2026–27 · Backup lesson · Spring 2027

Create a Choice-Led Garden Noticing Routine

Adult extension of: Garden Grounding

Unscheduled alternative · available resource

Try a brief noticing routine using only the sensory options you choose. Develop a practical way to request a quieter, different or finished activity without requiring a particular feeling afterward.

Curriculum skill focus: Multi-sensory regulation, present-moment attention, communication, self-advocacy

01 · Learning

Objectives

Choose, skip or stop a sensory option using an established communication method.
Describe one or two present features without needing an emotional interpretation.
Plan a brief routine that includes a preferred condition and a way to request an adjustment.

02 · Preparation

Materials

A plain nature image or identified screened plant; an optional large smooth object on a tray; optional previewed low-volume nature audio; look, listen, touch, skip, change and stop choices; usual AAC. No scent materials are needed.

03 · Practice

Adult project

1
Choose a familiar accessible place and agree that looking, listening, optional touch, observing and skipping are all available. Establish the stop signal and choose one starting option; do not add other sensory input as a surprise.
2
Notice one concrete feature, such as the curve of a leaf or a repeating sound. Describe it through your preferred method, or direct a partner to point it out; eyes can remain open and breathing and body position stay ordinary.
3
Pause and choose continue, change, break or finished. A single chosen observation is enough; do not require stillness, a feeling word or proof that the activity helped.
4
If you choose another observation, introduce only that option and only after consent. Compare what you noticed with the first feature, or notice something completely different without rating either response.
5
Design a short prompt for a setting you use, such as notice one leaf, then choose whether to continue. Include a practical adjustment like no audio, more distance, a seated position or a quieter place, and check that the request is understood.
6
Review and keep, revise or discard the prompt. Record the chosen conditions and communication rather than a claim about calmness, and finish by returning materials and confirming whether you want the routine available again.

Evidence & interpretation

What the investigation shows

Noticing can involve different senses and preferences vary across people and occasions. A chosen routine does not diagnose a state, treat a condition or guarantee that someone will feel calmer.

Practical connection

Why this work matters

Useful for choosing how to engage with a garden setting and communicating sensory preferences during a break or shared activity.

Participation by choice

Individual access options

Choose an image-only, silent or no-touch route, and omit any sensory option without needing to justify it.
Use a familiar seated position and one feature at a time, with your preferred viewing field, distance and response time.
Direct a partner, use usual AAC or simply communicate finished; neither speech nor an emotional report is required.

Review & transfer

Reflect on the work

Which condition made the activity more workable, or would you prefer not to use it?
What request would you want a partner to recognize immediately?