Monday, December 21, 2015

Studying Japan

Konichiwa! Last week we learned a lot about Japan! We started the week with a Tea Ceremony. We had special candies, learned about the process, and then drank some green tea (made with matcha).
We read lots of books set in Japan and created art projects to deepen our understanding of the stories. We also read books and digital articles about Japan and discussed similarities and differences between our cultures.
Teresa Davis visited our classroom to talk to us about Japan. She brought in many different artifacts including a kimono, geta (Japanese sandal), kamishibai (story telling box), and more! She taught us about some holidays like Children's Day and Doll Festival. She also showed us how many things we enjoy are from Japan!
We made obis (sashes worn over kimonos). We wore them and shared about them at the final Cultural Week All School Share.
Sayonara!

Four Winds

Last week we had our first Four Winds lesson! We were so lucky to have Sara and Laurie help us learn about conifers and cones. They did a fun puppet show to teach us about the different cones we find on trees. Then we played "Find and Match." We tried to match cones based on the way they felt. Finally, we went outside and tried to identify the different types of conifers and cones.

We had a lot of fun getting outside and exploring! :)