At the beginning of the year, Sensory Technology had the pleasure of designing and installing a Sensory Garden for New Bridge School.
New Bridge School is a Special Needs Secondary School, based in Oldham. After receiving a Dream Referral via Dreams Come True, they asked for our help in creating an outdoor sensory space for their pupils to enjoy.
For many individuals and organisations planning sensory installations, the option of funding and grants is commonly used. Dreams Come True is a charity that creates dreams for children who are living with a disability, serious illness or life-limiting conditions from the highest areas of deprivation in the UK.
Over the years, Dreams Come True have created many magical moments for both individuals and larger communities, ranging from experience days and makeovers to getaways and room renovations!
For this particular project, they were able to help New Bridge School create a safe outdoor space for all students to learn, explore and enjoy for many years to come. In this weeks blog post, we’ll be looking into how we helped make it happen.
Behind The Design
The overall goal of the project was to create a multi-sensory outdoor environment that included a range of equipment to suit all ages and abilities.
The end result would be a combination of interactive features to encourage stimulation, alongside calming elements to enhance the feeling of safety and calm. As this garden would be within a learning environment, we also made sure to include features that could be incorporated into the curriculum.
Installation Process
The installation process spanned across a period of 3 weeks in total.
As the Senteq team worked on the sensory and electrical installations, we also liaised with groundwork and landscaping contractors on site.
The Sensory Garden was packed full of fantastic equipment, providing a range of sensory benefits. In addition to the fun play experience, the benefits gained contribute to the development of core skills such as motor function and communication.
Let’s explore some of the key features included.
Interactive Jumping Jets, Sensory Pathway and Musical Chimes
The Interactive Jumping Jets (left) are a fantastic water and sound feature that can be activated by users operating different controls.
The Sensory Pathway (right) is a colourful floor feature located throughout the garden for the children to discover. The different surface textures, patterns and colours contribute to a fun sensory adventure throughout the space.
Along the path, features such as the Musical Chimes (right) can be accessed and interacted with – creating a variety of sounds for the children to explore.
Interactive Soundboard and Interactive Metal Sphere Water Feature
The Interactive Soundboard (left) allows the children to activate each sound associated with the images using a button. This is a feature that can easily be updated to suit different educational subjects and create a more engaging way of learning.
The Interactive Metal Sphere Water Feature (right) is another water based feature that produces relaxing sounds and visuals. The children can also active the water flow, which is a great cause and effect learning tool.
Coloured Roof Pergola, Raised Planters with Sensory Planting and Rain Wheel
The Coloured Roof Pergola (left) is a wonderful visual tool that is most effective during the day. Not only does it add colour to the space, but when reflected on from the sun, the colours create visually stimulating projections on the pathway.
The Raised Planters (left) that are placed around the garden are accessible to all users. A range of Sensory Plants that create a mixture of aromas are included in some of the planters to contribute to the sensory-friendly environment.
The Rain Wheel (right) is an interactive sound feature that creates the sound of falling rain. As the wheel is turned, the children can watch the beads of rain in addition to listening.
How can you help Dreams Come True?
We loved being a part of helping the New Bridge student’s dreams come true and there are lots of ways you can help too!
From fundraising and volunteering to simply contributing a donation – anything you can do to help will go towards making life-changing dreams come true.
For all details on the various ways to get involved, check out the official Dreams Come True website. And to spread the word about this wonderful charity, make sure to follow their social media pages linked below.
