Tips for a Sensory-Friendly Field Trip

Two of my students enjoying the Pathless Woods sensory-friendly art exhibit.

I believe that teaching children how to act socially is equally important, or even more important, than teaching the academics.  This year I am fortunate enough to teach at the school where my son attends.  You can read more about my decision here.  This is not a school only for children with special needs, but many children who don’t find success in public school find a home at our school.  I teach children
with learning disabilities, sensory processing differences, ADHD, autism, and the list goes on. 

Last week our class went on a field trip to the art museum.  I love that our school takes field trips at least once a month.  Luckily I had a few parent chaperones attending the trip with me, so I was able to split my class into a group of girls and two groups of boys (yes, I have way more boys than girls!).  I decided to let the girls venture off with their chaperone, and I kept the boys with two chaperone moms and me.  Taking a group of boys through an art museum might seem like a daunting task, especially a group of active, high-energy, sensory-seeking young men who love to sing in the bathrooms and hear their voices echo down the hallways.  I knew it would be an adventure, to say the least.

What follows are some tips for taking a child or a group of children on a field trip or on any kind of outing in public.  These tips will work whether you are a home-schooling mom, a classroom teacher like me, or just taking your kids out for a weekend adventure.  We’ve used these same techniques with our autistic son over the past few years, and they’ve allowed us to have successful outings on cruise ships, Disney World, the theater house to see the musical Wicked, and everywhere in between.  Our son loves eating out at restaurants and visiting our local science museum.  The trick for us is to go frequently and to have sensory tools on hand to help the trip to be a success. 

Sensory-Friendly Tips for Field Trips and Outings

1)   Review Expected/Unexpected behaviors prior to the field trip.

This year my school has started using Michelle Garcia Winner's social thinking curriculum.  Many of my students struggle with understanding how to think through social interactions, so we teach these skills explicitly.  This is different than simply teaching social skills.  One aspect of the social thinking curriculum is understanding the difference between expected and unexpected behaviors.  Rather than talking about behaviors as good or bad, we talk about expected and unexpected choices.  This takes the value judgment out of the situation while allowing us to review what would be socially expected in a given situation (such as quiet voices inside a museum) and unexpected (touching the art exhibits).  We also talked about appropriate noise levels for different aspects of the trip (the bus, the inside museum part, the playground, etc).  I always start reviewing expectations a few days before the trip during our Morning Meeting, and on the day of the trip we also talk about the schedule for the day, which is especially important for my children on the spectrum.  This lets them know what to expect and removes some of the anxiety from encountering a different structure to the day. I do remind them that we may have to be flexible during the day as not everything will run exactly as we have planned. 

2)   Bring sensory tools on the go.

It's important to consider what sensory tools will help a child to have a successful outing.  We have a little boy in our class who used to run away when it was time to get on the bus for a field trip.  We were told that last year he actually once hid UNDER the bus during a field trip.  I recognized that this was an over-stimulated child, and wearing a pair of noise cancelling headsets on the bus and on the field trip have worked wonders for him.  Now he can enjoy the experience because it isn’t “too much” for him.  My son also wears noise-cancelling headsets on the bus and to any live theater performance.  Each child will be different, but if a child needs a chew necklace or a fidget tool in class, then he or she might need the same tools out in public.  Make sure you build in plenty of down-time after the field trip too so the child can decompress after a very stimulating day.  We use calm lighting and relaxing music while we do quiet coloring or centers after we return to school.  

3)   If possible, do the most popular (aka busy) exhibits early in the day.

This helps you avoid the crowds and waiting in lines.  We always use this trick when we visit Disney or any of the other major theme parks  We plan our day ahead and always try to get at our destination as close to when they open as possible.  This is when the crowds are lightest.  We stay for a few hours and tend to leave mid-day, just as the crowds are arriving. 

On the day my class visited the art museum, we decided to visit the mansion first where the art donors had lived, since it was available by tour only.  I spoke to my students about the plan while we waited for the museum to open its doors, and as soon as we were released to go, I walked at a brisk pace through the museum grounds (which the boys loved), and we made it to the front of the line just as they opened up for tours.  This allowed us the freedom to explore the rooms at our pace and then move on to other areas of the grounds while other groups were still waiting their turn in line.  Of course it’s not always possible to be the first, but a little planning and prioritizing can go a long way.  

