Indispensable Item for primary school #6

 KyusyokuBukuro (the bag for school-provided lunch)

Kyusyoku (school-provided lunch) was launched after the World War II for ensuring children’s health. Now although we can eat a variety of food, primary school children eat school-provided lunch in Japan.

So Japanese primary school children must prepare

KyusyokuBukuro.
There are place mat, mask, handkerchief and chopsticks (vary by locality) in the KyusyokuBukuro. Then children put it on a Japanese special school bag’s hook.

Children take turns to serve school lunches so we had an experience that classmate knock over meal at least once six years. We have to ask another class if there left meal.  Of course, another classmates shared it soon.

We learn a lot from these experience. To take responsibility, to share, to get together and to take thought etc…

It might that KyusyokuBukuro is one of tool for enhance Japanese elementary student’s social development.

Indispensable Item for primary school #5

Tool box (ODOUGU BAKO)     

 

ODOUGUBAKO is a tool box for elementary student. There are some blocks for number work, toy clock for telling time, clay, colored pencil set, felt pen (for Japanese calligraphy lesson) etc… in a box.

We received the tool box at enrollment ceremony day!  We keep it in school desk at school during school term. Then, we take it home before we have long holiday. We use it with change purchased tools during long holiday in six years.

We look forward to use some tool in the box every day! So, when teacher says “Put tool out ODOUGUBAKO”, how much we can enjoy!!! ODOUGUBAKO makes a class more enjoyable!

Nengajyou

Nengajyou (New Year's Greeting Cards)

We write New year's greeting cards (we called Nengajyou) in December like Christmas cards.

Come Christmas season, the special postcards and stamps for new year's greeting cards are put on sale. Then most mail slot in Japan are changed for receivingh new year's cards until January 7.

New year's cards which we droped into post box until about December 25 are delivered on January 1st!!!

Then we recieved Nengajyou what someone wrote to us, there are number on the bottom part of the nengajyo. Although you may be able to have valuable things, don't forget to
check winning number. It will be announced by end of January. (We can get it by July.)
But I just received the original stamp sheet every year... Despite we recieve about 150 cards  every year...　Bummage...

Indispensable Item for primary school #4

 

Red-and-White CAP

Although a red-and-white cap is  standard uniform when Japanese elementary school students take gym class, we are very conscious of Red or White on sports festival day!!!

Japanese elementary school students split into Red team and White team at sports festival. Then we compete in a variety of games, then determine whether Red or White won. This style is longstanding sports festival style.

Red and White are the Japanese flag color, Red and White are also festive colors in Japan.
But, at sports festival, almost Japanese imagine Red flag and White flag of the Genpei war what is the civil war that happened about 830 years ago.
Because, we have the special match called KIBASEN game toward the end of the sports festival.
  
KIBASEN game is a game which the man who lift 3 people to his feet scrambles for a red-and-white cap.
Survivor's players decide victory or defeat by single combat. That is excited very much.
After sports festival day, early elementary school children who were thrilled by KIBASWN of 5^th and 6^th graders start to ape KIBASEN. So did my son, too!
 

Indispensable Item for preschooler

Edison chopsticks

Edison chopsticks is the training chopsticks for preschooler etc.

We can use this very easily, only have to insert each finger into rings. We just use it until hold chopsticks correctly becomes second nature. There are for right-handers and left-handers.

When child can’t use chopsticks correctly, they have to use Edison chopsticks at Coo’s preschool. So Edison chopsticks is an indispensable item!!! When I and Coo went to the park near the preschool with two Coo’s friends, all children use the same Edison chopsticks…

Of course there is Edison chopsticks for adult who become hold chopsticks strange gradually, like Roo. It is hard to keep a good second nature…

Indispensable Item for primary school #3

Special notebooks

Japanese primary schoolers use different workbooks by grades or subjects.

Japanese workbooks are divided into some squares. Furthermore, workbooks for Japanese and Kanji (Chinese character) are drawn supporting lines in each square.

After I told my son “When I was a primary schooler, we had to write Kanji on a full-page every day”, my son tried to practice it in the same way. But it is only 3 days…

His character is becoming like my personality that give up easily. I don’t tell Roo.

Roo, you didn’t have to resemble it…

Indispensable Skill for primary school

Appointment

Most young children can't make an appointment with friends nicely. Especially year one students are... In spite of the other engagement, they make an appointment, and they forget the appointment easily..... So parents of year one studens often are swayed by their appointments. Of course, they are unusual to see their friends at meeting spot.

Although children who couldn't see friends feel very sad, through that experiences, Japanese year one students learn good appointment skills.

Go for it!