Beach School Session 3

Our third beach school session and sadly the last of the year was a great success.

We had 9 students in total with an age range of 2.5 years up to 9 years. It was really important to see how the children responded to each other in this situation and as expected, the older children really enjoyed being the mentors of the group.

We discussed shapes and textures of shells while also thinking of new ways to use them. We found many clam shells and the larger the better for digging away.

It was a great activity to get the group warmed up and thinking creatively.　It really inspired them afterwards too with their chosen activities.

We talked about shapes too and used this to introduce the red hazard triangles. It is important that not just the teachers are aware of the potential dangers but the participants too. The class was very active in finding many things from broken shells to broken glass, so it proved an important activity indeed.

 One of the activities the group decided to do was to build a big Mount Fuji and they used a red triangle to mark the lava which was dangerous!

Counting the shells, reviewing the activities was all part of the session too.

We even had time to make some necklaces and of course everyone took home many shell souvenirs.

What a lovely way to conclude the 2014 Tree's Kindy beach school sessions.

Moriyouchien Harmony

 My third visit was to a school called harmony. It was also situated way out west of Tokyo, on the Musashino plain.

The school runs four days a week (Monday to Friday but no Tuesdays) with Thursdays a 3 year old only day. This was the day I visited.

The session started off with a little more structure than the other schools I visited. We sung some songs to welcome the group and talked about the date and weather.

We also played a leaf matching game which got the group to count, feel and match different shapes of leaves. 

This got the class very excited and when we left on a walk through the park and woodlands, they would find similar shaped leaves, like the 'tulip-shaped' leaf or the giza-giza (jaggedy edge) leaf.

It looks like a flower.

We found some edible acorns en route to the lunch spot too and this became a fun focus for the group as they wanted to collect more.

We ate lunch at a spot chosen by the children but also accessible to toilets so we were all able to prepare with minimum fuss.

We spent half an hour or so chatting and as we slowly finished, we went to play amongst the leaves.

Playing in the leaves and wondering which way the wind will take them.

When everyone was done, we all headed to the 'mountain'. The children were very excited to show their new visitor to the mountain.

They played in the mud, rolling down the hill, collecting sticks and leaves etc.

Around 1.30pm we headed back to meet the parents so while the day was short, it was filled with different places and activities to keep the group amused.

 

The colours of Autumn.

We visited Kogenai park - http://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/park/format/index050.html

Kuskusu Morinoyouchien

Kusukusu forest kindergarten, named so because it is a name that can roll freely off the tongue for the children, runs fours days a week. They have between 9 & 12 children attending and the forest school leaders are observers and simply adults among child-led activities. The children were all very happy to lead the way for me as I was new to the park. It was great to see such confidence within a group of young children and 

Whittling the time away.

There was a group discussion in the morning to remind everyone of the previous session's events. 

Today, they were building a den that had fallen down from the last time. There were no stories to preclude what had happened, no dragons in the forest...

Building the den (again!)

Seeds to plant in the garden.

During the morning session, there was a lot of interest from other groups of children who were part of day care events nearby,  yet they still came over to visit us and find out what we were up to. The children were very animated by their activities and enjoyed building a new den along with a garden outside - "We can use it in the house!" they would say if they found something new. They planted 'seeds' in the garden and even made 'toys' to put inside the house. It was very refreshing to see the children provide their own creativity. 

A toy for the house

The leaders provide help by way of observing the use of knives, providing string for crafts, and so on. The primary leader of the kindergarten started the school after her son was born so he would have somewhere to attend where he enjoy freedom and creativity coupled with his educational development.

Lunch - self sufficient children

The children decide on when they want to have lunch and slowly do so by themselves or with some friends. And then, activities resume. After lunch, some children took to making food. Some had started putting leaves on a stick and pretending it was grilled fish. Others making dango (sticky rice balls) and so on.

There was a clear leader amongst the girls and also one amongst the boys and their interaction with the group determined the way the activities were led. 

Digging in the garden

Finally, it was story time and we headed back to the parents. 

