- 21 February 2023
- Teaching Calendar, Teaching, Resources
- MJ's Resources
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Teaching ideas, activities and inspiration to celebrate the month of March including St David’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Holi, Shrove Tuesday, Holi, Alexander Graham Bell Day, Spring and more!
Dates at a Glance
1st March – St David’s Day
4th March – Marching Music Day
7th March – Alexander Graham Bell Day
8th March – ‘Holi’
13th March – This Day in History – The Discovery of Uranus
16th March – National Panda Day
17th March – St Patrick’s Day
17th March – Comic Relief
20th March – First day of Spring
1st March | St David's Day
Explore Welsh Foods

Explore Welsh Foods
Food exposure can be beneficial to individuals with a limited diet as it supports exploration of different food types, smells textures and tastes.
Present a variety of Welsh foods for the individual to explore at their own pace.
Initial explorations could be through touch and smell.
When progressing to tasting, present a tiny touch to the lips, then offer a morsel or a drop in the mouth, an egg spoon building up to a full bite.
Be Allergy Aware!
Explore:
Welsh Cheese: Caerphilly, Capel Newydd, Celtic Promise, Dragon’s Breath, Perl Las Blue, Welsh Cheddar, Welsh Goat’s Cheese
Welsh Vegetables: Leeks, Samphire
Welsh Seafood: Cockles, Seaweed (Laverbread)
Welsh Sweet Foods: Welsh Cakes, Bara Brith
Welsh Rarebit Recipe
Ingredients
- 350g Mature Cheddar, grated
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp milk
- Thickly sliced bread
Option to season with mustard/pepper/Worcestershire sauce
Method
- Grate the cheese.
- Mix the cheese with the milk and the beaten egg.
- Preheat the grill to high and toast the bread on both sides.
- Spread the cheese mixture on the toast.
- Grill until the cheese is melted and starting to turn golden brown.
Explore Food Textures (Model the Language)
Aromatic, bitter, buttery, cheesy, chewy, coarse, creamy, crispy, crumbly, crunchy, delicate, eggy, fishy, fresh, mushy, oniony, peppery, pungent, ripe, rubbery, salty, savoury, seasoned, sharp, smooth, soggy, squidgy, squishy, toasty, vinegary.
Click on the image above to find out more.
Mark Making Using Leeks

Mark Making Using Leeks
You will need
- Whole Leeks
- Card or Paper
- Paint
(Option to use a template flag for students to follow the lines and paint)
Using the leeks as a paintbrush, dip into paint and paint the flag of St David.
Click on the image above to find out more.
4th March | Marching Music Day
Celebrate the ‘March Music Genre’

Celebrate the 'March Music Genre'
- Listen to a marching band.
- Watch footage of a marching band.
- Explore a selection of instruments.
- Join in with the music.
- March with your feet to the music.
- Make musical shakers using recycled items: clean yogurt pots/containers and cardboard boxes filled with dried rice/pulses/beans.
Click on the image above to find out more.
7th March | Alexander Graham Bell Day
On this day Alexander Graham Bell uttered his famous words to his assistant Mr. Watson, ‘Come here; I want you.’ via his new invention, the telephone.
Using the telephone is an important life skill. Disused landline phones and old mobile phones (batteries removed) are excellent tools for developing communication skills, firing the imagination, and building confidence.
Explore Telephone Role Play

Explore Telephone Role Play
- Make an imaginary phone call to a relative, friend or a famous person.
- Role play ordering food, a booking a taxi or making an appointment.
- Relay messages, give or receive directions and instructions Provide a diary/notebook to write appointments and information in.
Extend Learning
- Teach students how and when to call the emergency services.
Click on the image above to find out more.
Make Paper Cup Phones

Make Paper Cup Phones
Paper cup phones are fun to make and excellent for promoting turn-taking and listening skills.
You will need:
- String
- Two paper/polystyrene cups
How to make the Paper Cup Phones
- Cut a piece of string (15-20 m in length)
- Poke a small hole in the bottom of each cup.
- Thread the string through each cup securing each end with a knot.
How to use the Paper Cup Phones
Each person takes a cup and holds it at full stretch.
One person talks into the cup while the other puts the cup to their ear and listens.
Click on the image above to find out more.
8th March | Holi
Holi – A Multisensory Exploration
Click on the image above to find out more.
Edible Holi ‘Powder Paint’

Edible Holi 'Powder Paint'
This alternative to powdered paint and provides a wonderful sensory experience.
You will need
- 1/2 cup Corn Flour
- Milkshake Powder
- 1tsp of water
- A few drops of essence/food flavouring (strawberry, banana, mint)
Method
- Mix the ingredients to a mouldable, yet powdery consistency.
Click on the image above to find out more.
Rainbow Rice

