Sensory Garden - an outdoor space that stimulates the sensors.
What is Brain Gym?
Brain gym is a weekly hour-long programme that we run at HMSS for those with disabilities and limited abilities (eg non-verbal). Clients from different disability organisations come along with their caregivers to enjoy a session of stimulation and support under the guidance of our amazing tutor Charlie Harris-Dobbs. The programme provides different activities for people in the disability sector like block building, play dough and different tactile experiences.
Brain Gym Plus was created when we saw an opportunity for those with extremely high needs.
What inspired you to create the sensory garden?
Charlie was inspired to create a sensory garden for her Brain Gym students after a visit to Kia Roha, a community organisation that supports children with disabilities and their whanau. Charlie noticed that her students enjoyed the outdoors during the warmer weather, so the concept of a sensory garden evolved from this.
The Brain Gym programme is held in the auditorium at the Methodist Centre. The auditorium has doors that open out to the garden and they can also see the bright mural painted on the adjacent building wall.
What are the benefits of the garden?
The garden provides a safe outdoor space that stimulates sensory awareness and promotes cognitive wellbeing. It is another space for our clients to hang out. We have plants that tackle the human sensors. There is an abundance of colour and different shaped flowers and plants that stimulate visually. A variety of herbs, petunia and lavender plants stimulate the sense of smell. For taste we plant herbs like basil and mint. For touch we plant snap dragons which snap when pressed together and lambs’ ear that has a soft texture. compared to other leaves that are rougher to feel.
Do you have any other projects in mind for the Brain Gym?
Absolutel y! Charlie wants to create an indoor space, a dark room; a calm environment where there are pillows and beanbags, dim lights with perhaps a small projector playing a repetitive image. This will be in contrast tothe space we currently have, which is more hands on and busy.
We would like to extend a special thanks to the many individuals and organisations that have contributed to our garden: The Methodist Church, Derald (volunteer builder), Bunnings, Les Harrison Transport, Mitre 10, Jay Collins, Yates NZ , The Plant Depot, Aromatic, Kaea Hongara, Naomi Paekau, Mereana’s children, the Boynton whanau, Daltons Landscape, Wairere Nursery, Captain Compost Landscape Supplies, Payless Plants and The Plant Place.