Drum roll time!

Yes I know it has been very very quiet on my Blog and on Twitter over the past few weeks and I do make apologies for that,  however I am very pleased to announce (drum roll......) that my first ever Sensory Story and supporting information resource pack are now 

FINISHED! 

I can't quite believe it. It is taking a while to sink in!

I keep reading over things and looking at the pages I have written checking I have included what I feel will be helpful supporting material to those who will be delivering the Sensory Story.

It has been a remarkable journey so far, and I really can't wait to put the story into practice. Once I have done that I will get a true picture of the Story's success.

So what does my Sensory Story look like? 

The written version of the Story will be printed as a separate sheet and laminated for ease of use. It is all contained on one side of A4 paper and is broken down into 11 small sections. The title of the story is 'The Greedy Squirrel'.

What will you find in the Information Resource Pack? 
At the moment - nothing! .... as it is all contained on my laptop waiting to be printed and bound! However once I have checked my ink cartridges in my printer are not about to run out, the Information Resource Pack will be printed and will include several pages of relevant information. 

For example I cover things such as information about how my particular Sensory Story can support children's speech, language and communication needs. I have also included examples of how the Story can sit comfortably in Early Years Planning documents with links relating to both the 'Development Matters' and 'Characteristics of Learning' of the EYFS. 


There is an explanation of how to deliver the Sensory Story successfully and a list of suggested stimuli - all of which are easy and inexpensive to source such as the Hessian sack in the picture below.

 "Please help me store it in my little brown sack.”  

Additional ideas are included for extending the story further; introducing follow on activities for the whole class or larger groups of children and looking at possible ways we can assess children’s learning and development in speech, language and communication.

I have included a PowerPoint version of the story too for using to consolidate learning at a later date.

Looking forward to the half term break at the end of this coming week, where I can take time out to re-charge my batteries and prepare to deliver the Story to the children next half term.

Thank you to all those who have told me in person that you have been following my journey via this blog spot. 

I have also made some fantastic new (online) friends as a result of this venture. Fellow Tweeters, you have been a great source of encouragement and information too - and thank you for 'following' me! 

Keep watching this space as the journey unfolds...

Two tea bags and a Tupperware pot!

Well news from the Sensory Story sofa.....

Unfortunately, I left the lid off my little plastic 'clip it' container the other day -  but HEY great news - my dining room smelt like there had been a bonfire in there!!   Who would have thought a couple of fancy tea bags in a Tupperware pot could provide the sensory stimuli that I have been searching for? 

Moving in a slightly different direction I would really like to share with you 
a thought provoking 'tweet' that came my way last night...

"If a child cannot learn in the way we teach... we must teach in a way the child can learn." - unknown 

What a statement! This quote certainly got me thinking.

For those of us working in the Foundation Stage how often do we think "we know best" in terms of teaching a child a new skill?

How often do we stop and observe how the child learns?

Maybe we sometimes need to consider whether a child is learning through using a particular Schema. So what are Schemas? 

Schemas are patterns of repeatable behaviour which presents itself through the child's play. Understanding schematic behaviour helps us as practitioners to gain an understanding of what motivates the child. Using this knowledge we are better equipped to extend the child's learning by planning activities and providing resources appropriate to the child's preferences.

During my OU studies I was able to learn more about Schemas in the Early Years. Initially I was very sceptical and at times critical of what I was reading. However, the more I read around the subject and the more I observed the children in my setting, I soon became a convert to recognising schematic behaviour as a way of learning.

Not all children use schemas to learn. Therefore it is important to really get to know the children who we work with. What makes them tick? What motivates them? Have you noticed any patterns of repeated behaviours?

Thinking about this I began to wonder how my Sensory Story supports children who use schemas as a method of learning? Maybe this is a new area to explore? This may be something I can take on board for Sensory Story 2!


For more information about Schemas take a look at my friend Sarah's blog

http://knutsfordchildminding.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/schemas-in-early-years.html


Well off now to check the lid is firmly in place on my Tupperware pot!

Swimming in treacle!

