Japanese

The children have been participating in Japanese class every Wednesday and Friday from 12:15-1pm with Aki Sensei, a native speaker of Japanese, mother of Juno and Luka, and skilled teacher.  The children are completely immersed in the Japanese language, as Aki Sensei only speaks Japanese during this period.  The children often begin their lesson with an active game.  They sing a song in Japanese accompanied by a finger play about a fox which involves common greetings.  They also go through a series of movements which are healthy for their bodies help them to experientially learn common words like "sit," "stand," "run," and body parts.  They observe and act in the natural setting learning words like "tree," "stone," and "apple" through games.  The children folded origami cranes, envelopes and airplanes. For the final lesson of the 6 week block the children made onigiri, rice balls with nori (seaweed), and optional umeboshi (plum) and fish.  They love the class and relate to this language and culture with enthusiasm.

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Fox song

 

Kocchi kara kitsune ga dete kitayo     ( watch the fox come out from over here)

mimi oogokasuyo piku piku piku          (let's wiggle the ears)

mae o mooite konichiwa                    ( face forward and say hello)

kon kon kon kon sayonara                  (say goodbye to the fox now)

 

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Clap with one finger

 

ichi(1) no hakushu  ichi no hakushu     (what does it sounds like if you clap with 1 finger)

kikasete kudasai donna oto?

 

(repeat the above refrain with 2-5)

 

ni(2)

san(3)

shi(4)

go(5)

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Rock, Scissors, Paper

 

goo choki pa de                                    (what shall we make with rock, paper, scissors)

goo choki pa de                                   

nani tsukuro nani tsukuro

migite ga goo de hidarite  ga choki de katatumuri  (make a rock with your right hand and scissors with the left to form a snail)

(the rest is just variations on this theme of making different things with rock, paper, scissors, like a swing, tent, etc.)

 

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