Roaring rainforest

In early 2024 The Special Lioness finally made a dream come true, taking a huge leap to launch their very own sensory room with a difference

Roaring rainforest

Sensory Garden

Welcome to our Roaring Rainforest. The Roaring rainforest is a fully immersive and fully accessible sensory space specifically designed and created for children with disabilities, with our main focus for our sensory space being for those children with profound and multiple needs (PMLD) meaning this space is inclusive and accessible to all:

Our Roaring Rainforest offers:

A magical waterfall, an accessible infinity tree with exploration peep holes, an acoustic mirror wall, with a variety of fidget boards, which have been installed on hinged to ensure children who require wheelchair access can also explore and play with them. A sensory pod with UV sparkles and a tactile jungle theme wall with flowers and jungles animals.
Engaging tactile exploration and hidden resources stimulate young minds, soothing lights, and sensory features designed to stimulate the senses and ignite the imagination.

We strive to challenge the limitations of conventional sensory rooms by creating spaces that are not only calming but actively engaging, providing joy and inclusion for children of all abilities.

Rainforest and garden together

Sensory Garden

Our sensory garden provides an engaging outdoor experience for children of all ages and abilities, offering:

Accessibility: Level access design, wheelchair-height sandpit and water table, a mobile hoist to enable children to get out of their wheelchairs and onto the floor or to access our swing.
Multi-Sensory Features: height adjustable tuff tray to encourage messy play and exploration, a full music wall of different instruments and props to make sounds.
Inclusive Play Spaces: Cozy storytelling tipi, tactile play areas and a swing for movement-based fun.
Community Impact: Supported by local charitable foundation funding and community collaboration, the garden represents the power of love and determination.

Out of this World:

We are currently in the process of creating a space themed sensory space this will include some specialist equipment such as:

Sensory water bed - offering a range of benefits

Calming and Relaxing: The gentle, rocking motion of the water provides a soothing effect, helping to reduce anxiety and promote relaxation. This can be especially beneficial for individuals who experience sensory overload.
Pressure Relief: The water bed conforms to the body's shape, distributing weight evenly and alleviating pressure on joints and muscles. This can enhance comfort and reduce physical discomfort.
Proprioceptive Input: The subtle movements of the water stimulate the proprioceptive system, improving body awareness and coordination.
Vibroacoustic Therapy: With the built-in speakers that produce gentle vibrations. These vibrations can further enhance relaxation and provide therapeutic benefits, such as reducing muscle tension and improving focus.

Custom made Rocket Ship:

This will be a bespoke piece of equipment enable access to all, as this will be big enough for children to access in their wheelchairs with full access to all of it features.
Children will be able to feel what it could be like to control their very own rocket ship with interactive buttons with lights and sounds… Houston we have lift off…

Tactile/Fidget Wall Boards

Sensory Stimulation: They provide diverse textures and interactive elements that engage the senses, helping individuals explore and process sensory input.
Focus and Attention: Fidgeting can improve concentration and reduce restlessness, making these boards especially helpful for children with ADHD or sensory processing differences.
Stress and Anxiety Relief: Manipulating tactile elements can have a calming effect, reducing anxiety and promoting relaxation.
Fine Motor Skills Development: Activities like turning knobs, zipping, or pressing buttons help strengthen hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Cognitive Engagement: Can stimulate the brain, improve focus, and provide a sense of purpose.

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

Multi-Purpose Room

Our multi-purse room, which will have a neon, positive vibe, will allow us to host so many more events and activities such as:

Music Therapy Room. We will have some very specialist equipment and resources for children to explore sound and music. We plan to host some sessions with trained music therapists with block courses to explore sound and music.
Parent and carer coffee groups and activities such as, well being sessions, therapeutic events and more
Birthday Parties – space could be used to host birthday discos or just to explore music and sound.

Outdoor Learning Space

As we now have a qualified PMLD outdoor learning specialist. We plan to create an adventurous outdoor garden space to enable us to provide outdoor learning with a specific focus on PMLD. With an accessible mud kitchen, wormery, smokeless firepit and much more, we will have lots of space to explore the great outdoors and allow nature to provide the entertainment.