OTS 170: Supporting the Teachers in Adapting the Classroom Environment
- Jayson Davies
- Feb 24
- 18 min read
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Welcome to the show notes for Episode 170 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast.
Discover the transformative power of nature in the classroom with this episode of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast! Join host Jayson Davies as he chats with Alex Thompson, an experienced occupational therapist and former teacher, who has devoted her career to blending nature with school-based OT practices. Learn how Alex empowers teachers and students by redesigning classrooms, creating sensory-friendly environments, and fostering self-regulation through the innovative use of outdoor and nature-inspired strategies. Don’t miss the chance to reimagine classroom design with nature as your guide!
Listen now to learn the following objectives:
Learners will recognize…the significance of collaborating with teachers and students to create learning environments (via classroom makeovers or modifications) that address the diverse sensory, emotional, and learning needs of all students.
Learners will identify the role of occupational therapy in classroom design and understand how incorporating nature and holistic approaches can improve self-regulation and learning outcomes in students.
Learners will associate that supporting teachers' self-regulation and wellness directly impacts the classroom atmosphere and student outcomes.
Guests Bio
Alex Thompson is an occupational therapist in British Columbia Canada. She is the founder of a charity that offers nature-based occupational therapy services to schools, local Parks and Recreation boards, community organizations, and private families amongst some of her clients. She has a background as an outdoor recreation educator and as an OT. 15 years ago she put together her love for nature and passion to make the outdoors accessible to all abilities.
In her work as a consultant for a variety of school districts in Canada, she has been able to bring the love and passion for nature and the outdoors to her occupational therapy practice to address referrals related to self-regulation, motor and executive function skills, mental health and trauma and even social skills. She provides school services through the RTI, response to intervention model of services.
Quotes
“The OT research shows that OT is effective, but we don't have to limit ourselves to just understanding the OT research. There's so much else out there that we can bring into our practice.”
-Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L
“I love that occupational therapy is one of the few professions that the ethos of who we are has to do with seeing the human being as a holistic person.”
-Alex Thomson, OTR/L
“The users of the room are your space directors. They are the ones who tell you what they want. And we as OTs, with our knowledge of the neurobiology of how the body works and what's best for learning and the senses, we give ideas and choices, and then they choose what they want.”
-Alex Thomson, OTR/L
"If we can see the Earth and the planet more as a person or a being rather than an object, we have more empathy and more care towards it."
-Alex Thomson, OTR/L
Resources
Other Resources:
👉Nature-based Therapy Book
👉IG
Episode Transcript
Expand to view the full episode transcript.
Jayson Davies
Hey there OT friend, welcome to episode 170 of the OT school house podcast. A few weeks ago, we spoke to Angela Hanscom about the impact nature has as children's sensory systems develop. This week, we are following up on that episode with Alex Thompson, an occupational therapist from Canada who has used the evidence on using nature to guide the way she supports students and teachers using a collaborative model in the schools based in British Columbia, Alex weaves nature into classroom design in a way that's practical and makes a real difference in both students and teacher outcomes. With her background as a former teacher, Alex knows firsthand the balance and creativity needed to make classrooms functional, vibrant and engaging. After all, students spend a lot of time in their classrooms, and those classrooms can have a profound influence on students ability to learn and stay focused. So that is why Alex is here today to share how nature inspired elements can transform learning spaces, breathe life into classrooms and empower you to advocate for these changes with confidence. So get comfy and join us for what promises to be an eye opening conversation. Let's unlock the potential of the classrooms on your campus with a touch of nature's magic. Please help me in welcoming Alex Thompson to the OT schoolhouse podcast.
Amazing Narrator
Hello and welcome to the OT schoolhouse podcast. Your source for school based occupational therapy, tips, interviews and professional development now to get the conversation started, here is your host. Jayson Davies class is officially in session.
Jayson Davies
Hey, Alex, welcome to the OT school health podcast. How you doing today?
Alex Thompson
I'm doing great. Jayson, thanks for having me.
Jayson Davies
Absolutely. It's a pleasure. We've had the had a chance to talk a few times. Now I'm just super excited to talk to you, because it sounds like you are doing amazing things where you're at and I'm excited to let everyone else hear what you're doing and how they can kind of use that in their school based ot practice. So yeah, excited to have you here. Why don't you start by just sharing us, sharing with us a little bit about where you fit into the role of occupational therapy right now.
Alex Thompson
Okay, yeah, so I'm gonna register and license occupational therapist in British Columbia, Canada, for those of you have been here, Vancouver is kind of close to where I am, and I guess upon graduation, I just started on this pathway of trying to bring nature into my practice. And yeah, for the last 10 years or so, I have been working in the schools as a consultant, and also a bit on the side, running our nature based occupational therapy practice in the community. And I established a charity that's how we deliver the services in the clinic and community setting. And I love going back to the schools, because I was a teacher before I was an OT, I taught kindergarten, grade one and two. And of course, after choosing OT and going back to the schools, like it just felt so at home, I felt more at home in the schools than in the hospitals and stuff like that. So yeah,
Jayson Davies
totally relate to that. Yeah, yeah. So, very cool, very cool. So now you're in you're in Canada, and so my first question has to be to talk about the difference between Canada and America when it comes occupational therapy in the schools. You know, in America, everything is very idea centric. We all revolve around IEP services, and basically, we have goals for a specific student, we have services for a specific student typically. However, I hear things that are are a little bit different in the way that ot services with within the schools work in Canada. So I'd love for you to share just a little bit about how that is a little different. You mentioned consulting. Is that kind of the primary route, or what does that look like? Yeah.
