Thanks, as always, to Victoria, from Rhyming Multisensory Ideas for this excellent resource!
Teaching ideas and inspiration to celebrate the month of January including Robert Burns Sensory Poetry, Alice in Wonderland Sensory Story Bag, Benjamin Franklin, Jackson Pollock Sensory Artwork, Janus, Laba, World Braille Day, Big Schools Birdwatch, Martin Luther King Day, January through the Senses, ideas for upcycling Christmas Cards to promote literacy skills and more!
Dates At a Glance
Jan 4 World Braille Day
Jan 4 Sir Issac Newton’s Birthday
Jan 8 Elvis Presley Birthday
Jan 6 Epiphany
Jan 7 Start of Big Schools Birdwatch
Jan 16 Martin Luther King Day – (Mark the Day the Sensory Way)
Jan 17 Benjamin Franklin’s Birthday (Mark the Day the Sensory Way)
Jan 25 Burns Night
Jan 26 Laba
Jan 27 Lewis Carroll’s Birthday (Mark the Day the Sensory Way)
Jan 28 Jackson Pollock’s Birthday (Mark the Day the Sensory Way)
Quote of the Month
‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’
Benjamin Franklin
Janus
Named after Greek God Janus (Latin for door) Janus had two heads which allowed him to look both backwards into the old year, and forwards to the new year.
‘Janus am I; oldest of potentates; Forward I look, and backward, and below I count, as God of avenues and gates, The years that through my portals come and go.’
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet (1807–82)
January Birthstone – Garnet
Signifies friendship (see Benjamin Franklin for friendship potion activity ideas)
Activity Ideas
Red Colour Sorting Activity
This activity stimulates vision, promotes skills of recognising, naming, sorting, and matching colours, builds fine motor skills and promotes communication skills, supporting students in learning new vocabulary.
Explore Fabrics, Materials of Different Textures
Bright, brilliant, cloudy, dark, dim, dull, fuzzy, glistening, glowing, hazy, sparkly, shadowy, pale, rippling, shimmering, shiny and translucent.
Explore Mixing Paints of Red Hues
Burgundy, cerise, crimson, fuchsia, magenta, maroon, ochre, plum, red, raspberry, rose, ruby, russet, rust, salmon, scarlet.
Red Colour Hunt
Place items around the room/outdoor area for the sensory explorer to find.
You can either provide a bag/basket to collect the items in, a list to tick off items when they have been found or create a picture matching board.
Ideas
Apple, balloon, beetroot, cherries (remove any stones), chalk, crayon, lipstick, material, tub of red Play-Doh, red pepper, rose/rose petals, radish, sock, strawberry, t-shirt, tomatoes.
Provide a range of sensory items to sort into colours: bowls, buttons, coloured feathers, coloured straws, chalks, crayons, cups, flowers, leaves, Lego (build coloured towers), dried pulses, material, Mathlink, pegs, pipe cleaners, pom poms & socks.
Mix coloured items, can the student pick out the red items?
What to Look for in Nature in January
A season of mud, snow, and frost.
Health and Safety Considerations
Ensure the student does not touch or eat any of the items unless you have 100% identified them and are confident they are the correct species.
Tips
- View items using a magnifying glass.
- Take photographs of items you cannot touch but wish to make a record of.
Nature Hunt
Head outdoors and look for snowdrops (the flower of the month), or signs of the green shoots of bulbs poking through the soil or snow.
Birds & Game: Blue Tit, Blackcap, Brambling, Bullfinch, Coal Tit, Cormorant, Ducks, Geese, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Partridge, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Red Kite, Redwing, Treecreeper, Swan, Wren.
Flora & Fauna: Chickweed, dandelion leaves, ferns, hairy bittercress, moss, sow thistle, winter cress.
Fungi: Common Oyster, Field Blewit, Herald of Winter, King Alfred’s Cakes (look at the bottom of Ash and other deciduous trees), Meadow Waxcap, Scarlet Elf Cup, Snowy Waxcap, Turkey Tail, Velvet Shank, Winter Chanterelle, Wood Ear.
Small Mammals: Hares, mice, owls, rabbits, squirrels. (Look for animal tracks)
Explore Twigs, Buds and Leaves
Horse-Chestnut trees have sticky buds, Ash tree buds are black, Beech twigs and buds are pointed and red, Alder buds are purple.
Look for Lichen, Mistletoe and Yew.
Smell conifer trees (fir, pine, spruce)
Fruits and Nuts: acorns, beech nuts, chestnuts, crab apples, hawthorn berries, hazelnuts, pine nuts, rosehips, sloes, whitebeam berries.
Wildflowers: Catkins, Daffodils, Gorse, Herb Robert (look in the cracks of paths and
walls), Primroses, Snowdrops, Winter Aconite (resembles buttercups, and under trees)
Excerpt from ‘January Almanac – A Comprehensive Guide to January Through the Senses’ £3.98
Jan 4 World Braille Day
- Can students write their name using the letters from the braille alphabet?
