The Importance in Creating a Calm Environment for Young Children

The choices a teacher makes in his/her classroom send a message. "The environment contributes to setting the tone of the school day for both the children and the teacher. An organized, attractive, clean and warm setting results in more positive behaviors and attitudes." (Eliason&Jenkins, 34) Visual presentation of artwork, posters and lessons for learning easily fill preschool and primary school classroom walls becoming a busy collection of colors and images. Clutter in young children's school environments is common and for many students may not be an issue. But, for some students the visual chaos, particularly on the walls, truly affects their learning and overall success. For some students these busy walls simply add to the activity and disorder they are experiencing inside their bodies and minds.

Children Who are Affected by Busy Walls and Clutter

We are not all the same. Some people love things around them and are not bothered by many items in their vision, colors and shapes bombarding their sensory input. But for others, such as children under the autistic spectrum, those diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, FAS or even students with dyslexia, a busy and cluttered room may be difficult to handle, and possibly contribute to sensory overload. It adds to their daily struggle in such things as being organized, the ability to concentrate, and in keeping their bodies calm and still. A room that is buzzing with visual stimulation may create unwanted behavior in the classroom and away from the child's learning process.

Scanning The Classroom

A teacher should try and imagine what it is like to be the student, perhaps sit in a chair and scan his/her eyes around the entire classroom. Another idea is to ask other adults how they feel when viewing the walls. When assessing his/her room, the teacher could ask himself/herself, "Is there any organization? Are there items that could be tucked away into boxes to make this space visually less cluttered? Are there posters that could be taken down for awhile? What is the purpose of each item on these walls? Even without the sound of the children, could these walls contribute to sensory overload? How do I feel in this room?" When the evaluation is made, then changes can occur.

Tips on Setting Up a De-Cluttered Walls and Space

Placing items on the wall or boards should be given proper consideration in how it affects the space. It is crucial that young children feel pride in their environment as they view their work on the wall. Teachers need to have relevant lessons in children's view for learning. Yet, at the same time, some steps can be considered when displaying pieces to help create a more soothing and pleasing presentation. There are many articles providing tips on how to decorate a bulletin board, here are some more things to consider when decorating a classroom:

• keep some wall space completely free of items
• choose an organized technique when displaying art with equal spaces in between to help create a visual flow
• avoid hanging artwork from the ceiling
• current items on walls should be relevant to the season and topics
• sometimes less is more
• consider paint on walls and choose a soothing background color
• when displaying the student's artwork, select pieces that are less busy and have similar patterns, for instance, handprints versus finger painting
• store away papers, books and such in closed compartments to limit visual clutter
• pick adjectives to describe your ideal room and try making the environment match those words

An organized, de-cluttered, calming and welcoming room is not only going to help the children with sensory and behavioral challenges, but the rest of the classroom and the teacher will benefit from this space as well.

Source: Eliason and Jenkins, A Practical Guide to Early Childhood Curriculum, 6th Ed., United States: Merill Publishing, 1999.

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What Exactly is Sensory Processing Disorder?

Sensory Processing Disorder is a term that is becoming more common among parents, teachers and childcare providers. A diagnosis that occurs with an Occupational Therapist, this disorder was once called Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Although common among children under the Autistic Spectrum, some children can be diagnosed solely with Sensory Processing Disorder. Regardless of any diagnosis, learning of the term and its symptoms can help parents and educators understand the way individual brains are wired to deal with the sensory inputs we receive each day.  

Sensory Integration Dysfunction was first developed in the 1970s by A. Jean Ayres, an occupational therapist and neuroscientist. As stated on the SPD Foundation website, she describes it as a "neurological traffic jam that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly." All of our information about the world arrives to us through our senses. We experience life through sensory input, and everyone is on a sensory spectrum. We adjust and regulate ourselves to maintain balance, otherwise known as an optimal level of arousal. We can all think of circumstances in our daily living where we adjust our behavior due to sensory input sensitivities. For example, if someone has a migraine, she might find that she has an increased sensitivity to light and noise, and manage that by going into a dark room alone. Those who are diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder have a brain that is wired differently, affecting their sensory input process and creating a disorganization.These individuals will experience over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity throughout their day. So, for example, a child might be extremely reluctant to put on a particular type of sock due to the tactile feeling of it. To the child, the sock fabric might feel like pins and needles, whereas to the rest of us, it is simply a sock.


