Nurturing Care’s Sensory Room Laboratory welcomed its first group of children this week for a hands-on visit where kids and adults tested tools designed to support a wide range of sensory needs. Pastors, church leaders, and curious kids moved through stations around the room, trying items and learning how each resource might work in their own setting.

Nurturing Care developed the room to support neurodiverse visitors—including adults—during NTS-related events. The same space also serves as a test lab for churches exploring child-friendly sensory tools. Many congregations build their own sensory spaces through trial and error, without access to an adaptive environment where they can try equipment before purchasing it.

During the visit, leaders compared options such as white-noise and brown-noise machines and tested how sound changed under the room’s sound-dampening canopy. They also tried different noise-reducing headphones, weighing comfort against audio clarity. Leaders said many parents want headphones that lower volume without blocking hearing so much that children miss instructions from adults.

Adults also evaluated sensory tools by weight, size, and texture—hands-on insight that online shopping can’t provide. The lab includes supplies to sanitize shared items between uses, and includes several multifunction devices that combine features such as vibration and sound to reduce the number of tools needed.

Children gravitated toward furniture designed for calming breaks, including age-appropriate weighted blankets, varied seating options, and visual aids. As they moved from station to station, they traded seats—especially around a PeaPod-style chair that doubles as a compression-style rest space.

One unexpected highlight came when children discovered a portable keyboard, purchased so it can be played while wearing headphones. Several children took turns playing, revealing musical talent and confidence.

Nurturing Care director Dean Blevins said most tools were intentionally purchased through widely available online retailers so participants can easily find the same items. The organization also keeps a catalog of each resource, including images of how the products appear online.

Leaders from the visiting church said the experience helped them identify tools they may adopt locally, and children left with positive experiences in the room. Nurturing Care credits Camp Encourage, a Kansas City ministry, with helping design the space and providing a video-based introduction for future visiting churches. The room functions both as a sensory space and as a practical lab—helping congregations learn how to support neurodivergent children through guided exploration.