Showing independence!

Today was another hot day in Tokyo but not as humid as usual so we managed to keep the windows open and avoid putting the air conditioners on. We are trying to do this during our school days as we want to make a contribution in some way, to show that we are trying to help Japan. On some days it is just too hot and so we have to compromise! We think that life is full of compromises and this is okay most of the time. Today we had a fun circle time with a new little boy who is starting next week. He and his mum and dad came to see the school and they joined in our circle time. We sang our regular greeting songs and then we did some action songs as he is really little, 18 months old, and he enjoyed doing some of the actions with us. We updated the calendar and then prepared to go to the activity tables to do some “work”. During our free play time we had quality time with our teachers individually and also played independently or with our friends. We also spent time in the library reading independently and we like to go there for quiet, private time too.

Finn did a number puzzle which was so much fun. There are three parts to each puzzle; a picture; a number and hands with fingers e.g. four dogs, the number “4” and . There were ten puzzles to complete. Nico played with a pack of cards and he had to match them. Each card had a matching pair and his job was to find all the pairs. Ashling took out the game that has four different coloured balls and trays. She set it up and then most of her friends were busy doing something else so she joined them and helped them complete their games.

At the tables Finn completed a sheet where he had to write all the letters of his name inside boxes and there was also a space for him to write the number five as he is five years old. We all have a sheet like this with the letters of our names written on it and our teachers are sitting with us at different times of the day so that we can practice writing letters. They are only encouraging us if they think that we are ready for it and if we want to do it. Some of us who are older, and who don’t really want to do the activity, are given encouragement to come and work here. We do not have to complete the one sheet on one day and can return to it on another day. This is another area where we have to make compromises which we mentioned at the beginning of our journal!

The activities that we did today were play dough, which we love and bead threading. We added some coloured cups to the play dough area and Nico enjoyed taking them and stacking them. The little boy Gento wanted to keep them all to himself however we taught him how to share them. When we were smaller we also didn’t really want to share our things and some of us are still learning how to share with our friends and teachers.

We enjoyed playing outside in the shade and went to the tap many times to fill our bottles up with water. Our teachers really enjoy seeing how independent we are and we can go to the tap all by ourselves. Nico was able to carry a huge 2 liter bottle and a small one, both filled with water, all by himself!

Love Shelley and Darren