Our Five Senses and More

We are all familiar with the five senses of touch, smell, sight, sound and taste, but in addition, there are two other senses we do not hear about, which are very crucial when discussing Sensory Processing Disorder. The first one is our vestibular sense. Lenora Delaney, an Occupational Therapist describes it as a sense which, "provides information about where the head and body are in space in relation to the earth's surface." In addition, this sense tells our body about the direction and speed of our body's movement. So, if we were on something like a roller coaster or speedboat with our eyes closed, we would feel our bodies moving fast.

The second sense is called our proprioceptive sense, which is when our muscles and joints tell our brain about our body's position and what our body parts are doing. This sense allows us to skillfully comb our hair and eat with a spoon. So, if there is a disorganization in how the brain receives information with motor planning, it will affect many areas of a child's life, turning simple tasks into extreme challenges, such as doing up a button, riding a bike, or using a pencil to name just a few.

Each Child is Different

For every one of us, how we regulate and manoeuvre through our day of sensory input will differ, each day and throughout the day, depending on the experiences we are participating in, how we feel inside and our individuality. How one person might handle the sensation of focusing on a task in a noisy room might be different than another person. Similarly, if one person is very hungry he or she　might not be able to focus at all. Those children who are diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder not only have disorganization with sensory input, but they will also differ in how it affects them daily and throughout their day. In addition, the diagnosis might only affect one or two senses in one person, whereas another might have challenges with all their senses. Regardless, a young child will find a way to deal with, or communicate through behavior, and if we are not aware of the sensory challenges going on inside, we may not understand why a child is having such difficulty or challenging behavior over something the rest of us would have no reaction to. A child might scream when you comb her hair, if she hears a vacuum or if she is on a swing. These behaviors are the child's way of avoiding the uncomfortable situation for which she is overly sensitive. On the other side, a child might seek sensory stimulation, and twirl around in circles or crash himself into objects due to being under responsive. Over time, a child will develop strategies to self regulate.


Sensory Processing Disorder: the Emotional Impact

When children are struggling with motor coordination, learning and other abilities necessary for childhood accomplishments and milestones, it can begin to affect their self esteem. Unfortunately, these children may develop emotional and social challenges on top of everything else. But, when a child is diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder　through an Occupational Therapist, a treatment program occurs. More importantly, when there is an understanding from the support network in a child's life about his or her daily challenges, it helps the child profusely. We all vary in our life experiences due to our senses. With careful observation and understanding, we can determine whether a child's behavior might be due to a sensory sensitivity. With that knowledge, a parent, teacher or caregiver can help a child through the challenge.

Resources:

Delaney, Lenora.　Sensory Processing Disorder. Early Childhood Newsletter. (2012). Vancouver Coastal Health.

SPD Foundation.  About SPD. Revised May, 2013.
Sensory Processing Disorder. SPD Resource Center.　Accessed　2012



　

Science Experiments for Preschool

Even if you are not science savvy, these ideas are simple hands-on experiments to set up for preschool children (and even toddlers). To expand on each activity, the children can provide a prediction or hypothesis of what will happen, and then after the procedure is completed, the results can be noted.

The Volcano:

This is an experiment which can be done individually or as a group.

Material needed:

Trays
Vinegar
Baking Soda
Food Coloring
Popcorn kernels (optional)
Container with spout
Short glass container

The child will scoop a heaping tablespoon of baking soda into a glass container. A short glass or jar, such as a baby food jar, will be conducive to effective overflow. Once the baking soda is in, then in another container with a spout, will hold vinegar and a few drops of food coloring. This a great time to ask the children what they predict will happen. The final step is to allow the child to pour the vinegar mixture into the baking soda. The ingredients will mix together and cause an explosion that will bubble up and out of the container. When the bubbles are gone, the mixture must be emptied before beginning again. Try different shaped vessels for this experiment and adding some popcorn kernels. The kernels will dance inside the mixture, up and down for quite some time.

Making Goop:

This sensory, hands-on experiment involves only three ingredients.

