of<br />
information in an accessible and unbiased way. There is<br />
a delight in newly found discoveries, sensory trinkets,<br />
soothing aromas, new ideas, books, technology, issues<br />
to discuss and Rag Bag ideas to share.<br />
Information Exchange is for everyone - family members,<br />
parents, carers, educators, therapists or anyone who<br />
<strong>need</strong>s to find out more or gain confidence from others<br />
by reading, challenging and discussing. In this inclusive<br />
way, everyone is learning and growing together through<br />
the medium of the magazine.<br />
Copyright<br />
<strong>We</strong> have requests to reprint articles that have<br />
appeared in Information Exchange from time to time.<br />
Please note that such requests are passed on to the<br />
original authors for their decision on publication.<br />
Price - £6.00 per individual copy<br />
Advertising Rates<br />
Back Cover £350.00<br />
Full Page £250.00<br />
Half Page £150.00<br />
Quarter Page £75.00<br />
Disclaimer<br />
The views expressed in Information Exchange are those of<br />
individual authors and so do not necessarily represent the<br />
views of the Editorial Team. Also, neither the individual<br />
contributors nor the team can be held responsible for any<br />
consequences resulting from the purchase or use of<br />
equipment, toys, techniques or ideas featured or advertised<br />
in the magazine.<br />
Contents<br />
2 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
Editors page 3<br />
Abbie and the drums 4<br />
‘The dark dark tale’ box 5<br />
Book Reviews 6<br />
A Singing Sack 7<br />
Lilli Nielsen writes ... 8-9<br />
Education 10<br />
Sensabout – new resource from Sally Slater 11<br />
Teenage Chillout 12<br />
News from “New Scientist” 13<br />
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 14-15<br />
Rag Bag To Buy 16-19<br />
Rag Bag To Make 20-22<br />
Rag Bag To Do 23<br />
The Sensory ‘Auditory’ wall by Audrey Forbes 24<br />
Smart Moves 25<br />
Electronic Exchange 26<br />
Setting up an exciting visual environment 27<br />
Hirstwood Multisensory Training 28<br />
An incredible journey 29<br />
SLD forum – exchange of ideas 30<br />
“The Magic Classroom” 31<br />
Thank <strong>you</strong> to Abbie<br />
and her parents Nick<br />
and Mandy Jones for<br />
giving permission for the beautiful picture<br />
of Abbie to be seen on the front cover.<br />
Sally Silverman tells me they are amazing<br />
parents, and are so modest. They have<br />
set up a website for Abbie on<br />
www.abmanic.co.uk<br />
Abbie is also very special too!
Editorial<br />
Editorial<br />
Dear readers,<br />
<strong>We</strong>lcome to a spring issue full of ideas<br />
and articles for <strong>you</strong> to enjoy – and also<br />
ponder upon.<br />
I wonder if we realise what a rich multisensory resource<br />
is waiting for all special children and teenagers in the<br />
community. <strong>We</strong> can stick to the tried and tested visit to<br />
shops or the park or try something new.<br />
Last night I took my grandchildren to an amazing<br />
wrestling event for the evening. What a multisensory<br />
experience, the cheering crowd, the feeling of being<br />
welcomed into a large crowd, the bright lights, a fog<br />
machine (for the grand entrance of the wrestlers) the<br />
amazing antics of the wrestlers, some dressed in loud<br />
brash outfits. The master of ceremonies ‘using call and<br />
respond’ to egg on the crowd and giving permission for<br />
everyone to shriek, yell and gesture as much as <strong>you</strong><br />
wanted! Even the ring itself was a wonderful resonance<br />
bard.<br />
I am pleased to say there were special children and<br />
people in the audience; the theatre had fine facilities to<br />
accommodate all. A <strong>you</strong>ng man who was a wheelchair<br />
user was as loud in his sounds and movements as<br />
everyone else –a wrestling match is a<br />
great leveller. So, use <strong>you</strong>r<br />
imagination. Get out there and use<br />
what is waiting for the very special<br />
person.<br />
Best sensory wishes,<br />
Flo Longhorn<br />
<strong>We</strong> <strong>need</strong> <strong>you</strong>!<br />
Please send <strong>you</strong>r ideas<br />
articles, an interesting<br />
buy or idea to make.<br />
Without <strong>you</strong>, the<br />
magazine will not be<br />
full to the brim with<br />
exciting reading, in the<br />
summer!<br />
The editor!<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
The Information Exchange Editorial Team<br />
Flo Longhorn: Managing Editor, Consultant in Special<br />
Education<br />
Catherine de Haas: Parent and Speech and<br />
Language Therapist<br />
Pat Robinson: Subscriptions Secretary<br />
Roger Longhorn: <strong>We</strong>bmaster<br />
Kay Evans: Teacher and regular reader of IE<br />
Sue Granger: A volunteer who lives in France<br />
Sally Slater: Consultant in Special Education<br />
Karen Buckley: Advisory teacher working in Sheffield<br />
Additional advice and support from Sally Silverman<br />
our roving reporter<br />
Kate Sullivan, Bronwen Campbell and Naomi<br />
Rosenberg: Support teachers for the Sensory Impaired<br />
Service in Bristol<br />
Evelyn Varma who lives in Somerset: Editing and Word<br />
Processing<br />
And <strong>you</strong> - the reader, send <strong>you</strong>r ideas and articles to<br />
the Editor!<br />
Subscriptions<br />
All enquiries to:<br />
Sara Cliff<br />
Subscriptions<br />
Information Exchange<br />
1A Potters Cross<br />
Wootton<br />
Bedfordshire<br />
MK43 9JG<br />
Tel and Fax: 01234 764108<br />
Email: saraCERL@aol.com<br />
Editorial and Administration Address<br />
Flo Longhorn: Managing Editor<br />
1A Potters Cross<br />
Wootton<br />
Bedfordshire MK43 9JG<br />
OR<br />
24 Fazantenlaan<br />
Bredene-Am-Zee<br />
B8450 Belgium<br />
Tel/Fax: 0845 127 5281<br />
Email: Flocatalyst@aol.com<br />
3
Abbie and the drums<br />
Abbie had a great time using the Timponi Drum, tapping<br />
with the drumstick, tapping with her hands, trying to<br />
‘catch’ the coloured spots which were being projected<br />
onto the drum.<br />
Trying to ‘eat’ the spots on the drum.<br />
4 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
She had a great time with the Timponi drum, but an<br />
even greater time lying under this type of drum.<br />
She loved it, lots of smiling, laughing, eye contact,<br />
stilling, reaching up to tap drum herself. I wanted to<br />
know what it was like so tried it myself. What an<br />
amazing experience. The vibration and sound was<br />
great, a real ‘in <strong>you</strong>r tummy’ feeling.<br />
Thank <strong>you</strong> so much to Gill for taking time to write<br />
this article and take some amazing photos<br />
– And to the star, Abbie!<br />
– Gill Scutt<br />
Nursery Nurse, Sensory Support Service, Bristol.
‘The dark dark tale’ box<br />
– as told by staff at Curnow School in Cornwall<br />
Recently I visited Curnow School in Cornwalll and was<br />
made very welcome. A member of staff showed me this<br />
really good story box. The story is printed on the box<br />
with the contents. This means that the all the parts can<br />
go back at the end of the story – nothing gets lost.<br />
Here is the story with some of the special effects.<br />
Thank <strong>you</strong> Curnow School!<br />
In a dark dark wood<br />
‘In the dark dark wood there<br />
was a dark dark house’<br />
In a dark dark wood<br />
There was a dark dark house<br />
And in that dark dark house<br />
There was a dark dark door<br />
And behind the dark dark door<br />
Was a dark dark stairway<br />
Up the stairs was a dark dark room<br />
And in that dark dark room<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
‘In the dark dark house there was<br />
a dark dark door’<br />
‘Behind the dark dark door there were<br />
some dark dark stairs’<br />
(The door opens and the stairs are made of carpet<br />
so fingers can climb them)<br />
‘And at the top of the dark stairs was<br />
a dark cupboard’<br />
(The stairs are cut out of black card and lie on a piece of<br />
card. When the card is moved, it looks as if <strong>you</strong> are<br />
moving up the stairs too)<br />
‘And in the dark<br />
dark cupboard<br />
was a dark<br />
dark box’<br />
(The box is painted<br />
black inside and out<br />
with a Velcro latch)<br />
‘And in the dark<br />
dark box there<br />
was – a mouse!’<br />
In a dark dark wood<br />
(A little box is placed<br />
inside the cupboard<br />
and inside is a mouse!<br />
You could vary the contents of the box so the listeners<br />
have an extra surprise!)<br />
There was a dark dark cupboard<br />
And in that dark dark cupboard<br />
Was a dark dark shelf<br />
And on that dark dark shelf<br />
There was a dark dark box<br />
And in that dark dark box<br />
................ There were mice!<br />
5
Book Reviews<br />
“Music Makers“<br />
by Hannah Mortimer (2006)<br />
Music circle times to include<br />
everyone.<br />
A practical book for all early<br />
years’ settings who are looking for<br />
ideas of additional activities to<br />
motivate participation by their<br />
pupils. Intended for use by nonmusic<br />
specialists, this book includes more than 40<br />
activities to encourage listening, enjoyment, movement,<br />
communication and understanding. All activities are<br />
linked to the ‘Early Learning Goals’ and ‘Birth to Three<br />
Framework’ and in addition, record keeping and<br />
planning sheets are included. – A useful publication and<br />
very good value at £12. Fits in with special children as<br />
well.<br />
Available from QEd.<br />
Tel: 01785 620 364<br />
www.qed.uk.com<br />
Handbook on Medication for Carers of<br />
People with Learning Difficulties<br />
I have been shown this<br />
book written by a<br />
pharmacist Miriam<br />
Wilcher. I thought it looked<br />
excellent and that <strong>you</strong><br />
might like to share – says<br />
Mandie Lewis in Bristol!<br />
Thanks Mandie!<br />
Go to: www.amazon.co.uk and<br />
search for: “Handbook<br />
–Medication – Carers”<br />
Sensory Stimulation<br />
”Sensory-Focused Activities for<br />
People with Physical and Multiple<br />
Disabilities” by Susan Fowler<br />
<strong>We</strong> learn about the world<br />
constantly through our senses and<br />
by interacting with it. Children<br />
explore and play in different<br />
environments and in doing so they find out what burns<br />
them or hurts them, what can be eaten, which things<br />
smell nice and what different sounds signify. This process<br />
of exploration and learning continues throughout our lives.<br />
Because of physical, sensory or intellectual disabilities<br />
many people have not had the same opportunities to<br />
explore and interact with their environment. Sensoryfocused<br />
activities are designed to provide environments<br />
in which people with disabilities can have the<br />
opportunity to use their senses to learn about and<br />
interact more meaningfully with the world.<br />
This photocopiable resource provides the reader with a<br />
step-by-step approach to organising sensory-focused<br />
activities for carers and other professionals working with<br />
people with physical, multiple or complex disabilities.<br />
Importantly, it also presents information on sensory<br />
stimulation within a framework that embraces the<br />
person’s daily environment. Activity ideas are based<br />
around food, drink, personal and household care and<br />
crafts and are kept simple so they can be slotted into<br />
daily routine with minimum disruption.<br />
Assessment forms and checklists will help carers and<br />
support staff to monitor and understand their clients’<br />
<strong>need</strong>s and progress.<br />
Published with Scope from Jessica Publishers<br />
Price: £29.99<br />
www.jkp.com<br />
6 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
From the editor<br />
Susan has written a very useful multisensory book –<br />
especially for older students. It s full of ideas that<br />
incorporate everyday living skills.<br />
There are lots of unusual ideas such as homemade<br />
cosmetics.<br />
Within the book are also some useful checklists that<br />
are easily adapted.<br />
<strong>We</strong>ll done Susan! This book fills a sensory gap for<br />
teenagers and students.
