Looking to engage adults with varying abilities in meaningful activities?
Discover how to create inclusive sensory experiences that spark creativity, connection and engagement, regardless of ability.
Introducing TrayScapes!
What is TrayScapes?
TrayScapes is an immersive experience that invites participants to explore, experiment, and create with carefully curated materials. This experience fosters connection, self-expression, and sensory engagement, ultimately enhancing overall well-being.
We believe that the TrayScapes approach offers the most inclusive, engaging, and innovative hands-on experience for adults with varying abilities.
Who is it for?
TrayScapes is designed for activity directors, therapists, caregivers, educators, and volunteers seeking creative and inclusive ways to engage adults with hands-on experiences, regardless of their abilities.
Why it works!
TrayScapes experiences work because they are…
Versatile: TrayScapes can be tailored to fit a wide range of settings and participants, offering a unique, adaptable experience for individuals with diverse needs and abilities.
Adaptable: The flexible structure of TrayScapes allows for personal expression and can be easily adjusted to accommodate various cognitive and physical abilities.
Sensory Stimulating: TrayScapes engages participants through a rich variety of textures, colors, shapes, sounds, and weights, inviting exploration and interaction.
Thought-Provoking: By encouraging participants to explore and interact with the materials in an open-ended way, TrayScapes prompts reflection, problem-solving, and deeper creative thinking.
Memory-Evoking: Material selection for TrayScape experiences can trigger memories and emotion, fostering personal connections to the activity and stimulating conversation and reminiscence.
What makes TrayScapes unique?
TrayScapes combines creativity with mindfulness, grounding participants in the present moment while fostering connection and self-expression. Its fresh, unconventional approach sets it apart from traditional activities.
At the heart of TrayScapes are three core principles:
- We focus on the journey, not the destination, allowing participants to immerse themselves fully in the process, without pressure to achieve a specific outcome.
- We create temporary works, encouraging spontaneity and adaptability, rather than striving for permanence.
- We embrace a diverse range of materials, going beyond conventional choices to inspire curiosity, exploration, and sensory engagement.
All of this unfolds on a large white tray that serves as a canvas for creative exploration. Its clear boundaries promote greater freedom within the space, while keeping materials organized and easily accessible.
In addition, we have a strategic approach to offering materials collections that extends attention spans and increases accessibility, regardless of ability.
TrayScapes offers a structured yet adaptable experience, allowing each participant to engage with the creative process in a deeply personal and meaningful way. By stimulating the senses, nurturing self-expression, and fostering a sense of discovery, TrayScapes opens up a space for creativity, reflection, and connection, regardless of ability
Bring the TrayScapes approach to your world!
Words from Kelsie, manager of a Trayscapes partnering facility
"Our members look forward to TrayScapes all month. They love this activity and have a sense of pride and accomplishment in their creations. We love TrayScapes because it allows members who have language barriers and/or other challenges to express themselves.
We definitely recommend others introducing TrayScapes to their community. This activity has sparked meaningful conversations and reminiscence to those who partake. This activity is different compared to other activities because it encourages creativity without the frustration that the result is "wrong."
Every member who leaves with their photo from TrayScapes cannot wait to show their creation off the staff and their families."
Kelsie Short, Respite and Enrichment Center manager at Jefferson Area Board of Aging
About TrayScapes
Our Mission
Our Materials
Our Materials
At TrayScapes, our mission is to inspire meaningful engagement and hands-on exploration for adults of all abilities. We believe that creative experiences are an opportunity for self-expression, connection, and joy.
Our Materials
Our Materials
Our Materials
Our carefully chosen materials are at the heart of the TrayScapes experience, offering enticing textures, color, and form that spark curiosity. Each item encourages open-ended exploration, allowing participants to engage at their own comfort level.
Our Impact
Our Materials
Our Impact
By empowering professionals to create accessible, sensory-rich activities, we help foster inclusive environments where everyone can participate and thrive. Through these experiences, a sense of well-being emerges, bringing moments of calm and fulfillment to all.
Work with Nicole
Nicole Root is a Creative Engagement Specialist with over a decade of experience working with adults of diverse abilities. As the creator of the TrayScapes experience, she brings hands-on, sensory-rich activities to adults in assisted living, memory care, healthcare, and adult day centers on a monthly basis. When not facilitating TrayScapes, Nicole is developing new experiences, or empowering other leaders to bring Trayscapes-inspired activities to their own communities.
Nicole offers virtual guidance and support to help you implement this engaging approach in your community. Whether you are a program director, therapist, educator, caregiver, or volunteer working with adults, our online support will help you create, implement, and sustain meaningful sensory experiences that encourage connection and creativity for all.
Fill out the form below to schedule a free 20-minute call and Nicole will answer your questions, help you explore your options, and offer customized guidance to get you started.