Well three weeks into the new school year have already gone!! 

I really want to get this Story completed before I lose my 'Autumnal' theme and Winter is upon us. Yet since writing my last blog many things have been happening in the home in the garden and of course that impacts on my Sensory Story world! 

OK so who moved the cupboards?

At home the contents of the kitchen are gradually disappearing into various other rooms in the house - new units arriving next week and we still need to lift and level the floor and paint the walls and ceiling!!! 








In the garden  - well? - I wondered whether my husband had been moved so much by watching Les Mis that he was building his own barricade? Apparently not. 
I should have realised it was the need for Moneypenny (our old lady of a hen) to relinquish her free reign of the garden (and veggie patch) she needed to be penned in a little more. Hence the barricade building! 

Build the barricade!

As for my Sensory Story? Some days the challenge of writing is easy, words and ideas flow freely - other days I feel as if I am swimming in treacle! 

On a positive note though, I have completed all the supporting documentation pages to my Story and am in the final stages of backing up what I have to say with references, checking for typo's and formatting the pages before printing. Now wish I had kept my old laminator. Maybe Santa will be kind? 

It would be a good point here to say 'thank you' to those friends and colleagues who have provided some constructive feedback on the content of the Story and the Pack- much appreciated. Your thoughts have been taken on board. 

One friend/colleague has given me further food for thought.... her comments appeared to suggest that the Sensory Story and information pack could be used by Practitioners in other Early Years settings. This is something I hadn't really thought about. My intention was to provide a 'bespoke' resource for the school where I work - something that can be used as a strategy for developing Speech, Language and Communication needs (SLCN).

Reading her feedback made complete sense! Yes, this could be used as a resource for other settings too. I am all for disseminating good practice, so with this in mind I am 'tweaking' some parts of my Information Resource Pack to become more accessible to those working in other sectors such as Childminders and Nurseries. Not quite sure whether there will be a SLCN Sensory Story 'market' out there waiting to be tapped into?  I am sure I will soon find out.

A few resources the SMELL of wood smoke and the SOUND of rustling leaves!

Well off now to wade through a bit more treacle!

So many messages today

Well it is definitely not Christmas yet, and I haven't been using any glitter today - so just wondering why I came home from work with a sprinkling of sparkles in my hair and on my face?  One of the many mysteries and joys of working in the Early Years! 

Not only satisfied to come home adorned with glitter, my youngest daughter informed me that she could tell I was back at work as sequins have kept appearing on the kitchen floor....well it's either work related or I am secretly preparing to appear on 'Strictly!'  

I arrived home from work, and as course of habit, switched on my laptop to catch up with emails, tweets and the inevitable facebook notifications, when a few things caught my eye.....first of all a tweet from Kathie Brodie titled 'What does Assessment mean?" 

Following Kathie's link I enjoyed reading her  'common sense' view on observation and assessment in the Early Years, giving myself a gentle reminder that any form of assessment in my Sensory Story must be unobtrusive and shouldn't restrict the child's natural course of play. The full article is found here:

http://www.kathybrodie.com/articles/what-does-assessment-mean/      

 My favourite quote of hers from the article has to be this . . .

"Assessment isn’t about sitting children down to be tested or labelled. It is about taking an interest in their development, and then using this to give them an enjoyable and challenging childhood."

Kathie Brodie can be followed on Twitter. 

My laptop was buzzing! (not because there was a fault) but due to the amount of tweets and messages in my 'In Box' from various sources all relating to the Dept. for Education's latest publication.... 'Early Years Outcomes'

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-outcomes

'Wow this is amazing!' I thought to myself. Did the DfE know I was wondering where to start with writing about Early Years Assessment? 

The DfE have (today) produced a guide to help inform Practitioners and Inspectors about 'typical' Child Development. In the words of the DfE it says. . . 

"It (the new publication) can be used by childminders, nurseries and others, such as Ofsted, throughout the early years as a guide to making best-fit judgements about whether a child is showing typical development for their age, may be at risk of delay or is ahead for their age." 