Alex Thompson
So the services are dictated, not just in like by the school district, but by the province that you're in. So I was working in the province of Alberta, for example, and that is a little bit more similar to the states, because I only had three schools that I belong to, and so I would take two days at each school, and because the week only has five days, of course, like I had, kind of had to rotate, but then those were the kids in my caseload I will get to go in The classroom and and do my treatment sessions at that time. Being a teacher, like in my background, there wasn't the push in and push out vocabulary, but like, I found it super helpful to be in the classroom, co teaching with the teacher, so without having the right to have. Terminology, I guess. Like if I had seven kids, you know, in a classroom, in a kindergarten classroom, like I would just run a center, and I would do fine motor and stuff like that, instead of pulling out seven kids, you know, for half an hour or 45 minutes. So that's like in Alberta, in BC, we don't do the direct service delivery. It is more consultative approach. But regardless of the province, the kids need to have a diagnosis, and according to the diagnosis, they fit into a category, and that category dictates how complex or simple the IEP would be. And then, of course, as OTs, you know, we're only seeing the kids that have an IEP, so very similar to the states, in that regard, the only direct service that we would do is, of course, you can't make recommendations if you haven't trialed them, and if you don't know how the kid is going to be right. So I do get that time with the kiddos to trial what I'm saying or suggesting, and if it works, then it goes as a recommendation. But in the last after COVID, I got a lot of evidence, actually, from your podcast and from the back to school conference as to how teachers were preferring that camaraderie and that co teaching and mentoring, if we could do that Response to Intervention model. And so I proposed that in one of the districts, and I was able to do that. So I did a pilot project, and it was more regarding cell regulation needs. And I will be in the schools, you know, for three months and run a program, and I could see kids through tier one approaches, so like, do Pro D for the teachers, but also going a couple or four classrooms. And then also see my outliers. I call them kiddos who you know 50% or more of the time their self regulation is get in the way of participating at school. So that project, I would say I've noticed the success in being able to have that freedom in your caseload, to look at the different tiers and to get the most bang for your buck. And that is what I've been doing. And then other districts heard about it, so, like, I kind of had to split myself now, you know, like amongst districts to help out so we can run that sort of pilot project. Yeah, wow,
Jayson Davies
that's awesome. So you're kind of doing a level one, two and three RTI program at a few different districts now, congratulations.
Alex Thompson
Thank you. Yeah, it's, I mean, you know, it's funny, right? Like we have to present that evidence and advocate for it, but I feel like it speaks for itself. Once you get it going, people can see how much more efficient we are as OTs with the little time that we have. But also, like I found that teachers feel empowered, because it's one thing to go into their class and give them a list of things to do and leave and they really never look at it again, but it's another to actually be like, No, I'm gonna be with you. Let's, let's roll this out. Let, let's connect. What did you think, how it went? And like, I have felt that is a bit more of a sustainable way to encourage change and for teachers to feel inspired, I guess, by OT, yeah, yeah, absolutely,
Jayson Davies
now really quickly, because you were a teacher beforehand. Did you have much interactions with occupational therapy practitioners as a teacher or no?
Alex Thompson
Nothing, no. And I was in an inner, inner city school in Toronto, and you know, as a newbie on the block, like you have to earn your credits right as a teacher, so you usually would get the roughest, like classroom, and yeah, I, I remember, like my kindergarten class. I mean, now I could say, you know, some of them had anger management, like OCD, DCD, you know. But at that time, as a teacher, I didn't know, and in a class of 20 like I could tell you, 14 of them had something going on. And even at that time, because of my background in Outdoor and Experiential, you know, education, and even me like I was a tough kid in school, so I could identify, you know, and so I feel like that's why I only lasted, like, a couple of years as a teacher, because I really love working with the kids who were challenging and I wanted to do more for them. And I didn't find that as a teacher, I was able to follow that. Yeah,
Jayson Davies
that's unfortunate. Yeah, you talked about the back to school conference, and I'm pretty sure you're referring to my session, where I did show some research from educators that showed that educators wanted support from OTs and they appreciated the hand on hands on support from occupational therapy practitioners coming into the classroom and then showing them how to do stuff, not just giving them a list of stuff to do. So yeah, that's awesome that you were able to kind of make that transition. And I think that that's got to really help you having that background as a teacher, because now you're supporting teachers and kind of understanding and having some empathy for what they're going through and what they do, and being able to support them, I'm sure that has come in quite a bit of handiness. So, very cool,
Alex Thompson
yeah, absolutely. Like, I really, I feel like that. Back to School conference, like the research that you presented, I literally like that was in August, you know, and one week before school started, I'm looking at all the references that you provided. I'm looking into it further. And I'm like, I'm gonna present this. Like, this is great, you know, awesome. But even to having worked in Alberta and knowing what it was like to have only three schools and to just work with teachers on a regular basis, like that was much more rewarding position for me, you know, like, two years later, getting an email from a teacher who says that she still remembers what you know we had done in the class, about how the kids held the scissors, and still remembering, you know, How to Do the developmental like readiness assessment for handwriting like that, to me, makes my job worthwhile, right? Like, if you because it kind of multiplies that ripple effect, rather than me pulling out kids one by one, and I'm the only one who knows what I'm doing, or, yeah, giving the list of stuff to do, and it just gathers dust and never gets done, right?
Jayson Davies
Yeah, so when you first started kind of in the schools, were you already incorporating nature, or did that come a little bit later?
