What are our senses? What do they do for us? Why are they important?
Humans and all animals must process, integrate, and utilize sensory information that we constantly encounter.  To understand, engage (socially and emotionally) and participate in the world in an effective and adaptive
manner, we must make sense of (process and integrate) sensory information. We constantly receive and interpret sensory information. Even while we sleep, we process the sense of movement and orientation of our body in space. Otherwise, we could fall out of bed! Typically, we do not think about these things since they take place automatically. The process and integration of sensory experiences take place within our nervous system and brain unconsciously.

You may know five “basic senses” – touch, taste, smell, vision, and hearing. But did you know that humans have EIGHT sensory systems?!? The additional three sensory systems are the vestibular system, the proprioception system, and the interoception system, which provides information from inside our body from organs that provide signals such as thirst, hunger, the need to use the bathroom and energy level.

Not everyone has the same response or reaction to sensory information or to a specific sensory encounter.  The response is not good or bad or right or wrong. However, if an interpretation of a sensory experience is
strong or overwhelming or on the other hand, the reaction is little or no response, this is when the response or lack of response can interfere with how a person effectively interacts with and in the environment.  A person can be over responsive or under responsive to any of our 8 sensory systems. Some people who are under responsive to certain sensory information may be a “sensory seeker”. This person may need a lot of  sensory input or intense experiences for sensory information to register. Do you know someone that loves to ride roller coasters or can’t get enough climbing? How about those that engage in extreme sports? What about someone who needs to frequently move? Some children wait until the very last minute to indicate that they need to use the bathroom. They may not get accurate interoceptive signals that tell them that they need to go to the bathroom. There are some people that cannot get enough hugs (deep touch pressure). These
individuals may be under responsive, and may show sensory seeking behaviors.

On the other hand, there are individuals that cannot tolerate certain kinds of sensory information. This person may avoid certain kinds of sensory input, such as movement (swinging, climbing, etc), dislike loud noises, or
visual information and avoid touch, getting messy, or hugs. An individual that is overwhelmed or cannot tolerate certain sensory experiences may be a “sensory avoider”.

A person can be a sensory seeker for some kinds of sensory information and at the same time can be a sensory avoider for other kinds of sensory input. Do you know someone that cannot get enough movement (sensory
seeker), but does not like to be hugged (sensory avoider)? For more in-depth information, please visit the link below:
sensoryhealth.org/basic/your-8-senses#f8

IDEAS FOR SENSORY KIT ITEMS:
Movement! Proprioception and vestibular systems are both involved in movement. Proprioception is the sensory information from receptors located in our muscles and joints that tells us about how our body is moving. This then helps us know where we are (without having to look), helps us decide how much force and speed to use, and helps us maintain balance. It works together with our Vestibular system to allow us to move through space.

Our Vestibular system is located in our inner ear. It is essential to help us maintain balance, postural control, spatial orientation, muscle tone, and alertness. Our visual system is closely connected with it as well. When
our head moves, it gives us information about where we are in space and how fast or slow we are moving (am I upside down, sideways, or moving forward?).

Jump and Move: Place the colored Velcro dots on the floor about 2 feet apart. They will stick to the carpet. If you do not have carpet, you may want to secure them to the floor with some low stick tape. Practice jumping
from one to the other. Try increasing the distance between the dots. How hard do you have to push with your legs to jump? How do you not fall over? Can you jump high? Try moving in different ways to between the
dots. Can you somersault? Hop on one foot? Jump backwards? Spin in a circle around the dots? Try closing your eyes! You can call out what color dot or dots they will jump to. Try different patterns or calling out a color NOT to jump on. Turn the dots over and have your child walk/jump on the “scratchy” side with bare feet for some added tactile input. Incorporate the dots into a larger obstacle course using materials found around your home like the couch cushions, a jump rope, chairs to crawl under or over, and step stools to jump off. An obstacle course can stimulate several sense at once. We use our vestibular, proprioceptive, visual, possibly tactile, and motor planning skills to maneuver through an obstacle course. Try using chalk to make an outdoor obstacle course or painter’s tape indoors. Make different kinds of lines to walk on, hopscotch, circles or shapes to jump on, or try writing words for your older kids to follow such as clap your hands 3 times, hop on one foot, dance, spin in circles. Use arrows or symbols to indicate directions or incorporate the alphabet letters or numbers for the preschoolers. Have your child make one for you. Be creative!

Now get the materials to make the ribbon wands. You will need the 2 craft sticks and the ribbon as well as some heavy-duty tape, like duct tape. Click here for the how to video:
nurturingjoy.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/diy-ribbon-wands/
After you create your ribbon wands, the fun begins! Can you dance around and twirl the wands? Make the ribbons fly high in the air? Low to the ground? Move side to side? Can you leap in the air while holding the
wands up high in the air? Explore all the different ways you can make the ribbons move using soft movement or more forceful movement. Make them go fast then slow. Hold the wooden handle and “write” letters in the air or try playing Simon Says giving directions for ways to move the wands. Dance with the ribbons to music!

Proprioception! Many of you might have heard of the term fidget toys. Fidget spinners, stretchy noodles, clickers, and pop its are just some examples. Fidgets help us stay more alert by providing a little movement for our bodies. Have your child squeeze the squishy heart when they need to sit still and listen or perhaps on a long car ride. The squeezing motion uses the proprioceptive system and that type of input can be organizing for the sensory system. You can also use it to catch while standing on the Velcro dots on the floor. Stand close to the child to catch heart. After 3 successful catches at a close distance, step back an inch or so and toss the heart to the child standing on the Velcro dot. Increase the challenge by having the child stand on one foot and catch the heart. Squeeze ten times before coloring or doing a fine motor activity for a little proprioceptive input. Or try putting the heart in a bag with other objects. Cover your eyes and try to locate the heart and other items by feeling/squeezing the objects. Stretch the stretchy string as far as it can go. Twirl it around your fingers, swing it in the air. Endless
possibilities! Or try the pop it fidget. You can clip it on a backpack or a belt loop for times when a fidget is need on the go. See how many you can pop in 10 seconds or 20 seconds. Try this with eyes opened and with
eyes closed.

