横浜YMCAが運営する全日制英語幼児園

We had the YGK Science Club Winter Course.

We had two different courses according to their ages, Kinder and Elementary.  We decided to choose the same theme for both classes.

The theme for the 1st day was “The Apple Boat”.  We sliced an apple and made a boat from it.

The children of Kinder class enjoyed exploring their apple slices with their senses of sight, smell and touch.

Then, they put a sail on it using a toothpick and a piece of paper and put the boat gently on the water.

Will it float? Or will it sink?

It floats!

Some friends started poking holes on their apple slices with a toothpick.

Will it float or sink this time?

The children are encouraged to follow their curiosity at the Science Club.  We try not to stop them as long as it is not really dangerous so that their exploratory minds develop freely.

Let’s see how the project worked in the Elementary Course.

The children decided on their own design, made their boats and floated them on the water in a basin.  Soon, they started assuming the water in the basin as the sea.

Some children said, “The real sea water is not as clean as this water.”  They started cutting paper into small pieces, putting them in the water. They also dissolved paints in the water.

Knowing that, my heart hurted, as someone born before them.

When children think of the sea, the polluted ocean is the first thing that comes to their mind.

Children are looking at the world with their clear eyes and minds.

This makes me think about what we can do for the sake of the happiness of the future generations….

To return from the digression…

The goal of YGK Science Club is not to cram children with scientific knowledge. 

It’s a wonder.  Why does it happens?  I feel excited.  How about doing like this?

Our belief is that these feelings or impressions are the key to fostering children’s self-learning skills.

We are not aiming for simply cramming them with English as well.

English is a tool of communication.  We want them to know the pleasure of expressing themselves and connecting with others.

Our goals are to help children to become able to love themselves and care for others, find their likes or interests, enjoy the diversity and increase their willingness to learn by themselves.

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The K3 students of YMCA Global Kindergarten usually visit Mt. Fuji YMCA to have a sleepover in September.
However, due to this prolonged COVID situation, we had to cancel this special occasion. It was definitely a hard decision for all of us.

So, we decided to have a day camp in the classroom instead. This is because the children have been quite into camping after the summer break.

The class started to discuss what they wanted to do for this program. Based on their ideas and requests, we set up tents and a campfire… no worries, of course, we didn’t make a real fire in the classroom!!

They were busy making fishing rods to get food, decorating their tents, roasting marshmallows and fish on the campfire, etc.

As we were having so much fun, the time literally flew by so quickly. Before we realized it, it was already time for dinner.

We had a very special, miraculous and tasty dinner!! Our lunch vendor, Restaurant Aquila Volans, had a special surprise for us. They arrived with huge boxes in their hands. When they opened the biggest box, we found a huge fish inside! It was so big and heavy! Hmm, but it didn't look like a real fish… What is this? They told us that the fish was made of salt and something was hiding inside!!

WHAAAAT????? We just can’t wait to see! Can we crack it open?

Ms. A started to tap it with her hand. Hmmm… This is sooooo hard. We need to try harder. How about this time!! CRACK! She made it. She made a crack on it. She then started to peel the salt cover from the crack. What was hiding inside were packages of food. They were still warm.

Let’s get ready for dinner! Let’s sit in a big circle and say a prayer, “Thank you for this special food! Itadakimasu!” The food was so delicious that the children asked for seconds although it was quite a big amount of food!
This definitely marked another unforgettable happy memory at YGK.

We are so thankful for all the support we have received from various people. We know how blessed we are to have such good people around us.

The children are soon graduating from YGK. We always wish that they will grow into someone who not only trusts and loves themselves but also makes others happy, gives a helping hand for someone in need and rejoices with others at all times. And we are quite sure that they are developing in that way, being filled with all the love and support from many people, just like this.

Lastly, let us introduce a message from Aquila Volans. We are totally impressed and blown away by their professional pride. As we have received a baton of caring mind from them, we believe that it is our turn to pass the baton to someone else to pay it forward.

【Special Experience for Children】

The preschool for which we deliver lunches daily are having a day camp for the graduating class and we are asked to cook their “dinner”.

They requested something like this, “We would like to pretend camping and have a special meal around a campfire. It would be really nice to have a big plate and serve them by themselves. But, as we still have to have counter-virus measures in place, please prepare bento boxes.”

We understand the teachers’ feelings.
We can tell the teachers wanted something very special that can be memorable for the children.

We do understand it.

Hmm, this is the time to show our wisdom with our 26-years of experience as restaurant managers.

As they requested fish for the main dish, we chose “White-fleshed fish and mushrooms with cream sauce baked in paper”. We made small portions of them and covered and baked them in a salt crust.
You will definitely be amazed!

