OE (Outdoor Education)
Every Day
Kazoo School is the only school in the area to offer a daily physical education program to every student Kindergarten to 8th grade.
Kazoo School is dedicated to the education of the whole child, and physical education is a vital part of that. Research indicates that students are stronger academically when they’re engaged in daily physical activity. The O.E. program at Kazoo strives to meet the developmental needs of the students by offering a program where they can achieve the acquisition of physical skills, as well as a knowledge base and an attitude conducive to lifelong physical activity.
A positive and cooperative environment in O.E. class is a must, and is a daily focus. Students learn to look for the positives, and to appreciate that each child has (and should have) different physical abilities! Participation is expected, and students learn early to “try,” rather than saying “I can’t do it!” Competition is addressed, but is not a focal point, especially at the early ages, so scores are rarely kept. As the children reach the Middle School, there are extra-curricular opportunities such as sports intramurals, a spring track meet, and golf club. Fair play and good sportsmanship always comes first in all of these activities.
The O.E. curriculum incorporates daily fitness work for all levels, and fitness testing occurs twice a year for all first through eighth grade students. Students set fitness goals for themselves and work throughout the year to achieve those goals. It is always exciting to see the proud faces of the children who just bettered their mile run time, and to hear them talk about what they will do on the next try. The overall goal of the O.E. fitness program is to have children constantly work to achieve and maintain solid levels of individual fitness.
The O.E. curriculum provides a wide variety of activities to keep children interested and excited about being active. It is a well-known fact that children in general in the United States are less active than a generation or two ago, with video games and television far too often the activity of choice. Kazoo School uses that varied curriculum to spark and maintain their interest. A typical week of O.E. classes will not see the same activities on any two days. The anticipation of a new game/activity each day makes it hard for children to wait until their O.E. time! They line up at their classroom door with the question of “What are we doing today in O.E.?” on the tip of their tongue. A wide spectrum of activities will take them through the skills necessary to move through each developmental stage. It’s just not done with the old traditional block planning (two weeks of basketball skills, etc).
Special activities also contribute to a varied and meaningful curriculum. Each school year includes some favorite “specials”; an all-school Field Day (a day of group cooperative activities for all ages), the Education For the Arts PACE program (a twice-yearly collaboration with EFA’s creative movement artists and different Kazoo classes). Other specials include occasional guest instructors in activities such as Yoga, Pilates, and Tae-Kwon-Do. Children have an opportunity to try different activities and find out where their interests lie.
Come into a Kazoo School O.E. class and you will find students who are engaged in a cooperative, active and positive environment, where they feel safe to explore and improve their physical abilities, and are having great fun doing so!