Recently, Farmington High School has created its very own sensory walk for students to complete. These are great for kids who want to release stress and take a break from the struggles of the school day. The sensory walk is especially helpful to students who have special needs by helping them to use their senses and clear their minds.

As said on the website Educational PlayCare the walks, “Provide opportunities for children to actively use their senses as they explore their world through sensory play’ is crucial to brain development – it helps to build nerve connections in the brain’s pathways.” These are very helpful for kids so they can work and better focus on something fun but also educational. With sensory processing disorder, kids’ brains can become “jammed” and overloaded, so the paths help them to clear their neurological pathways and refocus. The website The Sensory Path explains in more detail.

Coach Baker, who is a Physical Education teacher here at FHS, provided more information about how sensory walks affect students here. She stated they, “help build nerve connections to the brain and encourage the development of motor skills. Science tells us that when you exercise, your brain function is higher, so these sensory walks can encourage scientific thinking and problem-solving. They can be adapted to any type of setting and could even include mindful activities which are beneficial to all students.” Baker further explained where the idea of a sensory walk for the high school came from. “I attended Missouri Society of Health and Physical Education Conference with Dr. Krause and Amy Gerstner, who is a physical education teacher at our middle school. We saw these sensory walks and how beneficial they can be to our students and wanted to bring that to Farmington. As soon as I got back, I ordered a trial run sensory walk to place on the floor to see how it would help kids here at FHS first before we put them in the other school buildings. We got super positive feedback from everyone and now they are being placed in every building in the Farmington School District!”

So there you have it, sensory walks are extremely helpful and have many positive effects on students!