Alex Thompson
No, I was already doing it, because, I guess I should say this, so I had a rough time in high school, like personally as a student, and I think grade 11 and 12 was when it was really tough, and I basically was labeled as a defiant student and rude, because I was very good at argumenting with adults and like putting them in their spot, and teachers didn't like that, and I found these Outward Bound program for high schoolers. So my mom basically dropped me off a summer, and I stay there, and I came back a few weeks before school started again, and in that Outward Bound program, you know, we did everything, like kayaking, horseback ride like you. You just name it. We did it. But the first week, right off the bat, one of the leaders, I remember, we were going on a hike, and he said to me, you have the courage to question why we do things. And he's like, that is called Leadership. Here is a map. You're gonna lead us on the hike we're gonna follow. And I remember as a teenager being like, what, oh, I'm a leader. Like, it was such a different perspective on what I had been called defiant, you know, and so I feel like that was the beginning of a positive kind of root, like I saw myself in a different light. And then I also learned that I was a very experiential learner, and so I started to look for those opportunities and advocating for myself in high school to have that. So that's why it became so natural when I saw kids like that. You know that maybe eating in a classroom, listening was not the thing for them. I could easily relate to them, so I was just trying to look for ways to make it very experiential. And that's where nature is such a great, you know, environment, you don't have to do much. So, yeah, yeah,
Jayson Davies
very cool. So then you started up in the schools, and you wanted to start to integrate some nature. What were some of the first things that you started to kind of, what were the easy things, I guess, what was the low hanging fruit that was just so easy to incorporate that you couldn't not incorporate, I guess,
Alex Thompson
I guess the first few things, you know, when I was working with the teachers, was like, oh, you know, can we do this lesson outside? You know? So, like doing numeracy, literacy outside, some schools had a. Backyard? Well, not a backyard, sorry, a courtyard, I should say, and we could go there others. I remember being in some kindergarten and grade one and two classes, and after lunch, like, you know, there was a lot of meltdowns and kids who wanted to go home and and I remember just telling the teachers, like, hey, you know, what if we go for a walk after, you know, we do free play, just to transition them back in. And so we will go for a walk. Some teachers that seem like dead teaching time, like they just didn't see the value. I'm just going for a walk. So, you know, I will have like, a scavenger hunt, and it was related to whatever we were learning in numeracy or literacy, you know. And I feel like those were easy wins, because even the teachers like you could tell they're breathing in the fresh air. It's a bit of a mental break, and everybody will come back in. So that was, that was, like an easy start, yeah, yeah.
Jayson Davies
And, you know, we, we often have to, I don't want to necessarily say, convince teachers, but we have to collaborate with them to help them see the value. And it sounds like for some things, you know, that's easier, and for other things, that's a little bit more difficult. Teachers, obviously, I don't want to say they want to do this, but they need to maximize the amount of time that they have. Right? Kids are only in school for a finite amount of time, and they have so many standards that they have to cover. And so when you're recommending a walk or go noodle or exercise, right, they're kind of like, well, I need to fit in my math standards, or I need to fit in my literacy standards. And so I guess the question here, and you kind of started down this route, but I'd love just to let you you talk even more. What were some of those things that you were able to do, or how did you overcome some of the the feedback or comments or questions from teachers about doing some of these things?
Alex Thompson
Yeah, so, so, like I said, so, like at first, especially with the teachers who were worried about dead time, you know, like trying to incorporate activities into that as the kids were moving so we could still complete or meet some learning outcomes. But I found and the reason why I went down researching learning more about self regulation and nature, it was because the teachers would be like, oh, you know, we've been dealing with so and so and his meltdowns, and we couldn't complete what we were supposed to in the morning, and now you want us to go for a 20 minute walk, you know? Like, how is that gonna help? Like, the overall class, like, he's still gonna have a meltdown. So this is where I started to join that self regulation piece to nature and explaining that, like, what's going on in the nervous system. And, you know, why is it that nature was helpful, but even more powerful it was to be able to hear the teachers and say to them like, you know, I was looking I was observing this morning, and it looked like after recess, it was a very stressful time for you. I could see that there was a lot in your play, you know, there was all these kids doing this and that, that it seems like that's a tough time during the day, and then they'll be like, Oh, yes, you know. And they'll open up, right? Or I had a few teachers do that, I would say, oh, you know, like, I came to observe a few of the kids, but I noticed, you know, that you're moving differently, like, Are you in pain? And they'll be like, yes. How did you know, you know. And so started to more talk to the teachers and try to, I guess, empathize and highlight their own self regulation needs. And how, by doing the going outside, or maybe by, you know, doing this bit of bringing plants in my classroom and all that, how overall, it will help the kids. But I was caring about them, because if they could be regulated, there would be so much more hope and positive outcomes for the classroom. So when I started to switch that more to them that I care about you, and what can I do to make this better? I feel like that's where I got a lot of more. Oh my gosh, please come to my classroom like, yeah, I love it, yep, yeah,
Jayson Davies
I love it, yeah. You know, we're always so focused on the kids and also our own. Personal needs, but we forget that sometimes you can help kids by helping the adults in the classroom, whether that's the teachers, the paraprofessionals, or anyone else on campus, right? Like, that's great. I I was expecting you to, like, say, after recess, you asked the teacher, how can I help the kids? But that's not where you went. You asked, How can I help you, the teacher? How can I support you? And I think that's awesome, because a lot of times when you support the teacher, you end up supporting end up supporting the kids too. So fantastic. I love that, yeah,
Alex Thompson
like, I had a very rough school, you know, it's an inner city school. A lot of itinerant workers had gone in, and they didn't really get far because, like, the school, we called it that it was on fire, you know, like, there's all these crises happening. And there was this one resource teacher, and it was really tough for me to get in there, but the counselor kind of got me in. And I noticed that she was limping. I noticed, you know, her movement was changing from the morning to after lunch. So after the thing you could tell she's like, Okay, well, what are you going to give me to do get it over with, right? And I just said to her, I'm like, you know, I want to say I really admire and appreciate how you went through the day. I could see that you were in a lot of pain, and the pain was increasing, and she stopped, and her eyes got watery, and she's like, you saw that? And I'm like, yeah. I said, like, I wonder, like, are you having, like, back pain or hip pain? And then she's like, Yes. And she started describing it, you know. And so then I said to her, I'm like, Okay, well, before we get any plants, you know, before we declutter the classroom and open up the windows. I am going to ask for some things for your station, because here in BC, like the Union for the teachers, they have a wellness program, and so you can actually have someone come and do an ergonomic assessment and and do things. So I put in there that I was wondering, you know, if we could get an ergonomic assessment for her, and that I was recommending, like, anti fatigue mats that sit to stand stool and, you know, like ergonomics for her. And I even said to her, I'm like, you know, there's a physio in town. I would recommend for you to see him. They're going to do a gait assessment. You're probably going to use some orthotics, which will be helpful for standing. So I saw her, and we were putting a proposal to change her room. Four weeks later, Jayson, I came, and the first thing I'm just coming in the classroom in the hallway, she's with a huge smile, comes to hug me, and she's like, this has changed everything for me. And she's like, please come to my classroom. What else can we do? You know? And because of her and what we did in her room, there was three other teachers that then invited me to their classroom to do like the classroom makeover, we called it in. I love that,
Jayson Davies
yeah, I love that. That's like exactly what I talk about, right? Like, help one teacher, and by helping one teacher, you're gonna end up helping so many more teachers than you ever thought you would have able to help. So awesome, yeah? So that total classroom makeover, it should have a reality show, by the way, is that part of your your RTI pilot program, yeah.
