DALTON, Ga. — Sometimes students can get “ants in their pants” or simply need to “get the wiggles out,” teachers at Westwood School said.

“A lot of times students get restless or distracted because they’re not always able to move around freely,” said Debra Pourquoi, an exceptional student services teacher.

Pourquoi said understanding that, teachers decided to create a sensory path that would “utilize a series of movements to decrease behaviors while increasing cognition,” the website www.thesensorypath.com states.

Over winter break in February, several Westwood teachers completed the first phase of a sensory path at the school.

“We took a large hallway that’s away from other classes and turned it into something to benefit kids,” Pourquoi said.

The school received a grant for $1,500 from the Dalton Elks Lodge to help with the project. Barry Corbin, exalted ruler, said lodge members were glad to help.

“We have a grant program we use for local charities,” he said. “We also donate nationally, but we like to keep the money right here at Dalton.”

Corbin said lodge members are always looking for projects to donate to.

“We have several projects in Dalton like this (youth-related) we contribute to,” he said. “We love these types of projects.”

Westwood School celebrates creation of sensory path

According to the website Fit & Fun Playscapes (https://fitandfunplayscapes.com/), sensory paths are “colorful, creative and playful ways for kids to build sensory pathways, connections in the brain that are responsible for sight, touch and sound.”

Sensory paths enable children to multitask, and are a “great way for kids to develop motor skills like balance, hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness,” the website states.

Two of the main features of the Westwood path are a bear crawling component and walking on “logs” to avoid “water.”

Megan Walker, a visual arts teacher who created a draft for the hallway where the path is located, said there are plans to add more activities. One wall will have vertical jumps, simulated various forest animals and textured areas for students to explore.

“Instead of doing the whole thing at once, we completed a little bit and will allow students to lead the process,” she said.

Walker said by having the hallway where the path is located away from classrooms, students are able to play without distracting other students.

“If there is a whole group that needs to come out, they can,” she said. “I think it’s so fantastic.”

Walker said the path is for students in all grade levels. The school is pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

“This is great for any student having a hard time keeping still,” she said.

Walker said although the sensory hallway is something teachers want to keep for years, they are thinking of ways to make changes.

“What we paint is more permanent, but the idea is to start small and change what doesn’t work,” she said.

Pourquoi said it takes two to three minutes to get through the activities, but sometimes that’s all students need to get refocused.

“We’re hoping it cuts down on discipline and teachers reprimanding,” Pourquoi said. “This hall is for all grade levels because we have fifth-graders who need it, too.”

Pourquoi said the hallway is a result of “great teamwork.”

“We can draw and paint it, but we needed money, so we’re grateful for the Elks Club,” she said.

Walker said the hallway is the “beginning of something that hopefully continues to evolve.”