I am lucky to have my speech therapist and occupational therapist co-teach with me twice a week. During this time, our ratio of staff is higher than typical and we are able to do a lot. It is one of my favorite times of the week!
This past Wednesday, my occupational therapist was out. That made it difficult for us to complete what I had originally planned, and I didn’t have a backup plan prepared. My speech therapist and I stared at each other for a minute, then I got the idea to pull out a couple of sensory-based items from the closet. I pulled out three options: water beads, foam, and kinetic sand.
I recommend this bottle of water beads from Amazon. The bottle costs roughly $12 and has 50,000 water beads in it. Pour a capful or two into the container, add some water overnight and the next morning the water beads will be good to go. We have a tendency to lose our water beads so I have had to replenish the bin about every two weeks since October. I still have over 3/4 of the bottle of water beads left!
I found my foam on a clearance rack at Target, but this foam from Amazon is from the same brand. You can grab this pack for about $7. My students love the texture. It feels exactly how it sounds. It is soft, easy to manipulate, and flexible. It comes in fun colors and so far has a good lasting life. I have had my foam for about six weeks without it drying out. We store it in plastic baggies and containers.
I bought this kinetic sand kit on Amazon Prime Day and it is one of my best purchases to date. This kit runs for about $18. I like that the kit comes with toys and molds my students can use with the sand. If you don’t need the extra supplies, I suggest this bag of sand that retails for about $10.
Each student was able to request which item they wanted to play with. For the foam, students could also request which color foam they wanted to use. Once a student selected their desired item, we have them just a tiny bit in their tub. Students had to request “more” if they wanted us to add more to the tub. If students wanted to switch items, they had to say “stop” to give back the item they have and ask for the new item.
This student is working on sign language as part of his total communication system. My speech therapist was able to model and use hand-over-hand support to help him learn the signs.
In this photo, you can see him trying to mimic the sign for “more” to request more sand. His signs are not strong, but he tries very hard and we honor the requests whenever he makes the effort. With more modeling and support, he will get stronger.
This student is using a go-talk communication device. He understands the concepts of “more” and “stop.” We are working on expanding his use of the board. In this photo, my speech therapist is assisting him in learning how to request “want.” Toward the end of the session, we faded the hand-over-hand support and just tapped the “want” button for the prompt.
We are also having our student using sign language try the go-talk as well. His signs are not strong and sign language is not universally understood. His total communication system will use a variety of means to help him express himself.
This student is using a communication app on an iPad. He is also starting to use expressive language to request. We allowed him to use both during this session. Any and all communication is always welcome in my classroom!
Two other students are not pictured. They have expressive language and need sentence frameworks to request in complete sentences. The students loved having the opportunity to use a variety of sensory items and we derived a lot of language. It was a rich session with no prep work or planning. Having these items on hand is always helpful!
What are your favorite sensory items to stock in the classroom?