A Singing Sack<br />
A Singing Sack!<br />
Adapted from<br />
www.Under5s.co.uk<br />
When <strong>you</strong> are thinking of singing songs or nursery<br />
rhymes…<br />
•Have <strong>you</strong> ever wondered what to sing today?<br />
•How to introduce a new song?<br />
•How to encourage the children to suggest a song to<br />
sing, that is the same one as yesterday, and last week?<br />
•help… I can’t think of<br />
anything?<br />
The answer lies in a<br />
‘singing sack!’<br />
It is easy to make, and<br />
everyone can make one, all<br />
<strong>you</strong> <strong>need</strong> is a bag such as a<br />
draw-string bag, a pillow case, a strong canvas bag.<br />
The bag can be decorated with the singers handprints or<br />
musical items sewn on securely-how about bells!<br />
When <strong>you</strong> get together for a song, pull out the singing<br />
sack and let it lead the music session. Choose someone<br />
to delve into the sack,a nd select an object, and off <strong>you</strong><br />
go.<br />
In larger settings, it may help to have a song list – a list<br />
of songs relating to objects, so that if different<br />
practitioners are carrying out the activity, they have<br />
inspiration, and then to change and vary the toys<br />
occasionally.<br />
What do <strong>you</strong> put in a ‘singing sack’?<br />
Anything that inspires a song! Think about objects that<br />
are already used as objects of reference such as a<br />
wooden spoon for cookery-link it to a cooking song such<br />
as the ‘Queen of hearts, she made some tarts…..’ add a<br />
heart to personalise the rhyme as well.<br />
A selection of small world objects, pictures, or real<br />
objects that l relate to lots of different songs could also<br />
be used.<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
Here are some ideas……<br />
Nursery rhymes<br />
A toy bus The wheels on<br />
the bus<br />
A fresh pea pod How many peas in a<br />
pea pod pressed<br />
A doll Rock a bye Baby<br />
A stethoscope Miss Polly had a dolly who<br />
was sick, sick, sick<br />
A happy face If <strong>you</strong>’re happy and <strong>you</strong> know it<br />
A rabbit Little Peter Rabbit had a fly<br />
upon his nose<br />
A teddy When Goldilocks went to the<br />
house of bears<br />
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear<br />
If <strong>you</strong> go down to the woods today<br />
A scarecrow I’m a dingle dangle<br />
scarecrow<br />
A spider Little Miss Muffet<br />
There was an old lady who<br />
swallowed a fly<br />
You can change the singing sack to<br />
relate to <strong>you</strong>r theme – if <strong>you</strong> are doing<br />
a spring theme, add spring animals – colours then add<br />
a rainbow, or little boy blue, for weather <strong>you</strong> can add a<br />
rain hat, or a piece of drain pipe (for Incy Wincy Spider<br />
to climb). …<br />
Think about students too and use the latest top hits for<br />
the singing sack. Find out what they like best of all and<br />
include in the sack – use a cd player to back up the<br />
objects with the stars singing along:<br />
Queen – we are the champions – a football scarf and<br />
colours<br />
The theme from Coronation street – a bar of Cadburys<br />
chocolate<br />
Lady in red – a red dress<br />
7
Lilli Nielsen writes.....<br />
Here is the third article<br />
by Lilli Nielsen about her<br />
work with very special<br />
people<br />
This article describes how<br />
Lilli devised the HOPSA dress to enable<br />
children to move around without help,<br />
despite being unable to walk.<br />
The HOPSA-Dress<br />
Scientific research?<br />
Or just the evidence gained from<br />
the improvement in children?<br />
In the beginning of the 1980s<br />
we got a new pupil in our<br />
classroom. She was 7 years old;<br />
she was blind and suffered from<br />
cerebral palsy. She did not have<br />
any verbal language but she<br />
was very good in smiling. She<br />
was unable to control head<br />
movements and so also unable<br />
to sit unsupported. Her hands were always clenched<br />
and each was situated next to each side of her head.<br />
Her legs were very thin and she was always found with<br />
very cold legs. The colour of the skin on her legs was<br />
violet and red showing that the blood circulation was<br />
very poor. Her feet were dropped.<br />
In order to make her feet and legs warmer we gave her<br />
massage, vibrating footbath, thick woollen socks, fur<br />
backs, and <strong>you</strong> just name it.<br />
Of course she also had a physiotherapist who treated<br />
her 2-3 times per week. She has had physiotherapy for<br />
years before she came to our classroom.<br />
None of these efforts had helped<br />
the girl to achieve warm feet.<br />
At that time I could only see one<br />
thing that would help, namely that the girl started to<br />
move her legs by her own.<br />
I designed the HOPSA-dress, which at that time was<br />
attached to a hook in the ceiling. I placed her so high<br />
up that she was unable to touch the floor but had the full<br />
freedom to touch the material placed under her feet. This<br />
was sometimes a plastic dog bed with warm water,<br />
sometimes big pieces of silk paper, or wrapping paper,<br />
sometimes 50 plastic balls.<br />
8 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
The girl was very pleased. During the first month she<br />
had difficulties in holding her head up. To support her in<br />
this aspect we placed a neck bag (such one <strong>you</strong> use in<br />
the airplane on long distance flight) under her chin. After<br />
a few months she became able to control her head<br />
movements. Gradually she also learned to bend her<br />
ankles. And she achieved warm legs.<br />
To be sure that the environment was renewed now and<br />
again we sometimes hung the HOPSA-dress so high up<br />
that there were space for an ESSEF Board with a<br />
Resonance Board placed upside down on top of it to be<br />
placed under her feet. On the Resonance Board we<br />
placed some glass marbles. The<br />
girl found out that if she pressed<br />
a little on the board the marbles<br />
would run to the left or right<br />
according to which foot she used.<br />
After 8-9 months she did not have the dropped feet any<br />
longer.<br />
Then she started to walk in circles, an activity I could not<br />
accept (she is blind and will never be able to see how<br />
we walk). To help her to learn to walk straight forward<br />
we got a track attached to the ceiling. Now the girl<br />
could walk up and down the corridor along a wall to<br />
which was attached several objects for her to play with.<br />
Her coordination between arms and leg movements<br />
became better and better.<br />
In other settings we facilitated her learning to use hands<br />
in midline organisation, and we also facilitated her<br />
learning to swallow without spastic reactions, etc. etc.<br />
Having seen her reaction to the HOPSA-dress I began to<br />
expose other children to this devise. Or I should rather<br />
say learners because I have done<br />
this for learners of all ages. The<br />
oldest one was 81 years old.<br />
So what is it that the HOPSA-dress is<br />
doing?<br />
Here is a list, which surely is not the final list.<br />
1. The blood circulation is enhanced. Better blood<br />
circulation affects the function of the lungs, the<br />
brain, the muscles and the renewing of cells of the<br />
skeleton as well as the rest of the body.<br />
2. The muscle strength is enhanced, which also means<br />
that the receptors for haptic perception become less
Lilli Nielsen writes.....<br />
lazy than in the past, which again means that the<br />
brain get more input to work with. This again helps<br />
the learner to control his movement, and makes it<br />
easier for the learner suffering from cerebral palsy<br />
to counteract his spastic reactions.<br />
3. Increased intestinal functioning<br />
4. Better bronchial condition<br />
5. Increased the ability to use feet for tactile<br />
orientation (especially very important for the visual<br />
impaired learner.<br />
6. Learning to balance, an ability, which is very<br />
important to achieve in order to be able to walk.<br />
7. As a whole activities performed while in the<br />
HOPSA-dress impact the learner’s entire health<br />
conditions.<br />
Details about the hopsa suit can be found at the website<br />
www.lilliworks.org<br />
Who is<br />
Dr. Lilli Nielsen R?<br />
Dr. Lilli Nielsen (Dr. phil) grew up in a family with four blind siblings. She has<br />
been working with disabled people for over thirty years. For 29 years, she<br />
acted as an advisor in the field of special educational <strong>need</strong>s at the national<br />
institute for blind and visually impaired children and <strong>you</strong>ng people in Denmark.<br />
She is a trained preschool teacher and psychologist.<br />
She was awarded a doctorate (PhD) by the<br />
University of Aarhus for her investigation into spatial<br />
perceptions in congenitally blind children. In 1997,<br />
the Queen of Denmark awarded her the “Knights<br />
Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog” for her work with<br />
disabled children and <strong>you</strong>ng people.<br />
Dr Lilli Nielsen has already written ten books on her<br />
work with disabled children. And in 1999, the first<br />
video was released on the use of perceptualizing aids.<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
9
Education<br />
The Whitworth Art<br />
Gallery: Manchester<br />
The Art Treasure<br />
Chest<br />
A specially designed<br />
teaching resource for<br />
children with special educational <strong>need</strong>s.<br />
Packed full of activities and resources, the Art Treasure<br />
Chest brings the Gallery and its artworks to life.<br />
Resources and activities have been tried and tested on<br />
children with a range of special educational <strong>need</strong>s.<br />
Some groups felt the chest was a “wonderful idea”, “a<br />
great hands on experience” for their children and they<br />
“could use it again as it was a wonderful idea, all the<br />
children enjoyed looking at objects and being able to<br />
feel the textures and hear sounds – especially the<br />