FANTASTIC!  I have already started to use the Communication and Language part of this guide as part of my information page on 'Assessment' in my Sensory Story. Even better I didn't have to spend time typing as it is already set out perfectly.

Looking forward to seeing what tomorrow has in store - will keep you posted!

You can always keep ahead of the game and follow me on Twitter too - I am now hitting the big time and have nearly got to 30 followers whoopee! Will be famous soon!

Back on track!

My goodness! I cannot believe that a week has nearly passed and I have not updated this blog!  

North Yorkshire Moors Summer 2013

Since last posting on here a new term has started, a class full of four and five year olds all full of energy, and like little sponges soaking up every new experience! It feels as if those long summer holiday days have become a distant memory!

Starting back at school and being with the children has made me even more determined to continue my Sensory Story journey. A colleague asked me the other day whether I regretted having started the venture. Most definitely not! Even though it appears to be taking over my entire life (and house), I am still enjoying the challenge. In my naivety, I assumed that writing the actual Story would be the most difficult part - however for me the story took shape surprisingly quickly. The challenge I now face is in writing good, sound supporting documentation to support the delivery.

"Please Mr Squire near the smoky camp fire;
Have you got some food for me?"

I am keen to share the Sensory Story as soon as possible with the children at school, however I am in danger of trying to run before I can walk; for example, I still need to find (or even make!!) some rich sensory stimuli to represent the sound of a crackling fire  and a babbling brook- sharing the story without the resources would be ineffectual - it kind of defeats the object really.  I also want to ensure that the 'Teacher Resource Pack' is as informative and clear as possible, so that other practitioners can deliver the Story effectively too. 

My focus this past week has been around reading lots of information about 'Assessment for Learning' in the Early Years. I aim to include some examples of how Assessment for Learning can be used with the Story. 

I am familiar with one document that I call the 'Lanc's doc.’ (I suppose I should use the proper title really) I think this will give me a good place to start.

http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/assessment/download/file/AfL%20in%20EYFS%20Project2.pdf

Too quiet on the Sensory Story Sofa

It has all gone quiet here on the Sensory Story sofa!  Why? Well I am not sure where to go next on my Sensory Story journey.... I have reached a crossroads! There are thoughts are buzzing around my head, more ideas, plans for more stories, more resources keep arriving on my doorstep..... yet I know I need to focus on completing some outstanding documents for inclusion in the teaching resource pack. 

So where am I up to at the moment?

I have now made symbol cards to use alongside the story - a simple task you would think? Well not so! After searching for what seemed an age for clear, black and white simple line drawings to represent each of the five senses I began to wonder whether I should commission my arty daughter to design some 'bespoke' symbols for me......whilst some symbols were easy to source others such as a symbol for 'taste' was nigh on impossible! I have selected a few to trial but might have to invent my own if they don't do the job. The children will be the best judge on this issue!

I have also been playing around with making some simple, large format symbols (much easier to source!) The children will be in control of these symbol cards to assist in communicating their likes and dislikes. I must hasten to add that I do not want them to be used as a replacement to spoken language but rather an aid to supporting and extending communication. Furthermore (in time) these cards will be used as part of their self assessment of their learning through the Sensory Story. This is an area that I really want to read more about and do further work on. . . It is important for the child to communicate to the adult how they feel about the story (in parts and as a whole). This will help the child to express something of how they are feeling especially when faced with a sensory experience which may cause anxiety. Eventually, after several deliveries of the same story I would like to use the symbol cards to identify if the child's view, responses and (where able) vocabulary changes across a set period of time. 

As ever lots more to think about.....off to do some reading now...back soon!

A good day all round

I had a good feeling about today from the moment I got out of bed, and I wasn't disappointed. 

I have had a lovely day painting a castle! (of the Role Play variety) but nevertheless it was most therapeutic. The basics are done and now waiting for the children's creative input to make it totally theirs....can't wait to see what ideas they come up with.

