Joel's New Green Zone Encourages Active Bodies, Calm Minds

Jumping, zig-zagging, and walking backward are not only allowed, but encouraged in the Joel School's new movement hallway. The purpose of the hallway is to help develop kid's motor skills and give them a mental break during the day.The hallway contains areas where different motor skills can be practiced. For example, there are areas where students are instructed to work on jumping, balancing, wall squats, line tracing, and more. The hallway is officially titled "the Pathway to the Green Zone." It was designed by occupational therapist Heidi Toussaint, adaptive physical education teacher Danielle Lucas, and school psychologist Katrina Hicks."Many types of movement can heighten a student and our goal is for students to leave the pathway more regulated and ready to learn," said Hicks. "The pathway is a playful way for kids to build connections in the brain that are responsible for sight, touch, sound, etc., which enables kids to complete complex, multi-stage tasks. This is part of a concept called sensory play."The Pathway to the Green Zone name comes from one of Joel's zones of regulation—areas in which students are encouraged to explore different emotions. "The Green Zone, mentioned in the title of our pathway, is where your body is calm and you are ready to learn, associated with feelings such as happy, calm, proud, productive, etc. Kids at Joel are learning all about the zones of regulation and how to help their bodies get into the green zone so they are ready to learn," said Hicks.Hicks said that the stations in the hallway contain explanations on how the activities work, and explanations on why the different motions are important for any adult who sees them. The activities aren't just aimed at helping kids develop their motor skills but also at working on their emotions and stress levels."Some of the benefits include developing motor skills such as spatial awareness, crossing midline (which aids in the easing tasks such as visually tracking objects/words, handwriting, dressing, or playing sports), balance and coordination, motor imitation, and flexibility. Other benefits include improving a child's wellbeing through tasks meant to improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and allow for a state of calm," said Hicks.According to Hicks, while the benefit of the pathway is the improved motor skills of the kids, the real goal is teaching the kids how to self-regulate. Hicks said that research has shown that breaks for movement during the day actually increase memory, focus, and academic performance.Students can use the pathway anytime by themselves or with a small group. Hicks said the pathway is located near some of the specialized instruction rooms, which allows kids who are using those rooms to use the pathway before or after they enter, though the pathway is available for use by any student.Hicks also shed some light on how the pathway came about."The Joel special education team had seen this type of pathway in other schools in Connecticut and around the country and loved the benefits it provides. Our special education team decided it would be a valuable addition to Joel and presented the idea to our administrators who also loved the idea and immediately gave us approval to move forward with developing the pathway. "The pathway was funded by Friends of Joel, a parent group. Hicks said that having that support has been a positive experience."We feel so lucky to have such a wonderful parent organization support our school community. Friends of Joel is always looking to support the needs of our students and staff," she said. "When we proposed the pathway to Friends of Joel, they were just as excited as we were and approved our proposal the same week! It was with Friends of Joel's support that we were able to take this idea and make it a reality in less than three months."A video of the pathway in use can be found on the Clinton Public Schools Facebook page.