Physical Education
Body awareness as a source of achievement, camaraderie, and well-being…to take command of their natural gifts with knowledge, ambition, and skill.
Fitness and Health
Caedmon’s physical education program develops in children a desire to attain their personal best, whether in sports-related skill sets, callisthenic stamina, or group dynamics. Classes give them the experience and conscious awareness of health and fitness. The children learn to celebrate each other’s unique talents, styles, and abilities without the premature presence of a win-or-lose mentality. In Middle and Upper Levels, students complete the Presidential Fitness Challenge by participating in four distinct exercises: curl-ups for abdominal strength; push-ups for upper-body strength; a shuttle run to measure quickness and agility; and a one-mile endurance run for stamina and running form.
Motor Development
Early Program students participate in movement classes filled with imaginative games and musical routines. Elementary children continue to develop both fine and gross motor skills, along with coordination and strength in a disciplined, non-competitive physical education environment. In addition to class in the Caedmon gymnasium, Middle and Upper Level students participate in a sixty-minute physical education class at the nearby Asphalt Green, a major sports facility, once a week. At this facility, the children regularly experience a full-length soccer field and basketball/hockey court in an instructive environment. All students utilize Caedmon’s private, outdoor playground on a daily basis.
Teamwork
Group games, drills, and rhythm and dance activities develop team awareness and good sportsmanship. Students also learn game strategy and the benefits of working together with teammates to achieve a common goal. “Lead-up” games are used to develop the manipulative and gross motor skills required for playing the major sports, in preparation for the demands of team competition in middle and high school. In anticipation of both individual and team competition that can be an integral part of secondary school life, “Sports Night” brings families to the school to watch the children perform in a wide range of sports.
Elementary Yoga
The practice of Yoga introduces the mental and physical discipline required to bring about the union of body, mind, and spirit. The goal for each child is to find his or her personal space and equilibrium, while calming and quieting the body and mind. Yoga is also useful in teaching the children to find the self-control and inner-confidence they will need at other times during their academic day. The stretching and breathing exercises that students master during yoga often complement the activities and games played during physical education class.