- Roll playdoh or plasticine into little balls to place on a template of the braille alphabet.
- Play a game of dominoes matching the dots.
- Match physical items to the words
Jan 4 Birthdate of Sir Isaac Newton
- Taste apples, apples sauce or foods containing apples.
- Enjoy a foot spa with apple scented bodywash or a hand massage using apple scented cream.
- Get creative and produce apple printing artwork. Can the students make a repeating pattern using different colours?
- Explore gravity by trampolining/rebound therapy.
- Explore the law of acceleration by riding a bike, go cart or scooter.
- Explore the law of motion by or rolling different items down a ramp to observe how they move.
- Explore gravity through the senses. Create a sensory bin filled with objects of different weight for the students to manipulate.
Jan 6 Epiphany
Epiphany Day or ‘Three Kings Day’, is a Christian holiday celebrating the day the Three Wise Men travelled to visit Jesus.
Jan 7 Laba
8th Jan – Birthdate of Elvis Presley
- Listen to a song by ‘The King of Rock and Roll’. Can the students join in playing musical instruments?
- Explore the fashion trends of the mid 50’s, wigs, hair styles (gel your hair!), sunglasses and clothing. Provide a mirror so students can explore their new look.
- Explore leather and sequins.
Jan 7-14 Big Schools Birdwatch
Register – It’s free and you will be sent lots of resources to help with your birdwatch and ideas for activities to spark students’ interest in wildlife and the world around them.
Visit the RSPB website for your free pack https://action.rspb.org.uk/page/133476/subscribe/1?ea.tracking.id=rspb_web
Jan 16 Martin Luther King Day
Make Friendship Potions
You will need:
A Container: Bowl, bucket or beaker (or for a less mess alternative, place your potion ingredients directly into a large clean, empty water bottle, fasten the lid, secure with tape to make a potion sensory bottle.)
Liquid: Water (still or carbonated), Glycerine, Food Colouring, Hair Conditioner, Vegetable Oil, infuse tea in water: Chamomile, Echinacea, Ginger, Green, Lemon Balm, Rose, Turmeric, Peppermint, mix tea leaves to create a new blend.
Items to Stimulate Vision and Touch: Calcite, Feathers, Foam Shapes, Gems, Glass Pebbles, Glitter, Googly Eyes, Pom Poms, Polished Pebbles, Rhinestones, Seeds, Sequins, Shells, Tassels, Water Beads.
Items to Stimulate the Sense of Smell: Fresh or Dried Herbs: (Basil, Cinnamon Sticks, Cloves, Lavender, Lime Leaves, Lemon Grass, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Star Anise, Thyme, Turmeric), Edible Flowers, Orange/Lemon/Lime Peel, Rose Petals.
Essential Oils: Bergamot, Cedarwood, Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Grapefruit, Lavender, Lemon, Lemongrass, Lime, Orange, Patchouli, Peppermint, Rose, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Ylang-Ylang.
Items to Stimulate Hearing: Beads, Buttons, Coins, Pasta, Pulses, Rice.
Items to Promote Fine Motor Skills and Encourage Scientific Investigation & Exploration: Chopsticks, Food Tongs, Funnels, Plastic Safety Scissors,
Measuring Beakers/Cylinder/Jug, Plastic Safety/Easy Grip/Jumbo Tweezers, Magnifying Glass/Handheld Magnifier, Pestle & Mortar, Pipettes, Plastic Test Tubes, PVC Tubing, Spatula, Spoons, Water Droppers.
Jan 17 Benjamin Franklin Day
- Explore torches, LED Battery lights, and bells.
- Make and fly kites.
- Explore printing activities.
- Listen to recordings of Benjamin Franklins’ voice.
- Create static by rubbing a balloon on your body and placing on the hair.
Suggested Resource
‘Benjamin Franklin – Sensory Story and Teaching Activities’
Bring history to life with this interactive sensory story and inclusive, engaging, and sensory friendly activity pack. Explore Franklin’s life and discoveries through the senses, explore printing, make soap, experiment with static electricity, observe the weather and more! With clear learning objectives to help you plan and assess.
This resource is aimed at supporting students and sensory learners of all ages following pre-formal/sensory, semi-formal or formal pathways incorporating activities that promote the five areas of the engagement model, creativity, independence, building communication skills, and supporting other areas of learning linking to curriculum subjects, themes, and topics.
This teaching pack is tailored to accommodate students’ individual learning needs through differentiated, themed, sensory extension activities linking to the EYFS Framework and areas of the KS1 National Curriculum making it the perfect resource for Special Education, Mainstream schools and settings, Speech & Language and EAL students.
