EMPOWERING THOSE WHO INSPIRE

In the fall of 2023, we were awarded a grant for nearly $800 to use for creating a Sensory Break Room for ourstudents with special needs at Elkin Elementary School. Within the Exceptional Children’s PreK class and the self-contained classroom, we saw a growing need for incorporating sensory experiences outside of our classrooms.

First, we began an Amazon Wishlist with desired items while working with school administration to find an empty location we could begin to set up. We reached out to related service providers to learn more about needed items to create these sensory experiences. With these funds, we were able to purchase: a saucer swing, floor mats, a large ball pit, hundreds of balls, bubble machines, a spinning seat, a galaxy star machine, Bluetooth speaker, fiber optic lights, peanut balls, sensory floor tiles, turtle stepping stones, pillows, and a variety of sensory toys. These items are able to meet a variety of sensory needs including visual, tactile, auditory, proprioceptive, auditory, and vestibular.

We set up the “Playroom” in November 2023 and it has been used every school day since! We have continued adding new equipment, toys, and furniture to make sure this space best meets the needs of our students with special needs. We anticipated that we would use this space as a “calm down area” for students needing a break from the overwhelming classroom setting in order to reset before joining us again. While we have used the Playroom in that way, we also began to explore it as a preventative behavior intervention. We scheduled a time every day for each student to visit the room for about 20 minutes. This time is built into their individualized visual schedules- perhaps as a break time in the morning, or as a reward for completing a task, or as an opportunity to practice social skills with peers. What we have seen is that this Playroom has been extremely helpful to meet a variety of sensory needs and actually decrease the undesired behaviors within our EC classrooms. We are incredibly thankful to be awarded this grant and to be able to use the money in such an impactful way for our students! It’s their favorite part of every day!