visually impaired”.<br />
Teacher’s commented that their experience with the<br />
chest has helped the children “understand the gallery is<br />
a place of beauty and fun”. One teacher commented<br />
that she intends to “use it a lot with all age groups”<br />
and another said that she would “return in the future to<br />
explore more of the Gallery”.<br />
When <strong>you</strong>r group visit, they will be assisted by two<br />
members of our Treasure Chest team – volunteers who<br />
know the Gallery and can provide support during <strong>you</strong>r<br />
visit.<br />
<strong>We</strong> recommend no more than 12 pupils per visit and<br />
that sessions last no longer than 90 minutes.<br />
The Art Treasure Chest is FREE.<br />
For further information please email<br />
education.whitworth@manchester.ac.uk or telephone<br />
0160 275 7453<br />
Try <strong>you</strong>r local museum or<br />
gallery and see if they<br />
have similar resources<br />
10 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
Courses and Conferences<br />
Sensory Tool Kit and<br />
Tools for Teens<br />
Edinburgh 15th to 17th May 2007<br />
London 23rd to 25th May 2007<br />
Cork 29th to 31st May 2007<br />
Do <strong>you</strong> <strong>need</strong> some tools to address SENSORY<br />
INTEGRATION, SENSORY PROCESSING and<br />
CHALLENGING classroom behaviours in INCLUSIVE<br />
classrooms? The sensory Tool Kit TM workshop inservices<br />
school administrators, psychologists, social<br />
workers, nurses, regular education teachers, special<br />
education teachers, occupational therapists,<br />
physiotherapists, speech therapists and parents.<br />
SI Network UK and Ireland Ltd are delighted to<br />
announce that Diana Henry OT will be coming to<br />
Edinburgh. She will present a three day course on<br />
Sensory Processing. www.sensoryintegration.org.uk<br />
The three day course will cost £350 or £515 to include<br />
all equipment, handouts and copies of Diana’s books<br />
‘Tool Chest’ and ‘Sensory Integration (SI) Tools for<br />
Teens: Strategies to Promote Sensory Processing’.<br />
Further details from<br />
www.sensoryintegration.org.uk<br />
Aromatherapy and massage for<br />
children with complex <strong>need</strong>s –<br />
an introduction<br />
This course is with Jane Harrison who is co-author the<br />
excellent book’ aromatherapy and massage for people<br />
with learning difficulties’ and has taught courses in the<br />
subject both here and abroad.<br />
This practical course will give participants an<br />
introduction to massage, concentrating on its use to<br />
relax or invigorate children with complex <strong>need</strong>s.<br />
The dates are<br />
15 may Leeds<br />
8 June Birmingham<br />
28 June Preston<br />
2 July Leeds<br />
Organised by the RNIB further details on<br />
www.rnib.org.uk/training<br />
Or call 0121 665 4221
Sensabout – new resource from Sally Slater<br />
Splashing away in the harbour –<br />
A ‘Sensabout’ multisensory experience<br />
Sally Slater, on the editorial board of Information<br />
Exchange, has been involved with other colleagues in<br />
beginning a new range of interactive materials. These<br />
materials have been carefully designed to meet the<br />
requirements of all learners, and in particular, complex<br />
<strong>need</strong>s.<br />
Sensabout is an inclusive educational package created<br />
around the theme of simple shapes found in different<br />
places.<br />
The package contains<br />
•A DVD of 60 photos with sound effects<br />
•Original songs<br />
•Recording sheets linked to P levels<br />
•A resource book that has photocopiable materials<br />
The first resource pack is called<br />
‘Stars at the harbour’<br />
which focuses on stars found in the<br />
harbour and at the seaside<br />
-with photos, songs and activities.<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
Here is an example:<br />
The beach Party<br />
You can use the photos depicting the<br />
party on an interactive board, the<br />
special song ‘Lets dress up for the party,<br />
dress in our finery, shine and sparkle…..’<br />
There is a list of suggested props such as glitter face<br />
paints, steel band instruments….<br />
There are ideas on how to link the<br />
props and actions<br />
‘Hands around and enjoy the drinks at<br />
the party<br />
Experience ice and lemon, smell rum<br />
and gin!’<br />
So this is a pack of high quality materials at a very<br />
reasonable cost.<br />
<strong>We</strong>ll done Sally and associates!<br />
Flo Longhorn<br />
Look at the website www.sensabout.com<br />
11
Teenage Chillout<br />
The Beauty/Barber Shop<br />
This is a Propbox for a beauty<br />
or barber shop. It Includes<br />
collections of objects and<br />
materials for teenagers to<br />
discover, use and find out more.<br />
The materials can be set up in a<br />
corner or in a big barber or beauty box. (updated<br />
2006)<br />
•Combs, brushes, pins, hairnets, clippers, curlers<br />
•towel, plastic apron, plastic basin, smocks, small cape<br />
(to drape on shoulders) donated from beauty shop (or<br />
small blanket with clothes pin can be substituted)<br />
•pretend nail polish, emery board nail dryer, nail polish<br />
bottles<br />
•shaving mug, shavers<br />
•make-up, make-up brushes<br />
•wigs or hair pieces, bobby pins, hair accessories<br />
(ribbons, bows, barrettes, large scrunchies, hair clips)<br />
•hair dryers and/or curling tongs with the cords cut off<br />
(watch out for the curling tongs with bristles – they can<br />
really tangle hair)<br />
•clean empty shampoo/conditioner and hairspray<br />
bottles (hot-glue caps on if necessary)<br />
•cash register and play money/credit cards<br />
•make scissors out of heavy cardboard and attach two<br />
pieces with a fastener,<br />
•mirror, broom & dustpan, telephone, appointment<br />
book, paper, pencils, magazines for waiting room, old<br />
hairstyle books or pictures from magazines pasted into<br />
a book or put into a PowerPoint presentation.<br />
Visit www.allthedaze.com and click on the Propbox link<br />
for more ideas.<br />
iZ<br />
A unique mix of character and<br />
music creates a personality with<br />
attitude. His horn glows and his<br />
eyes move to express his inner<br />
“cool”. Create <strong>you</strong>r own personal<br />
mix by picking a beat, rhythm and<br />
lead. He speaks, laughs, farts and<br />
burps while his eyes move. Connects to <strong>you</strong>r iPod (or<br />
other music source) to play <strong>you</strong>r tunes – and he can<br />
stand on any single leg.<br />
Approximate price: £25<br />
Available from: Vivid Imaginations Ltd.<br />
Tel: 01702 200660<br />
www.evivid.co.uk<br />
The following solar mobile and girly pink ideas for<br />
teenagers are all available from www.initialideas.co.uk<br />
Tel: 08702 402407<br />
Solar System Mobile<br />
Explore the wonders of the<br />
solar system on the ceiling of<br />
<strong>you</strong>r own room! A huge<br />
ceiling mobile featuring all<br />
nine planets orbiting around a<br />
light up sun. Transforms a<br />
child’s room and captivates<br />
them at bedtime! Includes<br />
remote control to turn on the<br />
movement of planets and an<br />
audio CD teaching<br />
fascinating facts on the<br />
planets and solar system. An<br />
educational masterpiece!<br />
Price: £35<br />
Be Tickled Pink…<br />
…with this see-through<br />
inflatable bath pillow<br />
filled with light fluffy pink<br />
feathers inside! It seems<br />
completely incongruous<br />
resting <strong>you</strong>r head on a<br />
pillow filled with feathers<br />
whilst in the bath but it<br />
sure does give <strong>you</strong> a feeling of luxury and relaxation!<br />
Ideal for the beach, by the pool, in the sensory room or<br />
even for travel. With suckers on the underside to attach.<br />
Inflatable Feather Bath Pillow Price: £4.99<br />
For a Girl’s Car!<br />
12 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
The Pink Car Kit is a pink zipped bag containing the<br />
following: Notepad,<br />
pencil and pen, tax<br />
disc holder, air<br />
freshener, emergency<br />
hammer with light and<br />
seat belt cutter,<br />
disposable gloves, torch with strobe effect and flashing<br />
hazard, jump leads, ice scraper, mobile phone charger<br />
with all necessary bits and of course instructions on how<br />
to use the jump leads etc.!<br />
Price: £29.99
News from “New Scientist”<br />
This article was abstracted from ‘New Scientist ‘ and is of interest to<br />
readers who are involved with children who are over sensitive to sounds;<br />
this may be a reason why.<br />
You can download white brown or pink noise from the web.<br />
Just do a search, any feedback is welcome! The editor<br />
Hyperacusis<br />
Imagine waking up one day to find that the world has become louder. Sounds that were once tolerable<br />
– running water, footsteps, and a ringing phone – are suddenly deafening. It’s as if someone has<br />
turned up the volume. You want to run and hide but it follows <strong>you</strong> everywhere.<br />
This is the world experienced by sufferers of hyperacusis – literally excessive sensitivity to normal sounds.<br />
It can range from an annoyance to a completely debilitating disorder. Sufferers don’t have better<br />
hearing than everyone else; rather, they perceive sounds to be much louder than they actually are.<br />
While an average person can tolerate anything up to 100 decibels, which corresponds to the sound of<br />
a car horn blasting in <strong>you</strong>r ear, the maximum level someone with hyperacusis can tolerate is usually only<br />
60 decibels, the level of normal conversation. An ordinary voice sounds more like gunshots. To a<br />
sufferer, even the sound of their own voice can be intolerable.<br />
What causes hyperacusis? Nobody knows. It can be brought on by, among other things, head injuries,<br />
and exposure to extremely loud sounds, Lyme disease and autism. It has also been linked with tinnitus, a<br />
disorder that causes people to hear phantom sounds, such as ringing or buzzing.<br />
Is there a cure? Not yet, though there are treatments. The most successful is a therapy using so-called<br />
“pink noise” – a sound spectrum in which the amplitude decreases with increasing frequency; so low<br />
