School in motion
Presenting results and quietly listening to each other demand a great deal of concentration from Paul, Anne, Gustav, Maria and the other children. To prevent them from growing restless and to enable them to release pent-up energy, the teachers incorporate short physical activities and games into their lessons. For a “worm tangle”, for instance, the children stand in a circle, close their eyes and move towards the centre where they grasp each other’s hands. Then they open their eyes and try to untangle themselves without letting go of the hands. On the whole, the small breaks during the first and second blocks of lessons are used for joint physical exercises or relaxation.
The PbG takes an active interest in the children’s health, both with exercises and a balanced diet. The PbG is a school in motion: the abundant energy which elementary school children have is accounted for by the open learning methods with their integrated physical exercises and the flexible classrooms. Children and parents need not worry about heavy school bags at the PbG either, as all the books and materials are stored in the school building.
In addition, an expert from the German Sport University Cologne has developed a special movement and physical education program for the PbG, which is adapted to suit the particular central topics dealt with in a given week. Thus, apart from dedicated physical education classes, physical exercises are integrated into other parts of the school day. Physical education is organized in cooperation with various sports clubs in Wiesbaden, so that even tennis, golf and horseback riding can be learned. This allows us to respond better to the children’s individual preferences and abilities.
Healthy nutrition is lived at the PbG: children and teachers have breakfast and lunch together every day. The importance of a healthy diet is also an integral part of the lesson plan. And joint cooking lessons at school allow the children to share this knowledge with their families.