The morning got even better when my wonderful friend and colleague appeared bearing precious gifts.....AMAZING!! These are just perfect, even if you did have to scale trees to get them for me...

not only content with giving me one set of gifts but take a look at this too...

........thanks for thinking of me - I am glad I remind you of a huge roll of giant bubble wrap!

I am not sure yet what it will be used for but I am sure it will definitely have some part to play in any future Sensory Stories I write. 

Just feeling good about things when a fleeting visit from another friend and former colleague brought more good news..... she has just delivered a Sensory Story "The Bear Hunt"  at the local Children's Centre and has all the resources ready if I wish to use them.  Thank you so much!

I am now continuing to write the information that will go with my Sensory Story. So far I have included things like: 

• Contents page
• Information page
• Resource / Stimuli list
• How to deliver the Story  
• The Story (mustn't forget that!)
• Symbol picture cards
• Links to the EYFS and Planning ideas
• Assessment
• Extension/follow up whole class activities
• Acknowledgements (people to whom I am hugely indebted!)

I am currently working on: 

• a page to explain the reasoning behind the way the story is to be delivered 
• a pro forma page where children can begin to assess their own learning......
• a PowerPoint of the Story

Is there anything else that people would find useful? .....now there's an open invitation.

More classroom activities

I have spent today making lists, tidying up my documents and trying to get my head around Twitter - it had to be done!  Highlight of this week so far - my Twitter followers are now in double figures!! 

Anyway back to my journey...


I keep thinking of more and more extension activities that could be done with the whole class....not quite sure how many to include but here are a few to have a look at whilst I decide....   

For Maths a simple sorting and counting activity could be made using natural objects such as fir cones, acorns, conkers, leaves  - this could be extended to making repeating patterns.

In the Sensory Story 'bread' is used as a stimuli - encourage use of mathematical language such as longer than, shorter than, big, small, flat and so on. Have a go at bread tasting e.g. french bread, pitta bread, soda bread etc. and introduce the children to creating tally charts to represent the most and least popular breads (remember to check for food allergies/cultural and religious dietary requirements first though!)


For Physical development (fine motor) make your own snack! Another stimuli used in my Sensory Story is Bramble Jelly....let the children make their own jam sandwich! Just think of all the fine motor skills needed in this activity. 

For more fine motor activities make a collage hedgerow - let the children tear (green) paper into leaf shapes, encourage the children to roll small amounts of red and purple tissue paper into 'berries' and stick onto the torn paper leaves.

I appear to have digressed into whole class activities.....not to worry I will be back with the Sensory side of things soon. Oh and by the way you can follow me on Twitter, tweeting away (or trying to) by searching for Pam Rudge. 

Week 4 - Nothing like digging the garden to get the ideas flowing!

Nothing like digging the garden to get the ideas flowing!

Alien Plant rescued!
It does have a name
but we renamed it
the 'Alien Plant!'

Lots of thoughts going around in my head today - but one particular thought won't go away!  I have been thinking about how much we are all affected by the sensory stimuli that surrounds us on a daily basis and the impact (either good or bad) that this can have on us as individuals. 

I began to consider how we as individuals react differently when presented with certain stimuli.

Those of you who know me really well know that I suffer from Koumpounophobia (fear of loose buttons!) Since I was little I have always had a fear of buttons - not buttons on clothes, but loose ones (the black 4 holers from men's trousers are the worst!) Even writing about this now is causing me extreme discomfort.....so imagine if I was given a tin of loose buttons to experience as stimuli....ARGHHHHHHH! My anxiety levels are heightened just blogging about it let alone having to actually put my hands in the tin! I feel nauseous and can feel my elbows going into spasm.....yet.......my youngest daughter could happily put her hands in the tin and find it quite therapeutic!

This got me thinking . . . 

I can communicate with words, I can tell you of this irrational fear - I cannot explain it, but I can let you know that I cannot touch a loose button, it makes me feel physically ill. But what about the child who is unable to express his/her feelings vocally?

How do I address this issue in my Sensory Story? How do I know if the stimuli I have chosen will cause anxiety or stress to the child?  Do I need to introduce some kind of 'symbol' card or sign to enable the child to 'tell' me ..."I am not happy at experiencing this stimuli."

