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!

Indispensable Item for primary school #2

School bag (RANDSEL)

Almost all Japanese primary schoolers buy RANDSEL what is Japanese original backpack for primary school. That backpack is very tough, we usually use it for six years until elementary school graduation.

When I was a child, black backpacks should be for boys and red ones should be for girls. Now school children can choose a variety of colors.My son chose the color of Choco. He said the chocolate-colored backpack will be good smell! If I lick it, it will be sweet!!!

Of course, his backpack is not chocolate, it's not sweet and any flavor. But, every backpack is filled with hope, I think.

Indispensable Item for primary school

Disaster-prevention Item
(hood and cover)

As Japan is a country of many earthquakes, Japanese primary-schoolers have to prepare special hoods for disaster prevention. In case an earthquake occurs in school, children get under desks first, and then they put on their hoods. Then they have to wait their teacher's directions.My son has been getting that training from preschool too.

Therefore, I prepared his special hood and special cushion covers to put it in. Again I took the sewing machine out of the closet.....

Japanese custom

Return Home



Many Japanese travel for returning home during Bon holiday (mid-August) and New year holiday. As many of us reserve seats in train or plane more than one month to coincide with release , most trains and planes which go from city to country are nearly full booked on that release day.
Families with small children like me return home in good season, dealing with boisterous children by myself.
If you are thinking of traveling to Japan, I think it's better to avoid it during the period. Although Thokyo may be much less crowded than usual. hee-hee.

Clinic

CLINIC
Family of some young children will go to clinic a few times a year. How many times have I gone to clinic with sons with in 3 months.
As Japan has no GP system like that in Australia, we must find specialist ourselves.
In this winter, when my sons caught a cold,we went to pediatric clinic.
Then we went to ENT clinic too, as they might develop otitis media.
We met dermatologist, as he got burned his finger with a iron.
We went to urologist's office because he said my wee-wee hurts.
We went to physician's clinic for vaccination against the flu too.
Haaaa I wish we don't have to go to clinic any more!

Indispensable Item for Lunch Box #2

Character BENTO (KYARA-BEN)

We enjoy not only the taste of meal, but also its appearances. KYARA-BEN is made to enchant young children. We make cartoon character and all that of a wide variety of foods in lunch box. Although there are many books how to make Character BENTO at bookshops, I got a book, too. Then I made Pokemon-BENTO (Pikachu) for my son. It true that children are enchanted by that kind of lunch box, but it took me two hours to make it!!!

I can't make such a well-prepared lunch box every day.There are some foods printed with artoon characters at supermarkets in Japan, so I use these items without much ado.

Indispensable Item for Lunch Box

How to fill up OBENTO (lunch box)


OBENTO is separated into four parts. There are SYUSYOKU, SYUSAI, FUKUSAI, and dessert.SYUSYOKU is rice, bread or noodle. SYUSAI is main dish using meat or fish. FUKUSAI is side dish using vegetable or bean.


We have to be careful about color.There are many different kinds of cute picks ,cups for place in main dish, side dish or dessert and etc in Japanese grocery stores. These items to look attractive lunch box are must-have ones.


Although these cute items are a lot of help to me when I prepare lunch box, it will be hard to get up at 5:30 a.m. every day when winter comes... boo-hoo-hoo.

indispensable item #3

Lunch Box

I have to prepare my son's lunch box for carrying to preschool for my son every morning.

We pack rice or bread and some sidedishes in small lunch box. We have to think of balance of color too. In Japan, lots of books what making lunch box for children were published. I already bought two books... Because I puzzle over the balance of color! There are some ideas of side dishes by color on these books. When we want to make red side dish, those books are very helpful.

And there are lots of prepared foods for children's lunch box at supermarkets. For example, small sausage and fish cake with cartoon characters, cup of frozen meal for lunch box etc...

But I am struggling to making child lunch box even I use some these helpful items...

indispensable item #2

Sewing machine

The new school term starts in April in Japan. Many public preschools and elementary schools demand that new parents prepare the specified school goods. Many mothers more than 60 years old believe it is necessary to make all specified school goods by hand to show clearly their love for their children.

Although we can buy some goods what look something like handmade at handicrafts shops etc today, there is still a lot of mothers want to make all by hand. So books how to make school items are placed at the book store's or handicrafts shop's front rack during back-to-school season.

I bought many items at shops. But I had to make three items by hand. Because we couldn't buy those at shop... Although, I didn't use my Sewing machine in Sydney, I couldn't wait to arrival of it from Sydney... I couldn't even imagine that!!!

indispensable item

Bycycle

I believe that it's necessities of Japanese life,so we bought the bycycle before buying car. My son was very welcomed the bycycle with child's chair, because he knew it's a wonderful machine as he had seen countless children that had been riding on the back of there parent's bycycle in Japan.

January and February are the coldest time in Japan. Of course! Every one does not feel up to going outside even him. But when I say "Don't you want to go out by Bycycle?" , he was happy to go outside.

However, after we bought a car, My son liked going out by bycycle..... I can't understand children's value. boo-hoo-hoo.