When you live in Miami, one season tends to blend right in to the next.
Winter feels like Spring and Spring feels like Summer. Nonetheless, I like to acknowledge the change of seasons in my sessions. Thus, I have a ton of ideas in store for my Spring-themed sessions next week.
I work at a school called Children’s Resources here in Miami, providing group music therapy sessions to the PreK – 5th grade classrooms. For the children who are sensory learners (those with severe and profound intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder), I bring in experiences that target ALL the senses.
Let’s focus today on my personal favorite – the sense of smell.
To provide olfactory stimulation I bring in the following Spring-y scents:
- Peach
- Pineapple
- Flowers
- Mangoes
- Coconut
- Passionfruit
- Sunscreen
PRO TIP: Go to the Dollar Tree and stock up. You will not be disappointed. You can find lotions, candles and room sprays in a variety of scents.
To facilitate this experience, I ask the teachers to pass around one scent at a time while I sing this original song:
I love to see eyes widen as the children get a whiff of coconut or mango. Yum! If you’d like to use this song in your upcoming sessions:
And be sure to check out the Sensational Songs & Activities E-Book for more sensory ideas, sheet music, & themed session plans:
This is an interesting way to incorporate more sense is into music therapy sessions. However, I’ve worked with clients who are severely multiply impaired and many have severe allergies to fragrance. It might be a good idea to note that therapists should check in with teachers and staff before introducing such experiences. Do you have any ideas for natural fragrances that may be better for those with allergies? Thanks!
Yes this is a great suggestion, and a very important one. Thank you for bringing this up!