Art, Music, PE, and STEM

MBES Art is a place where students get to experience 50 minutes of creativity per session. Students attend art 1 to 2 times per week. Each class begins with an introduction lecture/discussion on an artist, art technique or element of art that we are learning about. We spend time practicing fine motor development with the use of scissors, paint brushes, paper mache techniques, drawing with different materials, weaving, ceramics and collage. We emphasize being a good artist by supporting our friends in the art making process and with practicing art critiques. All units have a culminating product that will come home after it has been on display.

There will be opportunities for some students to participate in art shows at OCAF and other venues. Students will also participate in Artome (a fundraiser) in which the parents can purchase their child’s art.

 It is not necessary to wear special clothes to art as most of our materials will not stain; but sometimes drip-drops can happen on shoes. Please do not wear your nicest shoes and clothes to art class.

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Music classes at MBES are taught primarily using the Orff-Schulwerk method. This is an approach to music education that is based on the belief that the easiest, most effective method of teaching music is to draw out the student's natural interests in rhythm and melody and allow these to develop gradually. The child is led by intuition from simple to more sophisticated expression, beginning with speech patterns, rhythmic movement, and two-note melodies, and moving logically into more complex melodies and rhythms. Students in an Orff classroom are encouraged to be expressive and to explore musicality in their own ways. They sing, move, play instruments, and use manipulatives and technology daily. You won't see them sitting still for long! 

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MBES Physical Education is a place where students get to experience 50 minutes per session to learn movement and gross motor skills. We usually begin with learning and improving a skill, such as throwing, catching, locomotor or movement skills, balancing, striking, etc. We spend some time practicing the skill, and then we begin to implement this skill into game play. We play games with a purpose by applying our skills in games or stations.  We emphasize good sportsmanship (winning and losing appropriately, getting along with teammates and opponents, showing respect for all, etc.) while properly performing the skills. We also like to play games where we practice vocabulary or math, but in a setting where we can move around and use movement skills that we have learned. Any time I can sneak in some of those academic subjects into our games and activities is a "plus"!  

 

Proper dress is very important in PE. Students should wear tennis shoes (shoes that cover the entire foot, toes, and heel), and girls should wear shorts under dresses and skirts.  You can check your student's activity schedule to see which days they will have PE. 

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STEM classes at MBES are an opportunity for our students to explore and think about a variety of topics and skills. The students will learn and use science, technology, engineering, mathematics, art, and gardening. The students will explore, build, and garden across the MBES outdoor spaces. They will also use technology to code and use robots. We use books to inspire and the students use novel engineering to help characters in the books solve their problems. The students will practice the engineering design process where they will ask, plan, create, test, and improve various designs and ideas they have to solve problems or tasks. Most importantly the students learn to become problem solvers and learn that their ideas can help others in the community.