Stewardship is the cornerstone of the Physical Education/Stewardship Education program at FSP. Through Billy’s curriculum of games, sports, team-building activities, group challenges, and environmental education activities, students learn to take care of themselves (How can exercise help my body? What does my body need to be healthy?), their communities (How does playing fairly help build my classroom community? How can we work together as a community to overcome this challenge?), and our world (What can I do to be a good steward of our shared environment?)
In their PE/ SE classes last week, third and fourth graders trained to become citizen scientists, learning to identify monarch butterflies by size and field markings and noticing differences from look-alike species. Students are now identifying monarch butterflies around our campus, confirming their sighting with a classmate, and documenting this information in the classroom. This information is then added to scientific research about monarch butterflies via an online program. This week, fifth and sixth graders are working on developing exercise habits through trail runs, warmups, and stations, and they are practicing teamwork skills through classic FSP games like Fox in the Field. Last Friday, first and second graders spent their classes moving new sand into our courtyard sandbox. Shoveling and lifting helped develop strength and gross motor coordination, and students had a chance to witness firsthand preschoolers’ joy as they dug and tunneled in the new sand.