Our school has an Outdoor Learning Committee that I am a part of. We all feel very strongly that the environment where the children play outside is just as important as the environment inside our school. We have worked hard to make our playground an area where the kids can run, exercise explore and yes...learn! Outside play plays an important role in children's development! They are working gross motor muscles and getting must needed exercise. They learn how to solve problems such as when social disagreements arise. They learn empathy as they help friends who get hurt. They learn to take risks and see where their limits are and feel empowered as they take those risks and succeed. They create games and role play. They learn science concepts as they discover things in nature and learn to look closer and ask questions about what they see as they discover new things. They learn kindness as they try to save an insect in danger or nurture a plant. They are literally learning about life and life skills as they play outside, so we knew the environment needed to support that. We had an area that we were having some problems with in the middle of our asphalt area. We wanted to turn it into something all of the kids could explore and benefit from and decided to create a Barefoot Sensory Path. We came up with a design and my husband figured out how to make it so that it would be sturdy and last. Our amazing PTO gave us funds to purchase the materials and we had fun shopping at Lowes for items that would provide the sensory experiences we were hoping for. Our team came in on a Saturday and went to work. Our maintenance team had dug the area down four inches so that it would be even with the asphalt. We put down a layer of paver sand, and then the 4x4's. We glued some materials to 2x2 pieces of plywood. The sections were all 2x2. We filled the sections with paver base and tamped it solid. My son even came and helped! Here is the finished frame. Of course, we had to test it out! Here is the finished path!! We were so excited for the kids to try it! It was a huge success!! The kids absolutely loved walking on it with bare feet, crawling on it and feeling with their hands and even laying in it enjoying the warmth radiating from it from being in the sun. Another new area we created was an area to create roads, ramps, etc. using scrap wood, cars, signs and other loose parts. This lovely lady below had the vision for this area! We also added an area to really work those gross motor muscles. Mr. Doyle created a boundary to keep it all contained to one area. We filled it with stumps, logs, and large branches. The kids have created obstacle courses and love lifting these up to show how strong they are! They jump, balance and create here. They collaborate and problem solve. They use both critical and creative thinking skills. This is a great area to develop 21st Century Learning Skills as they play! For our nature lovers, we have an area with plants for them to explore and observe. Some are edible such as peppermint and fennel. We have cone flowers, milkweed, irises, sunflowers and more. This area is a great place to explore and observe insects also! Here are some other things on our playground where they can let lose and have fun! Our playground is still a work in progress! We have many more ideas that we want to implement some day! One step at a time!
You will delight all five senses in a sensory garden. Grow plants that you will enjoy looking at, tasting and touching. Choose bushes and shrubs that smell good. Listen to wind chimes or invite birds to sing for you with a birdfeeder.
Florissa is a grower who supplies the highest quality horticultural products to garden shops including flower bulbs and perennial plants.
% How should I design a sensory school garden for students? %
Back in May, one of my co-workers shared a school-wide project idea that went viral on social media from Scarymommy.com. The project was a rock garden inspired by the book "Only One You" by Linda Kranz, and decorated the landscaping of Sharon Elementary School in Newburgh, Indiana. The garden was the idea of Jessica Moyes, who is the art teacher at Sharon Elementary. Jessica, your design has inspired multiple schools to create their own rock gardens within their own schools. Our school's parents were even sending links of this project to the principal requesting the garden! There's few posts from other bloggers and teachers talking about their rock garden installations at their schools. I'd love to share our story, along with the methods used in gathering materials, containing painting with K-6, incorporating all staff, and how to complete the installation. The Materials Thanks to Streamline Landscaping in Willow Springs, IL, we receive a few buckets of smooth rocks to use for our rock garden! The landscapers even came by to see how we were doing with creation, and donated even more larger stones for each class and department in the school. We also received a donation of acrylic paint and markers from Oriental Tradings! The donated materials really helped with supply management! Here's the materials you need to complete this project: 1. Lots and lots of rocks. Consider calling a local landscaping company and ask for a donation. The rock size can be your choice. 2. Table clothes. This was a life saver for all 31 of my classes who painted (700+ students). 