notes are louder than higher ones. It is a good model for everyday environmental sounds. If<br />
hyperacusis sufferers can gradually be desensitised to pink noise they will learn to better tolerate the<br />
sounds of the outside world. They can do this by listening to specially recorded pink noise CDs, or<br />
better still by wearing custom-fitted sound generators that transmit pink noise straight into the ear.<br />
New Scientist, 15 July 2006<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
13
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder<br />
IF YOU CAN’T SEE THE BABY IN THE PICTURE, DON’T GIVE UP.<br />
ITS REALLY COOL WHEN IT ACTUALLY APPEARS. THIS IS NOT<br />
A JOKE AND NO – NOTHING IS GOING TO JUMP OUT AT YOU!<br />
‘When a baby is born, they open their eyes and have a<br />
peep into the world around<br />
Soon a face hovers into view and the baby alerts, looks<br />
and shows lots of interest in this face. The face responds<br />
and cuddles and loves the baby. The reason the baby<br />
shows so much interest in the face is because there is a<br />
special reflex in the lens of each eye called the ‘face<br />
reflex’. This means that most babies cannot help but seek<br />
and look for a face so they can bond and survive.<br />
This face reflex stays with most of us all our lives- hence<br />
we see faces in the clouds, in doodles, in soot in the<br />
chimney…!<br />
Faces are stored in the brain along side facial emotions.<br />
Can <strong>you</strong> remember dipping into this face box in the<br />
brain, feeling the ‘brain strain’ as <strong>you</strong> try to remember<br />
and put a name to a face <strong>you</strong> have seen before. What<br />
a relief when it pops out!<br />
Children with autism have a different way of looking at<br />
faces, they are usually not too keen to look and avoid<br />
eye contact like the plague. Research tells us that when<br />
they do scan a face and the brain stores it –it is not<br />
stored in a specific area for faces but goes into general<br />
You have to have an open mind,<br />
Don’t look for a baby, and <strong>you</strong> will see the baby.<br />
14 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
memory storage. Perhaps this reflects in how they find it<br />
hard to read emotions in faces, as they cannot recall<br />
emotional faces from the correct area of the brain.<br />
Babies who are born with visual impairment will <strong>need</strong><br />
alternatives to seeking out faces to survive; this can be<br />
through touch, smell and sounds, a bigger challenge for<br />
them for them than just looking at a face.<br />
When we see faces upside down, the brain interprets<br />
them in a different way. It interprets the face as an<br />
object, without any emotional input.<br />
Have a look at the famous ‘ Mona Lisa’ painting upside<br />
down. Most probably <strong>you</strong>r brain will store this as an<br />
object and not with emotions. It is just the face of the<br />
Mona Lisa.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder<br />
Now look at the same picture which is now the right<br />
way up-do <strong>you</strong> see<br />
a difference as the<br />
brain looks, and<br />
now reads it with<br />
emotion and then<br />
stores it? You will<br />
probably see a<br />
rather miserable<br />
looking Mona!<br />
Wheelchair or buggy users will probably see a lot of<br />
upside down faces if the person involved does not move<br />
down to their eye level. Then they can read the face with<br />
more meaning, as it is the right way up!<br />
Now have a look at the picture below<br />
You will probably see the face of an old man with a<br />
beard first-<strong>you</strong>r eye reflex leaping into action! But now<br />
try and look at it in a different way, using <strong>you</strong>r little grey<br />
cells to help <strong>you</strong>. You should see a woman sitting on<br />
grass under a tree, looking at the view in the distance.<br />
What <strong>you</strong> have done, is overridden <strong>you</strong>r urge to look at<br />
a face and used abstract thought, imagination and logic<br />
to work out what else <strong>you</strong> can see in the picture.<br />
This is what very special people find the hardest thing to<br />
do, to switch from a built in reflex or concrete thinking to<br />
abstract imaginative thought. They are not ready to enter<br />
the stage of ‘theory of the mind’, which means they have<br />
difficulty in using imagination, curiosity and abstract<br />
thought.<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
When working with very special learners think about<br />
using this desire to search for faces, in planning for them.<br />
For example, look at the skills they will be sharpening<br />
when looking at a range of faces<br />
• Seen on a face power point put on an interactive board<br />
• Seen in a scrapbook of faces<br />
• A symbol face painted with glow paint<br />
• Their own face in a mirror<br />
• A face with a false nose or<br />
glasses<br />
• a face made with pasta<br />
In order to identify a face they have to recognise a<br />
whole range of face features:<br />
• The contours of a face<br />
• The boundaries of the face-where it begins and ends<br />
• The edges of face parts-such as the nose<br />
• The brightness and contrast within the face<br />
• Shadings of colour<br />
• The symmetry of two sides of the face<br />
• The parts of the face<br />
• The whole face<br />
• Figure/ground discrimination-seeing the face distinct from<br />
the backgroun<br />
Quite a lot of work and what excellent literacy targets to<br />
aim for!<br />
There is a lot of research work being done in this<br />
interesting area; here are some references for those who<br />
want to follow this in more depth.<br />
I have a big power point presentation of ‘male faces’ – I<br />
use this for recognition of faces, reading of faces, sex<br />
education, history time line of ‘<strong>you</strong>ng to old’, art<br />
appreciation and fun! I am happy to share this with <strong>you</strong>.<br />
If <strong>you</strong> would like a copy of this then send me a CD with an<br />
enclosed envelope addressed to <strong>you</strong>rself- and I will copy<br />
and send it to <strong>you</strong>. It is too big to send by email!<br />
My address is on page 2 of the magazine<br />
Flo Longhorn<br />
15
Rag Bag To Buy – <strong>you</strong>nger children<br />
Family House<br />
This Family House features table, chairs and oven<br />
together with 2 figures. The<br />
set features bold colours<br />
and no small parts.<br />
Approximate price £13<br />
Available from Playmobil<br />
Tel: 08704170007<br />
www.playmobil.com<br />
DJ Piano<br />
An electronic keyboard with integral microphone and 4function<br />
mixer for mixing music, fun and creativity.<br />
Features a drum button, a lights and sounds effect<br />
sphere, a joystick with fun sounds and a “scratch” effect<br />
lever. You can also select different musical sounds by<br />
simply pressing one of the six corresponding buttons.<br />
The keyboard has 3 modes<br />
of play.<br />
Approximate price £20<br />
Available from Chicco<br />
Tel: 01623 750870<br />
www.chicco.co.uk<br />
Mamma Lullaby Night Light<br />
A cot panel that allows mum to record her voice and<br />
replay it to help her child sleep or to reassure them<br />
when they wake. It has a double function: it projects soft,<br />
coloured lights to the rhythm of sweet classical or new<br />
age melodies and relaxing nature<br />
sounds.<br />
Approximate price £20<br />
Available from Chicco<br />
Tel: 01623 750870<br />
www.chicco.co.uk<br />
Funky Footprints<br />
Following the footprints triggers silly sounds. Also a<br />
counting mode.<br />
Approximate price: £15<br />
Available from: Early<br />
Learning Centre<br />
Tel: 08705 352352<br />
www.elc.co.uk<br />
Discovery Dome<br />
Combines fun and developmental activities with a child’s<br />
very own play space, to interact with the world. Each<br />
wall of the Discovery Dome has specially designed<br />
activities to develop manual dexterity and introduce<br />
colours, shapes and numbers<br />
for hours of fun!<br />
Approximate price: £40<br />
Available from TOMY<br />
Tel: 02380 662600<br />
www.tomy.co.uk<br />
Learn-Around Playground<br />
Links physical movements to learning experiences. Over<br />
45 interactive touch points introduce the alphabet,<br />
numbers, language, opposite words, music, different<br />
textures, colours and shapes,<br />
growing more age appropriate.<br />
Approximate price: £60<br />
Available from LEAPFROG<br />
Tel: 0800 169 5435<br />
www.leapfroguk.com<br />
Ideal Blox<br />
16 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
A wonderful educational puzzle which can be used at<br />
the individual development level of each child. It works<br />
on spatial awareness and three dimensional reasoning.<br />
It is excellent for children with learning difficulties as it<br />
provides a fun and frustration<br />
free learning tool.<br />
Approximate price: £9 - £13<br />
Available from: Oops A Daisy<br />
Tel: 01895270089<br />
www.oopsadaisyltd.com<br />
Kiddie Tune Bench<br />
Take <strong>you</strong>r pick of the instruments and join in the music. A<br />
unique toy.<br />
Size: 10 x 34 x 34cm<br />
Price: £37.99<br />
Available from:<br />
www.woodandtoys.co.uk<br />
Telephone: 0845 458 9292
Rag Bag To Buy<br />
Rainbow Sound Blocks<br />
These six different shape and colour blocks can be<br />
stored in the wooden box. Beads can be seen through<br />
the transparent coloured surface and when each block<br />
is shaken it will produce its own sound according to the<br />
size and number of beads. Fun can be had fitting the<br />
blocks back into the container when play is finished.<br />
Approximate price: £20<br />
Available from: DKL<br />
Marketing<br />
Tel: 08700 129090<br />
www.dkl.co.uk<br />
FurReal Cuddle Chimp<br />
Chimp is the lovable, huggable chimpanzee that just<br />
adores being cuddled! He can reach out to give <strong>you</strong> a<br />
hug and loves to clap his hands when he’s happy.<br />
Watch his facial expressions change and listen to him<br />
make realistic baby chimp sounds.<br />
