Sensory room

Sensory Room for Severely Multiply Impaired Students

The creation of a sensory room is dependent upon the population that will be utilizing the room. I had the opportunity to create a sensory room that could be utilized by the students that are severely multiply impaired. The sensory room incorporated lots of switches, allowing the students to activate music, lights, and toys. The room also contained items that glowed in a black light, a ball pit, and bubbles. Below I will attach multiple pictures with descriptions to help explain what was included in the sensory room.  

Water beads

Here are the water beads that glow in a black light. The water beads were not purchased as glow in the dark water beads but were created. Here are the step by step directions to create the glow in the dark water beads:

1. Take new water beads. Or water beads that you let shrink back down to their original size. Place the water beads into an empty tub or bucket.

2. Take a non-toxic highlighter 

and break it open using a hammer. 

Take the inside spongy part of the

 highlighter out.

3. Take the inside spongy part of the highlighter and cut it open using scissors.

4. Hold the spongy part over the tub filled with water beads then dump cups of warm water over the spongy part until all the yellow runs out of it and it turns white.

5. Repeat the same process with about 3-5 highlighters (dependent on the amount of water beads you have). 

Little Room

This was designed using glow in the dark string and random items. The purpose is for the objects to target the sensory system and/or elicit movement. 

The objects can focus on the visual, tactile or 

auditory systems. The goal is for the student to

 attempt to grab, hit or visually track the objects

 that interest them.  The students were placed

 underneath the grate so that the hanging items

 surrounded them. The items ranged in height,

 some were placed at tray level whereas others 

were placed at eye level (depends on what you

 are going for).  The black light was set up in 

front of the little room to make sure that all the 

items would glow. 

 

 Bubbles

The sensory room contained a bubble machine that was located near the black light. The bubble solution was a black light solution allowing the bubbles to glow. A switch was used to activate the bubble machine. The students were able to push down on a button to turn the bubble machine on and off.

 

Ball pit

Placed Christmas lights on top and surrounding a ball pit. The students would be set inside the ball pit allowing them to explore. This set up encouraged the students to visually attend and provided tactile input.

 

 Switch station

Here are some of the toys we placed on switches. The toys either played music, had flashing lights or moved. Not pictured were Christmas lights that were on a switch. 

 

 

Sound beam

The sound beam converts the student's movements into music. The position and the sensors can be adjusted to focus on the movement or abilities that the student has so that he/she can be successful when using it.

Fan and feathers

To set up this activity you need a bed net, fan and feathers. The bed net was placed near the black light and hot pink feathers were used to add to the sensory experience. The students could turn the fan on using a switch and the feathers would float around them inside the bed net.