4)   Don’t be afraid to adapt and adjust plans as needed.

As I mentioned earlier, I chose to keep my most active and sensory-seeking boys with me on our art museum trip.  I knew that we would be exploring the museum our own way.  It was important to me that the boys followed the rules of the art museum, but I also wanted to set realistic expectations for them.  I knew that they wouldn’t be able to handle hours in a quiet art gallery surrounded by adults who might not be as understanding of their youthful energy.

So, even though we were scheduled to explore the quieter main art building, I decided to give us twice as long exploring the circus museum instead.  When it was our turn to head to the main art building, I chose to skip the Asian art room altogether (The dour look on the art docent’s face outside the hall of pristine sculptures was enough to convince me to steer my boys elsewhere.   The boys started charging ahead through the rooms and I had a vision of priceless statues toppling to the ground, so I ushered them out quickly.) and I instead brought them to a sensory-friendly exhibit called the Pathless Woods where they were wandered through a ribbon room.   They loved running their hands through the yards of ribbon hanging from the ceiling, listening to the music, and spreading their arms wide as they walked as fast as they were allowed.

We also decided to take a long walk by the water of the lovely bay that runs next to the museum and the boys looked for sea creatures and rocks by the water’s edge.  We wandered through secret gardens and I let then run through open fields.  In short, we enjoyed the museum our way.  Luckily, the moms with me were both moms of two of the sensory-loving boys in the group, and so they were on board every step of the way.

5)   Use real life teachable moments as they happen.

When unexpected behaviors occur (which is bound to happen), it’s important to use the opportunity as a teachable moment.  

At lunch, one of the kids said that “Nate” was running around barefoot near the trees that were next to the picnic tables.  Sure enough, I spotted Nate’s shoes on the ground and Nate halfway up the tree.  I called Nate over and sat him down next to me on the bench.  We talked about why running around barefoot is unexpected.  “But, I needed a good grip to climb the trees.”  We talked about how that wasn’t safe to do in public.  He understood, put his shoes and socks back on (we had to have another talk about why he needed to wear his socks too), and then I let him go.  I could have yelled and lectured at him, but instead I used the moment as a learning opportunity for him.  Then, I released him back to play to see if he had learned what I taught him.  Had he taken his shoes off again, he would have had to sit out the rest of the playground time and reflected on his choices. 

6)    Remember- it’s about learning and having fun!

Our day turned out to be a lot of fun, but it could have easily gone a different way if I had structured our trip differently.  My boys had their moments of impulsivity (such as when they finally broke free and ran towards the playground the moment I released them, almost barreling over a couple of elderly visitors) but overall they managed to follow the expectations because I set reasonable limits for them.  I like to think that one of the reasons why we were able to enjoy the trip was because I found the balance between setting boundaries to keep them safe while still allowing them the freedom to be themselves.   I try to do the same for my own son when we go on adventures.  I see so many parents at theme parks dragging their child from one place to the next, trying to “do it all” and trying to “get their money’s worth”.  All they succeed in doing is creating a tired, miserable, over-stimulated child.  I can’t tell you how many meltdowns I’ve seen at Disney, which is supposed to be the happiest place on Earth!  Remember- it’s supposed to be fun, and for the trip to be fun for them, we have to consider what works for them.  This will make the outing much more enjoyable for everyone! 

Good luck and happy exploring! 

Welcome to the Voices of Special Needs Blog Hop — a monthly gathering of posts from bloggers hosted by The Sensory Spectrum and The Jenny Evolution. Click on the links below to read stories from other bloggers about what it’s like to have child or student with special needs.

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Sensory Tools in the Classroom

In this picture, my son was getting ready to explore an animal skull on a field trip.  

I recently read a discussion post on a sensory processing board that I follow.  I scanned the post quickly as I scrolled through my newsfeed.  The post was written by a mom who was looking for a chew necklace for her school-aged son.  I noticed that several people had already responded to her, so I almost kept on scrolling.  It was her last sentence that made me pause and slow down to read more carefully.  She was asking advice on a necklace that wouldn’t attract any extra attention to her boy.  I’m paraphrasing here, but the gist was that the mom claimed that her child had been bullied in the past for wearing these types of necklaces and she needed something that would meet his sensory needs without making him a target. 