Gosh! There is so much to think about on this Sensory Story journey! It is more than writing a few poetic lines and waving a nice smell under your nose!

A sneaky peek

Well all has been a little quiet on my blog recently, however that's not to say that I haven't been busy!

I have been working on writing some 'follow up' extension activities relating to the Sensory Story that can be used in the classroom or nursery environment. 

What I have found out whilst I have been working on this venture, is that my Sensory Story and accompanying activities will benefit all the children in class not just the small group of children for whom it was originally written for. 

Although we probably don't think about it we use our senses all the time to help us learn things. I am sure all of us can draw on memories associated with different senses - for example that special song or a precious photo. Whenever my middle daughter smells freesias she recalls holding the basket of flowers when she was a bridesmaid - age 2!  She is now 22! What an impact that one smell had on her! 

With this in mind my challenge today was to think around writing examples of different learning activities that could be used with the whole class once the Sensory Story had been delivered. 

Most of you may have realised by now that my main character is a squirrel. The setting of the story is in a wood. The time of year is Autumn. So here is a sneaky peek at just a few of my ideas that I have included along with the story to support and extend the children's learning further. . . 

Personal, social and emotional development - 

Talk about different feelings.  How was the squirrel feeling at different points in the story? Are there times when you feel happy? Sad? Scared? Talk about looking after the environment, and safety issues regarding picking berries that grow in the wild. 

Literacy - 

Use descriptive words to describe the stimuli such as 'prickly' fir cones, extend into writing simple sentence.  Draw maps of the places that Squirrel visited when he was looking for food and encourage labelling. Read stories such as ‘Ferdie and the falling leaves’......

Understanding the World - 

Baking – Make individual blackberry crumbles (also covers Maths development with weighing and measuring etc.).  Become a nature detective – go for a walk and explore a hedge! It's amazing what you can see in there! Find out about habitats - which animals live in the hedgerow? 

http://www.hedgelink.org.uk/hedgerows/children.html   

I have also written activities to cover Maths, Communication and Language, Physical development, and Expressive arts and design....but I felt it would be too much to include in tonight's blog.

Enough written for tonight as my sewing machine is beckoning me from afar…….will be back soon with more news of my Sensory Story journey.

Jam, Jam and more Jam!

Gosh what a busy day! Up early and off to Nantwich! First stop Bridgemere Garden World and my first amazing find.....

Yes the actual thing BRAMBLE JELLY,  and it even says HEDGEROW too! Whooo hoooo!

I now seem to have Bramble Jam coming at me from all directions (a huge thank you to those of you who have supplied it for me) .....I might have to include this stimuli in a few more stories with the amount I am gradually acquiring. 

Next stop Dagfields  http://www.dagfields.co.uk/   hoping to find something WOW to include in my story.  For those of you who haven't experienced Dagfields - well - let's say it is not quite your average kind of shopping experience! 

Unfortunately I didn't find that WOW thing I was looking for - however the visit fulfilled the Rudge annual pilgrimage, where once a year the family Rudge set ourselves a challenge - this year it was to buy an item for £1 or less which best suits your personality!! Not sure why I didn't win with this entry.... I mean the title says it all!

Anyway I digress.....back to my venture.....my resources (stimuli) are coming along nicely however one particular sensory resource is proving very difficult to get. I am trying to capture the smell of woodsmoke  - but this is a little bit tricky. How come when you have a garden fire or go to a bonfire your clothes smell smoky for ages? Yet trying to capture (and more importantly retain) that smell in a tupperware pot - well it's just not happening. I have one last idea of something that may work - it means another trip out and probably a few funny looks from people  - but hey ho - never a dull moment. I will let you know if I am successful. Watch out people of Wilmslow...that's the only clue I am giving at the moment.

The spade remained in the shed!

After promising myself that I would give the laptop a rest today, I couldn't resist just taking a sneaky peek around different websites looking for appropriate 'symbols' to support the story. At this point of my journey I am not sure which symbols to opt for. 

