For the last month of school, Savannah has been in Japan. Her class boarded an airplane, complete with security check points and passport requirements, and took a long trip over the blue carpet of her classroom. They landed in Japan and didn't come back until the end of May.
T. Connie has a gift of immersing children in the Japanese culture and we were fortunate to see it seep into our lives here at home. Savannah learned about the topography, history, modern culture, arts and, of course, how to eat with chopsticks. In fact, she didn't use a fork for the entire month and is very competent with the little sticks. Japan infiltrated all areas of the classroom and specialist's classrooms. It was, by far, the favorite area of study in First Grade.
The children brought back many artifacts from their visit in Japan and put on an elaborate festival. Savannah was one of the fotunate students who got to wear an authentic kimono and geta (wooden clogs). Her role in the festival was acting the part of the kamishibia man. She offered candy to those who entered the festival and eventually called all the adults and children together for a story. It was a true leadership role. Each child had an opportunity to read a portion of the story. After it was complete, there was a fantastic performance of bells which I wasn't expecting. I only got the tail end of the bell solo but was able to record the portion that included the other instruments in conjunction with the bells. Savannah's music teacher commented on how well Savannah did taking the responsibility of two bells and noted her ability to read music. Piano lessons make a difference!
Here are some pictures of the different stations we visited.
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