“Feed” him when he gets hungry<br />
with his banana shaped bottle.<br />
Approximate price: £35<br />
Available from: Hasbro<br />
Tel: 00800 2242 7276<br />
www.hasbro.co.uk<br />
This Knight’s tent and cushions would make a<br />
magnificent little room for older children or teenagers.<br />
A wonderful exciting environment!<br />
Knight’s Tent<br />
Even Knights have to take a break<br />
sometime. Rest from <strong>you</strong>r adventures<br />
in <strong>you</strong>r Knight’s Tent. Includes floor<br />
mat. Cushions sold separately – see<br />
below.<br />
Price: £109.99<br />
Cushions<br />
Merlins and Artus Cushions<br />
Price: £29.99<br />
Available from:<br />
www.woodandtoys.co.uk<br />
Tel: 0845 458 9292<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
Fun Gripper Target Toss<br />
Fun target for throwing activities. Different sized pockets<br />
give increasing levels of difficulty. The target is<br />
collapsible and folds away for easy storage. Set<br />
includes: Target, three Grip Balls,<br />
three Fling Socks and a storage<br />
bag.<br />
Price: £25.95<br />
Available from: PE Essentials<br />
www.daviessports.co.uk<br />
Songmitts<br />
Available from: Madeleine Lindley Ltd.<br />
Telephone: 0160 683 4400 Fax: 0161 682 6801<br />
email: books@madeleinelindley.com<br />
www.madeleinelindley.com<br />
Rag bag to make<br />
A cheap and effective mobile<br />
All <strong>you</strong> <strong>need</strong> is a<br />
hanging basket, put a<br />
screw in the ceiling.<br />
Attach the basket and<br />
fill with what ever is<br />
dangly and fun! This<br />
mobile was<br />
photographed at<br />
Curnow school in<br />
Cornwall, and was<br />
filled with daffodils and a rustly pom-pom.<br />
If <strong>you</strong> put the basket on a chain, it can be<br />
lowered to wheel chair height for best<br />
interaction.<br />
17
Rag Bag To Buy<br />
Tocki<br />
Tocki designs products to stimulate the senses. Ann and Harry Tock make all the products. They recently won the<br />
Gold award from the National Toy and Leisure Libraries Association for their stunning products. The tubes come in<br />
all different sizes and are all very strong and beautiful. Here are selections of the Tocki Toys.<br />
Glitterscopes<br />
These Glitterscopes<br />
are similar to a<br />
kaleidoscope and<br />
used with the tubes,<br />
create a firework effect, which is amazing.<br />
Musical Mushrooms<br />
Massage and the senses<br />
Assemble and then press<br />
down to get an extra reward<br />
of music. Tunes available are:<br />
Teddy Bears Picnic,<br />
Greensleeves, and theme<br />
from Love Story.<br />
18 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
Top Hat Twister<br />
Tubes which revolve and are<br />
interchangeable.<br />
The Willis Wheel<br />
It turns right or left-handed<br />
and has 6 tubes which<br />
cascade down to fill the<br />
centre with colour. The<br />
original and most popular<br />
mirror background.<br />
Gold Award Winner<br />
A request from Australia<br />
Andrew Short from Australia wrote to tell me about his experiences with remedial massage.<br />
He has cerebral palsy and he reports:<br />
‘My therapist and I have found that blind folding me during massage means that my muscles are not<br />
as tense. I just wondered if <strong>you</strong> were interested to know.’<br />
Andrew has found that by closing down the major sensory channel of vision, that he can concentrate more on<br />
control and relaxation of his body. He also told me that he did not smell any of the aromatherapy oils used during<br />
his sessions.<br />
So he has taken it a step further and reported:<br />
‘Today I took my ear plugs and my blindfold and went to my massage, when I arrived the therapist put the ear plugs<br />
in my ears and helped me tie on my blindfold (It also covered my ears) I could hear but not as much and it was<br />
harder to hear the therapist’s voice. I lay down and we had the massage, it took a while to make my breathing<br />
silent) the main thing I could hear was the plugs in my ears. I found the experience in silence to be relaxing. The<br />
therapist was pleased and my muscles were relaxed.<br />
<strong>We</strong> tried walking with the plugs and blindfold but not so good.<br />
The interesting thing is that I could smell better, than just using the blindfold.’<br />
So help please!<br />
Andrew would like to know if anyone who reads Information Exchange has had similar experiences<br />
in the use of massage that could be useful to him.<br />
You can contact him via Flo<br />
flocatalyst@aol.com
Rag Bag To Buy from Sally Silverman & colleagues in Bristol<br />
Sharing Sheet<br />
Check out this black and white bag for life<br />
from Sainsburys at the moment. Cost 50p.<br />
They say they are selling like hot cakes, but<br />
keep <strong>you</strong>r eyes open there will be more.<br />
Look up the eBay Home page. Go to Toys / Special Needs + Autism.<br />
There is a treasure trove of light up toys and gadgets like this spinning<br />
ball torch £2.99.<br />
Thanks to Kathleen Bebbington for telling us about this.<br />
“Zebbie Zebra” (far left) £4.99 from The Book Cupboard, Gloucester<br />
Road Bristol. “Funny Boxer” £2.99 also from The Book Cupboard<br />
I have tried to buy some more of the zebras, book cupboard no longer<br />
doing them so contacted the company direct they are actually reviewing<br />
them at present and it will be updated with 'Debbie Zebra'!!! shortly. They<br />
are going to send me one of their catalogues which hopefully will be useful.<br />
Kath.<br />
These Dizzy Discs Glow in the Dark!<br />
Found for £2.95p each in the Explore@Bristol shop.<br />
Look up www.wildthingsgifts.com .<br />
Can only buy wholesale but the disc shown is animated on-line.<br />
Great wand, £2.00 at Explore@Bristol shop. (GMG Novelties DT11 7TE Dorset U.K.)<br />
Gentle slow colour change or flashing mode. Soft coating for small hands.<br />
This sheet will come out on an “every now and again” basis when we have enough juicy items to share.<br />
<strong>We</strong>’ll include items to make/buy/ to find. The aim is that by sharing we’ll help each other to help the children. So enjoy and share.<br />
<strong>We</strong>’ll compile the sheets only through emailed contributions. Please feel free to pass on to families / friends / colleagues.<br />
All emailed contributions to<br />
kath_morgan@Bristol-city.gov.uk or sallysilverman@talktalk.net Sensory Support Service Bristol<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
19
Rag Bag To Make – from Kay Evans<br />
Make paper bag fish<br />
•Find paper bags – 1 each<br />
•Choose a paint colour or two<br />
•Use <strong>you</strong>r fingers to paint the bags<br />
on both sides and add an eye to the bottom end of<br />
the bag<br />
•When dry stuff the bag and make a fish shape by<br />
tying string around the bag.<br />
Double Bubbles<br />
Check for allergies first!<br />
•Spread newspaper over the work surface<br />
or work on a washable surface<br />
(outdoors if desired!)<br />
•Mix 1 part washing up liquid, 1 part washable paint,<br />
and 2 parts water. Stir well.<br />
•Blow out through a straw into the mixture until enough<br />
bubbles fill the bowl<br />
•Press paper on to the bubbles to make a print<br />
•Mix up a 2nd colour and repeat but print on top of<br />
<strong>you</strong>r 1st colour bubble print.<br />
Real octopus exploration!<br />
•Buy enough frozen squid or<br />
small octopus and let them<br />
defrost.<br />
•Divide into two halves and play<br />
with half of the squids/octopus<br />
– explore them but do not allow the students to eat<br />
them/ mouth them in order to play safely.<br />
•Count their eyes and legs<br />
•This could all be repeated with fresh crabs and prawns<br />
•Dip them in a dish of paint and use them to make<br />
prints.<br />
•Dispose of these and cook the other half of them<br />
gently in olive oil to taste them!<br />
Freezing cold!<br />
•Fill a new balloon or latex glove<br />
with water and freeze it.<br />
•When they are frozen explore<br />
the shapes that have been made<br />
before and after tearing of the moulded shape.<br />
•See if the shapes sink or swim in a bowl of room<br />
temperature water.<br />
20 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
How to Make Balloon Plants<br />
Making Balloon Plants is a<br />
wonderful activity! You can also<br />
use them to give as gifts, or to<br />
make at parties. Children love<br />
making them and <strong>you</strong> will enjoy<br />
watching <strong>you</strong>r new plant grow.<br />
•Hold a balloon firmly by the<br />
neck (the neck is the long part).<br />
Use a funnel, and pour 1 ⁄2 cup of<br />
dirt into the balloon. (Try to find<br />
clear balloons to use.)<br />
•Keep holding the balloon by the neck and add about<br />
1 ⁄4 cup of water through the funnel. Be sure the soil in<br />
the balloon is wet, though it shouldn’t be soggy.<br />
•Use the funnel to drop the radish seeds into the<br />
balloon. Don’t turn the balloon over.<br />
•If the balloon is dirty, wipe it carefully with a<br />
washcloth.<br />
•Now <strong>you</strong>’re ready to blow up <strong>you</strong>r balloon! Keep<br />
holding it gently by the neck. Now carefully blow air<br />
into the balloon. You <strong>need</strong> to keep the balloon from<br />
tipping.<br />
•Tie a knot in the neck to keep the air in the balloon.<br />
Tie a ribbon around the knot.<br />
•Tie the balloon to a hook or other place near a<br />
window. The neck should be the top.<br />
•Your balloon plant is ready to begin growing!<br />
Cress numbers<br />
What <strong>you</strong> will <strong>need</strong>:<br />
Card, foil, dark paper, glue,<br />
blotting paper and cress seeds<br />
What to do:<br />
•Cut out squares of card: cover them in foil, folded over<br />
the sides<br />
•Cut out a number to fit on the card made from blotting<br />
paper or double thickness kitchen paper<br />
•Dampen the paper and cover it with the seeds<br />
•Cover it with the dark paper for a couple of days until<br />
they sprout, then uncover it in the light to grow.<br />
•You will discover a magic number growing!<br />
Thank<strong>you</strong> Kay for <strong>you</strong>r sensory ideas<br />
to make.
