The equipment and features available in the Snoezelen Room at the Weyburn Comprehensive School have been growing and expanding, as is the use of the room.

The room was opened a few months ago with much of the equipment in place, but some of it was on order as it's specialized equipment, said special education teacher Jodi Abel.

Some of the newest additions include a musical hopscotch, an interactive star carpet, tactile panels, and a water mattress with bubble mirrors. These are in addition to the original equipment that includes the popular ball pit, and light and sound projection system and a hammock seat. There is also a shower room and hot tub, which is used for therapeutic use as well.

In addition, Abel discovered a small, unused court yard just outside the room, and have placed some outdoor play items there for the use of students after a major cleanup was held to get it ready.

The room is useful for all ages and many different kinds of uses, most often with special education students from Weyburn and surrounding communities, but also for adult patients, such as those with Alzheimer's or motor skill problems.

Abel said there are many more additions to equipment to come, including an image captor, moon walkers, stretcheze, a no-mess sandbox, ribbon balls, big foot striders, glow jewelry, a platform swing for the courtyard, water colours, dizzy disk, water ballet, inside-out ball, string thing, and liquid kaleidoscope.

Bookings for the room are constant, as right now on average there might be two or three hours in a week available. Abel estimates usage is at over 90 per cent, and expects that to increase as people use the room and word-of-mouth spreads its benefits and uses.

Besides bookings from the schools in Weyburn, they have also come from Midale, Griffin, Montmartre, Ogema, Estevan, the Mini-Go class at Family Place, and patients from Souris Valley Extended Care Centre.

As the weekday time slots get filled, said Abel, they will start to make bookings for the evenings and weekends.