Making a Sensory Story

Earlier this year, I visited a Bluebell School, a therapeutic special school and one of the most amazing places I've ever seen. Both the staff and students were amazing - fun and resilient and wonderfully extraordinary. 

One of my tasks for the day, was to create a 'Sensory Story' for the children. A sensory story is a way of making stories come to life using sensory experiences based upon the scenes in the book. We have 5 main senses; sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell; and I wanted to incorporate all of these into my own sensory story for my picture book 'The Lonely Dragon'. 




Before I started, I read a marvellous book entitled 'Sensory Stories for Children and Teens with Special Educational Needs: A Practical Guide.' Written by Joanna Grace. (This book is available on Amazon). This book was really useful in understanding the importance of sensory stories, as well as lots of practical advice on how to compile and create experiences for a sensory story, and tailor them to specific needs. 




Once I was suitably armed with knowledge, and had taken a while to ponder on my story and all the sensory experiences I might create, I started to gather together a collection of items to help my sensory story come to life. I had to use my crafting skills to make a few things too. I kept all of these items in a special tote bag, along with the picture book. I had great fun imagining all the special experiences I could create with each scene in the book.

Here is what my special sensory story bag contained: 



**Please ensure that all toys are regularly checked for damage or leakage**

Contents:

  •        Plush toys – Dragon, mermaid, rabbit (with pipe cleaner antlers) and unicorn. All conform to EU safety standards.
  •  Sensory bottles. Plastic bottles containing water and vegetable gelatin mixed with glitter, sequins and plastic toys. Lids are glued on with super glue.
  • Squishy sensory bag. Strong plastic zip lock back filled with Hobbycraft glitter paint, gelatin, glitter and small plastic fish and sea creatures. Secured on all edges with duck tape. It will be secured to a cardboard backing and packed away in a card envelope (which we can also use to whoosh the air as the dragon flies past. 
  • Dragon poncho wings. Brightly coloured poncho wings with a Velcro elastic neck tie.
  • Artificial flowers made from fabric and plastic.
  • Sleep spray. A gently scented chamomile and lavender mist spray.
  • Bubbles – non toxic magic bubbles.
  • Sea drum – disk shaped percussion instrument filled with beads which you tip this way and that to create the sound of waves.
  • Star wands. Sequined fabric star wands.
  • A small bag of paper butterflies.
  • Picture book.

Optional Extras 

  • Any extra sensory toys which would fit in with the themes of the book. For example: Stars, moon, forest, fairies, flowers, insects, sunshine, ocean, and seaside.
  •  A tray filled with play sand that the children can put their feet into to feel the sensation of sand between their toes.
  •  Honey and spoons.
  • A ‘feelings chart’ to show what emotions the dragon and other characters are feeling throughout the story. Whenever appropriate, you can use the feelings chart to ask the children what they think the characters might be feeling. 

All the items in my sensory story bag. 

Reading the Story 

As we read the story, we can take time to show the children the illustrations in the book, and also use sensory activities to make the story more interactive and memorable. I would appreciate the teacher’s guidance on gauging the children’s enjoyment of each part and knowing when is best to transition on to the next scene.

1.       On the first page, the Lonely Dragon is looking up at the stars and wishing for a friend. So here, we can bring out the dragon plush toy  out of the bag and show it to the children. Let them feel its long neck, long tail, wings and spikes running down its spine. We can also use the star wands, and wave them around like the stars in the sky. We will also pass around the sensory bottle  and tip it over to see the galaxy-like stars and sparkles inside. Click on the link below to see a short video of the sensory bottle. 



2.      On the next page, the dragon decides to fly away on a journey, to look for other dragons. At this point, a child or teacher can wear the poncho wings (cape with colourful wings design). They can then ‘fly’ past the children as they watch, and at the same time, another person can waft the children with a large piece of card, to simulate the rush of wind from the beating of the dragon’s wings.


3.      The first place the dragon lands is the enchanted forest where she meets a unicorn. Again, we reach into the bag and reveal a unicorn plush toy  which we can show to the children. Let them feel its soft mane, shiny hooves, and pointed horn.



4.      Again the dragon takes flight. Repeat as before.


5.      Next the dragon lands in a beautiful wildflower meadow. We can pass around some artificial flowers  for the children to touch and investigate, twirl around and tickle their faces.  We can also spray the lavender and chamomile scented spray  into the air to simulate the smell of the flowers.
If we wanted to also include the sense of taste, we could talk to the children about the buzzing insects and bees, and let them have a little taste of honey. (Probably best for the school to provide the honey and eating utensils for this part).

6.      Here in the meadow, the dragon meets a Jackalope (which is a hare with antlers). I bring out a plush rabbit toy  (with pipe cleaner antlers) for the children to look at and touch. We can see how the Jackalope has long hears, antlers, and a fuzzy tail, and strong legs.






7.      The dragon takes flight again. Repeat as before.


8.      Finally the dragon lands at the sea shore. The sea is blue and sparkling. Here I will take out the squishy sensory bag (this is a large sealed plastic bag filled with clear gel and blue glitter and sparkles and some little plastic sea animals. The children can use their fingers to squish and move around the glitter and plastic animals). I can also pass around the sensory bottle  which can be tipped and shaken to see the sparkling sea and fish inside. We will also use an instrument called a sea drum  to  create the sound of the waves.

It might be nice to let the children dip their feet into a tray of play sand, as there is a description on these pages about the dragon feeling the warm sand between her toes.

9.      On the beach, the dragon meets the mermaid. I will bring out a plush mermaid toy for the children to look at and touch. We can see the mermaid’s long hair, her tail, and shiny scales.




10.   The Dragon is sad because she hasn’t found any other dragons to be friends with. Then she realises that she has made friends along the way. She goes back to collect her friends, and lets them ride on her back as she flies all the way up to the stars.

Here we can again use the poncho wings  and wafting card  to recreate the dragon’s flight, and we can also use the star wands, waving them around as the dragon flies past. The sensory bottle can also be used again here.  

11.    The characters then return to the meadow, where they run through the flowers and send lots of butterflies flying into the air. Here we open a box of paper butterflies, scoop up a handful, and toss them into the air so that they flutter down. We can also repeat the sensory experience of the scented spray and flowers  and honey  tasting.





12.   Then the dragon and her friends fly back to the sea. Again we can use the squishy sensory bags, sea drum, sensory bottle, and also blow some bubbles  as they are playing in the foamy waves of the sea.





13.   Finally the story ends with the characters all happy and content because they have found friendship. The person wearing the wings can gather up all the plush toys  and cuddle them together. 
#



A sensory story can be a magical experience, not only for children with special educational needs, but for everyone! 

It transforms an imaginative story into an experience which can be seen, touched, smelled, tasted, and heard. 

It's a marvellous way to make storytelling fun and exiting. 

And I hope this article might encourage you to try it for yourself! 


Sensory storytelling can be done with almost any of your favourite stories, it just takes a little imagination, but if you'd like to recreate this experience using my picture book 'The Lonely Dragon', here's a link to my Etsy store where you can purchase a (specially signed and doodled) copy. 











Comments

Popular Posts