Rag Bag To Make – Kay Evans<br />
Potato Pete<br />
What <strong>you</strong> <strong>need</strong>:<br />
Potatoes – cut off the top and<br />
bottom & hollow out, Damp cotton<br />
wool, cress seeds, plastic trays and<br />
cloves, pen for facial features<br />
What to do:<br />
•Draw or ‘model’ his facial features<br />
•Put the dampened cotton wool into the potato shell<br />
and cover with cress seeds.<br />
•Potato Pete will develop his own crazy hairstyles,<br />
sitting on the tray!<br />
Fractions<br />
This sounds a difficult aim but it is<br />
easy to show by using different<br />
fruits and vegetables cut in half<br />
and or quarters. Look at the seeds<br />
and their patterns, then enjoy their<br />
smells, feel them and eat to finish.<br />
Soap sculpture<br />
(check for allergies and be careful if students tend to<br />
mouth things)<br />
What <strong>you</strong> <strong>need</strong>:<br />
Lux flakes, warm water in a tray, paint<br />
What to do:<br />
•Froth up the flakes in the tray of water<br />
•Make shapes in the bubbles<br />
•Add the paint and do the same sort of things<br />
The shapes that result are quite a sight to see!<br />
Paint with Baby Oil<br />
What <strong>you</strong> <strong>need</strong>:<br />
Baby oil, coloured construction<br />
paper, Q-tips, paper<br />
What to do:<br />
•Using light coloured construction paper, try painting a<br />
design with baby oil. Anywhere that has baby oil<br />
becomes transparent when held to the light or hung in<br />
a window.<br />
•Try this technique on a photocopied image – follow<br />
with the Q-tip and see what it looks like<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
Bubble Wrap Print<br />
Enable children to explore the<br />
bubble wrap, feeling and noisily<br />
popping the puffy bubble pouches<br />
before expecting them to paint on it.<br />
Who can resist popping those clear, smooth bubble<br />
pouches! After exploring, bubble wrap becomes an<br />
intriguing printing material with unusual and beautiful<br />
results. Let children pop and play first and the painting<br />
activity will go much more smoothly. Usually children are<br />
often more captivated by mixing the paints in the baking<br />
tray than painting on the bubble wrap.<br />
What <strong>you</strong> <strong>need</strong>:<br />
•Newspaper<br />
•Bubble wrap (any size bubbles), approximately 9 x<br />
12 square or larger (Note: big bubbles make big dots,<br />
and little bubbles make little dots)<br />
•Masking tape, tempura paints, shallow baking pan,<br />
paintbrush,<br />
•Large sheets of paper, wet sponge<br />
What to do:<br />
•Cover a table with newspaper then place a sheet of<br />
bubble wrap on the table, taping down corners to<br />
hold.<br />
•Put several puddles of different colours of paint in the<br />
baking pan next to the bubble wrap. Place a<br />
paintbrush next to the pan. If necessary place loops of<br />
masking tape to keep it from sliding around the table.<br />
•Have a stack of extra paper handy for multiple prints.<br />
Be sure the paper is larger than the wrap.<br />
•Paint directly onto the bubble wrap with as many<br />
colours as desired. The more colours the merrier!<br />
•When the bubble wrap is covered with colours, press<br />
a sheet of paper onto the bubble wrap and lift off a<br />
multi-coloured print.<br />
•Remove the print to a drying area and repeat with<br />
fresh paper. If bubble wrap becomes murky with colour,<br />
simply wipe it off with a wet sponge and begin again.<br />
Variations:<br />
Explore lifting prints from other textured materials,<br />
suggestions include:<br />
•Grass •<strong>We</strong>lcome mat<br />
•Gravel path •Wire screen<br />
•Un-crumpled tin foil<br />
Explore lifting prints from items glued to cardboard,<br />
suggestions include:<br />
•Buttons •Plasters<br />
•Bottle caps •String<br />
•Masking tape<br />
21
Rag Bag To Make<br />
A Springtime rabbit hutch<br />
A lovely hutch for a<br />
springtime rabbit<br />
You will <strong>need</strong>:<br />
•Fluffy cotton wool<br />
•A round box<br />
•Coloured paper, doyleys,<br />
ribbon<br />
•Straw or shredded paper<br />
How to make the rabbit hutch:<br />
•Decorate outside the round box with the ribbons,<br />
papers and doyleys<br />
•Inside the box, line with green paper and blue for the<br />
bottom<br />
•Place the shredded paper or straw in the hutch<br />
•Fashion a rabbit shape from the cotton wool, adding<br />
eyes and ears<br />
•There <strong>you</strong> are, a very happy<br />
bunny in a new hutch!<br />
A twirling wind vane<br />
hanging from the ceiling and<br />
introducing a pupil in the class.<br />
Crepe paper magic fantasia<br />
You will <strong>need</strong> lots of crepe<br />
paper in a whole rainbow<br />
of colours<br />
•Rip and tear the paper<br />
into small pieces – look<br />
at the colours and forms<br />
as <strong>you</strong> make a pile of all the colourful scraps<br />
•Everyone can choose some pieces and place them on<br />
a piece of white paper or card<br />
•Take a water spray bottle and gently soak the pieces<br />
on the paper<br />
•Watch for the magic to happen as <strong>you</strong> lift off some of<br />
the pieces of crepe and see the magic smudgy colours<br />
beneath<br />
•Spray again and remove some more<br />
•Let it dry and <strong>you</strong> could laminate it as a special<br />
colourful place mat<br />
Art Activities<br />
22 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
String Painting<br />
•Use a short stiff piece of string as a<br />
‘brush’ on the paper.<br />
•Use a long coiling piece of string with clothes peg on<br />
end as a handle in a small dish of paint.<br />
•Fold paper in half and coil string inside it. Apply<br />
gentle pressure on top and pull string gently out.<br />
Sand, salt or sawdust<br />
•Children paint pictures on paper using<br />
clear clue (cellulose adhesive).<br />
•Using sand, salt or sawdust in a shaker<br />
(which can be made from a plastic<br />
container) shake sand, salt or sawdust over the picture<br />
– then place the surplus into a box in the centre of the<br />
table. This gives a textured picture’ effect.<br />
Wax resist<br />
•Warm a candle or wax crayon slightly<br />
(e.g. on a radiator).<br />
•The children draw with this and then paint<br />
over the drawing with a very pale wash of<br />
colour.<br />
•If this is done with a candle it is like ‘magic’ painting,<br />
as the original drawing ‘magically appears’.<br />
OR use brown wrapping paper or greaseproof paper to<br />
draw on, with finger dipped in cooking oil. Allow ‘oil’<br />
picture to set, then wash over with paint.<br />
Finger Painting<br />
•Use a cold water paste (NOT with<br />
fungicide).<br />
•Spread paste over sugar paper.<br />
•Have small dishes of ready mixed<br />
paint and teaspoons (or paint in squeezy bottles)<br />
ready.<br />
•Sprinkle several colours over paste – then mix with<br />
fingers or a comb.<br />
•Dry powder paint can be sprinkled on in the same<br />
way.<br />
OR mix cold water paste and powder paint to give a<br />
deep rich colour.<br />
•Let children crayon thickly all over a piece of thick<br />
paper using different colours.<br />
•The quickest way is to use the side of a wax crayon.<br />
•Cover the whole sheet with the paste.<br />
•The children can then draw on the paste with fingers<br />
and the crayon will show through.