I felt my pulse rising as I reread the mom’s heartfelt plea again.

Her boy had a need to chew, but other children bullied him because of it.

I wish the example above was a rare exception to the rule.  I wish that our sensory kiddos lived in a society where acceptance was the norm and our kids wouldn’t even get a second glance for using the tools they need, whether they be noise cancelling headsets, weighted vests, or even chew necklaces.  Sadly, these stories are all too common. 

Now I’m not here to judge the teacher or the classroom of the example above.  I’m a teacher and I know that there are always two sides to every story.  However, I have also witnessed firsthand that a classroom community can be designed with equity in mind.  I’m going to share some examples of my classroom setup here in the hopes that it will spark some ideas for the sensory kiddo (or kiddos) in your life. 

Let me start by saying that I teach in a small private school.  I have students in my classroom with and without disabilities.  It is an inclusion setting.  I teach in a co-teach setting (two teachers plus one full time resource teacher supporting two classes).  That said, I’ve taught in much the same way in the public school setting as well and I have seen many colleagues use these techniques as well.  The bottom line is- I know a classroom can be designed with all learners in mind.  These sensory tools can (and should!) be implemented in any learning environment where they are needed.  And it’s not hard to do!

Here’s what I have done in my classroom to help my students understand the purpose of sensory tools and make them not just acceptable, but actually “cool” to use.

Building a Class Community:  Fair is not equal

I work hard to build a classroom community that values social/emotional learning as much as (if not more than) academic learning.  Students learn thinking skills in my class, but they also learn to be a kind person, a listener, and a friend.  I teach these social skills explicitly, just like I would any reading or math skill.  Each morning we have a class meeting, which is our community time of the day.  So many important talks happen during these meetings and they go a long way towards building mutual respect.

At the beginning of the year I spend a lot of time with the children in my class talking about how our brains all work differently.  The children discover their learning style.  Some children are visual learners, some are auditory, and some are kinesthetic.  Some learn though music and rhythm while others have strengths in the area of science and nature.  One type of intelligence isn’t better or worse than another, but understanding our unique learning style helps us to know our strengths and also our limitations. 

The children also learn about growth mindset.  The children learn that our brain is a muscle that can grow with practice.  They learn that mistakes are a necessary part of the learning process.  Without mistakes we cannot learn and so I teach the children not to fear mistakes but to ask what they can learn from them.  (Our class mantra is, “Hey, we all make mistakes!”)  The words “I can’t” aren’t part of our vocabulary (that’s fixed mindset).  Instead, we say, “I cant…yet”.

After the children have a general understanding of how their brains work, we talk about how fair is not equal, which means that some of us need certain tools to help our brain learn and to help keep our body calm.  At the beginning of the year especially I allowed all of the kids to experience these sensory tools in our classroom.  Then, as the year went on, there would be times when a kid would ask to use a T stool or the noise cancelling headphones and I would have to explain that another classmate needed it more.  No one questions this because in our class each person gets what they need, even if it’s different for each person. 

The Tools We Use

Alternative Seating

There are no desks in my classroom.  Students sit at table teams, but there are a variety of options for places to sit (or stand).

In my class we are lucky to have 6 T-stools for the children to use.  A T-Stool is a chair with one leg and a rubber stopper on the bottom.  The children get lots of authentic movement when sitting on a T-stool because they have to move slightly all the time to keep the stool balanced (and yes, many fall at first as they learn the fine art of balance).  These are a hot commodity in my classroom.  We also use milk crates with a foam seat on top for children who prefer to kneel.  My partner teacher also has high tables for children who prefer to stand.  We also have comfy couches and chairs in the reading area for independent reading time, and wiggle cushions for children who need to get their wiggles out on the carpet.  We’ve talked about getting an exercise ball or two for the class as well, but for now the seating options that we have seem to meet the needs of the children that we have.

Focus Tools

Many of the children in my classroom are easily distracted by background noises. 

