On a recent Friday morning, about two dozen kindergarteners ran around on the squishy green turf floor with a winding yellow walking path. Bundled in coats and gloves, they darted from playing bongo drums to glockenspiels, hand pipes and other instruments scattered throughout the space.
“It’s really fun when you can play with them, too,” Teti said. “You can utilize this space and make it whatever your imagination can go with.”
The musical sensory garden opened this fall, built with a grant from String Theory Schools, a local nonprofit that operates the charter school.
The whimsical space encourages learning through sound, movement and expression.
Research shows that music therapy can benefit children with neurodevelopmental and behavioral issues with improvements in social interaction, communication and cognitive skills. Music is also associated with enhanced learning for all children, data shows.
“So, we have a safe therapeutic area for our students exploring all five senses, and then we can have all the children grow,” Teti said. “The kids love it, no matter what the age is.”