February Teaching Calendar Sensory Rich Ideas for Inclusive Classrooms
- Rhyming Multisensory Stories
- Jan 29
- 12 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
February unfolds, learners can explore textures, tastes, sounds, stories, and traditions that help them understand the world and their place within it. Whether you’re marking cultural festivals, exploring seasonal change, or simply looking for creative sparks to brighten winter days, this month’s sensory-rich inspiration is designed to support meaningful, inclusive, and joyful learning experiences for all.
This month:
Feb 1 St Brigid's Day
Feb 1 Tu Bishvat
Feb 2 Candlemas
Feb 6 National Wear Red Day
Feb 9 Toothache Day
Feb 13 World Radio Day
Feb 14 Valentine's Day
Feb 17 to Mar 18 Ramadan
Feb 17 Chinese New Year
Feb 18 Losar
27th Feb International Polar Bear Day
February Through the Senses
What to Look for in Nature
A month of cold weather and short days. Wrap up, head outdoors and observe the natural world. Enjoy frost covered landscapes or snow.
Birds: Look for birds gathering items for their nests, listen out for their birdsong: Blackbirds, Thrush. Look for flying swans and geese.
Small Mammals: Look for tracks and signs left by foxes, badgers, squirrels and deer.
Flora and Fauna: Snowdrops, daffodils, crocuses, primroses, Chickweed, hairy bittercress, dandelion leaves, sow thistle, yellow rocket.
The Vegetable Garden: Purple sprouting broccoli, carrots, sprouts, turnips, beetroot, chard, cabbage, cauliflower, swede, leeks.
Feb 1 St Brigid's Day
Feb 1 Tu Bisvhat
Feb 2 Candlemas
Feb 6 National Wear Red Day
Raising awareness of heart disease.
Feb 9 Toothache Day
A day to promote good oral hygiene.
Take a virtual trip to The Dentist with this FREE multisensory story!
Set up a Dental Role Play Area
Feb 13 World Radio Day
Raising awareness of the pleasure and importance of the radio.
Listen to a range of radio clips: music, sports, news, weather to communicate the diversity of the radio.
Explore children's radio stations examples are Fun Kids Digital Radio and Cbeebies Radio
Explore the cause and effect of a wind-up radio.
Become radio presenters!
Feb 14 Valentine's Day
Sensory Bag
Sensory bags are a cheap and fun way to engage the senses and develop language skills.
Tip!
When choosing items think of engaging all the senses: Add items that stimulate the vision, tactile items that feel nice to the touch, items to smell and taste and items that make interesting sounds.
Give the bag a gentle shake to gain the student's attention.
Invite the student to place their hand into the bag and select an item.
Encourage the student to use their sense of smell, touch, hearing and taste to guess what the item is (If the student is unsure then provide plenty of clues.)
Build Functional language skills.
Ask the student to tell you or show you what you might do with the item and where you might find it.
(If the student is unsure, model what to do with the item and see if they can copy your action.)
Allow the student time to explore the item and process the information then shake the bag again for them to select another item.
Keep language simple.
Focus on phrases such as 'Choose' or 'Take one' when presenting the bag to the student.
Focus on the name of the object e.g., 'Heart', 'Chocolate' and two-word phrases e.g., 'Red Rose'.
Model verbs: 'Smell' 'Eat'.
Feb 17 - Mar 18th Ramadan
Ramadan – A Sensory Story invites Neurodiverse, PMLD, Sensory and SEND learners to engage in a rich, multisensory journey through Ramadan. Each activity promotes connection and personal agency, inviting learners to explore at their own pace while fostering communication and confidence.
With adaptable steps and a focus on sensory experiences, this resource supports inclusive, engagement, inviting sensory learners to explore Ramadan through the eight senses: the five primary senses -sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell, and three body-based/internal senses - vestibular, proprioception, and interoception. It weaves together tactile props, sounds, scents, tastes, and movement with poetic language and gentle facilitator guidance.
From symbolically sighting the crescent moon and stars, touching prayer beads, exploring dates and spices to enjoying sensory-rich activities including a sensory umbrella, silhouette play and sensory artwork, this Ramadan sensory story is rich with hands-on invitations.
Rooted in a commitment to accessibility, engagement, meaningful communication, and sensory inclusion, each couplet offers a sensory prompt guiding the story participant through a journey where every sense is welcome.