Rainbow Rice
Promote fine motor skills and involve the students in making the rainbow rice.
You will need:
- Lidded Container
- 1 cup of Dried Rice
- 1 tsp Vinegar
- Food colouring
Method:
- Place the cup of dried rice into a container.
- Add 1tsp vinegar.
- Add the food colouring (adjust the quantity according to the depth of colour required.)
- Place the lid on the container.
- Shake until the rice is coloured.
Spread onto a baking tray/kitchen towel to dry.
Click on the image above to find out more.
Promote Fine Motor & Colour Sorting Skills

Promote Fine Motor & Colour Sorting Skills
Explore multicoloured sweets: ‘Rainbow Drops’, ‘Rainbow Sprinkles’, ‘Smarties’, ‘Jelly Tots’, ‘Skittles’, ‘Fruit Pastilles’, ‘Dolly Mixtures’, ‘Midget Gems’.
- Can the students pick up the sweets using safety tweezers, grippers or scoop up using a cup to transfer the sweets into a container?
Can the students sort the sweets into piles according to their colour?
Click on the image above to find out more.
13th March 1781 | Discovery of Uranus
‘Journey Into Space’ A Multisensory Exploration
Click on the image above to find out more.
Sensory Activities

Sensory Activities
- Light the incense stick out of reach of the student but within their eye line. Can the student track the smoke as it dances into the air? Can the student smell the heady perfume of the that fills the room?
- Engage the student’s sense of touch as they investigate the elasticity of a jelly and how it wobbles and moves when touched. Would the student like to taste the slippery, shivery jelly?
Click on the image above to find out more.
17th March | St Patrick's Day
Bell Pepper Shamrock Painting

Bell Pepper Shamrock Painting
You will need:
- Bell Pepper
- Card/Paper Bell
- Green Paint
Method:
- Cut the bell pepper in half width-ways to reveal the natural ‘shamrock’ shape.
- Dip into green paint then print onto paper.
Extend this activity by using two colours: orange and green paint (to represent the colours of the flag)
Can the student make a pattern by alternating the colours?
Click on the image above to find out more.
St Patrick’s Day – Multisensory Story & Themed Sensory Activities
Click on the image above to find out more.
16th March | National Panda Day
Panda Themed Sensory Activities

Panda Themed Sensory Activities
- Although quiet animals, Pandas do make ‘barking’, ‘huffing’, and ‘growling sounds’. Listen to an audio clip of a Panda making these sounds. Can the student imitate the noise? Record their vocalisation and play it back.
- Pandas move slowly with their toes pointing inwards.
- Watch footage of a Panda walking. Can the student move like a Panda?
Make a Panda Themed Sensory Bin:
- Line the base of your tray/container with green shredded paper/grass/dried rice/noodles/green tagliatelle.
- Add ‘Bamboo’ (small sticks or twigs, lollipop/craft sticks, cinnamon sticks) and assorted leaves and grasses.
- Add a toy panda (or draw/print out pictures of pandas on card, laminate and affix to a lollipop stick or straw)
- Add other interesting black and white items: Beads, pom poms, Lego bricks, dice, counters, pipe cleaners, feathers, sequins.
Click on the image above to find out more.
17th March | Comic Relief
Create Laughter

Create Laughter
We all need laughter in our lives!
- Watch a clip of a clown/circus act or a funny cartoon.
- Listen to audio clips of people laughing (canned laughter.)
- Make funny masks.
- Provide wigs, face paints and dressing up clothes. Invite students to explore different looks, the wackier the better! Provide a mirror so students can see their reflection.
- Try ‘laughing’ yoga!
Click on the image above to find out more.
Make a ‘Red Nose’ Pom Pom

Make a 'Red Nose' Pom Pom
This activity is relaxing, tactile and promotes fine motor skills.
You will need:
- Red wool
- Two circles of card (students can either trace around a circular object to create their own or you can provide a template.)
- Scissors
How to Make a ‘Red Nose’ Pom Pom
- Cut the card into two circles the same size.
- Cut out the centres to create a ‘doughnut’ shape.
- Make one cut from the outer edge of the circle to the inner ‘doughnut.’
- Start wrapping the red wool around the edge of the circle and through the doughnut until you there is no space to wrap anymore wool.
- Cut along the edge of the wool
- Wrap a piece of wool between the two circles of card to secure and tie.
- Trim any straggly pieces of wool.
Click on the image above to find out more.
20th March | Spring
Spring – A Multisensory Exploration
Click on the image above to find out more.
Make a Spring Weather Box

