| Grade One | Grade Two | Grade Three | Physical education |

Eurythmy

Eurythmy, developed by Rudolf Steiner, is an art of human movement set to music, poetry, or speech. It is sometimes called “speech made visible” and is intended to be a complement to intellectual learning. By studying eurythmy, students learn dexterity of movement, grace, poise, balance, and concentration. They also develop a sense for sound and space and a feeling for social harmony.

Grade One

In first grade, fairy tales are the theme. Gestures are set to the images arising from the stories and are accompanied by music. The children practice left/right orientation, trace geometrical patterns on the floor, and step and clap opposing rhythms.

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Grade Two

In second grade, legends and fables are the inspiration for movement. Gestures for different sounds are added to the movement vocabulary of eurythmy, and the children begin to do simple coordination exercises using copper rods.

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Grade Three

In third grade, contraction and expansion exercises focus on breathing. Children learn to listen for major and minor tonalities and begin to do concentration exercises that involve clapping and stepping different numerical patterns.

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Physical Education

All the children in grades one through eight spend their morning recess outdoors. Children in grades one through three, who do not yet participate in formal physical education, are given ample time for physical activity each day. In addition to morning recess, afternoon play time – two periods every day in first and second grades, and one period daily in third grade – is usually spent in Central Park. Whether playing games organized by the class teacher or engaging in free play, the students run, skip, climb, jump, throw, and catch in a free, imaginative, non-competitive atmosphere.

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