New garden enables children ‘the freedom to explore’ in safe space

CITYWEST and Saggart Community National School has launched a new garden which enables children to regulate their senses in a safe space which gives them “the freedom to explore”.

Since making the move in January 2020, Citywest and Saggart CNS has been steadily growing into its new purpose-built building and recently launched a sensory garden.

“We have had a space there but we wanted to try get a garden that catered for students’ sensory needs,” Catherine Doyle, teacher in Citywest and Saggart CNS, tells The Echo.

“This sensory garden is something that is more than two-years in the making, it’s been a work in progress putting different bits and pieces into it over the last few years.

“The idea behind it is that it helps with sensory regulation and sensory input.

“The sensory garden is a quiet, peaceful space and as we know, the outdoors are so important for children’s wellbeing.

“The garden is a safe space where they can come chill with the freedom to explore the different elements of the garden.”

The school building has 16 full-sized classrooms with several support rooms as well as two adapted classrooms for autistic children along with a new sensory garden.

There are 12 children currently in the autism classes who have been accessing the new sensory garden every day.

Caretaker Gary Crowe has been hard at work piecing the garden together in recent times with Glenveagh Homes donating the materials to make the different sections.

There are different areas within the garden which focus on the five senses, with children making plaques to help with wayfinding.

There are planter beds with colourful flowers for sight, herbs for smell, mint and sage for taste, grasses and windchimes for hearing, and a sensory wall and pathway for touch.

Also, the garden is equipped with a digging area to help the children proprioceptively and the pathway has different obstacles to engage their vestibular system.

Scattered across the garden, there are some musical instruments such as a xylophone and bongos, planters for flowers and vegetables and picnic benches for outdoor lessons or storytime.

“Children from the autism class go out to the garden every day, and it’s open to everyone if they want to take sensory breaks or some time out,” Ms Doyle says.

“Some of the older kids are looking after the garden, so they come down and water the plants every day.”

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