http://arkvalleysensorymuseum.org/, http://arkvalleysensorymuseum.org/events

Arkansas Valley Sensory Discovery Museum, Salida, CO (2026)

04/09/2026

Where Wonder Meets Innovation…

Something magical is arriving at the Buena Vista Library!

Join us for a Maker & STEM Discovery Lab: a hands-on experience where little minds dream big, build boldly, and explore freely.

✨June 1, 2026
✨10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
✨Buena Vista Library, Buena Vista, CO
✨Free Community Event (made possible by the library)

Designed for PreK–1st grade learners, this is a caregiver + child experience where curiosity leads the way. There’s no “right way” to explore…just open-ended discovery, joyful problem-solving, and moments of connection.

No registration required! Just bring your curiosity and imagination!

03/23/2026

Spring break is full of adventure, later bedtimes, travel, and a break from routine. While it’s joyful, coming back can feel big for little bodies and minds. At AVSDM, we see this transition as an opportunity to gently rebuild rhythms that support regulation, connection, and confidence.

Here are a few simple, sensory-informed ways to ease back in:

✨Start slow in the morning
If possible, give yourself and your child an extra 10–15 minutes. Soft light, quiet play, or a few moments of connection can help regulate before the day begins.

✨Preview the day
Talk through what’s coming in simple, clear language. Predictability helps children feel safe and grounded.
Ground through the body

✨Incorporate quick sensory supports like stretching, animal walks, or a long hug. These help organize the nervous system before transitions.

✨Rebuild familiar routines
Return to consistent rhythms like the same breakfast routine, same goodbye ritual, same bedtime flow. Consistency supports calm.

✨Create a cozy reset space at home
A few pillows, a favorite book, or a soft toy can create a space your child can return to when emotions feel big after the day.

✨Expect big feelings and meet them with calm
Transitions can show up as resistance, tears, or behaviors that feel challenging. This is communication, not defiance. Stay close, stay steady, and co-regulate.

At AVSDM, we believe regulation is something we build together through rhythm, connection, and sensory-rich support.

You’ve got this. And we’re right alongside you.

03/11/2026

✨ After-School Light Tube Play ✨

Some of the most magical moments of the day happen in the quiet space after school when children have time to slow down, explore, and follow their curiosity.

Today we set out our light tubes, and what started as simple sensory play quickly turned into a world of discovery from rolling them across the floor, watching the colors swirl and stacking them into glowing towers, and even using them as “flashlights” to explore the room.

Light play invites children to wonder, experiment, and regulate. The gentle glow captures attention while the movement of the colors supports visual tracking, calm focus, and imaginative storytelling.

At AVSDM, we love open-ended materials like light tubes because they allow children to:
✨Explore cause and effect
✨Strengthen visual sensory processing
✨Engage in calm, focused play after a busy school day
✨Follow their own creative ideas

Sometimes the simplest materials create the richest moments of discovery.

02/28/2026

What a joyful, curious, energy-filled morning at our Maker & STEM Discovery Lab!

Today the room was buzzing with invention, problem-solving, movement, and imagination. Children engineered towering structures in the Big Build area, designed and redesigned creations with magnetic tiles and loose parts, and explored early circuitry as they lit, spun, and powered their own simple builds.

Our Air Power Builders experimented with motion and force, testing twists and turns in tube pathways. At the Spin & Roll Wall, marbles raced, and cause-and-effect discoveries unfolded moment by moment.

In the My Amazing Body area, children explored breathwork, noticed their heartbeats after powerful frog jumps and bear crawls, studied x-rays on the light table, and talked about how their bodies feel when they move, build, and regulate. The Mountain Movement Zone was, as always, a favorite…swinging, balancing, climbing, spinning, and finding that just-right input.

What we love most about this lab is how naturally engineering, creativity, sensory exploration, and regulation weave together. When children are given open-ended materials and space to wonder, they don’t just “do STEM”, they think deeply, collaborate, persist, and discover what their bodies and brains can do.

Thank you to the families who came to explore, build, and play alongside us. Your presence helps create the warm, welcoming community we’re growing. ✨

02/27/2026

At the Arkansas Valley Sensory Discovery Museum (AVSDM), accommodations and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are embedded in the mission to create a space where every child can explore, wonder, and belong. In simple terms, UDL means designing activities and spaces so children with different strengths, needs, and learning styles can all participate from the start. Our sensory-rich Senses on the Move pop-up labs are intentionally designed to anticipate variability in how children move, communicate, regulate, and learn. We offer multiple ways to engage right from the start like quiet retreats alongside active zones, visual supports, flexible materials, caregiver guidance prompts, and open-ended child-led experiences that allow kids to participate at their own level. When individual accommodations are needed, they fit naturally into this flexible design. In this way, UDL serves as the foundation, and accommodations become personalized pathways within a space already built for inclusion, ensuring that all children, including those with diverse learning and sensory needs, can access joyful, meaningful discovery.