Rag Bag To Do<br />
An idea to share with other IE colleagues from St Anne’s<br />
Community Special School, <strong>We</strong>lton, East Yorkshire <strong>We</strong><br />
think we saw the poem about snow in an old issue of I.E.<br />
but we then put it to music and adapted it for various<br />
times and seasons. This is a lesson starter linked to the<br />
weather and a sense of time, which the children in our<br />
class of 2-5 year olds, really enjoy.<br />
<strong>We</strong> haven’t come up with an idea for days which are just<br />
‘dull’ – but we are working on it!<br />
The weather and a sense of time<br />
Set up<br />
The children are<br />
•Placed in a small circle<br />
•They hold a sheet or cloth which is wafted up and<br />
down to the tune-‘Frere Jacques’<br />
•Then it is pulled over everyone’s head on the final line<br />
To the tune ‘Frere Jacques’ we sing the following:<br />
•Snow is falling, snow is falling<br />
•Round the town, round the town.<br />
•Everywhere is covered,<br />
everywhere is covered<br />
•In a white gown, in a white gown<br />
(white sheet)<br />
•Sun is shining, sun is shining<br />
•Round the town, round the town<br />
•Everyone is covered, everyone is<br />
covered<br />
•In a yellow gown, in a yellow gown<br />
(Yellow sheet)<br />
•Wind is blowing, wind is<br />
blowing<br />
•Round the town, round the town<br />
•Everyone is covered, everyone<br />
is covered<br />
•With a warm gown, with a warm gown (knitted<br />
blanket to cover everyone)<br />
(This rhyme is said very quickly so the cover makes<br />
good draught!)<br />
•It is freezing, it is freezing<br />
•Round the town, round the town<br />
•Everyone is covered, everyone<br />
is covered<br />
•In a crinkly gown in a crinkly<br />
gown (survival blanket)<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
•Fog is falling, fog is falling<br />
•Round the town, round the town<br />
•Everyone is covered, everyone is<br />
covered<br />
•In a grey gown in a grey gown<br />
(grey sheet)<br />
•Rain is falling, rain is falling<br />
•Round the town, round the town<br />
•Everyone is covered, everyone is<br />
covered<br />
•In a glistening gown, in a glistening<br />
gown (blue sheet)<br />
•Rain is falling, sun is shining<br />
•Round the town, round the town<br />
•Everyone is covered, everyone is covered<br />
•In a rainbow gown, in a rainbow gown (multicoloured<br />
sheet)<br />
•Leaves are falling, leaves are falling<br />
•Round the town, round the town<br />
•Everyone is covered, everyone is covered<br />
•In an orange gown, in an orange gown<br />
(orange sheet)<br />
•Grass is growing grass is growing<br />
•Round the town, round the town<br />
•Everyone is covered, everyone is<br />
covered<br />
•In a green gown, in a green gown (green sheet)<br />
•Night is falling, night is falling<br />
•Round the town, round the town<br />
•Everywhere is covered, everywhere<br />
is covered<br />
•In a black gown, in a black gown<br />
(black velvet sheet)<br />
Materials <strong>need</strong>ed<br />
Sheets or large pieces of material in the following<br />
colours. Some look super with sequins added:<br />
White, yellow, pale blue with sequins, orange with felt<br />
leaves attached, multicoloured with coloured sequins,<br />
green, a knitted blanket, a survival blanket, grey, black<br />
velvet<br />
You are stars! Thank <strong>you</strong> to everyone at St Anne’s<br />
school for this very sensory activity-such fun!<br />
The editor<br />
23
The Sensory ‘Auditory’ wall by Audrey Forbes<br />
I sent out a number of begging letters to firms in the<br />
Bristol area where my school is situated. One reply was<br />
from a local firm who invited me to come, look and see<br />
what I'd like to take away with me, as fabric for another<br />
potential sensory drama.<br />
One of the fabrics was a net that's used as prisoners<br />
wash bags. The firm sews them up as 'laundry' bags and<br />
sends them on to prisons. I thought this could be quite an<br />
interesting fabric to have, so the firm gave me 10 metres<br />
or so of fabric amongst other pieces I was allowed to<br />
take away.<br />
The Managing Director, David Neary of Severnside<br />
Fabrics Ltd, allowed me to take away whatever I wanted<br />
without any charge whatsoever. His was the only<br />
response from a dozen or so letters I’d written to local<br />
firms and it was a very welcome one to receive!<br />
The fabric is basically a soft mesh nylon net that I<br />
thought would be useful for future sensory dramas or<br />
perhaps something to use in my classroom as well.<br />
One of the children in my class has cerebral visual<br />
impairment, is learning to balance and potentially could<br />
be mobile in the future. Following discussion with our<br />
class Physiotherapist, I thought we could use this fabric in<br />
order to develop his balance further.<br />
I stapled the fabric onto wooden door frames we have<br />
in the classroom and with my trusty assistants Zoe and<br />
Sam, chose objects I thought he might find interesting<br />
to explore and use. My little boy<br />
(aged 4) uses his<br />
auditory channel<br />
as his main way<br />
of accessing, so<br />
we have<br />
constructed his<br />
very own 'auditory' wall for him to<br />
explore using material donated by<br />
Severnside Fabrics. Bells, crinkly cellophane, Persil soap<br />
bags filled with a variety of items, rope for hand holds<br />
and musical instruments have all been tied onto the white<br />
nylon net. Its early days,<br />
but has been a success<br />
so far and he's spent<br />
some time exploring his<br />
own 'auditory' wall<br />
whilst standing and<br />
balancing unaided. My<br />
Physio thinks I ought to<br />
patent it.<br />
24 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
<strong>We</strong> have also tried it out the ‘wall’ with non mobile<br />
children in ‘tumble forms’, supportive seats, standing<br />
frames or side lying couches. The downside of this is that<br />
they have to access the materials sideways and will<br />
<strong>need</strong> adult support to cope with this. Responses have<br />
been really good and we will continue to use this in the<br />
future.<br />
Potential areas that we could to develop in the future<br />
could highlight 'areas' to develop sensory awareness -<br />
hard/soft, rough/smooth etc. Maybe use it rather like an<br />
old fashioned 'rag rug' looping different materials<br />
through the holes or use it as part of our ‘theme’ work in<br />
class or throughout the school. It's got a lot of potential<br />
and is a very simple idea.<br />
So my message to <strong>you</strong> is to approach <strong>you</strong>r local firms<br />
and see what they can offer <strong>you</strong>. In my experience, firms<br />
are very accommodating and will help <strong>you</strong> out!<br />
Audrey Forbes<br />
Look at me<br />
I can<br />
balance!
Smart Moves<br />
Thank <strong>you</strong> to Karen<br />
Buckley for sending in<br />
these details about Smart<br />
Moves – a motor<br />
learning programme that<br />
could be used with an<br />
inclusive group of pupils<br />
Smart Moves is a motor learning programme for the<br />
development of motor skills, which are essential for<br />
children to be included effectively in mainstream school<br />
P.E. lessons. Designed by Sharon Drew, Occupational<br />
Therapist; it supports children who move and learn<br />
differently at Key Stage One and Two. In particular it<br />
would benefit pupils with Developmental Coordination<br />
Disorder/Dyspraxia and those who experience<br />
coordination difficulties. It could be considered as wave<br />
2/3 intervention for physical education.<br />
It contains a screening tool (called the Movement<br />
Abilities Profile) which is related to developmental norms<br />
for motor skills and to the physical education curriculum.<br />
However, it is designed in such a way that findings can<br />
be easily interpreted by an Occupational Therapist or<br />
Physiotherapist should a referral be necessary. The<br />
purpose of the screen is to provide an initial baseline<br />
from which to measure future progress against and to<br />
help with goal setting. It is not a diagnostic assessment.<br />
There is a flipbook of activities divided into; warm up,<br />
main activity and cool down activities. Both Movement<br />
Abilities Profile and activities are subdivided into four<br />
areas; ‘methods of travel’, ‘balance/linking actions’,<br />
‘ball skills - sending and receiving’, ‘team games –<br />
dodge/chase’ and can be carried out with equipment<br />
that is generally available in school. The programme is<br />
easily understood and administered by the nonspecialist.<br />
Programme delivery is flexible and can be<br />
matched to the time and space available. There is a<br />
strong emphasis on pupils setting their own targets and<br />
monitoring their own progress which reflects current<br />
government guidance. Hence if the initial screening<br />
identifies many areas of weakness but the pupil is<br />
interested only in improving his football skills so he can<br />
be included in playground football, then the targets set<br />
and the activities used would reflect this. It is possible to<br />
include the activities in whole class physical education<br />
lessons and with a little imagination; most of the activities<br />
can be easily adapted to have a literacy or numeracy<br />
teaching component. The delivery of the programme<br />
also aims to promote teamwork and cooperation,<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
valuing each individual contribution and so promotes<br />
self-esteem. The children are encouraged to problem<br />
solve, suggest improvements to activities and evaluate<br />
their own performance at the end of each session.<br />
I have been involved in testing pilot materials for this<br />
programme and have given regular feedback to the<br />
author. Every child who I have worked with has enjoyed<br />
this programme and all have improved their physical<br />
skills, most showing an improvement in handwriting and<br />
an increased level of confidence and self esteem as their<br />
physical prowess grows. I have enjoyed teaching using<br />
these materials, because the activities are fun and<br />
motivating.<br />
It costs £85 (including postage and packing) for the<br />
programme. The materials are provided on a CD Rom<br />
so the initial outlay is the only outlay. You can buy it<br />
through Smart Consultancy & Coaching Ltd. (www.<br />
smartcc.co.uk).<br />
Written by;<br />
Maggie Goley, Teacher with Derbyshire Local<br />
Authority Support Service for Special Educational<br />
Needs.<br />
Taking part and collaborating together<br />
Ending the session with a handshake!<br />
25
Electronic exchange<br />
Online games that are switch enabled<br />
Inclusive technology has teamed up with CBBC to<br />
modify several CBeebies games so they can be<br />
operated using switches. This makes them ideal for<br />
pupils with impaired physical motor function to<br />
stimulate and motivate interaction.<br />
http://tinyurl.com/1kkwa<br />
Relaxation Time – taken from<br />
the ECAPPS newsletter! Thanks<br />
Mandy! ~ the editor<br />
“Reduce <strong>you</strong>r stress levels listening to<br />
soothing sounds online”.<br />
This site has a number of sounds that could be used<br />
within activities such as sensory stories/sensory drama.<br />
The sounds are listed in groups:<br />
•Nature Sounds (e.g. jungle, waves, waterfalls)<br />
•Animal (e.g. ducks, seagulls, tigers)<br />
•People (e.g. snoring, traffic, playground)<br />
•Miscellaneous (e.g. clocks, cycles, vehicles)<br />
Click on the images that represent the sound and <strong>you</strong><br />
will hear the sound and see a number of pictures<br />
relating to the sound. The pictures are clear, making this<br />
a great screen related activity also.<br />
www.getrelaxed.com<br />
TacPac now have a website!<br />
A fun, multi-sensory activity pack for all children learning<br />
to communicate in the early years. www.tacpac.co.uk<br />
Multisensory story telling information<br />
www.dundee.ac.uk/pamis/projects<br />
Select Projects on the Homepage and scroll down to<br />
Multi-sensory Stories and Sensitive Stories.<br />
Have a look at the research project Real Lives: Real<br />
Stories – Developing Literacy Skills through Multisensory<br />
Story-telling in Children and Young People with<br />
Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities. This project<br />
produced 50 personalised multi-sensory stories in<br />
collaboration with parents, carers and teachers. The<br />
benefits of the stories were explored through a<br />
questionnaire for parents and teachers, and a<br />
behavioural analysis of the responses of the children<br />
across repeated readings.<br />
Also visit Multi-sensory Stories to see the brochure ‘The<br />
Multi-sensory Story Library’. This section lists the books<br />
and some of the materials used. The concepts may<br />
inspire content ideas <strong>you</strong> can use to create some books<br />
for the people <strong>you</strong> support.<br />
GIZMO<br />
Fancy a shirt that displays a video<br />
message to match <strong>you</strong>r mood, a sofa that<br />
glows in the dark or even curtains that<br />
flash You’re in luck – from next year,<br />
photonic textiles from Philips will make<br />
that possible. Waterproof LEDs and<br />
wires are woven into the cloth and<br />
pre-programmed graphics will flash<br />
and appear to move over the surface.<br />
For early e-garments check out<br />
http:/tinyurl.com/lsuwo<br />
For those working with ‘deaf<br />
blind’ children and adults<br />
Time to visit www.nud.dk in English<br />
NUD has launched a brand new website.<br />
Whilst some information is only available in the Nordic<br />
languages, we have an English section featuring news,<br />
library catalogue, publications and more. So, if <strong>you</strong><br />
have not yet visited, now is the time to direct <strong>you</strong>r<br />
browser to www.nud.dk and click ‘English’<br />
Free tickets for special students,<br />
12-18 year olds, workshops and shows –<br />
education workshops as well<br />
www.mousetrap.org.uk<br />
London Theatre challenge for Special Schools – further<br />
details from; georgette@mousetrap.org.uk<br />
Boogie Beebies<br />
26 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
A website that provides simple dances for<br />
<strong>you</strong>nger children to aid coordination and<br />
listening skills – http://tinyurl.com/p39ry<br />
A Message from Catherine de Haas<br />
‘I have received a copy of the new<br />
‘Inclusive Technology’ catalogue today. It<br />
has new products suitable for very special<br />
people, for as little as £9. Personal talker -<br />
£10 one talk. Also information in the<br />
catalogue about how to choose a<br />
communication aid. The on line catalogue is out of date<br />
but the SITE can be used to order the current catalogue.<br />
www.inclusive.co.uk To me this is something that has<br />
been <strong>need</strong>ed for some time, affordable voice recorders<br />
that can be scattered strategically round a class room,<br />
that are easy for pupils to activate themselves, and that<br />
they may take home in their pockets and continue to<br />
utilise communication opportunities that would not<br />
otherwise be there.’
