Why Storytelling Is so Important for a Child's Development

At the beginning of February, the 15th annual national storytelling week took place around the UK to celebrate the art form of storytelling. Storytelling has been around thousands of years, it predates writing and in its early form consisted of just gestures and facial expressions. It’s an intrinsic part of our human culture and society to tell stories to one another for pleasure and enjoyment. Children in particular have a fondness for storytelling, stories like Jack and the beanstalk, Goldilocks and the three bears and more recently where the wild things are (a personal favourite of mine) conjure up tales of wonder and amazement. 

Casey reading to kids at The Forest School

Storytelling is key to a child’s development, their creativity blossoms when they watch and listen to stories and adds to other forms of creativity including art and writing. During storytelling week, Ben, Jack and Casey, from Apollo Creative decided to volunteer to read stories and use mixed media in a classroom at The Forest School in Knaresborough. We read from books such as Jim and the beanstalk, Goldilocks and the three bears and Monkey puzzle using sound effects as well as projecting images to add to the magic of storytelling. See the video below for how teachers at The Forest School believe it is vital for a child to be exposed to storytelling:

To finish this blog post I have decided to add my top three children’s stories for your viewing and listening pleasure!

1: Curious George builds a home – Written and drawn by the French husband and wife team Hans Augusto Ray and Margret Ray, Curious George is a classic children’s series. The link below takes you to the story below, please note the story and sounds will start automatically:

http://www.curiousgeorge.com/kids-stories-books/cg-builds-a-home

2: Frog and Toad - Spring – Written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel, Frog and Toad are short stories that are often humorous and poignant.

3: The very hungry caterpillar – by Eric Carle was first published in 1969 and is still read in schools today!

  

What is a Bubble Wall?

With the ever increasing popularity of our bubble walls I thought I would share some information and a short video about it. Please find below answers to some frequently asked questions i including how a bubble wall works, what the benefits are and how you can easily maintain it to keep it in perfect condition:

A Bubble What?

A bubble wall is a self contained water wall that emits variant colours using the latest LED technology. It can be designed to a size that suits you and offer a visual enhancement to any commercial property, private home or sensory environment. 

How does it work?

The bubble wall is designed and manufactured to specification at our headquarters in the picturesque town of Knaresborough. Air is pumped via a small yet powerful motor through to the wall, the air is then evenly distributed across the surface of the wall to generate bubbles. Using high quality LED strip lights, the bubble wall lights up and can be customised to set the right mood and ambience. Using the DMX version of the bubble wall you can easily synchronise other lights to match each other, perfect for use in sensory rooms or catching your customers eye on a retail or exhibition stand.

What are the benefits?

In a restaurant environment it creates a unique ambience and is a stand out water feature that will amaze and dazzle customers.

When used in a reception/waiting area it gives clients something to focus on. For example if your waiting to see the dentist it's common to feel nervous or anxious, therefore having your mind focus on the illuminating bubbles will make you calm so you forget your worries.

Using a bubble wall in a sensory room is a great added addition to provide an interactive, colourful and therapeutic experience.

How to maintain a Bubble Wall

Keeping your bubble wall clean and in perfect working order couldn't be easier! We recommend to change the water every 8-10 weeks to prevent any dirt or unwanted bacterial growth building up. Using special BCB fluid mixed in with the water it's just a case of draining it, cleaning it and filling it back up again, easy!

Take a look at the video below to see the Bubble Wall in action:

The Health Benefits of Laughter Therapy

Did you know that on average a child laughs four hundred times a day where as an adult only laughs twelve times a day!

On a recent trip to the Kidz Up North exhibition we attended a short seminar that was both funny and informative. Isobel Dickson of good-mood-training spoke about the health benefits of laughter and how we all should actively laugh more in our day to day lives to feel the health benefits in the long run. Some of these benefits include the fact it lowers stress and anxiety, it can boost our immune system by 40% for 4-6 hours and acts as an aerobic exercise to tone muscles.

A laughter therapy class would certainly benefit children as well as adults to improve stronger social connections, friendliness and warmth to those around them. Activities you could do for example are:

• Shaking another person's hand with a hearty laughter.
• Tensing your shoulders and then relax with an over exaggerated 'ahhhhh'.
• In a group everybody has to laugh and throw around imaginary confetti.

These are just a few examples of exercises you could do, here is a list of twenty five laughter yoga exercises.

I shall leave you with this inspiring TED talk by Ron Gutman entitled The Hidden Power of Smiling.

How to Make a Sensory Room for People Living with Dementia

A recent publication, how to make a sensory room for people living with dementia, has highlighted the importance of creating the right sensory environment that works well for the people using it. It covers the current state of feelings and thoughts to sensory rooms throughout the UK and offers some great advice on how to make them work better for people with dementia and their carers to work with.    
    