Alex Thompson
So there's different tiers to it, right? But when you get the whole combo, we call it the deluxe package, you know? And so, so what it is is I just actually, on Friday, I had a meeting with one of the schools in the district that I'm starting, so I'm going to be in the school for three months. And so how it goes is that we call it the sense of regulation, and the word sense, each letter stands for something, and that's actually an acronym that I did not come up with. There's an OT here in Vancouver, Island. Her name is Michelle riddle, and she's also very focused on nature and the holistics of how our body works with, you know, food, with the air and all of that. And so she has done research where we can link a lot of the aspects of nature and how they contribute to self regulation. So the S is for stress management, the E is for environment and emotions. The N is for nourishment and nature. S is for sleep and E is for exercise. And so we train the teachers, the kids and sometimes the parents. We provide education in all those different areas and how all of those play a role in self regulation, and clearly, like how you show up in the world. So. Basically what happens then I'm in the School for those three months, for the tier one, a lot of the staff professional development opportunities, if they want them to have like a lunch and learn or something after school or during the staff meeting. We will talk about, for example, stress management for teachers, and we give them some tips, and we do the exercises together. We also draft a goal related to cell regulation for the whole staff team, something that they're going to tackle this year, right? So doing that this three months, I am doing the different pretty opportunities for the teachers, and then at the same time, we invite two or three teachers who wanna do the classroom work. And so those three teachers, they will be the ones that can have the classroom make over. And the outliers for the tier three interventions come from those three classrooms. So what I usually recommend to the staff team when they're deciding who's going to do what I say, okay, so when you look at your school population, who are the the frequent flyers in the outlier club, right? So, and most of the time they're gonna have, like, you know, 20 of them. And I say, okay, which classroom do this 20 come from? Which three classrooms? And so they will say, Oh, yeah, blah, blah, blah, Mrs. So and So, Mrs. So and so. And then I'm like, Okay, so from those four classrooms, which are the two teachers that you can see could be the most open and the most comfortable with having the OT come and collaborate with them, co teach, change the environment, all of that. So that's how we get our two classrooms. And then I usually take on the six outliers of the whole school who are the ones that are going to get the tier three services now for the classroom as part of the environment makeover, I also offer that sense of regulation, which is an education program. So the kids visit me once or twice a week for a 45 minute class on self regulation. And the kids come and I structure the environment like what we OTs, know, it should be like teachers get to see it. I have a lot of dynamic seating. I set up a lot of micro environments, you know? So there's like, a calm zone, there's a group learning zone, there's an individual learning zone, like, it's just lots of micro environments. Really quickly,
Jayson Davies
I want to pause because I want to touch on that, because, like, I know that ot practitioners are going to be listening right now and saying, like, where, where does this come from? Like, where did the budget for this come from? And so I obviously they're bringing you in for three months that is an individual, you know, contract, per se, whatever it might be. But for the extra stuff, bringing in the seating, bringing in some of the other things, are they setting aside an additional budget for that? Or how does that work
Alex Thompson
some schools do, and when they when we're talking about the referral and who wants to be a part of it, we talk about that, but some schools may not have like I'll give you an example. One middle school gave me $10,000 that was my budget, which is quite generous, actually. But at the same time, I had another Middle School that all I had was $1,500 Wow. So what I do? I literally go into addicts storage areas for the whole district. I go into the classrooms and we have swaps, you know, because I've had classrooms that the teacher order rocking chairs for the whole classrooms, or exercise ball chairs for the whole classroom. So we do trades. I'm like, Okay, well, you don't need 24 rocking chairs. So can we give you four regular chairs? And you give us, you know? So a lot of trades like that. But I also go in the attics and find a lot of stuff the school district storage areas, you'd be surprised at all the stuff I've been able to find. And we also go on Facebook. The schools have groups, and we will ask parents for things. So I don't do this anymore, because we don't have them, but in the past, like there's no way we could have bought, you know, like, 10 foot stools for a classroom. So I will ask parents to bring their phone directory books, and some of the kids we they'll help me to duct tape them, and we will use those as food stools, for example. So we just asked for the variety of things that we. Need. And I also go to the thrift stores. The thrift stores are my best friend. I'm actually always going and I have stuff in my garage. I have found new I don't know if you know the karma or stadium chairs. I don't know if you know they're used in yoga. They're usually like, $90 well, I have found two of those new ones, $5 each. So I always have those, and I keep the receipts. So when I do have a project, I just basically go to my garage and grab some of those and can give the receipt to the school. But that's where the budget comes from, and I have my own personal kit that I bring, and I literally move into the school for those three months. And that's why I asked for a space so I can demonstrate. So like in my kit, you know, I have these different kinds of timers. I have these sort of traffic light timer that when you have a lot of time left, there's green. When you only have a little