Time spent at YGK
will be a lifetime treasure
Allowing children to let loose in the dirt and dig in the sandbox actually helps boost their imagination. 
In early June, we went on a field trip to Zoorasia. Because the rainy season is coming, we were all relieved that the weather was nice and cloudy.
We all got on a bus and headed to Zoorasia. Since we've just started to learn about animals this month, this event has become even more special for YGK students. Puppy students enjoyed their first experience of excursion. They were especially amazed to see the size of big elephants! Kitten students spent time watching animals in African Savannah area. They got so excited to see meerkats and cheetah that we've learned in the class. They also had a chance to see the Bird Show and “interviewed” zookeepers to learn more about their jobs. Cub students went to explore many animals that they had not seen when they were in Kitten and Puppy Class. They especially loved to see the polar bear!
After each class had lunch, we had free time in the playground. It was one of the students favorite routine and was so much fun running in huge grassy area.
All the students seemed to enjoy our field trip. Let's go together again next year!
Yesterday was the first time going on a field trip for Kitten students as a class event.
We took a public bus and went to Negishi Park. Students got very excited going to the park again since they remembered a good memory of our school event held in the park last year.
After arriving at the park, we found a perfect and comfortable place to start our story time. We all sat down on grass and listened to a story. Students enjoyed experiencing outdoor story time and finding “leaf” friends in the book.
Getting inspired by the book, we did a micro hike. Each student held a magnifying glass to explore the nature! They found ladybugs, dandelions, “leaf friends,” roly poly, etc in the woods. We could hear their excitement, saying, “Look, roly poly!” “Ants!” “ I found a dandelion!,” “Wow, the tree is big!”
After having a long exploration, we had a picnic under the clear blue sky. What a beautiful day!
In the afternoon, we also enjoyed our free time! Some enjoyed tag and banana games while others were busy making flower rings and bouquets for friends and family. It was so much fun to run in such an open space freely and roll down on the grass. We also saw a bride who was taking pictures with her family and we went to “hi” and congratulated her. One of the students gave the bride a leaf to celebrate her wedding!
In the end, we laid down on the grass looking up the sky and pretended to eat “cloud” soft ice cream!
It was such a wonderful day for Kitten Students to spend our time and appreciate in nature. We definitely want to come back to explore more again!
The YGK Cub class had a field trip to Negishi Forest Park on Wednesday May 8th.
The sun was shining brightly and the gentle spring breeze made us happy and refreshed. After they enjoyed story time on the grassy field, they went on a micro hike. They all held magnifying glasses in their hands and looked closely at the ground for interesting things. The world seems quite different when we see it magnified. They loved this activity and were so captivated. They found bugs and worms on trees and in the grass. They also looked closely at all the wild flowers and noticed how some flowers have different shades of a color in their petals. Their eyes caught so many interesting and wonderful sights even in just a small area. It was a day filled with awe and wonder. Let’s thank nature and love it more!
At YGK, the Cub class, K3, will experience growing vegetables as part of their food education. They grow summer vegetables and will have a day dedicated to cooking the vegetables that they have grown. Yesterday was the first big day of this project. They each planted their own plant. They were able to choose from a tomato, eggplant or green pepper plant.
First, they put soil in a container. Then, they dug a hole that was big enough to hold the plant. They then placed their plant carefully in the hole and gently covered it’s roots with soil.
The plant needs sunlight, soil and water to grow. So they carefully poured water on their plant, hoping that their plant will grow big and bring them lots of crops.
Their three-month-project has just begun. We can't wait to see their growth!
The Cub class had a field trip to Yokohama Disaster Prevention Center yesterday.
It is a place where we can learn how to protect ourselves in emergencies. As we arrived at the center before the starting time of the safety tour, we had time to put on the firefighter's costumes and have a ride on a mini fire engine. Everybody was so excited to pretend to be a firefighter.
After having fun with the costumes, the tour started. We saw an animation movie as a start. It showed us what might happen if an earthquake occurred and how we can stay safe. Then, we experienced an earthquakes shakes. It was quite a bit scary. We needed to hold tight to the bar to keep standing. We also learned how to use a fire extinguisher. They loved a fire extinguish game on a screen. We had a lesson on fire, too. We learned many important tips. When a fire breaks up, along comes smoke. The black smoke is toxic and we have to be really careful not to inhale it. To avoid inhaling smoke, we need to cover our nose and mouth with a handkerchief, etc. and duck low because smoke starts to fill from the higher place to lower place. We need to duck as low as possible to breathe fresh air. We also had a practice on how to evacuate when a flood happens. The experiences there taught us important lessons. Let's always be prepared.
It’s been a week since we had our opening ceremony. They seemed very nervous and a bit scared on the first day but after a few days they found there favourite toys and are more comfortable in the classroom. We are very happy that we can see that they are growing in such a short space of time. Now we have started practicing walking as a group to prepare for going outside and hopefully we will be able to see the tulips whilst they are still in bloom. We hope we can also find the bugs and flowers we have seen in the books we read during our story time. We will continue to do our best to make a comfortable environment for them that they can learn and have a lot of fun in.
