Sensory Garden to support students’ self-regulation

MOUNT Pleasant Primary School is developing its own sensory garden with the help of a Engaging Communities Grant received last year.

The north corner of the playground has recently become home to the garden, and Principal, Kate Robinson  said it will eventually engage students’ five senses.

“The idea is that the sensory garden will connect to our curriculum and to students learning.

“I believe that heart and hands connect to the brain, so we want our kids to be connected to things that are important to them, using their hands, and then they become engaged learners,” she said.

“We’ll have sight; an array of beautiful things to look at, sound; being able to attract birds, touch; the furry leaves, taste; for food, and smell; we’ve got jasmine starting to grow.”

It’s an ideal escape space for children to regulate their own feelings and behaviours if they experience sensory challenges or are feeling overwhelmed in a classroom environment.

“It really is building those self-regulation skills in students before they’re upset,” Ms Robinson said.

“Giving students the strategies to self-regulate is vital to being able to become competent and engaged learners.

“Students have been using it since last term for that purpose, coming down and walking around. The way it’s designed can calm students.”

The project began in 2018 and children throughout MPPS are beginning to have input about what they want to do with it.

“The excitement is huge when they realise it will be connected to what they’re doing in the classroom. We’ve got students thinking about being water savers, we’ve had a committee come up with how we can keep our garden tidier, so they’ve self-organised.

“What we will see by spring, is hopefully, a garden that is planted out and being used by students. We really want the students to own it,” Ms Robinson said.

“We’ll eventually be able to grow food in there, but our foundation and Grade 1-2 students’ goal this term is to create a butterfly garden, so they’re exploring the concepts of ecosystems, interdependence and adaptation.

“In doing that, they’re going to be creating an ecosystem for butterflies. They’ve got the cocoons, they’re going to be hatching their own butterflies, and in Spring, we’re hoping to have a beautiful butterfly garden,” she said.

Also in the works is a herb garden, a new opportunity to connect students with cooking.

Ms Robinson is grateful for the Engaging Communities Grant, and support of MPPS families, especially parent, Rebekah Spark who has been instrumental in getting the garden up and running.

MPPS also has a cosy sensory room to help children relax and return back to their classroom feeling calm, before any problems arise. It’s a space more exclusive to students with vestibular and proprioceptive sensory challenges, whereas the garden is a space for all children.

With dim lighting, a quiet tent, gentle music, stress balls, a trampoline, books, noise cancelling headphones and more, the indoor sensory room is warm and welcoming.

“Lots of things that they can use to calm their nervous systems down a little bit if they’re stressed or feeling anxious, which is really important,” Ms Robinson said.

“This was from a grant put together by Jenny Dyer, who’s our Leading Teacher, and our Student Engagement Officer, Leah Lacny.”

Ultimately, both spaces and the broader attitudes of MPPS are positively impacting the Mount Pleasant community, making it a better, more inclusive place to be.

“That’s where we’re going as a school, how we can make a difference in our own lives and the lives of others,” Ms Robinson said.