Make a Spring Weather Box
This activity promotes an understanding of the change of seasons, provides sensory feedback and the opportunity for the individual to explore and express their likes, dislikes and sensory preference giving them a voice and to make choices.
You will need:
- A Lidded Box
- Spring clothing: (ankle socks, cardigan/fine knit, lightweight raincoat, long sleeved t-shirt, spring dress
- Single switch communication device (Talking Tile/BIGMack or similar device) with a recording of birdsong.
- Umbrella and water spray bottle (for those spring showers)
- Spring vegetables: Artichoke, asparagus, baby carrots, chard, celery, chives, fennel, lettuce, new potatoes, radish, spinach, spring onion.
Engage the Senses
- Place the items into a lidded box for the student to explore.
- Change the items in your box to keep the activity fresh and motivating.
- You may wish to start with one or two items in your box and keep adding to them.
- If the individual dislikes an item in the box, then remove it and replace with a different item.
Take a note of sensory preferences. This information can be used in the writing of care plans and personal care e.g., you may discover that the student prefers a viscose V-neck t-shirt to a polyester collared one, cotton patterned ankle socks instead of mid-calf plain socks. This sensory exploration may help you identify new foods, textures or items that the student enjoys.
Click on the image above to find out more.
Training (1-1, Groups & INSET)
‘An Introduction to Multisensory Storytelling’ Course
- 1-1 £45
- Groups (Enquire for a price)
- INSET £250
Contact rhymingmultisensorystories@outlook.com
FAQ
Who is the Course Aimed at?
SEN Teachers, SENCOs, HLTA’s, TA’s, Mainstream Early Years Educators, Speech Therapists, Play Therapists, Parents, Guardians, Childminders, Carers, Support Workers, Activity Coordinators, Librarians, and anyone with an interest in exploring storytelling through the senses.
Course Content
The benefits of multisensory storytelling.
- Sourcing story props.
- Sound effects.
- How to tell a multisensory story.
- Adapting an existing story into a multisensory story.
- Incorporating extension activities into your session.
- Using the story props as a tool for individuals to explore & express their likes, dislikes and sensory preferences.
- Extension Activities
In addition to this we will explore a multisensory story in depth, how to deliver this story and how to use the story props promote communication and areas learning.
The current theme is ‘Spring – A Multisensory Exploration’
How is the Training Delivered?
The training is delivered as a friendly and informal session via Zoom and can be tailored to meet your training requirements.
How Much Does the Course Cost?
£45 1-1 Training Session
£250 Whole School/Setting INSET
(For smaller group bookings please enquire for a price)
Book a course and receive a FREE 6-month subscription to the Members Library!
(Offer applies to bookings over £200)
Contact rhymingmultisensorystories@outlook.com
Course Length
1hour 45 mins plus Q & A.
Will I Receive any Course Notes?
Yes. Course summary notes will be sent as a word document.
Are There Any Other Free Resources Included?
Yes
You will receive a free digital download of ‘Listen – An A-Z of Sensory Ideas to Stimulate the Auditory System’
This comprehensive guide explores fun and engaging sensory ways of stimulating the sense of hearing. The A-Z of sounds is divided into the following categories: Animals, Transport, Musical Instruments & Home. It also includes fun, motivating sensory themed extension activities. This resource is suitable for working with curious pre-schoolers to teenagers with complex needs.
You will also receive a free digital download of the focus story.
How Do I Book?
email rhymingmultisensorystories@outlook.com or send a message via the chat feature on the website or through social media
How Do I Pay?
Payment is accepted through BACS or Cheque.
I am a School/Company/Setting, can you send an Invoice?
Yes. Rhyming Multisensory Stories is fully registered with HMRC and can invoice.
Will I Receive a Certificate?
Yes. You will receive a digital certificate of completion

Get in Touch!
Your questions, queries, comments & feedback are always welcome!
email: rhymingmultisensorystories@outlook.com
Website: www.rhymingmultisensorystories.com
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Health and Safety
Advice and Disclaimer

Advice and Disclaimer
Health & Safety Advice & Disclaimer
- The author has used their best efforts in preparing the information on this website and makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness or completeness to the contents.
- The information is for pleasure purposes only.
- If you wish to apply any ideas and activities contained in this blog, on the website or in any of the multisensory stories or resources, you are wholly responsible and take full responsibility for your actions.
- The activities are designed to be led and supervised by a responsible adult at all times.
A Note on Allergies/Intolerances
- If you have any doubts regarding any activity or prop used, then seek advice before starting.
- Be aware of potential choking hazards.
- Check the ingredients in any items you may be using for any potential food or skin allergies or respiratory reactions. If you see any signs of redness, swelling or other symptoms of a suspected reaction seek immediate medical advice.
- The interactions should be led by the sensory explorer who should be allowed to participate without expectation.
- Never force stimuli and stop the activity if the story explorer shows signs that they are not enjoying the session.
Click on the image above to find out more.