Find the ribbed pop tube. See how long they can pull the pop tube. Then slowly they try to push the pop tube back together. With a stick, you can make musical sounds and can change the sound depending upon how
open the tube is. Open and close it to various lengths to see what sounds it makes by rubbing a stick over the tube. Try playing the “telephone” game by quietly saying something in the tube while holding the pop tube up
another person’s ear. They have to guess what was said. You can even play “eye spy” game looking through the tube to look for an object that is described in the room by color, shape, and size. Play a game of pushing a
cotton ball across the table or along the floor by blowing through the tube (that’s proprioception to the mouth!). Now it’s time to make your own fidget! Find the baggie with the beads and chenille stem. Click here for
instructions. youtube.com/watch?v=8NWNzYzKZxE

Sound or Auditory! This is another familiar sense. Most of us know the basics of hearing but did you know that there is auditory perception just like there is visual perception? Auditory figure ground is being able to pull out a specific sound among many other noises. For example, hearing the person you are having a conversation with in a noisy restaurant. Or that we use sound to locate danger or safety? Hearing is one of the first senses that is alerted in instances of danger. For example, we can hear the storm coming before we
see it. Besides the fun sound games with the pop tube above, there are more sound games to play with the egg shaker. Have your child close their eyes or use soft scarf or blindfold to cover eyes. Shake the egg in the front, back, side of the child and see if the child can point to the location of the sound or say if it was front, back, or which side. Play some slow rhythmical music. Shake the egg to the sound of the music. You can clap uour hands 1, 2, or 3 times and have your child copy the number of claps by shaking the egg the same number of times. Reverse it and try to copy your child’s clapping patterns. Shake the egg high and low, shake it to music or dance and shake it all around! What if you put it in your sock or maybe under a stocking cap and
jump up and down? Try rolling the egg to a target on the floor!

Find the lip kazoo. This can provide deep pressure to the mouth, which can be organizing and provide a calming effect. A child can see how long that they can keep the kazoo pressed on their lips without using their
teeth to hold it to their lips. See how soft or loud they can make a sound. Try to compare, was that softer or louder than the last sound? Try clapping and see if your child can blow/hum the same number of claps that they heard. With kazoo in your child’s mouth, have them hum a song while you try to guess what the song is (tactile/vibration to the mouth; may help to tolerate different textures and foods if hypersensitivity to mouth is an issue).

Vision! Our sense of vision helps us make sense of the world by providing lots of information. Color, light, size, shape, distance, and discrimination are some of the types of information we can receive visually. Try this fun visual activity. Using the pop tube, go on a visual scavenger hunt. Make a list of a few common outdoor objects such as a red leaf, a yellow leaf, an acorn, a squirrel, a rock, a stick, a bird, a cloud, etc. Have your children use the “telescope” to find the objects. How does that change what you see when you only see some of it? What do you miss only looking at it through the tube? Be safe and hold an adult’s hand when looking through the tube and walking at the same time!

Tactile! Touch helps us learn about our world. Touch can be soothing or irritating. It tells us about different qualities of things, helps us localize touch, helps us be more precise with our motor movements, and helps protect us by alerting us quickly to something that causes pain (think hot stove). Find the container of play sand with the mold. Roll out the sand with a small rolling pin, stick or dowel. Press the mold into the sand to create the shape. Other small objects that the child might like can be hidden in the sand for the child to find. The child can use a child friendly knife to cut the shape molded from the sand. Use both hands to shape the sand in various forms and shapes.

Go on a tactile scavenger hunt. Can you find something soft, hard, scratchy, bumpy, squishy, smooth, rough, etc.? There are many ideas to be found with a quick search to make fun sensory bins with everyday materials such as rice, beans, crinkle paper, Styrofoam peanuts, sand, and more. Try hiding objects in the bin and having your child search for them without using their vision.

Taste, Smell, and Interoception! Take the time during meals to explore the sensory nature of different foods. Taste is a familiar sense to most of us. Did you know that sweet foods are calming to the sensory system? That sour and spicy tastes are alerting-they wake you up? Bitter foods are also alerting-
usually telling us to avoid that food. Salty and Umami (meaty) are 2 other tastes among a few others. In addition, we can detect the temperature of food. We also get tactile and proprioceptive feedback from our
mouths. Tactile refers to the different food textures we encounter. The proprioceptors are in the mouth and jaw muscles and help us know where are teeth, tongue and lips are as well as how hard we need to chew
(force). All without using any vision to help us!

Did you know that different mouth motions and foods can influence our level of alertness? Sucking is calming, chewing is organizing, crunching is alerting, warm is calming, and cold is alerting? Which snack did you get? Is it crunchy or chewy? Is it salty or sweet? Is it hard or soft? What does it smell like? How does it taste? Do you like to suck on it, bite it, or lick it? Smell is a big part of how we taste as well as providing information about our environment. A noxious smell can alert you to danger (fire!) or bring comforting memories come flowing back (mom’s cookies!) Have conversations with your children about the different qualities of taste and smell.

Interoception. Take a moment to listen to your body. Are you hungry? Tired? Need to use the bathroom? Are you wide awake and focused? Maybe distracted? Does anything hurt? When we listen to the clues from our bodies, we can sometimes ward off irritability and stress.