Setting up an exciting visual environment<br />
Overhead projectors (OHP’s) are nearly obsolete now<br />
we have data projectors. At Coventry Art Gallery I saw<br />
a fascinating OHP set up that was lots of fun and could<br />
be used by everyone.<br />
A space had been set up with boxes of ‘see through’<br />
sensory materials and a table upon which to work. On<br />
the table, the OHP was switched on and the see through<br />
materials could be placed on the glass.<br />
When the lights were dimmed in the room, the OHP<br />
glowed with beautiful colours and materials.<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
Then a sheet was hung up and the colourful images<br />
projected on to the white background. A multi sensory<br />
light display!<br />
Special learners could easily place the materials on the<br />
OHP glass to their own preference – and create their<br />
own exciting experience!<br />
Materials in the ‘see through’ box included:<br />
•feathers<br />
•cellophanes<br />
•see through bubble wrap<br />
•laminates<br />
•glitter<br />
•voiles<br />
•see through silks<br />
•toffee wrappers<br />
•shredded cellophane<br />
Flo Longhorn<br />
27
Hirstwood Multisensory Training Thank <strong>you</strong> Richard Hirstwood<br />
www.hirstwoodtraining.com<br />
28 Issue 71 Spring 2007
An incredible journey<br />
Last summer, Mike Ayres, who designs<br />
wonderful sensory studios amongst other<br />
things, donated a wonderful box of<br />
sensory materials to the Woodside<br />
Sanctuary in Johannesburg. The box<br />
arrived at the sanctuary for abandoned children and<br />
special people, bringing great excitement. When it was<br />
opened we found it was full of many wonderful<br />
materials including parachutes, twirling shapes, and also<br />
many glittery sticks.<br />
These materials were<br />
distributed within the Sanctuary<br />
and also to many small centres<br />
for special children, who do<br />
not have funds for specialised<br />
equipment.<br />
Some materials also went to an<br />
institution for people with<br />
dementias; the parachutes<br />
brought great fun into their<br />
lives.<br />
A Willow Cane Sculpture<br />
A variation on the willow canes was a structure made<br />
of basket weaving cane. Here <strong>you</strong> see a <strong>you</strong>ng visitor<br />
threading ribbons and glittery materials on to the<br />
structure.<br />
A growing piece of art as everyone contributed on<br />
the day.<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
One of the glittery<br />
sticks made a<br />
special trip as<br />
Sylvia, a senior<br />
occupational<br />
therapist from<br />
Jo’burg, was going<br />
to Mauritius to<br />
lecture and advise<br />
on helping special<br />
children in that<br />
country. She took a<br />
parachute to<br />
demonstrate its<br />
many uses and<br />
also some glitter sticks. Here <strong>you</strong> have a photo of a<br />
special teenager looking with great intent at the glittery<br />
stick. It was being used as a visual stimulation to see<br />
how much she could actually see-as well as a source of<br />
great pleasure.<br />
Thanks Mike! From everyone!<br />
This was photographed at Coventry Art Gallery.<br />
The willow canes were just heaped together with a<br />
box of exciting sensory materials.<br />
Anyone was invited to thread, weave or create a<br />
pattern on the willow canes.<br />
29
SLD forum – exchange of ideas<br />
Sensory markers and calendars – taken from SLD<br />
forum – written by FAL(sld-forum@lists.becta.org.uk)<br />
Smashing to read all contributions to the sensory<br />
markers and calendars. It must be so helpful to get huge<br />
sensory clues at the beginning of the day to point the<br />
way forward to the delights to come! It is also special if<br />
families or carers also know about them and use them in<br />
the home during holidays and weekends. Otherwise it is<br />
a blank day to anticipate.<br />
Just a few sensory pointers:<br />
Smells<br />
If <strong>you</strong> use bergamot which is suggested as a smell, then<br />
take care it is not put directly on the skin to smell. This is<br />
because if <strong>you</strong> use ultra violet light in the following 24<br />
hours, there is a chance of bad reactions on the skin.<br />
Interestingly, on a scale of odour intensity (Tisserand) it<br />
scores 4 whilst camomile and cardamom have the<br />
strongest odours.<br />
By the way, <strong>you</strong> can now buy fabrics by the metre which<br />
are impregnated with micro-encapsulated smells which<br />
are released through touch and movement. I have<br />
contact with an art student who is designing smelly<br />
clothes using these materials, for very special children –<br />
wow!<br />
Johanna de Haas a very special teenager (Making<br />
friends with Johanna) uses a fragrance for each day<br />
with body spray, talc shampoo so she carries the<br />
reminder on her all day. It is as follows:<br />
A peep into Spring<br />
With ideas sent to us by Freda Leask in Scotland who wrote a<br />
lovely leaflet called ‘ideas for the vision group’. Sally sent<br />
them on to Information Exchange, with her permission. More<br />
in the summer IE – thank <strong>you</strong> Freda!<br />
OUTDOORS<br />
Water Play<br />
Equipment<br />
Water play tray, buckets of water, hose, watering can,<br />
floating toys, fairy liquid, food colouring, protective clothing.<br />
Ideas<br />
Watch and listen as water is poured in. Splash each other.<br />
Float bright toys. Push them to each other. Put in the food<br />
colouring and watch the changes. Watch the hose spraying,<br />
watering can sprinkling. Watch the ‘fairy<br />
liquid’ go in. Splash and make bubbles.<br />
Do this outside!<br />
Monday – Strawberry<br />
Tuesday – Dewberry<br />
<strong>We</strong>dnesday – Peach<br />
Thursday – Mink<br />
Friday – coconut<br />
Saturday – Lavender<br />
Sunday – Vanilla<br />
30 Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
Sounds<br />
With the music, very recent brain research has flagged<br />
up rap music as the one which makes the brain ignite all<br />
over – much more impact than Mozart… But do make<br />
sure <strong>you</strong> check on the words as they can be quite<br />
spectacular and rude!<br />
The music used at Ty Gwyn School in Wales (modest<br />
souls) is as follows:<br />
Monday – Tranquility<br />
Tuesday – Pan Pipes<br />
<strong>We</strong>dnesday – Peaceful Pachabel<br />
Thursday – Lord of the Dance<br />
Friday – Taize<br />
Touch<br />
If <strong>you</strong> use a touch cue then try for quite rough textures<br />
as these are vibratory and send strong messages via<br />
touch receptors to the brain. <strong>We</strong> also sense colour<br />
through our skin – the radiation sense – so go for<br />
colours to link to touch as well, babies adore red<br />
followed by yellow. Try a red nail brush!<br />
Best sensory wishes<br />
Flo Longhorn<br />
Windmills and ‘fly in the sky’ materials<br />
Equipment<br />
Reflective windmills, crepe paper ribbons,<br />
bubbles.<br />
Ideas<br />
Use this for outdoor activities. Encourage<br />
children to look as they hold up their<br />
windmill. Who wants this windmill? Look for eye contact.<br />
Give to whoever looks. Take turns. Get them to hold on to<br />
crepe paper ribbons and watch them in the wind. Draw<br />
attention to each other and to what is happening.<br />
Extend the activity and ‘Let’s go Fly a Kite’<br />
Resources<br />
Bright kite, coats, hats, fan.<br />
Ideas<br />
Sing the song in the classroom. Show the kite.<br />
Go up and down.<br />
Get coats and hats on. Talk about windy<br />
weather and the <strong>need</strong> to keep warm.<br />
Outside – talk about the weather again etc. Fly the kite.<br />
Indoors in the dark room, look at the kites; use the fan to<br />
make the tails blow. Sing the song (the one from Mary<br />
Poppins is great! – the editor)
“The magic classroom”<br />
taken from Barbara Prashnig “The power of diversity” Network Educational Press<br />
Issue 71 Spring 2007<br />
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