One way of using symbols would be to show the symbol card to 'cue' the child in to the sensory experience...for example using the symbol of the 'ear' would indicate that we will be using our sense of hearing for that particular part of the story. 

Another way would be to use symbol cards that relate specifically to the story e.g. symbols representing the Sack, Pine Cone, Jam.... and so on. Using the symbols in this way would enable the children to retell the story. How? The child could respond to the adult asking "What comes next?" or the child could order the symbol cards in the sequence as they appear in the story. I like this idea as it will promote further participation from the children and can also be used as a tool for assessment by the adult. 

I am now on the hunt for appropriate symbols that won't break the bank to download. I want to maintain my focus of keeping costs to an absolute minimum.  If my search for 'free' symbols is in vain I may consider taking and printing photographs of the stimuli instead.  

As for the digging in the garden? Well......the spade remained in the shed!

Week 3 - Planning documents completed!

Well what a day (and couple of nights too!)

I have spent the best part of today working on just two items. Just two!!! I can't believe how long it has taken me to complete some 'user friendly' examples of planning. However, I am pleased with the result, and have now produced two pro forma's that I am really happy with. They show the user how the Sensory Story experience can sit comfortably with existing short term Early Years plans or as a stand alone plan covering one specific Area of Learning: Communication and Language. They also demonstrate how the story links to the 'Development Matters' of the EYFS. 

I think tomorrow will be a day away from my laptop as I need to find space to do some more 'thinking' about my next stage of the journey. Digging the garden over seems to work for me in that respect - so let's hope for a sunny day and a place that needs digging!
Plus points today - the computer didn't 'hang' on me; the printer ink cartridge didn't need replacing; and the jewel in the crown - I have been asked if I would write another 'bespoke' story for a different target audience!!! 

A small price to pay

Well it is official - I am going to go blackberry picking! 

I am keeping a keen eye on the local bramble hedge and wondering whether installing CCTV will ensure that I get first pickings? Am I taking up jam making? No, not just yet, however this morning provided me with a perfect opportunity to chat with my favourite jam maker, Margaret.... and I just happened to mention my difficult quest to find Bramble Jelly. The conversation resulted in her offering to make my Bramble Jelly (aka Blackberry Jam!). All I need to do is I pick the blackberries whilst she is away. A small price to pay for such a rich sensory reward. 

After taking a day off from writing anything at all yesterday, I have been busy this afternoon creating examples of how my Sensory Story can be incorporated into nursery and school planning. (At this point I must say "thank you" to those who have shared their Early Years planning pro formas with me to help me with my research for this project - you are all so kind!). Looking at the current content of my own examples, I am sure that other early years providers such as Childminders and Pre Schools would be able to adapt these plans accordingly.......mmmmm I can see this mission going further afield! For those who are familiar with the Early Years terminology, I am half way through including links to the three Prime areas and the four Specific areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage and am considering including a page for extension activities in the classroom....any thoughts on whether this would be of value would be greatly appreciated.

 

Looking forward to the week ahead as I have some exciting places to visit in my Sensory Story adventure...more will be revealed later in the week.

Questions in the car park

 "Have you got your fir cone yet?"  a question posed to me early this morning in a car park in Macclesfield! Well let's just say that conversation led to this afternoons unexpected doorstep delivery of this.....

Well I didn't take delivery of the apple just the pine cone. I have placed the apple alongside the cone so that you can see the size comparisons! I just want to say a HUGE thank you to Dawn for hand delivering this fine specimen!! It is perfect!  

Today I have been looking at the aim of my particular Sensory Story experience. I am writing the current story tailored to the needs of the children in my setting, therefore it takes a slightly different approach to other Sensory Stories which have been written by other individuals. My aim is not only to bring about engagement and enjoyment with the story, but also to develop good attention and listening skills, build vocabulary, and widen the children's experiences.

