When Autumn Comes by Ekaterina Trukhan is perfect for introducing the season to your learners.
The simple story and uncluttered illustrations really lend themselves to adapting into an autumn sensory story.
Start with a nice colourful bobble hat – or if you are sharing this story with a group maybe you could pass out a whole collection of bobble hats!
Real autumn leaves are lovely to use of course – but you could also buy some confetti or cut some tiny shapes from brown and orange tissue paper and let these float down over your learners. (They will swirl and flutter better than real leaves.)
Natural objects such as conkers and pine cones make great props for this story. If you do not have a chance to collect these – or you are worried about choking hazards – you could substitute some sensory balls. (A spiky ball makes a good conker in its shell.)
A prickly scrubbing brush makes a good tactile prop for a hedgehog! And you could try some flying bird gliders like these ones for the birds.
Choose some pumpkins and squash with interesting colours and textures for your learners to explore. (If you need to create a permanent set of props you could use a plastic pumpkin – these are quite easy to find at Halloween time in the shops.)
Try using a toy plastic rake (the kind used for sand play) and letting your learners rake up some leaves on their tables or wheelchair trays.
As above if you are wanting to create a permanent set of story props you could use a ‘grabbing’ toy like this rather than real apples. Although real apples would be lovely from a sensory point of view.
Choose some lovely spicy smells for the illustration in the kitchen. Cinnamon sticks and star anise tied into a small organza bag work well. Organza bags are easy to find online if you look for ‘wedding favour bags’. (If you are use ground spices remember to be careful of eyes!)
Although they are not actually depicted in the last image it could be nice to finish by tucking some blankets around your learners to give a feeling of cosiness. If you blow gently into a whistle you will get a nice autumnal wind noise.
Remember – not all of my props recommendations are toys! The props I suggest should not be used by children unsupervised.
If you are using our hints and tips for your When Autumn Comes sensory story please consider buying the book from our bookshop. All profits from our bookshop go towards researching and creating accessible books for children with additional needs.
You might also enjoy our blog post with sensory hints and tips to accompany It Was A Cold Dark Night by Tim Hopgood – another lovely autumn-themed picture book available from our bookshop.