We have been very busy in school over the last few weeks, creating some new and exciting spaces for the pupils to use. As you will see from the pictures, each space has lots of new resources and equipment which the pupils have been busy exploring and enjoying.
The Rainbow Room
Our new Rainbow Room is an inviting and relaxing place to play and learn in small groups. The children enjoy choosing different toys and games to take into the room where they can develop their play and communication skills whilst having lots of fun with their teachers and friends. Communication boards are used to model key language whilst playing and exciting toys encourage children to communicate. The children have had so much fun playing with the ball tower, relaxing on the beanbag and mark making on the sequin wall. Some of our older primary children have been playing games that involve turn taking, waiting and sharing to develop social interaction skills.
Sensory Integration Room
Our new sensory integration room is already a hit with the children. The room includes a wide range of large physical and sensory equipment that is set up in a sensory circuit. The children are being taught to follow a three-stage sensory circuit of alerting, organising and calming activities to regulate their bodies to help them to become ready to learn. The children are having fun exploring the equipment which includes a large swing, roller slide, see saw and body roller and lots more. The sensory integration room is a great place for developing communication and is already being used to hold sessions run by out speech and language therapists.
The Thrive Hive
The Thrive Hive has been created as a safe space for the pupils to learn new social and emotional skills through their experiences with a trusted adult. In the Thrive space, pupils have a safe place where 1:1 and small group work will take place. This allows for arts and crafts and play-based activities and interventions to be conducted away from the main classrooms. The Thrive room is also a place where the pupils feel welcome, safe, special, with a sense of belonging. Pupils can use the room to regulate and reflect and talk about how they are feeling.
The Zen Den
The Zen Den is a quiet, relaxing space for pupils to sit and talk to a trusted adult about how they are feeling. The Zen Den has soft chairs and beanbags and a variety of sensory toys for the pupils to access while they sit, relax and take some time out. This space allows the pupils to have 1:1 time with an adult away from the classroom environment.