bit of time, is yellow. When you only have five minutes, is red. I also have nature scenes, you know, that I can just roll out. They're printed on a piece of fabric, so I can just put them around in the room. I got Christmas lights like it's just it's a suitcase that I carry with me, you know. But the idea is that when the kids come, I structure it, you know, they come in, we they do a check in, like, how is your energy going? We can do we do it with thumbs, you know. And then we do movement and rhythmic activity to regulate them. Then we do an activity to connect with each other. Sometimes they go to centers, and all the activities that are happening are related to the topic. So like the first two weeks, we're talking about stress, and I set up these sensory motor labs, so each center has a sense, and I am asking the teacher, the SCA, so the student, education assistant that's in there to help me document the reactions. So as much as these activities look like fun, I am doing assessment too, especially of my outliers, you know, like when they're looking at the lava lamp, like, is there energy going up or is it going down? I've also created these passports for the stations so the kids themselves can tell me how, you know, how did this dice fidget help your energy? Did it go up? Did it go down? Did it stay the same? And so we're we're doing assessment, but we're also doing activities. We're regulating them. Then we have the little lesson that I do, which is quite experiential. We we may go outside for that, depending on the the classroom is, and then we come back. I always tell them to there's a pass to leave the group. You know. It could be like, tell me the high and low of today, or tell me something that stuck with you, or something that rock or, you know, like whatever it all comes from the research of the SEL signatures of practice, you know. So finish with optimism, or finished with gratitude. So that's how we end, and that's how I'm starting to document my outliers, and that's how I know, how you know, did the environment impact them? What are the things that work, even my interactions with them? What am I finding useful? My tone, my pace, like? What is it? And the teachers are seeing it, and what I have heard from them is that this is where is so important, because they're like, Oh, it was so great to see you deal with so and so when he's telling you that the game is stupid, and he throws a chair, you know, because I can see them, what I can do, Right? Like, and that is the learning that carries over. So that's what the classroom gets. So it's not only the makeover, the assessment of their outliers, but it's also this program. And this program takes place. The list amount of sessions that we could do it in is eight. The best number is 10 to 12, and that's going into the classroom. Well, they the school gives me a space, and it's my classroom, and they come for the cell regulation. Gotcha. Sometimes the school cannot give me 45 minutes, and I have to do it in 30 but the whole classroom comes in and I walk them through this. And so they learn about stress management, you know, they learn about the environment. What are the things that help you to, you know, go down, what are the things that help your energy go up, and what has been happening? Which was, to my surprise, in a couple of the schools, there was a mom that. She was driving, apparently, and like she was honking and screaming. And one of her kids said, Mom, it looks like you're stressed out. You should do the pause button with me. And he walked his mom to the breath, you know. So the mom came into the school as the principal, where did my kid learn about this pause button, breath, like, what is that? They called me to the office. I talked to the mom, and then she's like, well, I want to learn that I can get a group of parents to learn this. And so I basically partner with the counselor. So I started a book study on cell regulation, but the counselor kept it going because that's more within her wheelhouse, and I was gonna leave in three months, right? So, yeah, yeah,
Jayson Davies
that's awesome. First of all, going back a few minutes, where you where we started this, this wonderful answer was about the financial piece of it, and I just want to say kudos to you for getting a little creative. I think it's great that you have some stuff on hand, right, that you can show what works, and then the district principal might be a little more more open to getting it. Something else that you kind of alluded to, too, was there might not be funds for the OT, but the teachers might have funds. And so if you can convince the teacher what what they need, then they could be the ones to put that order in. And then from there, you can share some stuff around. Other ways that I know some OTs have done this, like really quickly, is Donors Choose. And I was just gonna say that it's like some people go on Donors Choose, and they get funded by random people. So, but yeah, go ahead.
Alex Thompson
Well. And the other thing that has happened too is every school district, and every school has this right at some point in the year, oh my gosh, the budget is closing. We got $10,000 we gotta spend it, you know? So I every time I've gone to a school, I said to him, like, you know what, when you have that time where you have to spend money, here's the list that we created as a team, and this is where you could spend your money. So they may not buy it while I'm there, but, you know, in April, when the budget closes, maybe they go on this shopping spree and they can get all of that stuff. And a lot of teachers had said, and the principals especially, like, that's really helpful, because they kind of feel bad when they just have to buy whatever, just so that they use the budget. So this is more intentional and more evidence based, like spending. Yeah, yeah.
Jayson Davies
And the key word you said, you didn't say, here's a list that I created. You said, here's a list of the team created. And so that was all created during your sessions with the teachers. And so it's a, you know, the principal gets this list, and they know it's not just coming from you, it's coming from you, but from you, but it's also coming from the teachers. They want this stuff too. So, yeah, that's really impactful. That's awesome.
