Sunday November 12 2010: We had a weekend of puppy sitting one of the neighbors dog (neighbor being a quarter of a mile away...close by) so we did a few days of family walks trooping through the woods. Found an old Hornets nest. Which Shane very diligently shook up to make sure it was abandoned....it was. Though Andi, the dog and myself were poised for a quick flight out of there in case it wasn't.
Leaves can make the most interesting shapes!
Really, I was trying to get the red of the bush, but somehow the fence just added to it.
Ok, enough walking around. Lets get to the weeks main event. The 4th graders at Andi's school had a field trip to one of the local Japanese elementary schools. Okamisawa to be exact. Their four 6th grade classes hosted the 4th graders. After a greeting song, they split off into groups to play games.
Some of the games were a little hard to figure out the point. The 6th graders use this opportunity to work on their English skills. It came down to....try a game, go try another. The Japanese children were a bit shy, but at the same time very proud to practice their English and play with the 4th graders.
Andi was a bit shy to start with. It was kind of overwhelming....so many children....so much noise!
The above game was fun. 5 or 6 colored round wooden blocks, stacked. Take a little hammer and whack the bottom disc. the goal is to leave the stack standing and keep doing this til the last disc. I wanted to play, but didn't get a chance. I see a trip to the toy store in the future.
Children from the younger grades would come and take a peek during their free time. The Americans visiting the school is a big thing. It's a block of time off from regular studies and have a little play time.
Learning to write Nippon (Japan) in characters.
This is the 6th grade class Andi's group was teamed up with (though it was pretty much a free float through the activities) There was a total of about 150 6th graders in four classes, that's about 37 kids per class! Andi's class has a total of 18, and had to be split in two so each Japanese class had some American students.
Above and below: The ultimate game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors". Start out one on one...the looser goes behind the winner. The winners from that round take on each other...each group of losers forming a chain behind the winner, 'til you have one long chain...the leader is the ultimate champion.
Time to leave: Students and teachers from Okamisawa form an archway for the American students to go through. The lady on the right is actually Andi's Koto teacher from this last summer. She is also a counselor at the school. She was so happy to see Andi. Andi was happy to find a familiar face!
Waving goodbye as we head out the door. It was a fun morning. Did learn some additional things. The students clean their own school...from sweeping the floors to cleaning the bathrooms. They bring their own Bento boxes everyday (lunch box) and the school provides the rice (so no large industrial kitchens). I'm not sure how old the school is, it is well worn, but the students take pride in taking care of it themselves. And what a way to instill a sense of responsibility!One last video for the day. This is from our walk on Sunday. We could hear a hawk screeching. So crept out of the woods, hoping to find it flying in the skies above the field. Still couldn't see it, but if you turn up your speakers, you'll be able to hear it. (I hope) Ignore the crows...their just everywhere!
