Olivia - India - Week 5

My final week has officially begun! That also means the last week of summer workshops is upon us. I have enjoyed working with these students and getting to know their strengths and weaknesses. It amazes me at the connection I have formed with them even though most of them are nonverbal. It really has challenged me to try to connect with them emotionally on a deeper level to best understand their needs and to help them succeed. 

This weeks highlight was making sensory bottles with them! This was an idea I brought with me from work I have done in America with autistic children. Autistic children have very heightened senses and this can cause their anxiety levels to increase if they don't learn how to expose themselves comfortably to different sensory triggers. Sensory bottles are very simple. I collected enough water bottles over the last couple of weeks so that each student got one, we filled them with water and placed one bottle in front of each student. We had plates with different size and colored beads, lentils, and glitter in front of each student as well. We then let them play around with the items on the plate. They had a blast experiencing the different textures each item had to offer. They were so excited to move their hands around the plate, dig through the beads, and spread the glitter everywhere!

After they got use to the feel of the items they got to load up their bottles with them. The student I was working with was having a riot trying to see how much glitter he could get to sit on the top of the water and then was amazed as it went everywhere when he dropped a bead in. To top it off we added some food coloring to the bottles. When we were all done the students got to cap their bottles and go wild! We let them shake their bottles around and watch the contents go crazy.

The bottles will be kept in the school for students to use as they please. It can be a great way to calm down a student when they are experiencing sensory overload. I was so glad that all of the students throughly enjoyed this activity. Since our students levels of abilities vary so much it can be a challenge to find an activity that keeps them all interested. 

Outside of work my roommates and I took a weekend trip to Jaipur and got to ride an elephant! It was such a fun time seeing all of the different monuments and learning about the culture. We also visited more local markets, which my bank account doesn't approve of, and had a delicious home cooked dinner at my boss's house. 

I can't believe it's already my last week, this time has gone by so fast!

Making sensory bottles. 

You can't help but smile when you look at this little guy!

Riding an elephant!