We have two sets of noise cancelling headsets and they’ve been so successful that I’ve ordered 5 more pairs.  The original sets were extras that my son no longer needed after we bought him a new pair.  Typically you read about noise cancelling sets for kids on the autism spectrum, but I tried them with a boy who has focus and attention issues during independent work time.  His eyes immediately lit up when he realized that the background sounds disappeared.  That, coupled with a quiet table to himself allowed him to get his research project finished.  He was so proud of himself when he presented his work to the class because he felt the success of completing a task using the tools to help him.  His parents even bought him a pair to use at home for homework time.  Now the boy requests the headsets all the time.

Another boy had difficulty on field trips.  One the first field trip he completely panicked while waiting for the bus.  I looked away for one second and then in a heartbeat I saw him running through the parking lot back to the school.  The teachers told me this happened every time field trips last year. I recognized the signs of sensory overload and on the next field trip I had him wear the noise cancelling headsets.  They were so effective for him that he wanted to wear them the entire field trip, which we let him do.  He also wore them during the holiday play performance and he did a fantastic job on the stage.  I do explain the reasons behind using the headsets to parents and make sure that they are on board, but so far I’ve yet to encounter a parent who doesn’t want their child using a tool that is helping them to learn and be successful.

I also use fidget tools for the children who need something in their hands.  We use things like squishy balls, wikki sticks (small, pliable tools that look like waxy pipe cleaners), and pencil toppers for the kiddos who need to chew.  I also have a calm corner in my class and tools for helping kids find their calm when they become emotional overloaded and shut down.  I’ve talked to kids about “fight or flight” so they recognize when their brains are at that point.  One child in my class who is on the autism spectrum was able to articulate his intense fear of getting on the stage for the holiday show, so rather than putting him in a position where he would most likely run, we put him behind the scenes as our light and sound man.  He was proud to be part of the play in a way that worked for him. 

We have several kids who have a strong need to chew like the boy in the first example.  One child uses a pencil topper and we also use various fidget tools (wikki sticks) to help them focus and listen during lessons. 

We also have calming tools like squishy balls for when a kid gets emotionally overloaded and shuts down.  This doesn’t happen often but the tools are there for when they do.  We also practice breathing techniques as a whole class every day using the Go Noodle website (Google it- it's free!).

Movement

My students need lots of opportunities for movement.  I design my lessons so that the children rarely stay in one place for longer than 30 minutes.  We build in brain breaks though the day (love that Go Noodle!) but if a child needs more movement than this (which a couple of ours do), we let them take it.  The difference is that we teach the child to recognize that this is a tool to help them learn rather than avoiding their work.  Rather than penalizing kids by making them push themselves to a breaking point, we teach kids to recognize when their bodies are getting restless and then we teach them to use a strategy to address it.  

Teaching Self-Advocacy

The bottom line is that each child has specific needs, and I work hard to teach the child how to use tools to help meet those needs.  I do my best to set my classroom up to help each child experience success.  I expect my students to work hard and I hold them accountable to their learning.  However, I also design the learning environment to help provide the tools for success.

It’s not hard to implement these strategies, but it takes a change in the adult’s mindset about student behavior.  It takes believing that a child is doing the best he or she can in any given situation.  It takes a desire to understand the root cause of behavior and rather than doling out blanket consequences.  It takes recognizing that a child is having a hard time, not trying to give the big people a hard time.

It also takes stepping outside a grown up’s comfort zone and recognizing that not every child learns the way that we do.  It also takes a touch of humility as we give up some authority and control so that our children’s voices can be heard.

My advice to parents is to schedule tours prior to enrolling your child in a school.  Look for these elements in the classroom or ask if the school is willing to allow these tools to be put in place.  Ask what sorts of training and professional development have been made available to the teachers in the areas of differentiated instruction and specifically understanding sensory needs.  And finally, keep the dialogue going with your child's teacher.  It's easy to get frustrated when things aren't going well but those parents who stay involved and offer ideas and possible solutions are more likely to get results.  Be assertive but not aggressive.  Advocate for your child but teach your child to be an advocate as well.  I love partnering with involved parents who show a deep interest in their child's learning.  We usually get a lot accomplished in a short amount of time by working together.

