Jumping and landing

Our indoor mats were set up this week to give us a chance to practice jumping and landing.  At first glance of the Community Room, you would have noticed the children having lots of fun.  Smiling faces, active bodies, shouts of delight.

Looking closer you would have discovered much more, a session of growth and learning.  Jumping and landing is a kindergarten unit of study in the Needham public schools.  During the kindergarten year, the children are expected to attempt jumping and landing and to begin to develop this skill.  In doing so they are expected to listen and follow directions, and  to learn to care for the equipment, their own bodies, and each other.

Did you know that at TBSCC the children are working toward the same goals?  Without tests and requirements, they are free to explore them at their own pace, but the results are the same.  Children jump, land, and try again.  As they work, teachers look for opportunities to practice following specific directions, challenging their physical skills in new ways.  And as children master this style of jumping, more complex versions are introduced, adding variety and strengthening new muscles.