Carol Allen explores the influence of light in our settings and classrooms and how to create calming spaces to support different sensory needs.
Setting up our learning spaces
When we set up spaces in our classrooms and settings, we consider furniture layouts, wall displays, storage and resources. The care with which we arrange and organise the components help us to create a learning environment which will support learning, activities and the needs of our children.
However, there are some basic, sensory features which create extremely influential aspects to the effectiveness of our settings and classrooms, for example, light, sound and smell. If your room is located near the dining hall or kitchen, the wafting smells at lunchtime frequently cause hungry children to lose focus!
The influence of light in our settings and classrooms
The influence of light in our settings and classrooms is extremely important. Having good natural light is beneficial, but being able to control that light, for example, to avoid glare and unwanted reflection, is vital. Electrical lighting should be chosen with care; many older ‘strip’ lights flicker and buzz for students with specific sensory needs and thus cause major distraction from the allocated learning task. A simple exercise is to sit in every seat or bend down low in each area of learning and look at focal points, for example, resources that the children may need to access, each individual learning space, or for older children, the whiteboard or the teacher’s desk. Are these visually accessible? If not, it’s time to make changes.
Creating a calming space
The ability to control the light level is also useful for reducing sensory input, perhaps at times for quieter activities or when calm regulation is needed. To create a calming atmosphere, perhaps try dimming lights or introducing colour washes as these can totally change the energy dynamic, perfect for decreasing dysregulated behaviours or supporting contemplation. You may have the ability to black out window light with effective blinds; perhaps you have a dimmer switch for finer control of overhead lights, but if not consider creating areas where you can have control over light sources and levels.
Dark dens that are easy to put up and safety tested can be purchased. These allow you to create specific areas in which visual activities can be optimally offered. In addition to enhancing light sources, their size offers a ‘safe space’ so the combination of enclosure and controlled light can create powerful emotional support.
Adding Glow Resources and light to your space for sensory input
Combining the dark dens with other carefully chosen resources will increase the levels of sensory input for your children, along with the range of learning opportunities on offer. The whole of the ‘Glow’ range offers a wide variety of visually focussed resources which when combined with their other engaging features, for example, manipulation; motor skills; tactile work; construction, they support a variety of creative, sensory activities which really achieve optimum results in a low light environment. Consider things such as, ‘Are the resources rechargeable?’ so that there are no wires to get in the way of interactions.
Several of the Glow resources have integrated tactile elements. An example are the Stacking Glow and Texture Discs. These are just one choice in the range that offer a defined tactile experience which, in a low lighting environment, is enhanced and thus the sensory connections to the brain are strengthened.
Adding other sensory resources to the space
Weighted resources are a wonderful addition to dark dens for many children. They have direct ‘calming’ and regulatory benefits. However, for many this also increases focus on other tasks so having them available can support an accessible and productive session of interaction. Equally, adding vibrating resources to the den such as cushions or vibrating lap buddies increases the potential sensory input for children. Having a variety of resources allows learners to experiment and choose what works best for them. We are multisensory beings so although we may wish to concentrate on visual work, encompassing other sensory needs can support our outcomes.
Even smaller spaces can be created for visual work, particularly engagement and focus by using umbrellas to create temporary, personal work areas to ‘contain’ the resources being used, and thus increase focus.
Whatever you are able to offer, the impact will provide the building blocks for later learning. For example, strong visual focus and tracking supports reading and writing. Exploration and experimentation are the foundations of Science and Maths and of course, learning to self-regulate and attend to our sensory needs and preferences, supports all learning, and life. Take a moment, assess what you offer now; consider what you could add to your provision and create a strong visual focus!
This blog was written by Carol Allen.
Carol is an internationally recognised Education and Inclusion Adviser who delivers workshops on building inclusive environments and offers practical insights to educators and organisations across the globe.
