How to create a sensory garden at school

Most individuals find gardens appealing to their senses since they often include plants with varying characteristics that entice our senses in unique ways.

It’s no secret! Strolling through a garden can bring joy to your heart as you admire the color, texture, and diversity of different plants. That’s what a sensory garden for children does.

In this guide, you will learn what a sensory garden is and how to create one.

Without delay, let’s dive in!

 

What Is a Sensory Garden?

A sensory garden is a carefully planned space designed to invoke and indulge all five senses using plants and décor, resulting in an immersive experience. The role of a sensory garden is to trigger several neurological experiences, both familiar and new.

A sensory garden is ideal for children, especially those with autism. It offers them a safe environment to explore every stimulus and boost sensory development. Under-reactive kids can use sensory gardens to experience all the five senses healthily and positively.

The impact of this garden also extends to older students. It can help them relax, unwind, and even develop imaginative thinking.

Also, Canadian and British students who visit such gardens often experience an increase in cognitive abilities. This means it becomes much easier for them to complete assignments, including crafting compelling and exciting essays. What remains is to hire essay editor who can help them refine their paper. Essay editing services in Canada have expert editors who can look at your essay topic and work and edit out any grammar, spelling, and formatting mistakes at a cheap cost.

Besides that, they ensure the work is free from plagiarism and adopt a style approved by colleges or universities. As a result, the students end up scoring higher marks on their essay papers. That said, a sensory garden adds beauty to school and makes great selling points when parents or other students pay a visit. Now, let’s look at some sensory garden ideas for schools.

Sensory Garden Design Ideas for Schools

Most schools in the UK and Canada use sensory gardens to encourage child development via hands-on activities.

When creating a sensory garden for your school include the following:

• Edible plants
• Mirrors
• Sandpits
• Water features
• Scented plants
• Play sculptures
• Engraved seating

To make the garden more interactive, consider adding drawing equipment and outdoor musical instruments, including:

• Rain-wheels
• Whiteboards
• Tracing boards
• Drums
• Chalkboards

Factors to Consider When Creating a Sensory Garden at School

Before creating a sensory garden at school, there are a few factors you need to keep in mind. First, confirm the sun’s position throughout the day since plants require enough sunlight to grow. But there should also be some shade to allow you to grow plants that are often grown in the shade.

Next, you need to select a quiet location with less traffic and destruction. If you’re going to work with students, advise them to use this essay writing service in the UK to finish their assignments on time. This means they will have enough time to help you create the garden.

Select plants and flowers that children can interact with safely. Choose plants that will thrive in the garden. Grow native plants since they’re already used to the environment, require less maintenance, and they’re less susceptible to diseases compared to non-natives.

After taking these factors into considerations, try to use the following tips to create a garden that appeals to all five senses.

Sight: Add visual interest to a sensory garden by integrating plants with different bark, stem, leaf, and bloom colors. Also, grow plants with varying habits like those that climb, stand upright, form a bush, creep, or trail.

Touch: Sensory gardens provide kids with a chance to explore natural textures through touch. You can achieve this using plant with different textures, from sensational cool moss to baby soft lamb’s ear. Sandpit, free-standing tactile panels, and water play table can also provide kids with a chance to use their hands to identify different textures.

Taste: Include fruits and vegetables in your garden to teach children about the origin of food.

Smell: Use scented and fragrant shrubs and flowers, such as jasmine, clematis, and lavender which produce distinct smells.

Sound: Use plants that make noise when wind passes through them like bamboo stems. Include plants and flowers that attract wildlife, such as hummingbirds, bees, and crickets. Also, you can make use of fixed music and sound panels with chains, chimes, and drums.

Conclusion

Sensory gardens allow schools to create a space that promotes outdoor learning experiences and stimulates senses. Remember, kids learn best by doing hands-on activities, and sensory gardens provide them with an immersive experience.

A sensory garden is a perfect addition to any school. So, follow our simple advice and create a safe, attractive garden that kids will love.