Physical Education
The overall objective of the Physical Education program is to provide students with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to make active living a way of life. Cooperation, fair play, sportsmanship, communication, and respect are emphasized in all forms of our activities and sports.
Approach
Every year, we begin with Cooperative Games and Problem Solving Activities. In these activities, the group confronts a specific scenario or problem to solve (a sinking ship to escape, a poisonous or toxic swamp to cross, an electric fence to get over, or a minefield to get a blindfolded partner through safely). The focus of these activities is fostering cooperation, encouraging strategic and supportive dialogue, listening to a different opinion than your own, and having fun at the same time. Some groups spend just a few classes on cooperative activities, while others spend a lot more time and do a wider variety of them. This depends on what each group needs and how well they are working together. The activities also develop collaboration, communication, cooperation, respect, teamwork, and problem solving skills — all skills necessary for the success of any physical activity, game, or sport that involves more than one person.
It’s officially winter here at Miquon, but the cold and snow won’t slow us down!
For a Miquon kid, outdoor work, caretaking, and exploration span all seasons. From wintry, resilience-building hikes and hands-on projects to extra special snow day fun, the children stay connected to their environment as a place to both learn AND play all winter long.
#themiquonschool #progressiveeducation #independentschool #HandsOnLearning #phillyareaschools
A few moments from last week`s Winter Assembly! ❄️
Making music and gathering as a community made it a special way to close out the year. 🎵📯 We were so happy to bring back this tradition this year.
Wishing all of our Miquon families a restful Winter Break and a very joyful New Year!
Thanks, @jaimephoto79, for the photos!
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Meadow Nursery has been exploring their class theme: community helpers.
Through family visits, children are learning about different jobs and how people care for and contribute to their community.
We are so grateful for our visitors:
✨ Katie, Deputy Director at the Wharton Esherick Museum, taught the children about the museum and what it’s like to care for and tell stories through a historic space.
🎨 Elizabeth (@elizabethmcdart), an artist, showed her beautiful paintings and talked about her use of mixed media.
🦷 Baljeet, a dentist, explained what happens during a visit to the “tooth doctor”. Children even got to practice flossing with pipe cleaners and Legos!
📸 Jamie and Benni, social media consultants, showed how pictures can be used to tell stories—then helped the children create and share their own.
💛 Nadaniel, a mental health therapist (“feelings helper”), talked about emotions, coping strategies, and how we can help ourselves and our friends when feelings feel big.
What a meaningful way to learn about the world and imagine the many ways we can all help our communities. 💚 Thank you for visiting us!
From Ancient Greece to the Italian Market, the ⅚ is busy exploring their theme of immigration and migration.
The group started with an ancient civilization study where they learned about different examples of migration throughout history and why people move.
Now, they`ve shifted to their local, contemporary study of Philadelphia’s Italian Market. They began with a focus on Giordano’s, a 104 year old produce store that closed this July.
Through imaginative inquiry, the children will act as researchers, oral historians and cultural ambassadors tasked with creating a Community Story Center about immigrant communities in the Italian Market area. They will continue this work with a field trip to the Italian Market later this winter.
Check out their work so far!
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At Miquon, every child has a Buddy. 💛
Each younger student is paired with an older student for the year, and together they read, create, explore, or simply… play. These cross-age connections help children feel known and supported across our campus.
Our 3/4 teachers note that Buddy Time helps older students practice empathy—tuning in to younger children’s needs, adjusting how they play, and taking on a caring, thoughtful role. It also gives students a meaningful, real-world way to practice reading aloud with confidence and purpose.
Our Meadow Nursery teachers add: “Buddy Time is a cherished Miquon tradition that builds confidence, empathy, and a strong sense of community across the grades.”
These friendships are among the most joyful parts of life at Miquon!
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🍎 How many ways can one consider the apple? Many, many ways if you are a kindergartener or first grader at Miquon!
The K/1`s month-long apple study took children from orchard field work to writing workshop, big-number math, and delicious apple treats.
Read the full story on our blog ➜ Link in bio.
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🍕 Pizza! Pizza! Get your pizza! 🍕
For more than 30 years, Miquon’s Friday Pizza Sales have been a beloved tradition — and an important learning experience — for our 5th and 6th graders.
What started as a fundraiser for their end-of-year overnight trip has become a hands-on lesson in math, economics, organization, and collaboration.
Each fall, the 5/6 comes to a consensus on the menu, carefully weighing cost, price, profit, and equity. Once the menu is set, the real work begins:
📋 Distributing order forms to all groups on Monday
💰 Tallying orders and tabulating order money on Thursday
🍕 Delivering on Friday!
Along the way, students practice real-world math — calculating totals, profits, and even factoring in what happens when there’s leftover pizza.
Who knew math could be this tasty?
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Visit the Woodmere Art Museum to see our K/1 artists’ work in this year’s Kids Care exhibit--on view now through December 13!
Our K/1 drew inspiration from the watercolors of award-winning illustrator Jerry Pinkney. Using his beautifully illustrated version of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” as their guide, they created mixed-media interpretations of the night sky and the silhouetted world below.
Kids Care is an annual collaboration between @woodmereart and the Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA). Learn more at woodmereartmuseum.org
(And a big thanks to our art teacher, Nicole, for leading this beautiful project with our K/1 artists!)
#themiquonschool #woodmereartmuseum #progressiveeducation #independentschool #phillyfamilies
After the initial Cooperation and Problem Solving unit, we move onto eye-hand coordination skills and activities that combine the eye-hand coordination skills with cooperation. From there, activities that are in line with the Society of Health and Physical Educators National Standards Scope and Sequence are introduced to students as part of a larger lesson plan. For example, if the students are working on throwing at targets, we usually teach the skill cues first (e.g., jumping jack, muscle man, point, step, throw, follow through). Next, the children practice individually, throwing at targets (paper plates on walls or various objects to throw at). Then, we play a partnered game (“p-i-g” or “t-i-g-e-r” or whatever they decide) which is followed by a larger or whole group game.
PE Blog
Want to learn more about the latest happenings in Miquon’s Physical Education program? Check out pictures and teacher commentary posted to the PE Blog.
Curriculum Report
The curriculum report is the teachers’ review of the entire year, looking back and making observations after their plans, projects, problems, and revelations are long over. One of the distinguishing features of this report is the great extent to which each teacher’s style, focus, and personality come through in this retrospective narrative. Check out the PE Curriculum Report.