At the moment I am working on developing an information sheet to show how my Sensory Story and it's delivery links into the Development Matters of the EYFS.  My laptop currently has several half written documents open, and I am busy playing around with different layouts, colours and formats. I know how I want it to look, but technology is getting the better of me. I think in reality I should focus on actually writing the information first and then play around with layouts - but hey ho that's for another day.

 

Might have to take up jam making!

Great success with resourcing my mini potato sack, it arrived today and is just perfect! I love the feel/texture and hope it retains its unique smell. 

Had a lovely time in the Peak District today, beautiful weather and stunning scenery. Had an hour and a half all to myself in Bakewell, so after coffee and a read of the paper in one of Bakewell's delightful coffee shops I began my mission of hunting down anything that might act as a good sensory resource. I found myself once again in the depths of the charity shops rummaging through all kinds of bric a brac, and feeling textures of bags and fabrics. My other (impossible) task was trying to locate Bramble Jelly!  Might have to take up jam making! 

Spent last night and this evening writing and formatting the information pages to support the delivery of the story. So far, so good but there is a danger of information overload. I need to work on achieving the right balance for what to include and what to leave out.  Once again another online link caught my eye - I found some really interesting information about Sensory Integration. Not exactly Mills and Boon but well worth a dip into for those interested in Sensory Integration Theory.

http://www.atotalapproach.com/docs/si.pdf

Productivity reaps rewards

Things are beginning to fall nicely into place! 
It has been a productive day, even if I haven't moved very far from the comfort of the sofa! Time spent editing and formatting the story was well spent, and am pleased with the final result. The story fits neatly onto one side of A4 paper (that had to be a must!) and I managed to find a font type and size that is clear for the reader to use. 

On the down side, I must admit that I got myself fairly overwhelmed as I decided to look into what was needed should I want to copywrite the story. There is so much online information with regards to this issue that I didn't know where to start, so have put that on the back burner for the time being.


This afternoon I have been busy reading information produced by The Communication Trust http://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/  

with a view to their resources helping me with writing the 'bespoke' guidance notes for delivery of my particular Sensory Story. Now busy working on other blurb such as how it fits into the planning, extension activities and links to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). 

Two highlights of the day - Story printed and a new follower on Twitter! Maybe one day I may be famous? 

Week 2 - Unexpected finding

Have you ever wondered whether those wonderful volunteers who work in the charity shops go home and tell their families all about the goings on of the day? Well, I think I might have cropped up in some of their conversations across their tea table tonight....I mean...why don't charity shops sell giant pine cones? or potato sacks for that matter? It just had to be done - I had to ask them! 
After feeling slightly dejected and reflecting on why on earth I just asked someone if they ever had giant fir cones in their shop, my spirits lifted as I just happened to stumble across an unexpected finding of a different sort...the perfect Sensory Story storage box! To be honest I have to make that plural - boxes!! Quite by chance there they were shouting out to me "buy me, buy me!" Had to buy two really because as I was pulling the one I wanted precariously off the shelf, I happened to see another design and immediately ideas were jumping into my head like popcorn in a microwave!  Can I really write another story? I mean seriously? A peacock adventure! Well lets get the squirrel done and dusted first, but just had to find a clean page in my notebook to include all my new peacock ideas. 

BIG NEWS! (drum roll......) I think (yes only 'think') I have written my first Sensory Story! After several attempts at reducing the word count whilst retaining an actual story, I have managed to prune it right back to 11 sections, each section (sentence) corresponds to a particular sensory stimuli.

Whilst feeling positive about this and yesterday's success at technological wizardry, I am now left wondering whether the stimuli I had planned to use are good/rich enough? My aim is to make a 'WOW' situation from something quite ordinary - why? Because the purpose of the stimuli is to transmit an event or feeling from the story. With this in mind, I believe that it is the way the stimuli is used is going to be key to the success of this venture. 

Well with the story written you would think I was near completion of the project? No so! There is so much more involved. For instance my ultimate goal is to use the theory and principles behind Sensory Stories to create a bespoke Communication and Language intervention programme for use within the Foundation Stage at my place of work. Well today has been a day for making lots of notes...reflecting on my chosen resources and what I will do with them and wondering how I can adapt the Sensory Story idea to meet the needs of individual children. Where I go from here is anyone's guess!

