February 2022 Parenta Magazine

Egg-cellent advice:
WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES
I do not know how he came to acquire the nick-name Egg but ever since he came along, that’s what my youngest son has been
called. I run The Sensory Projects www.TheSensoryProjects.co.uk (which should now really be called The Sensory Projects and
Sons!) My work focuses on people with profound disabilities and sensory differences, but my son’s advice will apply to your work
too.
In this series of articles we are going to share his insights with you, if you are keen for more there is an ever growing collection on
my Facebook profile: come and make friends. www.Facebook.com/JoannaGraceTSP
This is article 4 out of a series of 10! To view the others click here.
We are often on the hunt for new and
novel resources to delight and engage the
children in our care, we can forget that the
everyday is full of wonder for them. We
think we need more money for resources,
we need the next new shiny thing. But
actually, to reveal the wonder all around us,
all you need is time and the willingness to
explore. Slow down, keep quiet, and follow
their wonder, go with them on their sensory
adventures.
The call to “wake up and smell the roses” is
a comment on someone’s self awareness,
a call to action. It is not meant literally,
but if we took it literally (as my mind is
prone to do) it might mean that instead of
walking out of our house in the morning
and passing by the sensory experiences in
our gardens (if we are fortunate enough to
have them), we might stop to take them in.
Stopping to attend to sensation, pausing
to feel, to look, to touch, to smell, is good
for our mental health, it grounds us in
the present moment, brings us out of our
heads, away from our worries, and into our
bodies.
The sensory adventures of the children in
your care can be as good for you as they
are for them.
You might brush against this stuff without
even noticing. You probably know all too
well what it smells like from playing in the
garden or the park as a child.
I’ve never felt it before.
I’ve never smelt it before.
I need support to have access to it.
I need time to be taken for me to share
these experiences too.
Natural experiences hold particular value
to the senses. We are wired as creatures
of nature, we have only lived in concrete
boxes for the last 30 seconds of our
development as a species. Our sensory
systems are wired for the experiences
nature has to offer us.
Connecting with natural experiences helps
us to feel at home at a sensory level.
Feeling at home at a sensory level helps us
to feel safe.
When we feel safe we will open up to
engaging, learning and connecting.
There is so much to be gained from taking
a moment to stop and help someone to
sense nature.
(These words first appeared on Jo’s
Facebook profile you are welcome to
send her a friend request to watch out for
more insight https://www.facebook.com/
JoannaGraceTheSensoryProjects
Joanna provides online and in
person training relating to sensory
engagement and sensory differences,
look up www.TheSensoryProjects.
co.uk/online-college for more
information.
To view a list of her books visit www.
TheSensoryProjects.co.uk/books.
Follow Jo on social media to pick up
new sensory insights, you’ll find her
at:
@Jo3Grace on Twitter
www.Facebook.com/JoannaGraceTSP
www.Linkedin/In/
JoannaGraceTheSensoryProjects
Joanna Grace
Joanna Grace is an international
Sensory Engagement and Inclusion
Specialist, trainer, author, TEDx speaker
and founder of The Sensory Projects.
Consistently rated as “outstanding” by
Ofsted, Joanna has taught in
mainstream and special school settings,
connecting with pupils of all ages and
abilities. To inform her work, Joanna
draws on her own experience from her
private and professional life as well as
taking in all the information she can
from the research archives. Joanna’s
private life includes family members
with disabilities and neurodiverse
conditions and time spent as a
registered foster carer for children with
profound disabilities.
Joanna has published four practitioner
books: “Multiple Multisensory Rooms:
Myth Busting the Magic”, “Sensory
Stories for Children and Teens”,
“Sensory-Being for Sensory Beings”
and “Sharing Sensory Stories and
Conversations with People with
Dementia”. and two inclusive sensory
story children’s books: “Voyage to
Arghan” and “Ernest and I”. There is
new book coming out soon called ‘”The
Subtle Spectrum” and her son has
recently become the UK’s youngest
published author with his book, “My
Mummy is Autistic”.
Joanna is a big fan of social media and
is always happy to connect with people
via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Website:
thesensoryprojects.co.uk
12 February 2022 | parenta.com
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