Blog

CAVEMAN TORCH

This fantastic Caveman torch is made from easily sourced materials and is an excellent prop for various sensory activities, including storytelling.

To learn how to make one, visit the Baum Hausbande website to watch a step-by-step video. Link below.

BAUM HAUSBANE WEBSITE CAVEMAN TORCH

Fire was likely discovered during the early Stone Age and was crucial for survival. Early humans used fire to cook food, provide light and warmth, hunt, make tools, and protect themselves from dangerous predators.

Fluids is an excellent cause-and-effect app with various themes to explore. In the energy theme, users can touch the screen to create swirling flames that resemble fire, which could be lots of fun to share with learners in the darkness of a homemade cave.

The Fluids App is available to download from the App and Google Play Store.

SENSORY CAMPFIRE

Back in the Stone Age, Cavepeople would gather around fires at night to socialise, share stories, and dance.

If you have a sensory or dark room available, why not create a sensory fire to gather with your learners to sing songs or share a story? I made one using an ocean light set to orange, along with some sticks and bright orange tinsel. It looked just like a real campfire in the dark.

KIRAFLOW APP

Kiraflow is a fabulous sensory cause-and-effect app with many different themes to choose from that you can use to complement many learning themes.

This glitter is a theme within the App called ‘Half.’ Touching the screen makes the Winter glitter move in different directions, with wonderful twinkling, chilly, icy sounds. You can also hold your tablet to move the glitter around the screen.

Available from the App Store: Each theme costs 99p, or you can purchase the whole pack for £6.99.

Shining the torchlight over the white iridescent tinsel casts beautiful light patterns around the room, resembling the Northern Lights.

When sunlight hits the tiny ice particles in the snow, it creates a dazzling mirror effect that makes the snow appear to sparkle. This natural phenomenon is known as “Snow Sparkle.” You can create your version of snow sparkle by shining a torchlight over blue tinsel.

CAUSE & EFFECT SENSORY SOUND BOX

For a sensory story featuring the sounds of winter wind, “Cross Wind,” a theme from the Cause & Effect Sensory Sound Box App, is perfect. The best part is that it allows learners to participate in the story by creating their own wind sound effects.

A quick tap produces soft wind sounds and slow-moving snowflakes while pressing the screen for a longer duration generates louder wind sounds accompanied by snowflakes that appear quickly across the screen.

This outdoor inflatable Santa light makes a brilliant Christmas cause-and-effect activity for switch users. Press a switch to watch the Santa Claus light up and slowly inflate. Press the switch again to turn the light off, and watch him deflate for lots of festive fun in a low-lit classroom or sensory room.

WHAT YOU NEED

A Switch Interface (that allows users to control electric devices)

A Switch

An Outdoor Inflatable Santa Claus Christmas Light

You can purchase the inflatable Santa featured in this video from Amazon for £15.99. Other inflatable lights include a Reindeer, Christmas Tree, Snowman and Gnome (prices vary). Click the link below to view the different outdoor Christmas lights on Amazon.

OUTDOOR INFLATABLE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AMAZON

A fabulous festive find in B&M, these pan scourers are only £1.00 for three and are available in three different sponge designs: Christmas Tree, Snowmen, and Stars. They are chunky, so great for griping, and super spongy with a soft and rough face, which makes them great tactile sponges for Christmas art activities printing with paint.

Add a little magic to Instant Snow to make it glow in the dark under a UV light for Winter sensory in a sensory room.

To make your snow glow, mix the required amount of instant snow with water, then add a good dash of UV-reactive neon powder to your snow and mix in.

You can buy UV-reactive neon powder from Amazon in lots of different colours. Click on the link below to view the powder on Amazon.

UV REACTIVE POWDER AMAZON

CAUSE & EFFECT SENSORY SOUND BOX

Wind Maker is a Sensory Sound Box App theme perfect for Autumn. When you tap the screen, vibrant Autumn leaves materialise, accompanied by the sound of strong winds. Removing your finger makes both the leaves and sounds vanish. This app is fantastic for enhancing a sensory story where the sound of wind is needed, providing an excellent chance for your learners to actively engage in creating wind sounds independently.

Available on Apple & Andriod Devices from the App & Google Play Store.

B & M BARGAIN FINDS

These adorable mushroom lights are an excellent addition to any sensory light collection. They help create a cosy Autumn woodland or a magical Enchanted Forest atmosphere, ideal for use in sensory or dark rooms.