This teaching pack includes:
• Ramadan sensory story poem
• Prop/resources checklist with facilitation guidance
• Sensory-rich activities focusing on engaging the eight senses:
Sight-Based Sensory Invitations for Ramadan and how they support visual engagement, contrast, and symbolic recognition
Sound-Based Sensory Invitations for Ramadan and how they support auditory engagement, rhythm, and emotional resonance
Tactile Sensory-Rich Activities linked to Ramadan and how they support tactile exploration and fine motor engagement
Smell-Based Sensory Invitations for Ramadan and how they support olfactory engagement and cultural resonance
Taste-Based Sensory Invitations for Ramadan and how they support taste exploration and cultural resonance
Proprioceptive Sensory Invitations for Ramadan and how they support body awareness, pressure, and grounded engagement
Vestibular Sensory Invitations for Ramadan and how they support movement, balance, and spatial awareness
Interoception Sensory Invitations for Ramadan and how they support internal awareness, emotional regulation, and gentle grounding.
Feb 18 Losar
Celebrate Tibetan New Year.
Feb 18 Former Planet, Pluto was discovered By Clyde Tombaugh in 1930
Explore Pluto!
''The last stop is Pluto, it has five moons
They orbit the planet like water balloons''
You will need:
5 x Balloons
Ice Cubes
Washing up Bowl
Water
Ball Pit Play Balls/Ping Pong Balls
Activity:
Fill the water balloons with different quantities of water and secure with a knot.
Can the student(s) handle the water balloons without them bursting?
Alternative Activity:
Place ice cubes into the washing up bowl then float ball pit play balls/ ping pong balls
Explore items that sink and float: Aluminium Foil, Cork, Feather, Foam, Leaf, Lego, Confetti, Glitter, Pulses, Wood.
Extend Learning:
Explore liquids that sink and float and those that disperse: Baby Oil, Food Colouring, Honey, Olive/Vegetable Oil, Washing up Liquid, Corn Syrup
This space themed activity also links with the birthday of Galileo Galilei on Feb 15th
Watch the video!
Originally recorded for The Sensory Festival, this video is packed with sensory ideas and activities.
(Note: I recorded this the day after I had been in hospital so was feeling a little under the weather but there are some fun ideas in there!)
Feb 17 Chinese New Year
Activity Idea
The Great Race
In this multisensory version of the story, each animal is represented by a prop.
Below are a few suggestions.
The story can be delivered by presenting the props as each animal is encountered in the story or if working in a group, assign each student an animal with their prop, and work as a group re-telling the story with the students presenting their prop when their animal is encountered in the story.
Explore Chinese Art
Chinese artwork is traditionally drawn on paper or silk. Subjects include landscapes, animals, and insects.
Show the students examples.
Use feathers and glitter. Focus on red backgrounds. Use gold stars.
Paint or print onto different mediums such as rice paper or silk (for a cheap alternative to silk use a shower curtain.)
Experiment with different tools, dip dried noodles into paint, paint with feathers, design a printed picture dipping star anise into paint. Make a print by rolling cinnamon sticks into paint, wood-like star anise or bumpy skinned fresh lychees.
Create a Chinese Landscape Painting
You will need
Paper or card
White wax crayon or candle
Watered down food colouring
Paintbrush
Activity
1. Rub the white crayon/candle over the surface of the paper in strokes.
2. Using the watered-down food colouring, paint over the whole page using a brush. Allow to dry
Recommended Resource:
Join our character on a multisensory adventure as s/he visits China at New Year
Table of Contents:
Prepare to Celebrate (Gathering Story Props)
How to Tell a Multisensory Story
Chinese New Year – A Multisensory Exploration
Developing Comprehension & Understanding
Chinese New Year Themed Listening Game
Chinese New Year Themed Sensory Bin
Chinese New Year Themed Sensory Bag
The Great Wall of China
Terracotta Warriors
'Five Oxen' Sensory Art
Chinese Art
Chinese Music
The Great Race
The Great Race PMLD Multisensory Version
Chinese New Year Guided Relaxation Adventure
Chinese New Year Lucky/Unlucky Gifts
Chinese Music
Dragon Dance
Spring Clean Your Classroom
Chinese New Year Sensory Ideas & Activities
Feb 27 International Polar Bear Day
Lets' Explore....Polar Bears!
Learning about animals and habitats teaches about Conservation and Respecting Wildlife
Promote Communication Skills (Listening & Speaking)
Play an audio clip of a polar bear 'chuffing', 'growling', 'grunting', 'hissing' and 'roaring.
Can the student communicate a request to listen to the sound again? (This could be through gaze, verbally or through sign)
If using a switch, BIGMack or Talking Tile, can the student activate the device independently?
Can the student imitate the sound using their voice?
Record their vocalisation and play it back.
