I have always been fascinated by world currencies and love studying different kinds of money as part of our world country studies. My oldest is only three, so is not able to fully understand the concept of money, but she … Continue reading Japan Unit: Learning About Japanese Yen
The macaque or “Snow Monkey” of Japan is a colorful monkey that lives in the colder regions of Japan, thus earning it’s name. I thought it was the perfect animal to make a life cycle spinner to compliment our study … Continue reading Japan Unit Study: Life Cycle of the Macaque Monkey
Our study of Japan would not be complete without a study of the geography of the country. I love using foam paper to make cut-outs of the different countries. My three year old loves comparing the different shapes of the … Continue reading Japan Unit Study: Japanese Geography
The Shinkansen or “Bullet Train” is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, in order to aid economic growth and development. Today the network has expanded … Continue reading STEM Activity: Balloon Powered Japanese Bullet Train
When I was in college, I studied Zen Do Kai, a form of martial arts based on Shotokan, which originated in Japan. Both in practice and in testing, we performed “Kata” which are simulated fights. With the strong ties to … Continue reading JAPAN Unit: Kata – Gross Motor Martial Arts Activity
I love activities that require little to no prep and use upcycled materials I have lying around the house. Over the past few years between my two girls, I have collected a lot of baby food pouch tops, and thought … Continue reading Japan Unit: Pouch Top “Sushi” Transfer Activity
Years ago when I took martial arts, I learned to count in Japanese. I thought it would be fun to make some counting cards to teach my oldest how to count up to 10 in Japanese. With other country units, … Continue reading Japan Unit: Counting in Japanese [FREE Printable Cards]
I love to use my creative side and so does my oldest, who really enjoys activities that she can be creative. I found these adorable little soy sauce fish bottles at a oriental store, and thought they would be perfect … Continue reading Japan Unit: Water Painting with Soy Sauce Fish Bottles
For each of my country units, I like to have a sensory bin or small world play – I believe that imagination is one of the greatest assets of childhood and hope to instill this in my kiddos. For our … Continue reading Japan Unit: Zen Garden Sensory Bin
I’ve always been fascinated by origami, but haven’t progressed over the years past a few basic designs. For our Japan unit, I wanted to show my preschooler how to fold a few basic designs. The Japanese word “Origami” is made … Continue reading Japan Unit: Preschool Origami
