Classrooms and Early Learning Centers

WHY IS LIGHTING IMPORTANT IN CLASSROOMS AND EARLY LEARNING CENTERS?

Ensuring excellent visual comfort in spaces where users spend long periods of time is very important for the human eye and the nervous system. This is even more important for classrooms and childcare facilities with children who are in a developmental stage. Light is one of the most exciting elements of exploration and discovery with young children; a way to explore emotion, beauty, vivid imagination, and learning. Using light in Sensory play can calm and stimulate senses and is an integral part of aiding children’s development.

WHAT IS SENSORY PLAY?

Sensory play is any activity spent engaging and stimulating any of the child’s senses. Each new experience a child has with a different sense builds nerve connections that develop their brain.

BENEFITS OF SENSORY PLAY

For Babies, sensory play helps them learn more about the world around them and develop more language as they respond to different stimuli. Toddlers will use sensory play to develop their thinking abilities and start to be able to complete activities on their own. Young children, through sensory play, will begin exploring independently and develop their creativity. Overall, sensory play encourages exploration, problem-solving, language development and motor skills.

HOW DOES SENSORY LIGHTING WORK?

Several studies prove that sensory lighting (both light and color therapy) can help aid a child’s learning ability to achieve higher academic skills, and improve cognitive abilities and overall behaviors within an early learning center (ELC) environment. In addition, sensory lighting can enhance social and emotional skills, increase relaxation, and provide enjoyment while improving concentration, alertness, calmness and general awareness.

LightEFX’s sensory lighting systems introduce subtle and colorful lights into an area without the glare that conventional indoor lighting provides. It operates complementary to existing lights, providing children, staff and parents a visual, fun way for engagement, relaxation and children’s napping time. The system uses acoustic panels with randomly placed fiber optic star points resembling the night sky. The stars can be interactive through color changes, they can twinkle or be animated – shooting star animations add an unexpected little surprise to the observer. In addition, the sensory panels hold acoustic properties for sound absorption, creating a relaxing environment perfect for any classroom.

COLOR LIGHTING PSYCHOLOGY

StarEFX starlight colors are; green, light blue, blue, violet, yellow and white. Each color has a proven, specific psychological and physiological effect on children and adults.

Hover over the images below to see their effects.

Green

• Acts as a relaxant
• Fights depression
• Regulates the pituitary gland (helps maintain homeostasis)
• Calms the nervous system
• Fights insomnia
• Stimulates regeneration and helps fight infections
• Can also slow metabolism, which produces a calming effect

Light Blue

• Creative expression
• Lowering blood pressure
• Fight exhaustion
• Pain relief
• Breathing
• Concentration
• Tranquillity
• Studying
• Understanding

Blue

• Reduces stress and nervous tension
• Lubricates joints
• Fights infections
• Helps the body and mind remain calm and relaxed
• Promotes creativity
• Helps give focus and attention
• Increases positive thinking
• Removes stress and anxiety
• Encourages inspiration.

Violet

• Assists the body with emotional release
• Stimulates creative and methodical thinking
• Builds motivation
• Calms the mind
• Promotes relaxation of muscles
• Purifies the body, as it assists with detoxification

Yellow

• Stimulates happiness
• Has a cleansing effect on the mind and body
• Generates optimism
• Increases confidence
• Helps with self-esteem
• Helps with extraversion
• Builds emotional strength
• Promotes friendliness and social interaction
• Inspires creativity

White

• Promotes clarity of mind
• Stimulates the production of serotonin (regulates sleep and
• Gives energy
• Reduces effects of seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
• Helps purify the body
• Helps with energy release and production
• Promotes relaxation
• Helps with sleep

ARE SENSORY LIGHTS SAFE?

Yes. They are very safe. The lighting technology used in our sensory lighting is isolated – the StarEFX electronics are isolated above the ceiling or in an area away from the actual fiber optic stars. This method was developed to eliminate risk, thus ensuring the safety of all users, especially children using the sensory room unattended.

LightEFX technology uses cold lighting; therefore, no heat is applied, thus eliminating any contact with electricity. The lighting technology contains a low voltage illuminator, which eliminates the risk of electrification. The sensory light fibers emit a low glare light, reducing the risk of any eye damage. And finally, no UV rays are transported through the cables; thereby removing the risk of radiation exposure.

Sensory Lighting in Classrooms and Childcare Facilities

LightEFX works with clients to create sensory lighting in already-built childcare facilities or ones under development.

We offer a range of pre-made sensory lighting products, or we can design custom lighting for your facility.