Physical Education & Nutrition
The Mulberry School Physical Education program is an extension of the classroom, promoting the same values of cooperation, fair play, and personal discovery.
Mulberry students are encouraged through positive reinforcement in order to challenge their physical and creative capacities. Growth is acheived at rates that are in line with the student's overall development. Above all, Mulberry PE is a place for kids to have fun in a safe environment, while learning valuable lessons that transcend sports.
Mulberry PE includes all the typical skill building children need such as ball handling, jumping rope, balancing. Children may also be introduced to tai chi, ballet, hiking, lacrosse, double dutch jump rope or the famous rough-housing unit. Mulberry strives to ensure that through introducing a variety of movement choices, every child can find some level of success in physical activity and "find that which speaks to you" that could become a lifelong passion.
Nutrition is also incorporated. Children bring out their lunchboxes and discuss food as fuel for our wonderful bodies. Children learn why making good choices when it comes to carbohydrates, protein and water can affect how they feel and learn.
For more information, refer to the Nutrition Guidelines for Mulberry (17 kb pdf) .
S.P.A.R.K (Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids)
The S.P.A.R.K. organization began studying elementary physical education in 1989, and today, the name SPARK represents a collection of exemplary, research-based physical activity/nutrition programs that enable children to:
- Enjoy and seek out physical activity.
- Develop and maintain acceptable levels of physical fitness.
- Develop a variety of basic movement and manipulative skills so they will experience success and feel comfortable with physical activities.
- Develop the ability to get along with others in movement environments (e.g., share space and equipment, employ the "golden rule" of competition-be a good sport, and demonstrate cooperative behavior).
Mulberry uses S.P.A.R.K to develop healthy lifestyles, motor skills, movement knowledge and social skills.
Art
Mulberry students have the advantage of hands-on experiences with a wide range of Art styles and media. Starting in preschool and increasing in sophistication through the elementary years, students work extensively with water colors, pastels, oil paints, clay, glass and other materials.
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Water Colors |
Pastels |
Oils |
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Ceramics |
Glass |
Ceramics |
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Self Portrait - JK |
Self Portrait - 2nd |
Self Portrait - 5th |
Through both spontaneous, self-directed and teacher-directed art projects, students discover that art is truly a form of self-expression, while also learning about art through historical references to specific artists. Furthermore, learning in such areas as literature, math, social studies and the sciences are is reinforced by the integration of art into thematic projects. This integrated approach brings learning alive for students, creating engaged and excited learners.
Music
Why do we teach music?
- Music is a science: It is definite, specific and demands exact acoustics.
- Music is a foreign language: It is a highly developed form of shorthand that uses symbols to represent ideas
- Music is mathematical: It is rhythmically based on the subdivision of time.
- Music is history: It reflects the environment and times of its creation.
- Music is physical education: It requires coordination and control of muscle which respond instantly to the sound the ear hears and the mind interprets.
- Music is all of these things, but most of all, it is art.
We teach music because it brings more love, compassion, gentleness, goodness, beauty and life…to life!
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Music and Movement for Preschool
Once per week, children in all the preschool classes, junior kindergarten and kindergarten get a chance to move their bodies to different rhythms or act out both new and familiar stories to different types of music. They learn to distinguish between high-low, loud-quiet, fast-slow and explore different beats. Different props help make each class an adventure as children twirl with color scarves or hop into hula hoops to the beat.
Music for Grades JK-2
The emphasis here is on experiencing the joy of singing. Students develop their singing voices and increase voice control. With more experience, children learn to sing in rounds and echo melody patterns. Children also spend time with instruments in order to study and listen for beat-rhythm, tempo, and timbre. Using their bodies or instruments, the students learn to reproduce rhythmic patterns.
Music for Grades 3-5
The curriculum for the older students builds upon what has been learned. The children now memorize and sing more difficult pieces using several part harmonies. They practice sight-reading vocal music using the sol-fa syllables and perform the scale using solfege. They also learn to read, write and perform rhythmic patterns using quarter notes, half notes and whole notes. Students analyze music for dynamics and tempo. The recorder is introduced in third grade and continued through fourth. In fourth and fifth grade, students learn about the influence of various cultures and historical events on music and are able to identify musical forms from ancient music through the present as well as famous composers.
More on Mulberry's 21st Century Curriculum
In addition to PE, Nutrition, Art and Music, the Mulberry Curriculum is further enriched by Gardening, Cooking, Sewing, Field Trips, Service Projects & More. For a glimpse into each grade, check the preschool and elementary pages, and be sure to visit Mulberry!