We usually put meat or fish inside a salt crust.
Not only will it prevent infections but also liven up the party and become a cherished memory.

The total amount of salt for this special meal was 5 kg!!

As one of their neighbors, I thought like this, “It’s about time for them to start eating. I hope they are enjoying their meals…”

Just recently, we discussed and shared our beliefs with all the staff of our restaurant.
Our belief is that,

“We do not scrimp on.”

As professionals, there are quite a lot of things that we can do.

Some people may make excuses to avoid doing this. But the only thing that we need to go all out is to have “a little bit of extra time”.

It’s just “a little bit”.

When we put “a little bit of extra time and effort”, we are blessed with memorable moments in return.

We may miss something precious if we are stingy.

I often talk to the staff members like this, “It may seem that we have no benefits at all or even we have to lose more than we gain. But let’s look carefully beyond it. You might see some other aspects.”

We could see “Happy and Big Smiles” in return and that’s more than enough for us!

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YGK Joey class is our youngest class at YMCA Global Kindergarten.  The Joey children are growing at a tremendous speed every day or even every second.

They went for a walk on a warm sunny day.  After a while, everyone came back with big smiles on their faces.  Some friends are happily singing.  I bet you had a great time at the park.

So, what are we going to do after coming back from the park?

…Yes, you are right!  

We need to change our shoes!!

One child was struggling with his shoes.  Putting his heel in his shoe is the challenging part.  His class teacher sat next to him and calmly encouraged him to take on a challenge.  She believes he can do it.

The child has been working hard for quite a while.  But, finally… he made it!

SMILE!   …Oh, how I wish I could get a photo of this big moment!!!

I know how proud you are of yourself not giving up and doing it.

Seeing each child grow at their own pace day by day, or moment by moment, is purely our joy.  We appreciate all your support and trust. It’s such a great thing that we can always share these joyful moments with each other.

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YGK children enjoyed the bounty of autumn season by harvesting vegetables at Bromasa farm the other day.
While still sitting in the bus, most of them have started putting their tiny hands into harvesting gloves. It looked like they are ready for "vegetable tug-of-war."

At the field, Bromasu san and Piroko san welcomed us cheerfully with their green crops ready to be uprooted. Children's eyes sparkled as they saw the beautiful field in front of them. We had a fun quiz that challenged the children to guess what root vegetable it is by just looking at the leaves.

The farmer was so nice to make harvesting fun for the children. Several rows of land contained turnips of different colors. Right across it were radishes in pink and white.

What color of root vegetable will you uproot?

Hmmmm... Get ready, set, go!

And the harvest time began! After a moment of pulling and lifting, little champions went home with bags full of crops.

When the weekend was over, all classes drew their colorful experience on the farm. K1 looked closely at the turnips and radishes. They carefully observed its curves, dents and root hairs. K2 and K3 took time to recall their harvest experience and put them out to paper.

All the children's drawings showed how they perceived everything including the farmer's talk and even the smallest parts of nature that they could not convey yet verbally.

"Sensei, this is the onion with a blanket tucked in for cold weather."

"This is a rabbit trying to steal veggies but a kite is coming to shoo it away."

Looking at the images, we can see clearly how rich this learning experience was for them.
It was another wonderful memory stored in these children's happy tanks.

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Children encounter the world through their senses.

They see, hear, smell and touch materials and explore.

"Can I break it open?"

"Sure!"

"It looks like a passion fruit."

"I am peeling this sweet potato."

Children are the protagonists.

We, adults, do not force them or guide them what to do.

Instead, we share the wonders and enjoy the moments with them as a co-learner.

YMCA Global Kindergarten

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The children of YMCA Global Kindergarten had a very important lesson about nature. During our park time, we could catch many tiny butterflies and a dragonfly which we brought back to our classroom. After some time, we found the dragonfly eating one of the tiny butterflies inside the box. Some children were very sad and tearful, while others were calm and they could understand and explain that it is a part of natural process and that one insect can feed on other small ones in order to stay alive. One friend said that we made a mistake to keep the bugs together; another children answered that because these small butterflies are the food of this dragonfly, it would have caught and fed on them even if they were out in nature.

Music is always fun and exciting for children.  

At YMCA Global Kindergarten, we have music class twice a week.

We can hear their happy and cheerful singing voices and giggles during music class.

A 2016 study at the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute found that musical experiences in childhood can actually accelerate brain development, particularly in the areas of language acquisition and reading skills.

Thanks to our beloved music teacher, the YGK children get to know the pleasure of singing, performing and working together with friends!