It is worth noting that, in the case of someone crying, the child had to find a way to make amends of the situation. This was great to see as the teachers were merely observers here and never intervened. The children were able to find a solution and move on from that. It didn't always mean a resolution for the situation but at the same time, everyone was happy with the results. When there was a crier in the group, it was interesting to note the dynamic in the group. Sometimes there would be friends offering comfort, other times the group would disperse and the crier would simply realise that stopping would be the better option. Interestingly, the leaders of the group would not interact at all with the criers, perhaps they were 'too cool' for this, but as a result, all but one helped their friends.

Another great Forest Kindergarten day and very different from the last! It shows that regular attendance matters as to how at ease the group can feel in these surroundings.

This is the park Kusukusu use - http://musashinoparks.com/kouen/musasino/

Beach School Session 2

What fun we had...another session in glorious 24 degrees Autumn sunshine!

Today we collected all the shells the beach had to offer! And we decided that the best way to enjoy them was to share them! 

Then we talked about a mermaid and her starfish and made her a potion to make her feel better! 

And, we learnt that the beach can take away your trench, so you have to keep digging and digging!
Don't stop! 

The students drew in the log book too - that is their own record of the day other than the official journal from their teacher!

Hino Shyakai Morinoyouchien

I joined a Forest Kindergarten School today!

It was a great chance to see how children respond to the nature near Tokyo and also to see how such things are planned and organised on the part of the leaders.


This forest school runs sessions twice a month on a Sunday and is run by leaders from the local community centre and assisted by volunteers such as myself.

Before the start of the session begins, introductions and formalities are done. 
Attendance, numbers, absentees, allergies, medication. Check rules, toilet location, lunch times etc. What to bring, tools, ropes, discuss potential activities.
Check on site first aiders and review first aid kit. 

Group review of each student just so that everyone is aware of what to expect and also in case of children on medication etc.

We headed to a play area, collecting edamame style plants, talking, climbing, playing. The morning was spent collecting acorns, spotting caterpillars, 



I initiated some creative activities although the children were free to do whatever they wanted based on what they found, their energy levels etc.

After lunch, we moved to another area. The leaders set up ropes for some of the older children to use for climbing and swinging.


Other children ran free and one in particular led me on a trail. It was her first time to Forest School but she was completely in her element, taking off her shoes and running around over stones, mud and leaves.

The children played freely and the adults were there for observing and for safety in numbers.

The group got involved in many activities by themselves. My personal favourite was down by the creek, but weirdly enough, the group were ignoring the water. I found this most strange and went with my new accomplice to see what we could find down there. 

No sooner had we ventured to this new area, more friends had headed there too. It was great to watch the children get their hands dirty and to see them getting really hands on, as they should out in the forest.

 

At the end of the day, the leaders returned to the community centre to review the entire session. It is the job of the primary Forest School Leader to complete one page journal (mostly pictures and some comments) to show what we did or what was said by each participant. These are kept in a folder and can be reviewed regularly by the parents.

This is the park we visited -

http://www.kensetsu.metro.tokyo.jp/kouen/kouenannai/park/english/hirayama_joshi.pdf

The location was near Mount Takao, but sadly, not really convenient for Tokyo kindergartens to visit regularly. Nevertheless, it was a great introduction into the Japanese style of Morinoyouchien (forest kindergarten).

Facebook Page !!!

https://www.facebook.com/TreesKindy

Beach School Session 1

Finally, the typhoons have passed and we have been able to get to the beach and enjoy and explore!

It was so sunny today, almost too hot! But, we were able to spend the morning collecting shells, building a sand family and getting to understand risk assessment from an EFL perspective.

We learnt new words like "Starfish" and "Be careful" which all helped add a sense of fun to the session.

 


We used our shells to design happy faces, a sand family and even a witch later on (with crazy seaweed as hair!)

We went hunting for a starfish too, finding footprints along the way and making new ones, but whose were they? A ghost? Totoro?

The most fun was had when there was a  kelp throwing contest and the boys had to use all their inner strength the make sure the kelp landed in the water.