Sensory Friendly Outings

When a child has sensory processing disorder a typical outing for a family can come with some struggles; large or small. It took us a while. But one thing we always promised ourselves and our family is that we would TRY.

To me this is the first step. Mustarding up the confidence to try and face society’s standards about how children should act in public, completely crumpling up that paper and throwing it the heck away. Because reality is typical or neurodiverse family there’s is going to be hard days and good days. And if you are reading this and you are one of those judge mental people, or “stop a stare” individuals when a child is having a melt down I advise you to change your ways, now. To the mom scared of the next outing because she doesn’t know what it brings I encourage you to try. There is a ton of positive, supportive moms that are right there with you when something doesn’t go as planned, we won’t stop and stare, we won’t judge, and maybe even we will slip you a to go bottle of wine in your diaper bag as we walk by. Seriously we’ve ALL been there even for the “stop and stare” individuals who act like their family is perfect.

This is the only way we’ve found these outings is because of TRYING.

Secondly, acceptance. As much as you want other people to accept your family for who they are, deep down you have to accept it. You have to be willing to explain “hey, this is my 3 year old son. This might be a challenge for him but we really want to give him the opportunity to try. How can we make this work?” I promise you 9/10 you will be SHOCKED with the most supportive response you get from workers and volunteers.

And that’s my Ted talk for this post and onto the fun stuff.

Elmwood Park Zoo

Located in Norristown, Pa. This zoo is on the smaller side of most of our local & state zoos so the amount of people in a small space is sometimes the biggest sensory issue for us, BUT there are so many awesome features here to help the day be successful.

Feeding of the Giraffes. My son loves animals. The line can be long on weekends but an idea would be have someone to wait in line until the end and then bring your child up before paying. Once it is your turn it is just your immediate family on the platform feeding the giraffes so this is an awesome time for your child to enjoy the animals !

Multipurpose Quiet Space. Building #26 on the map toward the South Gate of the zoo there is a fenced in quiet space for those who need a break. We usually stop to eat lunch or have a snack here as the pavilion are way to over crowded for my son. They have some awesome sensory activities and as much as your child needs this area so do you as the parents! Take a break. Take a breathe. Regroup. Relax.

Playground. Our favorite way to end the zoo!

Helping Friendly Farms

Located in New Hope, Pa. One day our speech therapist called us up and said “hey you need to check out this local farm”. So I looked it up. A sensory barn? Okay, cool. A garden? Okay, cool. Animals? Goats & chickens? Okay, cool. Let’s try it. Little did I know the first time we arrived to this farm we would be finding one of our FAVORITE family outings and one of our FAVORITE people to visit, the owner Jess.

The sensory barn. It’s always a plus when your kids (neuro diverse & typical ) and yourself think it’s cool! A light room. All sorts of cool things to get all the visual sensory needs. A meditation room. And a sensory gym. Swings, slides, tunnel, crash pad, mats and more! Everytime we go the kids are in HEAVEN.

The garden. An adorable little area for the kids to roam and get the much needed out door time they need! Jess even allows them to pick some fresh veggies or fresh apples from the trees (season depending).

The goats & chickens. By far my two FAVORITE part. I honestly didn’t know my kids were such animal lovers until we visited this farm. Climb with goats, pet goats, and even if you lucky pet a chicken.

Altitude Trampoline Park

What better way to get some sensory input then jumping? Another one of our favorite outings is to this specific trampoline park. They have a time for toddlers everyday. We have never been on a weekend, we usually make this a weekday adventure because in the morning there is usually only a handful of people and it’s such a great time!

We are most successful at this trampoline park because it is mostly just trampolines all in the same area. It’s not sectioned off with other obstacles courses etc. It’s not dark, or has lights flashing during the morning hours. We struggle with all the visual chaos at the other trampoline parks. I do know that Urban Air & Sky zone have sensory friendly jumps so look into it!

Places on our list to try this year:

-Crayola Factory In Exton, Pa. Check their website they do sensory friendly nights!

-Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, Pa. Check their website as they have specific dates with hours before they open to public on certain dates for sensory friendly experience & this one is free!

- Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pa. Check their website as they have an amazing sensory friendly program!

Here is an amazing link I found with a long lengthy list of sensory activities and nation wide companies that may have things in your area as well! Be like a buddy.