My wish is that each child would find a learning environment that meets his or her unique needs.   Honestly, own son has been my best teacher.  I’ve learned over the years through trial and error what works for him and which tools help him to be successful.  By using these tools with the students in my classroom, everyone succeeds.  

Welcome to the Sensory Blog Hop — a monthly gathering of posts from sensory bloggers hosted by The Sensory Spectrum and The Jenny Evolution. Click on the links below to read stories from other bloggers about what it’s like to have Sensory Processing Disorder and to raise a sensory kiddo!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Road To Acceptance

My boy having fun trick-or-treating in his own way on Halloween.      

            Recently my family and I participated in a local walk to support our friends who have a boy with Down Syndrome.  We went to breakfast before the walk at a restaurant where we go pretty much every Sunday.  Our whole family wore matching shirts that had the child’s picture on the front with the phrase “J- Rocks”.  At first I couldn’t figure out why everyone was looking at me, but then I realized what I was wearing.  It made me understand how it must feel to be stared at every day, simply for having a physical difference.  My son’s disability isn’t as immediately obvious as our friend “J-”, but Ben’s hand flaps, his noise canceling headsets, and his aversion to eye contact show the telltale signs of his autism and sensory processing differences.  Over the years I’ve become immune to the looks and the glances from strangers, some of them curious and others a bit more judgmental.  It’s been a long time sense Ben has had a public meltdown, so it’s been awhile since I really stopped to think about how society views disability and how much my own views on the subject have changed.

My road to accepting Ben’s disability (and disability in general) hasn’t always been easy.  Ben was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder almost four years ago.  It has taken nearly all of that time for me to feel at ease talking about my child’s learning differences with others and to truly see them as just that- differences.  I no longer feel the sting in the back of my throat when I say the word autism.  It has taken years of research and study for me to come to the conclusion that, while my child’s disability brings very real challenges, it also provides him with very real strengths that come with having a differently wired mind.  

I have written on the topic of acceptance before.  You can read about my feelings on the topic here and here.  My definition of acceptance has evolved over the years as I have learned and grown.  To me, acceptance doesn’t mean that we have to like the hard parts of the disability.  It doesn’t mean that we have to stop trying to make life better for our child.  However, we must remember that we are trying to make life better- for our child.  This is very different than trying to make life easier for us, or life more socially comfortable for us.  To me, acceptance means that we love our child without wanting to try to change him simply for the sake of making him more palatable to society. 

            The line between denial and acceptance can be blurry.   Over the years, I have met many parents who are living in the stage of denial.  They want to pretend that nothing is different about their child because they view normalcy as the goal.   The view their child through the lens of the hopes and dreams that they have held since their child has born- the vision of the child they expected to have rather than the child in front of them.  They have been influenced by society’s insidious message that those with disabilities are objects to be pitied, or individuals who have a lower self-worth than others.  While they may acknowledge their child’s disability, they see their child as a project to be fixed.  When their child does something that is outside the realm of “normal”, they feel embarrassment or shame and actively try to suppress these things.  I don't judge those who are in the denial stage.  I was there once too.

            It may appear to the casual observer that those who accept their child’s differences no longer care about their child’s needs, but this simply isn’t true.  Once you reach acceptance, you are aware that your child is different, but these differences no longer matter to you in the way that they once did.  You no longer seek to change your child with the intent of making them seem “less different”.  This doesn’t mean that you don’t help your child overcome the limiting parts of his or her disability.  It’s just that normalcy is no longer the goal.   You want your child to live a happy and fulfilled life, but you realize that the very definition of happiness and fulfillment can look very different than you once imagined. 

When you reach this stage of acceptance, you realize that your entire view of success, happiness, and possibility have completely shifted from what you once knew and understood.  You now see a much more expansive realm of possibility.  And then one day you wake up and realize that it is you who has changed as much (if not more) than your child.   That’s the moment when you know, that no matter how hard things get, it really and truly will be okay in the end.  

Welcome to the Sensory Blog Hop — a monthly gathering of posts from sensory bloggers hosted by The Sensory Spectrum and The Jenny Evolution. Click on the links below to read stories from other bloggers about what it’s like to have Sensory Processing Disorder and to raise a sensory kiddo!

An InLinkz Link-up