Alex Thompson
Yeah, yeah. And, you know, for the the classroom, like the how the nature piece comes in, so for example, for the environment we talk about, you know, cause kind of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right? Like, how can we get air into the classroom, fresh air? So we talk about, you know, opening the windows. You know, bringing plants like NASA has documented studies, you know, of which plants are better for filtering the air. So when COVID happened that was really popular. I had my little list of plants, you know. And then one question that the teachers will always ask is, oh, you know, who's going to take care of the plants? And I'm like, well, the kids will right, like, when we and this is something that I've learned from my indigenous colleagues, if we can see the Earth and the planet more as a person or a being rather than an object. We have more empathy and more care towards it. And if we can teach the kids to care and that there's a reciprocity between the Earth and us, they are least likely to want to dominate, to want to waste, you know, and to want to see, like the Earth, just like as this source of resources that we got to spend and use, you know, unlimitedly. So, so, yeah, so the kids, there's like, a little sign up, and there's kids who will take, you know, the snake plant for Christmas and like, and Johnny takes it for spring break, right? Like, just like they take pets. So that's how we do that with the plants. We talk about, when are the good times of the day to have the windows open and let the sun in? Of course, writing and reading should be done closer to the natural light. So that's kind of how we start to bring nature into those inside spaces. We talk about having nature scenes as part of the display in the classroom. Also, if you are the kids are coming in, you know, having. Nature scenes with nature sounds, the rhythms of those sounds regulate or heartbeat and our breathing rate and even our brain right, like the rhythm of our wave, waves in there. And so we talk about that. I show that research to the teachers so they can have that using less plastic, more natural, you know, products. So like, instead of buying, you know, a lot of plastic puzzles, like, can you buy wooden ones? We talk about snacks the schools helping them to instead of just giving, you know, what is it like those fruit gummies or granola bars, like, can you partner with farmers? And can we have fruits and vegetables for nourishment? Anyways, there's like, a list of things you know of what to use in the classroom so that you can bring the air having water available. One of my middle schools, there was a lot of Indigenous students. And, you know, they the moon and how it influences our body. It's a strong belief for them. And so after we have a full moon, our tidal waves, you know, the tide, the tides change. And so our body is 70% water. So there has to be some change in the water in our body. So our indigenous colleagues suggested, you know, maybe having, like, more nourishment for thirst. So the teacher set up like a tea, hot chocolate and water station, and the kids just help themselves as they're working. I have a grade two teacher that did that too. She felt comfortable with the kids being able to manage that and be safe, and they have been. So those are the pieces, you know, for nourishment and nature. We talk about the rhythms. I asked the teachers to notice their own rhythm. Like, when are you most alert? Some teachers is first thing in the morning. Some teachers is after lunch, right? And so can we set up the most demanding activities for the times where you're most alert, right? So, like, math shouldn't be after lunch if after lunch is the most chaotic time. So what are your natural rhythms that you can follow in your body? And this is where some teachers, you know, giving them the freedom, like, Okay, well, after lunch, you crash. You're tired. That's okay. You're human. The kids are crashing too. So why don't we book the courtyard, and that's where you can do your class. Then you know, your lesson for reading. And so the kids will go in the courtyard and they have their books and they read. So scheduling those natural rhythms, paying attention to those so those activities go accordingly. That has been something that's super helpful. And you know, having like window covers. So here we have to worry a lot about the winter, right? So sometimes the temperature in the classrooms is really cold or really warm. So using window coverings to mitigate and to control temperature a little bit better. That way, opening the windows like it said, we talk about natural sound sources in the rooms, and what is an ideal station to be there, you know, because it can be distracting. Like I had a teacher that he did a lot of his teaching from the middle of the classroom, and when I was walking around with him, I showed him that was the most echoey part of his classroom, so that was not the best space. So then, as we went around and he heard me and saw it, then we moved that, you know, he needed to be more close to one side of the room, right, and some teachers placed themselves their desk right beside the door. Well, that's very distracting, if that's where you're teaching from. So just talking about that, I had to collaborate with acoustic engineers, you know, to kind of teach me a little bit about the acoustic over room. And what can we do to address those so I could use that to explain to teachers. And funny enough, you know this teacher, the one that had the echoey part, he he called me, like, a year after, and he's like, You know what's funny is, like, I haven't had a lot of calls and, like, throat infections, right? Which is something that the research said it was an outcome. So I said, DM I can I use your name? Can I tell teachers about you? It's like, absolutely. But now, like, I even have a partnership with a speech clinic in town. She helps teachers to use their breathing, you know, to be able to speak, because they speak for a long period of time. So a lot of teachers end up having issues with their voice and their throat and a lot of infections. So yeah, like all these things have come out of it, because we're trying to tune into your your body and what it needs, and those natural rhythms, and how can you bring those into the school classroom routine?
Jayson Davies
And, yeah, yeah. I love how you have kind of paired the research in the OT world, along with the culture of the indigenous people, along with audiologists and what they're saying about echoes and room like you have gone way outside this. I don't want to say you've gone outside the scope of OT, because you haven't, but you've gone outside the research of OT, which is what I'm like, always asking people and begging people to sometimes do a little bit like there is ot research, and the OT research shows that OT is effective. But we don't have to limit ourselves to just understanding the OT research. There's so much else out there that we can bring into our practice, right? Like, especially when it comes to, like, self regulation and social emotional learning. Like you talked about a counselor earlier, and you talked about, like, the audiologist, right? Like, all of that stuff is so important, and we can learn that, and we can use it. So just kudos to you for kind of getting outside the box. I love that.
Alex Thompson
Thank you. Yeah, I find that with nature, like, personally, it was very limited, like, I mean, you and I were talking before recording, the only book that I found as an OT with ot research for nature was balance and barefoot, literally, right? And a lot of the other research, you know, it came from counseling psychology, outdoor education, like, I'm a member of the American Experiential Education Association, and that's where a lot of my research comes from, for what I do in nature, because OTs are not doing that a lot yet, you know, it's a nuisance still, yeah, but there is evidence and and the reason why I thought ot was such a good choice to be doing this work, I love that occupational therapy is one of the few professional professions that the ethos of who We are has to do with seeing the human being as a holistic person. Yep, most of their healthcare disciplines focus on one thing, right? And we divide the human being into these one layer. But I'm like, OTs, you know, we are like, Shrek. We like the whole onion. We have to look at all the layers, and I feel like that's why I love being an OT and I love using nature, because it's so fitting with the layers of what makes human beings.
Jayson Davies
Yeah, yeah. All right, as we get to the last section of our podcast today, we had a question from someone in the OT schoolhouse collaborative community, and I want to give a shout out to epiphany for this question. She asked, Has anyone helped a teacher modify or rearrange an ex a classroom for Exceptional Children related to middle school. She's leaving it. She just left an IEP, you know, a team meeting, and the parent is very critical of the room, stating that is just sterile, and she didn't know how anyone could learn in that environment. So the room is arranged based on the autism teams recommendations, and they can't put a whole lot on the walls due to quote, behaviors of students destroying things. I guess I'm looking for ways to structure the room to help make it better. So I want to give you the opportunity to answer that one, right? Like, just put yourself in the situation a middle school classroom, super sterile. You've mentioned some general ideas already on this podcast, but what are some of the first things that you would try and want to do?
