My Little Bag of Tricks

The fall season is upon us and pumpkins will be ready for carving sooner than we can blink!  The fall is very good to our senses because we get to watch the leaves change color and fall to the ground.  We can start smelling that air that grows crisp!  After the back to school blues, I think we have all adjusted back into a routine quite nicely after handling all the natural disasters.  Now is the time where I will begin to fill my bag of tricks.  As we can see emergencies are apart of every day realities, we are learning the hard way that preparedness is key, so new ways of thinking are needed. 

When it comes to sensory integration, preparedness is key and new ways of thinking are also needed.  My little bag does not look like a trick or treat bag after all hallow's eve, however I think these goodie bags are just as good and essential tools to the oral motor/sensory regime to prevent emergency meltdowns, further language development, and promote social interactions.  So what should you put in your sensory kit?

Think about what you would pack in case of an emergency over night trip.  What are the items that help soothe your stress from sleeping in a different environmen?  Consider what you would grab if you had 5 minutes to get everything you needed?  I think ALL parents can relate to the bag of tricks concept with diaper bags, purses, and the everlastingly popular fannie pack, so that all your emergency needs are right at your finger tips.   All of these are a little bag of tricks.  In a typical woman's purse we usually carry a wallet for money, identification for driving, perfume to smell good, sunglasses so we are not blinded by the sun, lotion for our hands, chapstick for dry lips, a mirror &brush to make sure you look your best, something to write with, and a telephone for communication purposes.  Well a sensory kit is not too far away from what a woman carries in her purse, which is why it is quite simple to visit any local Dollar City's and create a fun oral/motor activity kit. 
I am starting to create my new bag of tricks and brainstorming ideas of how to help integrate my own senses, as well as, the students and children in my life.  The first step when creating any bag of tricks is a sensory survey to see which type of sensory integration that the child may show more sensitivies to than others.  However, there are general activities you can do with any child to survey there sensitities.  These are the items I would start with to make any general sensory kit.

Sensory bag of trick ingredients:

Lotions/ Shaving Creams/Bath Salts or Scrubs
Playdough/kneeding clay/play foam and different textures
Sunglasses
Mirrors
Lollipops
Echo mircrophones
Trampolines/Exercise balls

These ingredients do not need to be mixed together all at once, however through exposoure during play time with these fun educational tools, you can help enhance ways to integrate different sensory experiences and learn new academic skills enhancing the child's experience in the classroom setting.  We start our day picking out one or two or possibly mixing lollipops with the speech mirrors or shaving cream with bumby balls. 

Just like when you bake bread, it isn't until you add the yeast that the bread begins to rise.  My classroom without sensory is like that loaf of bread without yeast. However, when you add that yeast then the bread can finally be able to do what it was made to do.   The more time that passes, the more yeast the children begin to routinely experience through sensory then the more they are able to rise to the occassion, learn with optimal concentration, and show you everything they are capable of doing.