Jan 25
Burns Night
‘Celebrate Burns Night’ my friend said to me,
‘Robert Burns’ I asked, ‘Who is he?’
‘Follow me and you will see…’
This fully resourced, step by step multisensory story is set on Burns Night as we join our main character at a traditional Burns Supper.
This teaching resource includes sensory extension activities linked to excerpts of Robert Burns poems.
This story presents a wonderful opportunity to connect individuals to literature, Scottish culture and the exploration of the rhyme and rhythm in poetry.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- How to tell a Multisensory Story
- Story Props Checklist
- Burns Night Full Poem
- Burns Night Fully Resourced, Multisensory Poem
- ‘Bessie and her Spinning Wheel’
- ‘To a Mouse’ Sensory Bin
- ‘Winter’
- ‘One Night as I did Wander’
- ‘The Whistle’
- ‘Lines on the Fall of Fyres’
- ‘Ye Flowery Banks’
- ‘The Dusty Miller’ (See Below)
- Burns Supper Invitation
- Burns Supper Mud Kitchen (Including Burns Supper Recipes)
- Scotland Sensory Flag
- Scottish Dancer Craft Activity
- Vegetarian Haggis Recipe
- Burns Night Sensory Ideas & Inspiration
Burns Night Kilt Craft Activity
You will need
- Tartan paper (Tip this can be printed from the internet then photocopied in colour or students can design their own)
- Two craft sticks
- Two buttons
- Paint/felt tips/crayons
- Glue
Activity
- Paint or colour the craft sticks, these will be the hose (socks)
- Draw on the shoes, adding a button to decorate
- Draw zigzags onto the hose (socks) to represent the laces of the shoes.
- Fold the tartan paper into a concertina shape (as if making a fan)
- Gather one end of the paper to form the waist of the kilt.
- Using the glue, stick the craft sticks (legs) onto the back of the kilt.
Burns Night Kilt Craft Activity
Jan 27 Birthdate of Lewis Carroll
- Hold a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Send invitations to students from other classes, plan a menu. Make sandwiches, cakes and juice.
- Enjoy an Alice in Wonderland sensory story, suggested props: white rabbit, plastic teacup, playing cards, jam tart, teabag, caterpillar, re-create ‘Drink Me’ potions exploring two flavours of a sweet and a bitter flavour, plastic croquet ball, turf, Queen’s crown.
- Make a sensory box filled with items relating to Alice in Wonderland.
Alice in Wonderland Sensory Story Exploration
Sensory focus: tactile exploration, imaginative play, auditory engagement, simple movement, early communication.
Watch the video to find out more!
https://youtu.be/DEh-cOD0fhE?si=5dnQFbVAGYakAQlu
Jan 28 Birthdate of Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock Sensory Art by the students of Harbour House, Specialist SLD Provision at Gloucestershire College
Create Jackson Pollock Artwork.
- Lay a large sheet of paper on the floor, dip balls of assorted sizes and textures into paint then roll!
- Fill pipettes/turkey basters with different coloured paints then squeeze onto paper.
- Place a sheet of paper in a tray. Squeeze poster paints onto the paper then roll a marble or a small ball around the tray.
- Add different coloured watered-down paints or food colouring to water spray bottles explore the different nozzle settings, spray, spritz and squirt.
- Squeeze a little poster/acrylic paint onto paper. Provide a selection of toy cars and vehicles (with different sized wheels) for students to ‘drive’ over the paper.
- Line a large box with paper, add a little paint, secure the lid…then shake!
- Tie rubber bands around a rolling pin, dip into paint then roll.
- Soak sponges with paint, drop them over paper and watch the paint splatter. Experiment using different shaped sponges thrown from different heights.
- Add paint to the paper then blow through a straw to create random patterns.
- Place a sheet of paper in the basket of a salad spinner, add watered down paint…then spin!
- Gently pour paint into a funnel. Place your thumb over the small opening at the bottom then release over the paper to create a picture.
- Take the learning outside, place a large sheet of paper on the floor, fill water balloons with paint, take aim…then throw!
- Continuing with the outdoor theme, make tyre tracks by riding a bike scooter over paint on a large sheet of paper.
- Stimulate the senses. Add a few drops of food flavouring (peppermint, strawberry, vanilla essence) to the paint.
- Explore using different liquids for ‘paint’ food colouring, coffee, fruit juice, teabags, washing up liquid.
- Paint using herbs and spices mixed in water: allspice, cumin, (mild) curry powder, paprika or ground up seed and herbs mixed with water.
‘Jackson Pollock Sensory Art’ by the Students of Harbour House
I was delighted to receive these fabulous pictures from the talented students of Harbour House – a specialist SLD provision which is part of Gloucestershire College.
Look at the scale of this artwork!