Alex Thompson
Well, so this is another aspect of the project. So when I am invited to do the classroom makeover, of course, I talk to the teacher first, and I say to her, you know, what are you seeing? Are the needs? What is the room used for throughout the day? And I get a schedule, but I also have a survey that I go and I do with the students starting in the preschool class all the way to high school, and the this survey goes through the census. So I say to them, like, okay, when you look around the classroom, what is very helpful to learn, what's not helpful, you know? What do you like the best? What would you like to see here? You know? And I. Get ideas. And I go through, you know, seeing, hearing, touching, feeling like literally every sense. And we also talk about community, like, what are some things in this room that help you to make friends and to feel part of the classroom? What are some things that are not helpful? So I will do that survey with the kids who use the room that you know, is it epiphany, right? That's her name. Yeah, yep. I will do a survey. So do a survey of the staff who uses the room, and do a survey of the kids, and then you're gonna get lots of ideas. I had a middle school, the one that I mentioned before, where the principal was kind and he gave us $10,000 to use, we had a quarter, well, even a third, a little bit less than a third of the room was designed to be a space where they could be free, They said, the kids, and they didn't have to worry about damaging stuff. And so in that room, the kids asked me we had a basketball net, you know, those little ones that you can just put on. We had some bean bags. What else did they OT, we had a big exercise ball, like the kids asked me what they wanted in that room, and that was the area designed for that. Right outside of that, there was another group of kids, a lot of them were autistic. They don't like a room with the exercise ball and stuff like that, feels too much for them, and so I partner. Actually, he was my neighbor. He was a retired woodworker, but he made toys. And I just showed him this picture of a cube, like a gigantic tube. Like, it's like, maybe, I don't know, four by two the cube. And we it has like holes all around, but they're in the shape of a circle, and so the kids called it the cat house. And inside the cube, there's the one area that doesn't have a hole, where it's where we put the cushion and we had a see through, kind of like mosquito netting on and that's where the Autistics wanted freedom and nothing to worry about in the environment will go to so there was those two kind of, you know, micro environments there. Then we also had another corner that it was more for movement. So I had, you know, one of those exercise ladders. That's where there was a swing, oh, I had some dumbbells. Like, there was a few choices to use for a movement break. There was the visuals for it. And we had the visual too. Like, when you went into that side of the room, you know, first you do, like an alerting, then you do a calming and centering activity, so the kids could choose and structure their own break. And there were the materials there on the shelf. Sometimes, though, those materials were kept in a hockey bag, because if there was another teacher using that space, they could just pull that out and go and do it in the hallway. So a lot of things, you have to be flexible, right? And it sounds me with epiphanies question that that room has to have the ability to be a flexible environment, so you set up for it. But I guess in a nutshell, what I would say is the users of the room. Are your space directors. They are the ones who tell you what they want, and we, as OTs, with our knowledge of you know the neurobiology of how the body works and what's best for learning and the senses, we give ideas and choices, and then they choose what they want.
Jayson Davies
Yeah. I think we can end the podcast on that. Honestly, no, I'm just kidding. Like that is such that is such great advice. Like we are always searching for data, always right, not just us. The teachers are trying to use best practices via data. The the principals are looking at school culture and data, and we're looking at data when it comes to sensory processing and fine motor skills and all that fun stuff. And the speech therapists are doing the same, the school counselors are doing the same, but we do so much of looking for data outside that we forget to do data inside and collect the individual or collective data that's right in front of us. And so I love that. You just said, You know what? I've got the data that shows this stuff helps, but I don't know which data to necessarily look at until I understand what the students need. And that is just a great way to go about it. And you said, you do it from like the whole school, right? But you could do this. One classroom. You could do it for a sub classroom, a group in the classroom. Absolutely, that's fantastic.
Alex Thompson
And that's how the classroom makeover goes. Like, it's not me saying, Oh, and you need these curtains and you need like, no, no, it's the kids. And the funny thing, you know, in that middle school I brought I have a in the survey, there's these pictures of all these chairs. Now that I had a budget, I could give them the choices that we could afford, and the kids pick the ones. And we talked about what each of those chairs, what the function was for their body, through their senses. And I said to them, like, I build up the enthusiasm, like, okay, guys like the chairs are gonna arrive in two weeks. I'm gonna come in my truck and we're gonna open them. Can you guys help me? So I had the whole class come down. 14 kids came to help me unload the stuff from the truck. We had carts and everything. As we are opening and unwrapping, we're talking about how, you know, chairs are tools, and chairs help us to modify how our energy is going. And what does it look like? What does it sound like? What does it feel like when you're ready to learn and when you use the chair? And so I said, Okay, so we only have three Yogi bowls, the bean bag chairs that I suggest, because the yogi bowls have the air beads that can modify so they feel a little bit more like encompassing of the human being. They're very expensive, but we only had three of them, and there's 14 kids, and they all like it, so we came up with a system for them to sign up. And then I said, tools are very effective when they're used to help us learn. If they're being flung around, thrown around, they're not safe. And so I said, you know, Mrs. Mr. So and So gave us this money, and I spent all this money, and I'm gonna trust you with all these treasures. So show me that I can trust you if I see them thrown, pick, you know, destroy. That tells me that these are not you. These classes not ready for them. And I come and I'm going to pick them up. So the teacher and the SCA rolled out, and one of the Fridays, the chairs got flung around, thrown around. They were wrestling with them, and one of my autistic kids, he said, We need to call Mrs. T the chairs were not used as tools. And the teacher called me, and I came back, we had a classroom meeting, and I said, Hey guys, what happened? And they were explaining. And I said, So what do you think? And a few of the kids were like, Yeah, you said that we're not supposed to use the chairs like that. I'm like, That's right. So what? What should happen? And they're like, you're gonna take them like I will. And are you taking them forever? I'm like, No, we're gonna we're gonna have a pause and a reset. I'm gonna take them away, and you guys can call me and you can tell me when you're ready to try again, and we will. So everybody pick chairs, and they load them in my truck, and I took them away, and a month later, I came back and they try them again. To this day, the one kid that I was saying, yeah, he, you know, he's the one that called he would still, if I saw him in the hallway, he'll still tell me they're using the chairs, Mrs. T You know, like, yeah, which is great, because you're teaching them self management and self evaluation, right? Like, are we using things as we are supposed to, are they helping? Are they not? And that self awareness helps with interoception, right? Like, so those are the bonuses of that, too, that you're teaching so much. It's not just the chair and how to use it.
