Warwick Valley Central School District occupational therapists recently designed, created and installed two sensory pathways for kindergarten students at Pine Island Elementary School. The pathways are made of vinyl stickers of numbers, letters and images on the floor that students follow while doing activities like hopping, crawling and stomping.
“It’s been a very, very popular and worthwhile activity, especially at this level where kids are just beginning to use certain movements and spatial awareness,” said Pine Island Principal John Russo, who has a background in physical education.
The occupational therapists (Kristen Longo, Ashley Ludington and Heather Hilliard) came up with designs and used a Cricut machine to print out vinyl stickers. Then the therapist just had to peel off the stickers and place them on the floor. There are two different sensory paths, one on the first floor and one on the second floor.
The sensory path activities include jumping from one numbered banana to the next on a banana tree, walking like a gorilla by following handprints and footprints and tiptoeing on letters of the alphabet arranged in a figure eight. Occupational therapists sometimes take students to use the sensory paths. And the occupational therapists also made a video of how to do each activity so teachers could bring their classes to the paths.
Warwick Valley Central School District occupational therapists recently designed two sensory pathways for kindergarten students at Pine Island Elementary School.
A student takes parts in a recently designed, created & installed sensory pathways for kindergarten students at Pine Island Elementary School.
