The IES Number 1 of Gijón has incorporated a Luminea bubble tube so that their next generation of professionals in early childhood education can experiment, get better acquainted with these tools, and can generate different activities for children. Alejandra Campo, who is the Head of the Department of Sociocultural and Community Services, and part of the teaching staff of the Higher Level Training Cycle of Early Childhood Education, wanted to share her experience with us.
In this centre, they know very well that when the little ones play with light, they develop their curiosity, stimulate their imagination and encourage their natural capacity to wonder and be amazed. Light is an important resource for learning, especially at an early age. For this reason, to train their students and future professionals in the sector, this centre uses the multisensory rooms as a resource, using our lighting elements such as the bubble tube, fiber optic, a ball pool, a sky of stars, etc. These will promote children´s development through monitored stimulation of the senses.
At the center, they had heard and read about the importance of working with light at the Early Childhood Education stage. Among the benefits it offers, what stands out is that lighting enhances creativity and imagination, promotes learning, stimulates curiosity, strengthens fine and gross motor skills and improves the ability to concentrate. All these benefits are produced, essentially as they are related to the emotions the light generates, both in children and in adults.
They contacted Bibiana Escribano, an occupational therapist and Qinera advisor, who recommended them to incorporate a bubble tube into our multi-sensory room. Its inclusion has also changed their way of evaluating the Luminea App, as it also allows them to get much more out of the bubble tube by connecting it with the tablet. Her advice helped them to understand better the possibilities that light offers to promote the development of multiple capacities in children, and for their students it allows them to add new “pixels” and “sequences” to the App.
To be a good early childhood professional one cannot forget the inner child that lives within him/her: the bubble tube and the light cube enables one´s inner child to come back to the surface. The bubble tube allows oneself to shift light into something tangible and helps improve concentration.
´Undoubtedly, For both the students and the teachers of the Formative Cycle of Early Childhood Education of the IES Nº 1 of Gijón, incorporating the Luminea bubble tube into the classrooms, has triggered the experience of feeling many emotions by just observing it.´Alejandra Campo, Head of the Department of Sociocultural and Community Services.
In this case, they have incorporated the Control Button 6 as a controller of Qinera’s sensory rooms elements. This allows them to control the color and activation of any Luminea lighting device in a multi-sensory room. The idea is to also make it easier to use for the boys and girls who sometimes visit us. It has allowed them to integrate endless control and interaction possibilities for the user, resulting in a wide range of resources for therapeutic intervention in children.
Alongside the tube and its “spectacular” nature , they have the light cube. This element also has great advantages in relation to more traditional lighting tables. For instance it offers the possibility to use continuous and mixed liquids and materials (sand, water, breadcrumbs, ground coffee, sugar, lentils, rice, chickpeas…).
“The light hooks you, it generates a magical atmosphere,” says Alejandra.
As we have stated, therapeutic interventions that include lighting elements encourage “bring to the surface the inner-child”, and it helps them to provide their students with new methods and strategies that help promote the comprehensive development of children. “We are looking forward to next year when the children of our neighborhood can come and enjoy with us the bubble tube and the lighting table!
This article has been written by the Educational Team of the Formative Cycle of Early Childhood Education of the IES Nº 1 of Gijón
If you want to know more about the benefits of Luminea or want to see how your own sensory room could be adapted to your space, to your therapeutic goals and users, click on the banner to leave us your details, and a specialized therapist will advise you in detail and, if you wish, we will also design for you a multisensory room sketch-up at no cost.
Occupational Therapist. Specialist in pshycomotricity, music therapy and sensory integration.
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