Movement & Art
Elements of Art and Movement can be seen throughout the classrooms at Mariposa though it is not taught by a specialist. Rather art and movement is integrated in each student’s day by the classroom teacher using Waldorf methodologies. Students begin each day with 10-15 minutes of concentrated movement activities that incorporate oral language and math. At other parts of the day, students may use materials such as wooden staffs or bean bags to play concentration and memory games. Movement is strongly supported by scientific and developmental research to improve lateralization of brain development (right and left hemispheres) necessary for learning academic skills.
Writing assignments are typically preceded by drawings from an oral story or book to increase comprehension and memory of the story details as well as to improve grapho-motor skills in a less stressful manner. Students also represent literature in watercolor, chalk drawings, and beeswax modeling. Traditional textbooks are not emphasized and instead, the curriculum topics and themes are generated by the teachers and conveyed through stories, fieldtrips, student inquisition. Information is then captured through writing and artwork into main lesson books which become the student’s self-made textbook for the year.
Writing assignments are typically preceded by drawings from an oral story or book to increase comprehension and memory of the story details as well as to improve grapho-motor skills in a less stressful manner. Students also represent literature in watercolor, chalk drawings, and beeswax modeling. Traditional textbooks are not emphasized and instead, the curriculum topics and themes are generated by the teachers and conveyed through stories, fieldtrips, student inquisition. Information is then captured through writing and artwork into main lesson books which become the student’s self-made textbook for the year.