Nature is the most brilliant teacher!
Today, the Grades will circle the trail around Alice Lake in our annual Terry Fox Run. This event exemplifies our physical education program, as students come together in the outdoors, whatever the weather brings, for the joy and challenge of exertion, and in doing so, create something bigger than their individual selves. Nature is the most brilliant teacher. In pre-school and kindergarten children dig, pour, climb, build, skip, and run, moving their bodies in different ways to respond to their environments and the tasks called by their imaginations. On forest walks, children are connected to their home environment, observing the seasons, picking up litter as they go, and learning to take care of their buddies. Teachers reinforce this learning in circle and games that emphasize cross lateral movement, balance coordination, and celebrating the rhythms of the year.
The outdoors continues to set the stage for nature studies, science, physical education and social learning in the Grades. This Friday, Grades 1 – 3 will be at Camp Summit in Squamish Valley for a day of social learning in the outdoors. Through scavenger hunts, archery and group games, these students will build the foundations of the social skills and confidence required to work together. These short trips lead the way to challenging excursions such as the Grade 6 & 7 canoe trip in the Bowron Lakes. For months, these students have studied paddling skills, outdoor equipment, survival, and astronomy. Now that the skies are clearing, they will be able to observe the celestial bodies they studied in all their natural glory. By integrating our whole bodies, engaging our minds, and building our compassion and understanding, outdoor physical education meets the needs of the whole child.
-Gabriel