Northridge Elementary Special Education Teacher, Danielle Mignon, is tuning into her students needs by creating a sensory bulletin board.
Instead of getting frustrated that bulletin boards were getting destroyed, Mignon and her team decided to turn a negative behavior into a positive outlet for students. “Our students were showing us that they needed additional regulation strategies and the board has worked to support that. We have not had a single bulletin board destroyed since these went up,” Mignon said.
“The De-Stress Corner” sensory bulletin board allows students to engage with the board by choosing a sensory activity. For example, students can “Color It” by directly coloring on one of the designated art pages on the board. They can also “Rip It” and tear paper or “Scratch It” and feel different textures. Additionally, they can Squeeze It, Push It, Slide It, Rub It, and Pop It.
Teachers have directly taught the “why” for the boards and how to use them if needed.
Each classroom is planning to do a design challenge where the students will choose and create a sensory board for their classrooms (using a trifold) to be kept in their break spaces.