Promote Physical Development, Coordination, Balance, Control & Movement & Imaginative Play
Watch footage of a polar bear.
Polar bear’s forepaws are directed inwards. They can gait and gallop swaying their hips but cannot trot.
Can the sensory explorer move their body like a polar bear?
Re-Create a Polar Bear Habitat.
Line a Tuff Tray with ice. Add fake snow (see recipes below) Add toy polar bears, and a bowl of water.
Female polar bears make a den in snow. Using fine motor tools (cups and scoops) can the student make a polar bear den in the snow?
Fake Snow Recipes
1. Add shaving cream to baking soda.
2. Sprinkle a sachet of gelatine into warm water and stir until dissolved. Add ice cubes.
3. Mix cornflour with hair conditioner until you reach the required consistency.
4. Mix cornflour with bicarbonate of soda (equal quantities e.g., one cup), add water a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
5. Mouldable snow: Mix three cups of shaving cream with 1/2 cup of glue and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Stir in 1/2 cup of foam micro beads. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and water. Knead.
6. Add 3 cups of baking soda with 1 cup of hair conditioner.
Other News
The SEND community thrives on connection and collaboration, and I am always more than happy to share the news and events happening across our sector. Here’s a look at what’s coming up:)
Little Magic Train invites children into a magical world of play and learning through immersive, rhyming, multi-sensory adventures for Early Years, including children with SEND, PMLD and EAL. Each adventure weaves together storytelling, role play, movement, music, sensory exploration, creative provocations and speech and language activities, creating joyful experiences that spark curiosity, imagination and connection. Children are encouraged to explore and communicate in ways that feel natural and accessible to all.
Little Magic Train is a flexible framework that supports Early Learning Goals and makes it easy for educators to shape meaningful learning around their children. Within our adventures, Victoria (Rhyming Multisensory Stories) creates our specialist PMLD and multi-sensory stories, adding extra layers of sensory richness and inclusion. Together, we offer inspiring, adaptable provocations, where every child is welcomed, valued and able to shine.
Events
All aboard for a three‑part Terrific Train Ride Adventure—a joyful storytelling journey perfect for families and classrooms alike. The episodes premiere on Sundays, each one is recorded and made available for schools to enjoy during the week on Marvin’s Story Time Channel, making it easy to build the adventure into your teaching plans whenever it suits your learners.
Its FREE to sign up: https://marvinstorytimeshow.co.uk/product/marvins-story-time-show/
Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/MM1aiQyDAzE
Event
Overview
Research-informed practice for people described as having profound and multiple learning disabilities
The Sensory Projects invites professionals and family members who support people described as having profound and multiple learning disabilities to The Bridge.
This event aims to be the link between the latest research and the heart of daily practice. I believe, unequivocally, that people described as having profound and multiple learning disabilities have the right to care and support informed by the most current understanding and evidence, just as much as anyone else does.
The day will be an adventure in the space between research and practice. We will hear from a diverse range of voices: researchers unearthing new understanding and sharing long established insight, experienced front-line practitioners showcasing innovative strategies and letting us learn from their hard earned wisdom, and parents and people with profound and multiple learning disabilities offering invaluable lived insights gleaned from their own journeys.
The event will be hosted by Dr Jo Grace. Speakers and Conversation Leaders details below. The day will begin with keynote presentations before moving into a workshop format to allow discussion, conversation and questions in an informal manner, all accompanied by delicious food and opportunities to learn and chat in other ways.
The Bridge offers a compassionate and collaborative space, a unique opportunity to gain actionable knowledge, refine your skills, and champion the best practices. Empower your practice with knowledge, empathy, and a shared vision for truly bespoke, accessible, and rights-affirming support for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
Together we will build the bridge and ensure research-informed practice is available to people described as having profound and multiple learning disabilities.
Keynote speaker:
Professor Melanie Nind. Research Interests: Intensive Interaction, Inclusivity and Belonging for (and with) people with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities.
Professor Melanie Nind is one of the originators of Intensive Interaction, an approach that developed from an unwillingness to adopt the status quo at the time and equal parts ambition and compassion for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Formerly a teacher in special schools and further education colleges, Mel is a quiet intellectual giant who has cut a career through academia with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities hugely important to her research. Her most recent work looks at how we include their voices in research and what it is for them to experience belonging.