3. Paper towels and paper plates. Tear up sections of paper towels for students to keep under their rocks while painting. Paper plates make it 100% easier to manage the paint messes and clean-ups. 4. A copy of "Only One You" by Linda Kranz. Easily found on Amazon, or other book sellers. 5. Acrylic paint. As much as it's scary working with acrylic at K-1 ages, it's the only paint that will stay on the rocks over time. Some acrylics paint on a little transparent, while others will be more opaque. Again, your choice. Here's the link to the acrylic paint used from Oriental Trading. 6. Paint brushes, cups, and water. 7. Permanent markers. If you photograph all artworks for Artsonia, or need to know who made what rock for grading, use permanent markers for students to write their names. Oh...and add room numbers too. It really helps with organizing. If you use markers for details, keep in mind that markers do fade over time. Here's the link to the sharpie marker set from Oriental Trading. 8. Acrylic clear coat. In order for the paint to stay as long as it can on the rocks in outdoor weather, you need to spray all the finished rocks with a clear coat for protection. For a safety note, make sure you spray outdoors and after school hours, because this smell can draft down the hallways. 9. Bins for storage. This is going to be heavy! For transporting from classroom to garden set-up, make sure you have plastic, durable bins to use for organization and transportation. 10. Aprons or old shirts. If you're doing this project with young students, you need clothing protection. The Objective The purpose of creating a community project was to have student leave a "footprint" in the school. The positive message in the final pages of the book is "There is only one you in this great, big world...make it a better place." All the students from grades K-6 were read the book and took in the words of wisdom shared. Each student painted their own "fish" rock with their own colors and patterns. The Project I allotted two full weeks for all classes to complete their rocks. Each of my classes are 40 minutes in length, and visit once a week. Prior to starting the painting, I sent a note home to each student explaining the project and materials being used. Since we had so many younger grade levels, I made a huge recommendation to parents to have their children bring an art shirt to school or an apron to protect their clothing. One parent donated a box of plastic aprons, which really helped with the younger grade levels! The teachers even helped with mentioning the extra art shirt in their weekend newsletters, which really helped!!! For prepping, I set up a plate of colors for each table. If I made the plates last longer than two classes, I called it a success. Kindergarten classes only received 5 colors (red, blue, yellow, green, white) because no matter what you do, the plates only last about 10 minutes of pure colors. Once the students see that colors mix, the plate very quickly turned to brown. On the first day of class, the book was read and we had a small discussion about the wisdom shared and how they can help in creating a garden for the school. For the rest of the class, the students painted their rocks. I organized drying areas for each class by placing colored paper and a painted large rock with the class name on it. When students finished painting, they placed their rocks on a paper labeled with their class. Students were also asked to sign a class rock that their fish will swim around. Since Kindergarten and 1st grade finished quickly, they were only given one day to work on the rocks. Afterwards, I glued a google eye to the fish. (The google eyes will not stay on for more than a few weeks. It's good for the beginning pictures, but it will not last forever with a glue gun.) On the second day of the project, grades 2-6 used permanent markers to trace out eyes, mouth, patterns, fins, and details in their rocks. Since this step only takes about 5-10 minutes to complete, I found worksheets on Linda Kranz's website that students colored and filled out. The worksheets can be found here. Remember when I said that departments also receive a rock? I painted fish rocks for the front office (administrators, nurses, secretaries), lunchroom, custodians, Title 1, ELL, Special Education, and Specials! They're mixed in with the class rocks below ready for installation! Now the fun part...getting over 7 bins of rocks and large river rock into the courtyard! With lots of helping hands, we transported all the pebbles to the courtyard so I could spray them with the acrylic clear coat. The custodians were also very helping in clearing out an area in our courtyard before installation! And the sign has been made... On the day of installation, students and staff were invited to participate in the installation process. ALMOST DONE!!!! And here's the finished project! Our school has been passing around the golden pineapple award for teachers sharing positive events in our school, and on the day the garden was being installed, a student dropped this award off in my classroom! Totally excited and honored to have this award for this project! It's for the entire school for their participation!!! SaveSave
A sensory garden, at Whicher Ridge winery in WA’s Geographe wine region, is an educational experience that takes the guess work out of food and wine pairing. Filled with herbs and edible plants associated with the wines they produced, this garden is a feast for the senses.