Some students made smaller pieces of artwork using paint and a salad spinner which they glued onto their masterpiece, and they also made their own environmentally friendly scented paint!
(Thank you to the students, their lovely teacher Amy and the team)
January Arts, Crafts and Promoting Literacy Skills
STOP! Don’t throw away your Christmas Cards!!!
Receiving Christmas cards is one of the joys of the season. Before you pop them in the recycling bin, take a look at these low-budget educational, yet fun activities!
Watch the video to find out more!
https://youtu.be/NNOlA_RJvs4?si=MWtQ0VvopwmY3aHv
FREE Story Massage & Sensory Story ‘A Winter Walk’ – An Exciting Collaboration!
This exciting project is a collaboration between Rhyming Multisensory Stories, The Story Massage Programme and Songs, Signs & Sounds.
A Winter Walk
The story ‘A Winter Walk’ is written by Mary Atkinson co-founder of The Story Massage Programme. Mary has adapted it as a Story Massage using some of the ten strokes from the programme.
The soundtrack to the Story Massage is written and created by Karen Nicholson and Georgie Lockett co-founders of Songs, Signs & Sounds.
The story ‘A Winter Walk’ has been edited, adapted into a multisensory story and created into a free e-book by Victoria Navin, founder of Rhyming Multisensory Stories
CLICK TO VIEW THE STORY MASSAGE AND SOUNDTRACK
A Winter Walk
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE FULLY RESOURCED, STEP-BY-STEP EBOOK
‘A WINTER WALK’ and ACTIVITY IDEAS
Join our character as s/he explores the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of their winter walk.
Other news
Sensory Spaces: An A–Z of Immersive and Creative Environments to Support Sensory Integration
As many of you will know, I have been working hard this year writing and I am delighted to tell you that my book Sensory Spaces: An A–Z of Immersive and Creative Environments to Support Sensory Integration has now been published!
A huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in this project and to the fabulous team at Routledge!
Find out more!
Imagine stepping into a sensory space where you can feel the sand between your toes, smell the sea, listen to the sound of seagulls calling; touch feathers, shells and driftwood…
Sensory spaces invite learners to be curious and try new ideas and skills, inspiring imaginative play, creativity and storytelling. This comprehensive A-Z shows readers how to create easily customisable spaces for learning, sensory engagement and relaxation, using a host of everyday items.
It is packed full of:
• tools and strategies to provide positive experiences and the best outcomes for an inclusive education;
• ideas for connecting learners to different areas of the curriculum;
• sensory-rich activities to support the mental health and wellbeing of people with complex and additional needs; and
• case studies and examples from guest contributors to showcase a wide range of sensory spaces in practice.
With a rich selection of colour photographs, this essential guide will inspire you to create spaces for learners to take ownership of their sensory explorations in creative, immersive and stimulating environments. It is a valuable resource for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and mainstream teachers, SEND coordinators, teaching assistants, early years practitioners, play therapists, parents and carers, and anyone with an interest in engaging learners through the senses.
Critics Reviews
“An essential companion for all educators, this easy-to-use A-Z has inspiring ideas popping from every page. Sensory Spaces is an invaluable guide bursting with dynamic, innovative solutions. Notebook and pen ready, delve in, be excited, be enthused; create amazing sensory spaces for all your learners from the wonderful ideas. A must-have for both first-time educators entering the world of sensory learners and experienced educators seeking new inspiring ideas. The depth and breadth of this guide are phenomenal!”
Gwyn McCormack, director, Positive Eye Ltd
“This thoughtfully designed and accessible book would have been invaluable when I began working with children and young adults. Victoria offers a wealth of knowledge alongside innovative, sensory-rich provocations and experiences for the early years, SEND, young people and adults. A truly multi-generational resource, it empowers educators, carers and parents to foster meaningful learning through imagination, creativity and storytelling. This book is an inspiring and practical guide for anyone committed to enriching developmental experiences across all ages.”
Gina Bale, creator, Littlemagictrain
“Victoria stands with teachers, teaching assistants, care workers, family members and anyone who wishes to share fun and engaging times with and support someone with complex disabilities and neurodivergent conditions. This joyful book offers a helping hand, a pick-me-up, a message to say that you are not alone. Thumbing through the pages, you will find ideas from a whole team of contributors ready to take tired hands and say, ‘Let’s have some fun; let’s go on a sensory adventure.’ I invite you to adventure within these pages and within the spaces you may create inspired by them.”
Dr Joanna Grace, sensory engagement and inclusion specialist
“This is a practical and empowering guide filled with easy-to-adapt ideas for creating inclusive sensory environments on any budget. Victoria brings together deep knowledge, creativity and compassion to support learners of all ages and needs. A brilliant go-to resource for educators, families and anyone looking to make a sensory difference.”
Dr Sarah Moseley, author, consultant and trainer in SEND and inclusive practice