02/25/2026

The magic of simple materials and open play.✨

At our Maker & STEM Discovery Lab, a simple table of pipe cleaners, ribbon, foam tubes, and popsicle sticks becomes a world of invention. Loose parts building invites children to bend, twist, stack, and connect in their own way. We’ve seen animals come to life, growing structures, or even wearable designs like crowns, wings, or bracelets.

This kind of open-ended play builds early engineering skills while also supporting regulation. The resistance of bending materials, the soft textures, and the focused hand work provide calming tactile and proprioceptive input that helps bodies feel organized and settled.

There’s no right or wrong way to build here, only possibilities. With a little spark of magic (“Build something that grows” or “Create something you can wear”), children transform simple materials into imaginative creations while engaging their senses, strengthening fine motor skills, and finding a calm, confident flow through play.✨

02/25/2026

The magic of science.✨

Snap Circuits aren’t just about learning how electricity works, they’re powerful tools for regulation, focus, and confidence. At our Maker & STEM Discovery Lab, this station is one of the most anticipated, drawing children in and holding their attention in a calm, purposeful way.

Building a circuit requires intention. Each piece must connect just right, and the immediate cause-and-effect feedback…a light turning on, a fan spinning, a buzzer sounding…keeps kids engaged without overwhelm. This kind of structured tinkering helps organize busy brains and bodies, offering just enough predictability to feel safe while still inviting creativity.

We often watch children settle into a deeply focused state as they build. Breathing slows, frustration softens into determination, and pride lights up their faces when their design works. It’s hands-on problem solving that grounds the body, strengthens fine motor skills, and builds a powerful sense of mastery.

This sort of exploration is a great reminder that regulation can come from purposeful doing like connecting, testing, adjusting, and trying again.

And that’s exactly why Snap Circuits continue to be a favorite in the lab and at home.

That’s the magic of building.✨

02/24/2026

We are so excited about our new station at our Maker & STEM Discovery Lab: My Amazing Body. Here, kids explore how the body works from the inside out. Inspired by Me and My Amazing Body, this interactive felt set invites young learners to explore skin, bones, muscles, organs, and senses while learning how movement, touch, and breathing help their bodies feel strong, calm, and ready to play. ✨

Other Maker & STEM Lab activities including big building with big body movement, circuit and air play, and much more!

We can’t wait to explore with the Salida community this Saturday, wrapping up our final Senses on the Move pop-up event of our February series. More coming soon! ✨

02/21/2026

Today’s Color & Light Discovery Lab in Salida, CO was pure magic!

Rooms filled with glowing rainbows, quiet concentration, bursts of movement, and those beautiful moments when curiosity takes over and time seems to disappear.

Thank you to every family who came out to explore, play, and wonder alongside us. Your presence, patience, and willingness to follow your child’s lead is what makes these labs feel so special and alive.

Children moved freely through stations designed to engage the senses in different ways from scooping and sorting in the Rainbow Sensory Bins, experimenting with reflections at the Magnet & Mirror Wall, to diving into hands-on discovery at the Light Lab Exploration Tables.

On the Floor of Light & Color, kids built, sorted, read, and explored with rainbow blocks, LED cubes, window blocks, scarves, and books while the Aura Tent offered a quiet pocket of calm.

Budding artists created shimmering keepsakes at the Window Art Maker Table, and bodies in motion found joy in the Mountain Movement Zone through swinging, climbing, balancing, and big-energy play.

What we witnessed again and again was how color and light invite both excitement and regulation…children seeking brightness and experimentation, then naturally gravitating toward calm spaces when their nervous systems needed it.

To those who joined us today: thank you for trusting us with your Saturday morning and your children. We loved seeing familiar faces and watching new friendships spark.

And if you weren’t able to attend this one, we can’t wait to welcome you soon. New faces are always welcome, and every lab is a little different, shaped by the children who walk through the door.✨

02/21/2026

We’re so excited to share that Senses on the Move is coming to Buena Vista this spring through a new partnership with Buena Vista Parks & Recreation.

This series brings our mobile sensory discovery labs directly into the community, creating welcoming spaces where young children can explore, move, create, and regulate through hands-on, play-based experiences. Each lab is thoughtfully designed for ages 2-7 and rooted in child-led exploration, inclusive practices, and the science of how sensory experiences support development.

Families can expect immersive stations that engage the whole body and all the senses from tactile discovery and creative building to movement experiences and color and light discovery. Caregivers are encouraged to explore alongside their children, strengthening connection while learning simple ways to support regulation through play at home.

We are deeply grateful to Buena Vista Parks & Recreation for helping make these experiences accessible to more families across the Arkansas Valley. Partnerships like this are how we build stronger, more connected, more livable rural communities by investing in spaces where children and families can thrive together.

Spots will be limited to keep the experience calm, engaging, and child-centered. Registration details coming soon.

If you’ve been curious about Senses on the Move or missed previous pop-ups, this is a wonderful opportunity to explore with us.✨

Arkansas Valley Sensory Discovery Museum

04/09/2026

03/23/2026

03/11/2026

02/28/2026

02/27/2026

02/25/2026

02/25/2026

02/24/2026

02/21/2026

02/21/2026

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