Florissa is a grower who supplies the highest quality horticultural products to garden shops including flower bulbs and perennial plants.
After we finished our patio makeover, we decided to start working on Sophie’s play area. This was how the top of our garden looked in April. A dangerous mess! So we have spent the last few mo…
The plant kingdom offers such a wealth of sensory opportunities. Plants come in all sorts of shapes, colors, sizes, with seemingly infinite fragrances and tastes.
A sensory garden is designed to activate the five senses with some cool garden landscaping. Check out this post to see ideas on how to create your own.
What is a Sensory Garden? A sensory garden is a multi-sensory environment specifically designed to engage the senses. These gardens are often used for children with special needs or as therapy for those with sensory processing disorders. Sensory gardens often include plant life that emit pleasing scents, bright colors,
Growing up, my family was always been big on decorating. We were never to the level of Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, but …
A brand-new sensory garden, where children with autism can flourish, learn, and play.
A sensory garden is designed to activate the five senses with some cool garden landscaping. Check out this post to see ideas on how to create your own.
After we finished our patio makeover, we decided to start working on Sophie’s play area. This was how the top of our garden looked in April. A dangerous mess! So we have spent the last few mo…
How to build a low-cost DIY Water Wall with recycled bottles. Easy, inexpensive summer fun for kids!
Flowers seem like they should all smell good, but that’s often not the case these days. It’ll take a little homework and planning to make sure your gardens smell as good as they look. Here are some month-by-month strategies and plant suggestions.
A sensory garden is designed to activate the five senses with some cool garden landscaping. Check out this post to see ideas on how to create your own.
Schools out for the summer (I hope you sang that in your head) and the kids are back at the house. Now rather then let them wear out your couch or wear on your nerves, push them out the back door and into the garden. The outdoors are where summers should be spent and if you can't get to the park to
The bad news: Taxes are going up. And surprise, surprise - those of us who make less than $250,000 a year won't be exempt from the tax increase. "Read my lips - no new taxes." Uh huh. You know that's bunk no matter which president says it. The good news? If your vacation turns into a staycation - or you just need a quiet place to get away from your worries for awhile - the Lauritzen Gardens offer a beautiful, relaxing retreat. Located off 13th Street north of the zoo and Rosenblatt, there are 100 acres with over 15 gardens of different themes, connected by nicely paved walk paths. Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children ages 6-12. Children under 6 are admitted free. A variety of memberships are also available. There's ample parking in the lots by the visitors' center. The visitors' center has several displays, a pond, a cafe, a gift shop, and very nice bathrooms. It's also air conditioned. The rest of the gardens are outdoors. They are not air conditioned unless the wind is blowing. Hopefully that won't come as a shock to you, but a friend of mine used to work there, and someone actually called and grilled her about it. I guess you never know if you don't ask... When you start out from the visitors' center, the Victorian Garden will be your first stop. Green to the core, many of the architectural components came from buildings that were torn down in Omaha or Council Bluffs. Recycling should always look this good. This door reminded me of The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett. Some of the garden areas are formal, and some are more casual. I love the way existing elements like mature trees have been incorporated into designed features. Who can resist a mysterious stairway like this? Go on - see what's around the bend. You won't be sorry. It's a model railroad garden! With seven trains running on four different lines. The buildings are all done to scale and made from natural elements like twigs, acorns, and pinecones. Can you recognize any of these Omaha landmarks? I'm guessing the lights inside are not made of natural elements, but they're pretty. The Children's Garden is a bright, colorful experience for all five of your senses. Kids are involved in planning and maintaining the garden. You can schedule an appointment for a special kids' tour, and they may even get a chance to do some hands-on gardening. Appealing to the sense of sight is pretty easy in a garden setting. But how about the sense of hearing? Kneel beside these plants and listen carefully. What birds and insects do you hear? Touch these and feel how soft and fuzzy they are. If you look closely, you'll find some little bugs snuggled up on the leaves. (Click on