Visual Art

The visual art program encourages students to develop their creativity through projects that explore a wide range of materials, processes and art traditions from different cultures and throughout history. Art excursions and visiting artists offer students a chance to appreciate visual art and learn from practicing artists and crafts people.

Students have further opportunity to participate in the varied extra-curricular art activities that are offered throughout the elementary, middle and high schools. All students participate, as we celebrate their artwork in the annual art shows towards the end of the school year.

Dance

Many people today are better equipped than ever before to deal with life’s challenges and difficulties. We live longer, enjoy more leisure time, and have access to the world's knowledge at the touch of a button.

But children are spending less time playing physically, mixing with different generations, creating imaginary games, and interacting with parents. Many are becoming socially isolated because their leisure time is spent in front of a computer or television. They are losing the ability to empathise, to communicate and to read emotional language.

Why Dance at MVM?

People sometimes ask me why dance is compulsory. My answer is simply, ”Why not?” The main motive is joy. The benefits and opportunities dance has affores, can do the same for you and your child. Even if your child does not end up being a professional dancer, there are several benefits to beginning dance instruction at a young age:

• Dance classes promote fitness for a lifetime! I cannot tell you how easy it is for dancers to transition their skills from dance class to so many other fitness arenas. Dance also provides the necessary daily physical fitness recommendations of most health care professionals. Promoting physical fitness as being fun and easy from a young age, creates an excellent foundation for future life long health and fitness.
• Confidence, high self-esteem and personal expression. Dance is a great way to connect emotionally with an audience and other people. Throughout dance classes, expression, smiling and reflection will be promoted. This creates a health environment in which students can express their feelings in a productive manner, while learning to control their emotions.

Lifelong friendships and bonding. As a result of working on team, partner and solo performances, we develop comfort in working independently, a taste of healthy competition and inspiration from our peers.

Discipline and Focus. Students will experiences challenges in their dance classes, just as people experience challenges in their life. From retaining choreography to setting and achieving goals, dancers will feel success at such a young age. They will also learn that it takes hard work and sweat to achieve their goals and dreams.

Flexibility of the body and mind. Children are the most flexible they will ever be, so it is important to starting stretching at a young age. Students will not only gain and expand their physical flexibility, but also mentally as they learn to control their energy and bodies in their full range of motion.

Creativity and imagination. Dancers will work on creating shapes and movements through imagination and exploration. This is beneficial to all aspects of life, creating endless opportunities for future development.

Posture and poise: Technique taught in class focuses on maintaining a straight back , lift from the core , a lengthening of the shoulders down the back, and both slouching and hyperextending.

JOY!The number one rule in dance class is to have fun. As in life, if you can’t find happiness in what you do it’s hard to build compassion and persistence. Dancers will feel the freedom of expression.

Yoga

Yoga can unite the mind, body and spirit and can improve flexibility, strength, coordination. It also has a variety of benefits for children during the developmental stages in their lives.

How does yoga benefit your child’s learning?

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice or discipline which originated more than 3,000 years ago in India. The word yoga comes from the ancient Sanskrit language and it means “to yoke” or “to unite” the mind, body and spirit.

Here are just some ways in which practising yoga will support your child’s learning at school:

• Enhances flexibility, strengthens coordination and mind-body awareness. Your child’s learning is reinforced through neural pathways. Various exercises and movements crossing over the right and left side of the body help to create these pathways across the midline of the brain, thereby connecting the body with the brain.
• Improves concentration and memory
• Encourages careful listening and awareness skills
• Provides opportunities to practise following directions
• Helps with the learning of early vocabulary for nouns, prepositions and verbs, as there is lots of repetition and naming of actions and poses
• Storytelling in yoga facilitates the development of a child’s narrative skills
• The chanting of sounds and breath control can help with speech development
• Having the chance to lead activities and show favourite yoga poses increases a child’s confidence
• Learning in a group setting is a fun way to help build social skills

Do you already practice yoga? Here are seven fun ways to practise yoga at home with your child, whatever their age:

• Play games like Simon Says and Follow the Leader – make up your own poses for each other to copy
• Take turns reading stories to each other, which contain the names of animals. Move your bodies into position when you hear the name of a specific animal being called.
• Play Alphabet Soup – place letters of the alphabet (on paper or magnet letters) into a grab bag. Take turns moving your body so it looks like the letter of the alphabet.
• Create a pose and share with family members
• Play pose tag – if someone gets tagged, they must freeze in a certain pose such as the triangle pose. The only way to be unfrozen is if someone runs between your legs.
• Play ‘What Yoga Pose am I?’ guessing game

Let your imagination run away with you. The important thing is to have fun!