A dedicated space at Rockcreek Elementary School encourages students to socialize and keep learning even when waiting in a hallway.
Corie Williams, Universal Design for Learning facilitator, and Amber Wolf, autism coordinator, created a sensory integration wall using a $500 grant they received this spring from Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation.
The wall, which is targeted to kindergarten to second-grade students, allows youngsters to create designs using pegs, practice typing on a keyboard or to play with a magnet board that has letters and numbers.
“It helps with self-regulation skills when they’re waiting and standing in the hallway,” Williams said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
Wolf, who came up with the concept after seeing a sensory integration wall in Baltimore, said the intent of the project is to provide students with something to do and socialize with one another.
“They’re learning, but it’s fun,” she said. “It’s keeping them engaged and working on their social skills inside the classroom and outside the classroom.”
The wall, which includes instructions at each station, also features rocks and green field turf and asks students to touch the surfaces and describe to a classmate nearby how it feels.
Kindergarten teacher Brittany Boezeman, who has 27 students this year, said the sensory integration wall has been beneficial. Her students visit the wall at least half a dozen times a day during bathroom breaks and when they line up for lunch.
“This is a meaningful activity they can do with their peers,” Boezeman said. “I think it will benefit them in academics and maturity.”
Boezeman said the sensory integration wall allows students the flexibility of choosing which area they want to visit. Some individuals go to the same activity each day, while others rotate to new ones, she added.
Kindergarten student Nathan Huffman, one of Boezeman’s students, said he enjoys using the peg board since it allows him to create something new.
The wall also includes Rockcreek’s Positive Behavior Instructional Supports expectations for students as a reminder.
Williams and Wolf said they would like to see a second sensory integration wall at Rockcreek near the cafeteria that would be targeted to kindergarten to sixth-grade students based on how popular the current wall has been.
“We’re pleasantly surprised by the reception in the building,” Williams said. “It helps students calm themselves and refocus as they go back to the classroom.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Where to learn more” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
To learn more about the Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation and its grant program, visit bcsc.k12.in.us/schoolfoundation.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