The guide book is written by Dr Anke Jakob, from the university of Kings London and Dr Lesley Collier, from the university of Southampton and was presented at the recent Inside Out festival in London. It highlights the benefits a sensory environment can have, stating that 'residents in the later stages of dementia show positive changes in mood and behavior.' Aiding residents through a sensory based interactive experience could really be the stimulation they need to relax the effects of dementia. Carers who look after people with dementia can also reap the benefits of making their job less stressful and more enjoyable when working in a sensory room.       
    
Adding a modern touch to a sensory room can be harder than it looks and working closely with specialists who have many years of experience will benefit with a stress free process of choosing the right equipment. At Apollo Creative we have built many bespoke sensory rooms for a variety of institutes and establishments providing a positive influence and calming experience for people with dementia and their carers to work with. If you have an outdated sensory room or looking to build one from scratch feel free to get in touch to discuss with us your project or idea.

Link to the guide book: Click Here 

Top 7 Halloween Sensory Activitity Ideas for Kids

With Halloween just around the corner it's time to start thinking how you will celebrate all things spooky! From homemade sensory slime to eye-catching spooky tea light holders we've handpicked our seven favourite and most creative ideas you can make together with your family, friends or school group.


1. Quick and Easy Sensory Slime! 

Make this awesome looking slime using only washable glue, liquid starch and water. You can also add your own Halloween items for added effect. Kids (and adults) will love the sensation of feeling this spooky slime through their hands.

2. Halloween Sensory Bin

This is a great way to not only get your kids senses going but also teach them about colours and objects at the same time. 

3. Jack-O-Lantern Squish Bag 

Ideal for babies and toddlers these easy to make sensory bags provide great interaction for the young ones. You can fill these with all sorts of textures to get kids interacting with them. 

4. Glitter Pumpkins

Glitter Pumpkins? 
Yes, Glitter Pumpkins!
This is a fabulous way for kids to easily create a sensation for the eyes whilst getting their hands (and most probably face) covered with glitter for extra fun and amusement. 

5. Monster Stew

Combine the sensory relaxation of a bath and a Halloween fun filled adventure for little ones with this great idea for a monster stew!

 6. Halloween Tea light holders 
 

Another glitter based activity! using glitter paint to create these great looking tea light holders, make anything from ghosts, monsters and zombies there's no limit to what you can create with these, let you and your kids imaginations run wild.

7. Halloween Discovery Bottles

These are a spooky treat for the eyes and really easy to make. They also remind us of our very own bubble tubes. (although ours are a little less spooky!) 


We hope these ideas have inspired you to create your own sensory Halloween items. Happy Halloween! 

The Waterless LED Tube, an amazing new way to stimulate your senses

The New Waterless LED Tube

Our electronic design team have been very busy this past month creating a waterless LED tube for Apollo Creative. From concept to design to manufacture the team has put a lot of thought and passion into creating a beneficial product to relax and stimulate the senses. Tom, who designed the electronics for the waterless LED tube says, “I really enjoyed working on this project and I'm very happy with the final result, I hope to see it used in as many ways as possible!”
    
Even though Apollo Creative supply water treatment fluid that can counteract the risk of legionnaires disease, some people may prefer to do without water completely. In these situations the waterless LED tube is perfect as it's lights offer a calming, relaxing and stress-free atmosphere ideal for people who need to actively stimulate their senses. It works perfectly in any sensory room with the added benefit of not having to change any water. With its clean modern finish we're really excited to see how we can integrate the waterless LED tube into sensory rooms, exhibitions, retail and beyond. 

The Continuing Positive Development of Sensory Environments

Sensory environments are becoming more available and widely appreciated for the huge features and benefits that they provide. In a recent study by the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, sensory gardens have been proven to give a positive effect on people who suffer from dementia. Apollo Creative has worked on numerous projects installing sensory products such as bubble tubes into gardens for a relaxing, peaceful experience.  

Sensory products can also be utilised in the retail sector, showcasing products and creating eye catching displays, it is a simple way to entice customers and get excited about a product. Retailers are starting to see the benefits of utilising all five senses of their customers to sell not just a product, but an experience.

A sensory room is one of the most popular ways of using the products that Apollo Creative provide. Utilising a space to install bubble tubes, fibre optic lights, projection screens or bubble walls creates the ultimate sensory environment. A simple web-search highlights the positive effects they have on people from children to the elderly. Sensory environments really are developing to become essential in the therapeutic treatment of patients with mental illness.

Sensory environments are helping us to bring calm to the fast-paced world we live in. Being able to provide a relaxing, therapeutic and exciting experience really is at the heart of our business. We can't wait to see how use of sensory products benefits your life.