Pre-KG 2022 / 23 Blog 6
Autumn has arrived
Autumn is a very beautiful season in Japan and it is called shokuyoku to gejitsu no aki, autumn of appetite and art.
So we are very lucky that we can enjoy delicious autumn food like mushrooms, pumpkins, persimmons, new rice and sweet potatoes.
We had harvested our very own sweet potatoes at the nearby Rokko Island Field and decided to bake some at school for all the EY children and teachers to enjoy.
After admiring the huge size of our harvest, our teacher Chinatsu showed her amazing skills by cutting the potatoes in even slices and then some sticks. Thank you, Chinatsu !
The children wanted to have a go as well - raw potatoes and blunt knives are not the best match, but at least they tried !
Seasoned with some olive oil, the potatoes were ready to go into the oven. Shortly later a delicious smell wafted through the air and the baked sweet potatoes were just as delicious.
They were very popular with the children and eaten up so fast that there was no time for pictures.
Gochizousama deshita !
Food plays a big part in Japanese autumn, but this season might mean similar or different things in your home country like harvesting berries, pears, apples, grapes, corn and wheat, jumping into piles of dried leaves, flying kites or collecting acorns, chestnuts, walnuts and marigolds.
When visiting the nearby field again, the children didn’t find any more giant sweet potatoes, but there were many beautiful marigolds blooming. The kind ladies of the Rokko Island Beautification Committee gave us many bunches of the lovely flowers in bright yellow and orange, just in time for our Halloween celebration at school. Thank you so much!
As autumn also means celebrating the festival of Halloween, we had an exciting day at our school which was wonderfully decorated by our PTA who also provided some of the yummy sweets for all of our children.
The Pre-KG children went on their first trick and treat adventure and were kindly received by many of our school classes. They were also very good at sharing some candies themselves.
Thank you so much to the PTA, Elena, Sam and all my other fellow teachers for such a fun day.
A very big thank you also to the Dodo family including Ryuki who was a former student of Pre-KG and whose family very generously donated hundreds of candies.
Well, in autumn not only our tummies need to be stimulated, but also our brains.
So out come the ideas for the art part of autumn!
The Pre-KG children are learning about colours and shapes, so they decorated an art flyer with triangles to make their own version of a colourful dress / coat/ kimono.
The finishing touch was some sparkling accessories and the result was amazing.
This activity is a part of a small art project that will be continued and will involve a small excursion. Stay tuned for our Pre-KG children's creativity and more adventures.
Wishing you a pleasant autumn break with lots of delicious food and strolls on sunny days.
Schöne Herbstferien und viel Spass beim Wandern, Spielen, Essen und Entdecken !
Yours,
Anita Ursula Mönch
DSKI Pre-Kindergarten homeroom teacher
Playgroup / EY German