Melanie Nind, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, is Professor of Education at the University of Southampton. Melanie is Deputy Director of the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership and for fifteen years was one of the co-directors of the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods where she led research on the pedagogy of research methods learning. She has been conferred with gold membership of the Asian Qualitative Research Association, for support of qualitative research development, and with an honorary doctorate from VID, Norway, for her contribution to science. She was until recently editor-in-chief of the British Journal of Learning Disabilities and co-editor of International Journal of Research & Method in Education before that. She is also on the editorial boards of Teaching in Higher Education, Teaching Educational Research Methods, European Journal of Special Needs Education and Disability and Society. Her research projects have focused on innovation and inclusivity in pedagogy and research methods, changing research practices in response to Covid-19, and quality and belonging in inclusive research.
Can you spare a few minutes to help Jessica?
Jessica is currently in her fourth year of her psychology degree and works with people with PMLD as well as being a family carer. She is doing her dissertation on the use and effectiveness of sensory stories for adults and children with learning disabilities and without. Jessica would greatly appreciate any help you can give. (Thank you)
Exciting News!!!
My new online shop has launched and is officially LIVE!
You can now direct via the website!
Everything is now easier to find — you can search by name, explore categories, and discover a growing collection of sensory stories and resources for inclusive classrooms.
To make checkout simple and flexible, the shop accepts:
Cards
• Visa
• Mastercard
• American Express
• Discover
• Maestro
• Other major debit/credit cards
Digital Wallets (online only — no machine needed)
• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
PayPal
For schools and settings:
If your school or setting prefers invoicing, this option is also still available.
Full List of Titles
Seasons
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
A Winter Walk
January Through the Senses
The Weather
Culture & Celebrations
A Train Ride Through India
Book Day
Bonfire Night
Burns Night
Chinese New Year
Diwali
Halloween
Harvest Festival
Holi
Harvest Festival
Ramadan
The Witch
Back to School
Jobs and Work Experience
People Who Help Us – The Special School Superheroes
The Dentist
Washing Hands
RE
Sensory Saints
St Patrick’s Day
Maths
Shapes – A Multisensory Exploration
Topics and Themes
Airports and Airplanes
Elephants
Journey into Space
Minibeasts
The Beach
The Farm
The Rainforest
History
Benjamin Franklin
The King’s Coronation
The Queens Jubilee
The Great Fire of London
The Romans
VE Day
Reference
Listen – An A-Z of Sensory Inspiration to Stimulate the Auditory System
Sensory Resources for Sensory Learners (800+ Ideas)
Christmas
Dear Santa (Includes How to Adapt into a Play)
Rudolph’s Carrots
Traditional Tales
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Jack and the Beanstalk
Little Red Riding Hood
The Gingerbread Man
The Three Little Pigs
Subscribe to the Members Library to gain unlimited access to all resources to view online, download and/or print out, story walk-throughs and videos.
Workshop
1-1
INSET
Groups
Get in Touch!
Your questions, queries, comments & feedback are always welcome!
Website: www.rhymingmultisensorystories.com
Facebook Page: Rhyming Multisensory Stories
Facebook: Victoria Navin RMSS
Twitter: @RhymingStories
Instagram: rhyming_multisensory_stories
MySpace: Rhyming Multisensory Stories
Tumblr: rhymingmultisensorystories
Reddit: sensorystories
Pinterest: Rhyming Multisensory Stories
YouTube: Rhyming Multisensory Stories
Thank you for your support
See you in March!
Your questions, queries, comments and feedback are always welcome!
Contact me via email
or send me a message via social media:)
The Health & Safety Bit!
Please Read Before Engaging in any of the Activities
Health & Safety Advice & Disclaimer
Please Read Before Engaging in Any Activities
The author has taken care in preparing the information provided on this website. However, no representation or warranty is made regarding the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the content.
All information is intended for pleasure and educational purposes only.
If you choose to apply any ideas or activities described in this blog, on the website, or within any multisensory stories or resources, you do so entirely at your own discretion and assume full responsibility for your actions.
Supervision
All activities must be led and supervised by a responsible adult at all times.
The sensory explorer should be invited to participate freely, without expectation.
Never force engagement. Stop immediately if the person shows signs of discomfort or lack of enjoyment.
Allergies & Intolerances
If you have any doubts about an activity or prop, seek professional advice before starting.
Always check ingredients and materials for potential food, skin, or respiratory allergies.
Watch carefully for any signs of reaction (e.g., redness, swelling, breathing difficulties). If symptoms occur, seek immediate medical advice.
Safety Considerations
Be aware of potential choking hazards with small items or props.
Ensure all materials are safe, age-appropriate, and suitable for the individual’s needs.
Activities should be adapted thoughtfully to respect the sensory explorer’s comfort, dignity, and wellbeing.
Interesting blog