Jayson Davies
Yeah, yeah. I love everything that we talked about. Like, we going into this podcast, right? I really assumed that it was going to be a lot about sensory in nature, and we've touched on those we have, but we've also touched on so many other aspects of occupational therapy. We've touched on behavior, we've touched on social, emotional we've touched on social, social interactions, right? We've touched on so many pieces, and all of that has kind of been combined, and it's all happening in like, this democratic way, per se, like within the student. I love that it is not you really saying anything here in this program. It is the students that are providing the information, and you're helping to interpret that information to help the teachers. I mean, that's just just fantastic. I love it. We're going to have to move on today. But before we do, I want to give you the opportunity to kind of share a little bit a about your nonprofit, which we didn't have as much time as I would have liked. Maybe we'll have to do another day to talk more about that, but but share just a little bit about what that is, how it kind of aligns. Aligns with everything you're doing, and then, and then share where people can go to learn more about you and what you're doing.
Alex Thompson
Yeah, so the the charity that we establish here in Canada is called Power for All. And I actually started that charity before I became an OT because I wanted the outdoor adventures to be accessible to all abilities. I myself, you know, I'm a neuro divergent learner, and I also have my invisible disabilities, and so it was important for me to figure out a way that people could access the outdoors, even if you couldn't move or, you know, if you have pain and things like that. So that's how it started. And because of wanting to create devices, I had ideas of devices that could be used to help to compensate for certain abilities. I was like, what do you need to do to create these devices? And that's how I came across. OT and so basically, married with a mortgage, left my job, and went back to school, got another, you know, undergrad that could help me to get into OT, and that's why I became an OT. So Power for All we have, you know, biking, climbing, paddling, we do parkour like there's a ton of different outdoor adventure activities that we use, and that is how we deliver occupational therapy services in the community. I wanted it to be a charity, a not for profit, because a lot of our fundraising efforts are for people who can't afford the services they can still come in and enjoy, you know, ot if they need it. And the referrals come from partner community service organizations, the school districts, so that we can really target the families that need it. And yeah, like, it's funny enough, this is going to age me, but yeah, we're going into our 16th year as a charity, and now we do, at first it was just summers. That's why I work for the schools, right? So we have the summers off, but in the last three years, we have been doing it all year long. So that's why I kind of have to spread my time and, you know, we contract other OTs physios. We're looking for physios. We're looking for species counselors to contract so we can offer that holistic perspective. We already have partnerships, like with clinics, you know, like a naturopathic clinic, audiologist, different things, because the kids come to us for cell regulation, but sometimes, you know, I need help, because I see that maybe there's some undiagnosed pain or there's undiagnosed deficiencies. And I had one of my kids come for cell regulation, you know, for two years, and it ended up being that he had an undiagnosed ulcer at the mouth of his stomach, and he was nine years old, and that's why he was having meltdowns. Wow. So again, right? Like the self regulation piece, when it's holistic, it you can you go into all these different areas, and that's why we have partnerships with a lot of disciplines so that we can serve our families better. So, yeah, Power for All ATS, so adventures, therapy, society, that's what the ats.com, that's where our website is. That's where you can connect. We're in Lincoln. Instagram, Facebook, absolutely.
Jayson Davies
Thank you, Alex, and we'll link to all that also really quickly. I just found out, right before we started this podcast episode, Alex shared with me this link, and we'll drop it in the show notes as well. But it is like a research library dedicated to basically nature based everything, therapy and all that good stuff, and that is at children and nature.org/research, library, research dash library, again, we'll put the link in the show notes. But Alex, thank you so much for sharing all the resources, all the great again. Everything that you said was about we, not me. I love that. Everything that you said was about doing the best for the children, even if it's difficult, like seeking out an audiologist or something like that. So you are obviously doing amazing things, helping everyone in your area. I love that, and now you're sharing that news with the entire world, which is fantastic. So thank you so much, Alex. We really appreciate it.
Alex Thompson
Thanks, Jayson, it's been a pleasure, until next time, I guess.
Jayson Davies
Next time, thank you. Bye. And with that, we wrap up this episode. Thank you so much for joining Alex and I on this enlightening episode of the OT school house podcast. Alex is doing such amazing things up in British Columbia, and I want to extend a big thank you to her as well for sharing her innovative approach to integrating nature into. Classroom design. We hope this episode has sparked new ideas and encourage you to consider how nature can play a role in enhancing learning spaces inside of the classrooms that you support and also the students that you serve, as you reflect on what you've heard today, I invite you to join our community of school based ot practitioners inside the OT schoolhouse collaborative by visiting ot schoolhouse.com/collab, you can earn a certificate of completion for engaging in this very episode, as well as others. You'll also be able to dive deeper into topics just like this and others and gain additional support in your practice. In the collaborative, we provide mentorship, ongoing support, and, of course, professional development courses. Thank you for listening. And here's to incorporating the tranquility and resilience of nature in to your daily practices. Until next time, take care and keep making a difference.
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