Sensory Room Tour!
The sensory area of my classroom truly is a consistent work in progress. There are things that are always changing because let’s are honest; the needs of the students are always changing. The first blog post that I ever wrote, was about my sensory room read it HERE. Then I decided to do a part 2 post and you can read that HERE. The other thing I did was discuss some items that are my must-haves for my sensory room HERE. So, I thought we would discuss the then and now of my sensory room!
Sensory Toys:
So over the course of six years, we all know that there are items that our students love, and there are also items that just get worn out and you have to get rid of. So, here is a “then” picture of some of the items I had for toys and fidgets. In the top picture, you see the light box that was homemade and I created this pretty simply. I actually wrote a blog post about it HERE.
The bottom portion of this picture is a lava lamp, fidgets, beads, and massagers. They all are from cheap and free stores like Dollar Tree, Target Dollar Spot, and Five Below.
I had to really re-think how I stored my sensory toys. It was okay when I had a couple of bins but, now I would say the area pictured below with the curtain has over 10-12 bins of different materials including magnatiles, K’newx, LEGOs, blocks, wind up toys, and more! All the fidgets and sensory items had to go into a shoe organizer from Five Below. The only thing I wish was that this was clear, but for not it works great!
Shower curtains in a sensory room
The other thing that I have changed over the years is the look of the inside of the sensory room and some of the items that I keep inside of it. As you know every year you have new students with new needs so this is ever-changing in my sensory room, but the look at the room then and now is a bit different. I still have the shower curtains that I purchased from Marshalls and Target up covering my lights (don’t tell the fire marshall). I have since added some more calming items and less stimulating ones.
Chill Zone in a Sensory Zone
I also had this corner inside my sensory room and have transitioned this part to outside of the sensory room but, still stored in my classroom. I call it the “Chill Zone”. The students have the ability to hang out on comfy furniture like bean bags and a shag carpet, back in the day I had pillows and some mats.
Tactile Board in the Sensory Room
Last but, certainly not least is the tactile board that I have in my classroom and I have really just made this my own over time. I have items that have been worn out, broken, and just not fitting for the students in my class but the top is how it was when it was first installed, and the bottom half is how the picture looks now.
So, if you are thinking about creating a sensory space for your students know that it really doesn’t matter how pretty it is, or the amount of money that you spend. As long as you have included items that your students love then you are good to go! Also, if you have a great OT you can consult with them for some other ideas!
Also, if you are looking for some of the items that I have used feel free to check out my Amazon Influencer Store!