any picture to see it larger.) Break off a leaf of chocolate mint and enjoy - but leave some for the rest of us! I need to get some of these plants for my garden at home. Last but not least - the sense of smell. The cabin in the Children's Garden appeals to the sense of play in all of us. I just had to go inside. Oh - and the window is a great spot to pose with a friend for a picture. A scale version of Mt. Fuji on the future site of the Japanese Garden. But I have it on good authority that you're not supposed to climb the mountain... It isn't nice to tease us with stairs that go halfway. Some girls would do anything just to get flowers from their guy. But Diane got way more than a nice bouquet in the herb garden! Remember Anne of Green Gables? This reminds me of the scene where she meets Roy Gardner in the gazebo in the pouring rain. Ah, so romantic! (But the moral of the story? Sometimes we don't know what we really want until we get exactly what we think we want - and realize it isn't right for us at all.) Before we turned back toward the visitors' center, we paused to rest in the Garden of Memories. This plaque honors Mrs. Kimball Lauritzen, who served on the board and was a key fundraiser for the gardens. She was active in other community organizations as well, including the Omaha Community Playhouse and the Omaha Public Schools, until her death of cancer in 2008. The benches surrounding the reflecting pool provide a beautiful place to think about those who mean the most to us and the good times we've shared with them. The Lauritzen Gardens are a great place to make new memories, too. Enjoy!
A sensory garden is designed to activate the five senses with some cool garden landscaping. Check out this post to see ideas on how to create your own.
A sensory garden is designed to activate the five senses with some cool garden landscaping. Check out this post to see ideas on how to create your own.
Sensory gardens provide exciting areas to forage, exercise, explore and aim to enrich the lives of our dogs. They are designed to reduce stress and
DIY Barefoot Garden Ideas-Barefoot Sensory Garden Path
Love the thought of sensory garden ideas? These suggestions will help you create a beautiful and engaging space
Learn how to plan with your children in mind when deciding on a garden design.
Sensory path Large is a set of six hexagon measuring 30cm each. Each tile is created with different material. Sensory tiles are made to stimulate sensory perception. The tiles can be interlocked easily which allows you to create new and different paths with every play session. This product is crafted with safe procedures marked as CE. Sensory path is a teaching aids. It’s perfect for a Montessori education. Dispatched in 5 working days
'Feeling the Energy' is a collaborative project by international design and innovation office Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) and architect Italo Rota that sees Milan's Botanical Garden transformed into an energy park – a sensorial exploration of the link between energy and play.
The benefits of a sensory garden.
Image source: The Pink Hammer Blog
Back in May, one of my co-workers shared a school-wide project idea that went viral on social media from Scarymommy.com. The project was a rock garden inspired by the book "Only One You" by Linda Kranz, and decorated the landscaping of Sharon Elementary School in Newburgh, Indiana. The garden was the idea of Jessica Moyes, who is the art teacher at Sharon Elementary. Jessica, your design has inspired multiple schools to create their own rock gardens within their own schools. Our school's parents were even sending links of this project to the principal requesting the garden! There's few posts from other bloggers and teachers talking about their rock garden installations at their schools. I'd love to share our story, along with the methods used in gathering materials, containing painting with K-6, incorporating all staff, and how to complete the installation. The Materials Thanks to Streamline Landscaping in Willow Springs, IL, we receive a few buckets of smooth rocks to use for our rock garden! The landscapers even came by to see how we were doing with creation, and donated even more larger stones for each class and department in the school. We also received a donation of acrylic paint and markers from Oriental Tradings! The donated materials really helped with supply management! Here's the materials you need to complete this project: 1. Lots and lots of rocks. Consider calling a local landscaping company and ask for a donation. The rock size can be your choice. 2. Table clothes. This was a life saver for all 31 of my classes who painted (700+ students). 3. Paper towels and paper plates. Tear up sections of paper towels for students to keep under their rocks while painting. Paper plates make it 100% easier to manage the paint messes and clean-ups. 4. A copy of "Only One You" by Linda Kranz. Easily found on Amazon, or other book sellers. 