They are available in B & M now for just £2.99 each.

SQUEAKY HEDGEHOG PET TOYS

I discovered these cute Hedgehog toys in the pet aisle at B&M for £2.99.

They would make excellent props for an Autumn sensory story that features a prickly Hedgehog character.

PUMPKIN LED LANTERN

This LED Pumpkin light is another fantastic B&M find. It is a perfect addition to an Autumn sensory light collection. It can be reused year after year and serves as an excellent substitute for a traditional pumpkin lantern.

When lit, they create a stunning effect in the dark, making them ideal for sensory or dimly lit rooms as part of a Halloween theme.

Available in B&M for £4.00

SQUEAKY MOUSE PET TOY

Are you looking for a mouse prop for a sensory story? I found this little fella in the pet aisle at B&M for £1.99. He comes complete with sound effects.

OWLIEBOO GAMES

Owlieboo games are available for FREE online and are switch accessible.
You can also download the Owlieboo App onto an iPhone and iPad to play by touching the screen.
There are many simple cause-and-effect games to choose from. This one is Marine, and there is also a Dolphin one.

https://www.owlieboo.com

CATIT GROOVY FISH – Motion Activated Dancing Fish

This Groovy Fish is a Cat toy but makes a fabulous, fun resource for a Seaside or Ocean theme. It has a sensitive motion sensor, so when touched, it flaps it’s tail, just like a real fish swimming through the sea.

Available from Amazon

OCEAN WAVES PROJECTOR LIGHT

This super cool light projects different-coloured light around the room. When set to blue, it looks like Ocean waves. This amazing sensory light is excellent for helping to create an immersive underwater environment

Available from Amazon

PIRATE TREASURE

Create a Pirate Treasure Trove for your learners to explore using old shiny jewellery, bangles, necklaces, beads, and plastic gold coins. Build anticipation by leaving the box slightly open, then slowly open the box to reveal the WOW factor and the one treasure all the Pirates are searching for: ‘The Ocean Pearl’

Clam Shell light available from Amazon

ALDI – COLOURED PASTA SHELLS

These lovely coloured Pasta shells are a brilliant sensory resource for a Seaside theme. They look like Seashells, are wonderfully tactile, and make super sounds when explored with hands. You can pick them up in Aldi for under £2.00.

BELLY DANCING SILK FAN

This white and blue silk Belly Dancing Fan is a brilliant sensory story prop for a Seaside or Ocean-themed story. If you hold it by the handle and wave it up and down, you can create Ocean waves and a gentle Ocean breeze.

Available from Amazon

FISH & CHIPS SENSORY PROP

Splash salt and vinegar onto a sheet of newspaper, then let the newspaper dry. Heat a wheat bag, then wrap the warm wheat bag in newspaper. The warmth of the wheat bag will release the scent of salt and vinegar from the paper, and when held in hands, it will feel and smell like a warm bag of fish and chips brought at the Seaside. For a taste sensation, Salt & Vinegar Chipsticks are an excellent alternative to real chips for your learners to taste and enjoy.

SOMETHING SPECIAL – WEATHER

Who doesn’t love Mr. Tumble? It’s a fabulously fun Makaton-signed children’s programme that the special learners I worked with at school loved.

A great way to learn about the weather and teach new Makatons signs.

SOMETHING SPECIAL WEATHER

KIRA FLOW APP – RAINBOW PARTICLES

A lovely cause-and-effect App with a Rainbow theme. Touch, tap the screen or use your fingers or hands to make swirling patterns in the bright Rainbow coloured particles.

Available for free on the App Store, but 99p to buy the Rainbow Particles theme

SENSORY LIGHT BOX – SENSORY CAUSE AND EFFECT

Sensory Light Box and Sensory Sound Box are two of my favourite apps and were huge favourites of the learners I worked with.

Downpour is a theme within the App; touching the screen creates a downpour of rain in different colours with rain sounds.

Depending on how quickly you move your finger down the screen, you can make the rain fall slowly or fast with heavy or light rain sound effects.

SENSORY SOUND BOX – SENSORY CAUSE AND EFFECT

Brollies is a theme within the Sensory Sound Box App; touch, tap, and move your fingers on and over the screen to make many colured umbrellas appear along with rain, wind and bird sounds.

Two fab apps for complementing a Spring Weather theme.