Spatial Dynamics/Gymnastics

Hawthorne Valley School offers its students a unique opportunity in Spatial Dynamics, a movement discipline that forms the foundation of our physical education program. Spatial Dynamics is now the official name for a growing body of spatially oriented movement exercises, activities, and games, as well as a unique method of observation and analysis developed by Jaimen McMillan over nearly 30 years of intensive study, teaching, and therapeutic work with children and adults in the United States and Europe.

A growing number of children today are not used to moving and playing, and have often missed important developmental stages in movement. Many people are not sufficiently aware of their bodies and their movement and orientation in space. This lack of awareness has repercussions for learning and general health that can last well into adulthood.

Many learning difficulties and social problems can be traced to missed or hampered development in movement. Spatial Dynamics stimulates this development through age-appropriate movement exercises, leading toward a mastery of the body that helps children feel at home in their bodies and in the world. For example, very young children develop fine-motor control and a sense for rhythm through finger games, string games, and clapping games. Experience with playing circle games and jumping rope further develops this sense for rhythm and relatedness to the surrounding space. Developing an enhanced awareness of our personal space, with clearly defined boundaries, enables young students to move fully, know who they are, and enter into a more healthy relationship with the world and its requirements.

The Spatial Dynamics curriculum parallels the classroom curriculum in addressing the developmental stage of the child throughout the grades, and it is often related to topics and themes taught in the classroom.

The following gives an indication of the types of activities that take place in movement and games classes throughout the grades. It is by no means inclusive.

Kindergarten: Circle games- the safety and security of the circle prevail.

First Grade: Play, games, songs- weaving in and out of the circle. Games connected to stories and imaginative pictures. General activities that call upon the senses of touch, balance, and movement, such as string games, jump rope, balancing, hopping, and skipping.

Second Grade: Circle games leading over to line games. Games offering challenges and replies, as well as chasing and being chased that are presented in imaginative pictures, such as "hawk and rabbit" or "wolf and sheep." Dexterity development through jump rope and hand-clapping games; basic tumbling in play and pictorial imaginations.

Third Grade: Circle and line games- running, jumping, and leaping games. The qualities of lightness and levity—accent on "we." Roundelays led by the teacher's voice, featuring imitation of adult activities such as chopping wood, building, cutting hay. Developing a gradual awareness of the body in space, which goes beyond mere training of body positions. Tumbling/gymnastics continues.

Fourth Grade: Activities that continue the gradual development of body awareness. Leaving mood of "we," now more "I and the group" or "I and environment," individual deeds. Relays, obstacle courses, progressively more demanding tumbling/gymnastics, handstands and cartwheels. Skills to develop courage, steadfastness, and decision-making. Team games that emphasize individual effort.

Fifth Grade: Gymnastics/acrobatics continue. Greek gymnastics: running, leaping, wrestling, discus, and javelin. Continuation of skills and games that build courage, steadfastness, and decisiveness. Activities that emphasize rhythmic alternation between heavy and light.

Sixth Grade: Main lesson subjects provide new themes. Geometry and Roman history. Movement curriculum with games that emphasize group process. Rules become more important. Activities connected to geometric shapes. Movements and gymnastics with more attention to exactness, precision, and balance.

Seventh through Twelfth Grades: Team sports, including running, ultimate frisbee, basketball, football, baseball, spaceball, and volleyball. Gymnastics becomes ever more demanding. A primary or new element is added in each grade.

Seventh Grade: The "how" of an exercise becomes more important. Juggling, exercises with wooden rods, and archery are also added, as well as distance running.

Eighth Grade: Posture work. Exercises and activities requiring more formed movement. All types of running and the addition of hurdles. Exercises to overcome heaviness, for example, the Bothmer exercises "fall in space" and "jump in the middle point."

Ninth Grade: Focus is on activities to stimulate the will. Posture work is transformed into movement.

Tenth Grade: Overarching idea or focus is to stimulate the rhythmic system and the space around us with activities such as discus, handsprings, and springboard activities.

Eleventh Grade: More precision- javelin, archery, fencing. Overarching idea: move toward goal, direct energy. Perfect activities from previous year.

Twelfth Grade: Review and mastery of all preceding work. Develop conscious harmony in movement.