Success with the 'techie' stuff!

Well I must say I impressed myself today! Blog clock sorted, photo inserted and a link to where it all started too! 

http://clc2.uniservity.com/Grouphomepage.asp?GroupId=63971

For someone who really didn't want anything to do with computers many years ago, I have (over the years) succumbed to the inevitable challenge of moving with the times, and so I continue to teach myself how to to become a real 'techie'. Getting a little too confident now and am playing around with powerpoint animated graphics...what is that old saying...? Pride comes before a fall? 

A day for pottering about

Well it's a cloudy morning here in Cheshire. Lots of little things to work on today. First of all I need to learn how to use this blog to it's full potential. I want to include links to web pages so that I can give due credit to those individuals whose work has inspired me. I would like to learn how to insert a few photos too. Additionally I need to sort out the 'times' displayed on each blog. It appears on my screen that I am posting on here at some ridiculous hours of the day/night, well I can assure you that I am not. I can safely say that I am usually tucked up in bed by half past ten most nights, I love my sleep!
Once I have all those 'techie' things sorted then I am off out pottering - my aim - resourcing some 'rich' sensory stimuli. Happy days!

Acorns vs Pine Cones

Just settling down for the evening, mug of coffee at my side, Sensory Story notes from the past week strewn across the sofa and several related web pages open simultaneously on my lap top.

Well today's leg of the journey took a slow start. I had an issue with my 'Wise Old Owl' (one of my characters). The problem being that I had him sitting in the Old Oak Tree. Loved this line of the story..."Wise old owl in the old oak tree...." of course my inspiration for that piece of text came as a result of listening to Tony Orlando singing 'Tie a yellow ribbon....'  as part of Radio 2's golden oldies!  However the problem was that my owl was giving pine cones to the greedy squirrel at the bottom of the tree. Why was the owl giving out pine cones? Well that's easy - much easier for me to resource pine cones as a sensory stimulus than acorns! Reluctantly I had to move away from the oak tree idea and put my owl into a pine tree instead!

Well so far I have a lovely 'autumnal' themed story in the making - however it needs to be reduced from three sheets of A4 to only 10 sentences!! If you are not too bored with reading this blog and want to know why the story has to be pruned to 10 sentences please continue reading below and you will see why.

Where it all started

One could say that this Sensory Story journey really started in June this year, when I first heard that there was such a thing. I couldn't believe that I had been around in the 'education' sector for so long and had never come across this concept before. I have often used props to support story-telling with children, and during my years working at Pre School, I made countless Story Bags! But a Sensory Story was something new to me. I was intrigued!

Well I had the opportunity to go and visit Park Lane School, Macclesfield (yes, my first place of work in Macclesfield when we moved here 27 years ago!!) to watch a Sensory Story in action and from then on I was hooked!

Without going into copious amounts of detail, here are a few interesting things that I have found out about the concept of a Sensory Story - let's call it research! At this point I must acknowledge the work of the staff at Park Lane School, Jo Grace and Pete Wells.  

• A Sensory Story uses the five senses alongside each part of text to tell a story using a multi-sensory approach.
• Sensory Stories appear to be primarily used for particular groups of children/young adults such as individuals with profound and multiple learning difficulties, autism, sensory processing disorders and those with communication and language difficulties.
• A Sensory Story is usually no more than 10 sentences long.
• Stimuli must be good yet affordable.
• A Sensory Story is consistent in its delivery.

....so not much pressure then!

My new mission - Week 1

A few details needed to be addressed before I could really start on this new venture. 

So here I am. I have managed to get to grips with technology and am now (hopefully) functioning well in the 21st Century. Twitter account sorted. Blog set up.

Now all I have to do is begin the project!

Creating a Sensory Story is a whole new experience for me, and through this blog I hope to give you a sense of my journey. I will be sharing the celebrations and challenges along the way. So here I go.....