Japan

Konnichiwa from Japan.

We really enjoyed creating Japanese cuisine.

Playdough sushi was fun to roll, cut and "serve".

Bento boxes are a tradition that tend to be very healthy, usually containing many different foods such as fruits, vegetables, rice, and meat/fish.

Morah Katie: What is on my fan?

Lochlan: Bamboo.

Morah Katie: In Japanese culture, what does bamboo symbolize?

Makayah: It grows. 

Evan: It grows and grows.  It keeps going, it doesn't stop. 

Clive: It can grow through anything. 

Morah Katie: It symbolizes endurance. It continues to grow.  How are you all and bamboo similar?

Lochlan: We keep growing and we just keep going.

Morah Katie: Why did I paint 3 bamboo plants on my fan?

Moshe: It's odd.

Morah Katie: What do odd numbers symbolize in Japanese culture?

Makayah: Good luck.

Morah Katie: What about the fan with the cherry blossoms?

Lochlan: Love.

Makayah: From a mom and dad to a kid.

Morah Katie: How many flowers did I paint?

Evan: 5.

Morah Katie: Why?

Makayah: It's odd and good luck.

We know that Japan has Bullet trains that can travel between the majors cities.

Lochlan: They go super fast to all the big cities.  You can bring small birds, dog and cats on them!

Evan: They go really really fast!

Running as fast as the bullet train.

Train talk

I came across an article earlier in the week that used trains and tunnels as an analogy for children and their more challenging feelings.

I decided to share this analogy with my young friends.

I asked them to imagine themselves as a train on a track.  

Morah Katie: You are a train on your track, traveling along seeing all the wonderful things you have to see. What would happen if your train went off its track?

Lochlan: It wouldn't end up at the end of its journey.

Moshe: It could land in the river with the fishes.

Morah Katie: We want our train to stay on its track.  

Kids: Yes!

Morah Katie: We are the train and currently our track is traveling in a beautiful area, but a dark tunnel is coming up. The tunnel is our challenging feelings- anger/frustration/disappointment. 

We don't want to take our train off its track, we need to go through it. Why?

Lochlan: The train has to go through the dark tunnel. At first it may be kinda scary. It might want to jump its track and not go but then it would never ever be able to finish it's journey.

Morah Katie: So you go through the tunnel.

Lochlan: And then It's all over and you're not scared anymore. And you are on the tracks.

Makayah: And you are out.

Morah Katie: And how are you feeling?

Evan: Good.

Morah Katie: So how do you feel when you see another tunnel coming, knowing you have gotten through one?

Makayah: A little scared.

Lochlan: You may be a little scared again but you still are brave.