Rhykin Stok and fellow students exploring the schools sensory garden space. Photo / Paul Taylor
Rhykin Stok and fellow students exploring the schools sensory garden space. Photo / Paul Taylor
A Napier school has got rid of its bells, created a sensory space for kids and even starts its day with yoga.
Henry Hill School has taken a "trauma informed lens" where social and emotional learning is at the heart of everything it does and mental health and wellbeing is of central importance.
"We know that for many of our kids we are their constant, consistent, safe place; so, we wanted to ensure our physical environment provided this same korowai or cloak of awhi, wellbeing, self-esteem and self-efficacy," principal Jason Williams said.
"We have a strong hands-on based curriculum here where kids learn through doing and are immersed in rich experiences, so [we] wanted to replicate and weave this philosophy into our physical learning spaces throughout the school."
Two weeks ago, the school completed and opened Te Āhuru Mōwai - the new sensory space - a garden filled with recycled items where everything can be touched.
Everything in the garden has been recycled, repurposed and reused from drums, hanging bird feeders, wind chimes and a bug hotel.
The entrance to the garden is curtain drapes made from fishing line and plastic bottle tops and the exit different weights and lengths of chain contrasting in weight and texture from the entrance.
Yoga has become part of the school's daily routine aiming to help students reset and focus on the day of learning ahead. Photo / Paul Taylor
There are plants of different textures and a sensation pathway made of different materials which the children can walk across bare foot.
The idea for the space came after Williams visited schools in Melbourne which had similar views in regard to social and emotional learning and in particular sensory garden spaces.
Pupils use the space before school, during breaks and after school. Some classes also use the space and children are allowed to remove themselves from class and use the space throughout the day when they feel they need to.
The new space is filled with a range everyday recycled items which can be touched by the students. Photo / Supplied
The children have also started beginning the day with yoga which Williams says helps them to "reset" and focus on the learning day ahead - something the school found many children were doing at home with their family during lockdown.
The school did away with the traditional bell years ago to reduce anxiety and stress and also has regular breaks in the day's learning.
Since the space opened the use of it combined with the daily yoga and regulatory activities throughout the day, the kids "are more calm, settled and ready to learn than they have ever been".
The space has also attracted the attention of Nathan Wallis - one of the country's top neuroscience/brain and child development experts - who is coming to visit the space in a few weeks.
