RESEARCH

Bringing the Outdoors In: Designing a Mobile Sensory Garden for Children with Sensory Integration Disorders in Elementary Schools

This project suggests that bringing elements of outdoor nature inside via a mobile sensory garden cart can help children with sensory issues in elementary schools. The cart engaged the children and could be easily replicated and modified to fit individual needs, suggesting it may help alleviate the negative effects of sensory integration disorders.

Program Types: Therapeutic

Population Groups: Children/Youth, Neurodevelopmental Differences

Setting or Context: Schools/Educational Settings

Health and Wellness Outcomes: Improved Cognitive Function, Sensory Stimulation, Increased Social Engagement & Skills

Allied Profession Intersections: Education

Type of Activity: Sensory Stimulation, Indoor Plant Care

Evidence Type: Observational Research, Qualitative Research

Measurement and Evaluation: Standardized Assessment Tools

Access: Free

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Summary

This research project explored how to create a sensory garden on wheels for kids with sensory issues in elementary schools. The main idea was to bring elements of outdoor nature inside to help these children. The researcher designed and built a mobile sensory garden cart and then watched how kids at a school in Topeka, Kansas, used it. The goal was to see if this cart could help reduce the bad effects of sensory problems that make it hard for kids to handle things like social interactions, motor skills, and playing. The cart included things like plants, wood, and different textures to stimulate the senses.

The researcher found that the mobile sensory garden cart was helpful for the school and the children. The children were very interested in it, especially things like the zen garden, wood pieces, and plants. The cart could be easily copied and changed to fit what each child and school needed. By bringing nature indoors, the cart helped the children access the benefits of sensory gardens, like reduced stress and improved attention, even when they couldn’t go outside.

Link

Taylor, M. (2017). Bringing the outdoors in: Designing a mobile sensory garden for children with sensory integration disorders in elementary schools [Master’s Thesis, Kansas State University]. In K-state.edu.

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