Material needed:

Cornstarch
Food coloring
Bowls/Spoon

With this experiment, use a big bowl, or pot for the goop and have another pot of soapy water and a towel nearby for clean up. Alternatively, a sensory table is a great place for goop. Put the cornstarch into a big bowl. First, choose the color by adding a few drops of food coloring to a measuring cup full of water. The key for this mixture is to add the water slowly. If too much water is poured in, there is no turning back until the mixture evaporates over time. When the right amount of water is mixed with cornstarch, the texture will be hard on the bottom, with just a bit of moisture resting on top. When the mixture gets picked up, it will start to run down the fingers: a great goop mess. The goop is easily cleaned. The mixture dries and the corn starch is left and washes off clothes without any hassles. This goop mixture can be left on a shelf and brought back out at a later time. If it hardens, the children can have fun breaking it into little pieces, and then add more water to start enjoying all over again.

Sink or Float

A classic game that does not lose its appeal. Fill the sink or water table with water and allow the children to find safe things that can get wet, or have a number of items chosen. Have a guessing game on whether the item will sink or float ( an apple is always a great choice). To extend this science experiment, find out why things sink or float as well as charting the results into a graph.

 

Magnet Fun

Placing out magnets with material to attract, or not, is a fun and safe preschool science set up. Children can explore which items are attracted to magnets and which material are not. They can experiment with placing opposing poles of magnets towards each other and feel the resistence. A great deal of questions, predictions and recordings can be made with magnets. In addition, there are many extended activities with magnets, such as fishing wands and fish, magnet puzzles

Playdough Ideas

Playdough is a wonderful physical and creative activity for young children that fosters a variety of developments and skills in children. Playdough can easily be made in the kitchen. Most recipes include instructions to  make playdough over the stove. An alternative choice is to use boiling water from the kettle. When making the playdough, it is a good idea to stir the ingredients quickly and knead right away to create the desired consistency. Ingredients can be added after if the playdough is too dry or too wet. The playdough mix should be kept in a plastic bag or closed container when it is not being used and depending on the air quality of a room, and the amount of hands that play with the dough, it should last for a least a week or longer.
This website is an awesome resource for playdough recipes: www.playdoughrecipe.com

 Following are some variations and suggested items to put out with playdough in addition to the classic rolling pin and cookie cutters:

• koolaid package inside the playdough recipe will make it smell fruity and provides color
• a touch of tempera paint or food coloring while making the recipe
• sparkles inside the playdough
• vanilla or other spices
• place buttons out with the playdough
• candles along with baking sheet or cupcake liners
• little plastic animals
• plastic utensils
• container lids that have a raised image for making prints
• ice cube trays
• craft sticks, popsicle sticks
• googly eyes

20 Ways to Set Up a Sensory Table

(Always add lots of scoops and containers, or whatever seems appropriate with the suggested material.)

1. Water with washable dolls for bathing, add in empty shampoo bottles, and cloths

2. Scissors and a variety of paper to cut

3. Goop: water, food coloring and cornstarch (make sure there is water and soap nearby for cleaning up)

4. In the fall, add leaves, both real and paper/plastic and different nuts, such as chestnuts, and pinecones with rakes and containers for sorting (ie; cupcake containers)

5. Freeze water with food coloring in different sized containers and place in sensory table. Try placing different toys inside the water before freezing, or fill up a rubber glove with water and freeze

6. Die rice different colors for a rainbow effect: place rice in ziplock bags with a touch of rubbing alcohol and food coloring, shake and let dry on a cookie sheet

7. Little birthday bags, tissue paper, minature boxes and bows for wrapping

8. For the water table, add food coloring to the water, place tinfoil on the base and a variety of pebbles, add plastic fish and boats

9. In the winter, put snow in the table

10. Place in table a big bowl of soapy water, and small jars filled with water and a few drops of food coloring and eye droppers to use

11. In the sand, place little plastic animals, such as turtles or lizards, and yogurt containers upside down with cut out holes for the animals to peek their heads out of, then add some wood and plastic leaves

12. Place glass beads all throughout the sand and scoops that will release the sand through, then add some little bags with zippers to hold the discovered jewels

13. Find different colored straws and place in table with scissors

14. During springtime, fill the table up with easter grass, plastic easter eggs and little bunnies, ducks, chickens, etc.

15.Water, soap, dishrack, dishes and cloths

16. Add farm animals, a barn and some dishes that hold water or oatmeal for them to be fed.

17. Potted soil, pots, rakes, empty packaged seeds, plastic flowers

18. Add magnets and a variety of items to attract and those things that will not, such as paperclips versus wood.

19. At Halloween, fill the table up with black beans and orange dyed rice, then add plastic spiders and bats

20. Mix a variety of dried beans together for a sensory mix that can be used again and again

Further Resources: Pinterest Sensory Board        

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