5. Acrylic paint. As much as it's scary working with acrylic at K-1 ages, it's the only paint that will stay on the rocks over time. Some acrylics paint on a little transparent, while others will be more opaque. Again, your choice. Here's the link to the acrylic paint used from Oriental Trading. 6. Paint brushes, cups, and water. 7. Permanent markers. If you photograph all artworks for Artsonia, or need to know who made what rock for grading, use permanent markers for students to write their names. Oh...and add room numbers too. It really helps with organizing. If you use markers for details, keep in mind that markers do fade over time. Here's the link to the sharpie marker set from Oriental Trading. 8. Acrylic clear coat. In order for the paint to stay as long as it can on the rocks in outdoor weather, you need to spray all the finished rocks with a clear coat for protection. For a safety note, make sure you spray outdoors and after school hours, because this smell can draft down the hallways. 9. Bins for storage. This is going to be heavy! For transporting from classroom to garden set-up, make sure you have plastic, durable bins to use for organization and transportation. 10. Aprons or old shirts. If you're doing this project with young students, you need clothing protection. The Objective The purpose of creating a community project was to have student leave a "footprint" in the school. The positive message in the final pages of the book is "There is only one you in this great, big world...make it a better place." All the students from grades K-6 were read the book and took in the words of wisdom shared. Each student painted their own "fish" rock with their own colors and patterns. The Project I allotted two full weeks for all classes to complete their rocks. Each of my classes are 40 minutes in length, and visit once a week. Prior to starting the painting, I sent a note home to each student explaining the project and materials being used. Since we had so many younger grade levels, I made a huge recommendation to parents to have their children bring an art shirt to school or an apron to protect their clothing. One parent donated a box of plastic aprons, which really helped with the younger grade levels! The teachers even helped with mentioning the extra art shirt in their weekend newsletters, which really helped!!! For prepping, I set up a plate of colors for each table. If I made the plates last longer than two classes, I called it a success. Kindergarten classes only received 5 colors (red, blue, yellow, green, white) because no matter what you do, the plates only last about 10 minutes of pure colors. Once the students see that colors mix, the plate very quickly turned to brown. On the first day of class, the book was read and we had a small discussion about the wisdom shared and how they can help in creating a garden for the school. For the rest of the class, the students painted their rocks. I organized drying areas for each class by placing colored paper and a painted large rock with the class name on it. When students finished painting, they placed their rocks on a paper labeled with their class. Students were also asked to sign a class rock that their fish will swim around. Since Kindergarten and 1st grade finished quickly, they were only given one day to work on the rocks. Afterwards, I glued a google eye to the fish. (The google eyes will not stay on for more than a few weeks. It's good for the beginning pictures, but it will not last forever with a glue gun.) On the second day of the project, grades 2-6 used permanent markers to trace out eyes, mouth, patterns, fins, and details in their rocks. Since this step only takes about 5-10 minutes to complete, I found worksheets on Linda Kranz's website that students colored and filled out. The worksheets can be found here. Remember when I said that departments also receive a rock? I painted fish rocks for the front office (administrators, nurses, secretaries), lunchroom, custodians, Title 1, ELL, Special Education, and Specials! They're mixed in with the class rocks below ready for installation! Now the fun part...getting over 7 bins of rocks and large river rock into the courtyard! With lots of helping hands, we transported all the pebbles to the courtyard so I could spray them with the acrylic clear coat. The custodians were also very helping in clearing out an area in our courtyard before installation! And the sign has been made... On the day of installation, students and staff were invited to participate in the installation process. ALMOST DONE!!!! And here's the finished project! Our school has been passing around the golden pineapple award for teachers sharing positive events in our school, and on the day the garden was being installed, a student dropped this award off in my classroom! Totally excited and honored to have this award for this project! It's for the entire school for their participation!!! SaveSave
A sensory garden is designed to activate the five senses with some cool garden landscaping. Check out this post to see ideas on how to create your own.
