In this fun hands-on video, I show some Japanese activities for children. The activities include the following:
- wearing kimonos
- eating Japanese food
- playing with Japanese toys
- brush painting calligraphy
- tasting green tea at a tea ceremony
- folding origami, including a windmill and a frog
- playing with an abacus
- fishing with a net
- flying Japanese kites
My family attended a Japanese Day at a local community college, and the college students (exchange students from Japan) had booths with the different Japanese activities for children. Each table was set up and ready for the children to mill around and enjoy the different displays. We listened to some Japanese music, too. After spending about an hour on these engaging Japanese activities, our family went out to eat at a Japanese restaurant. My children were able to sample more Japanese foods.
This would be a fun co-op activity to do with other homeschooling families. You could choose a different country once a month and set up hands-on activities at each table in a church gym, so that the children can experience different aspects of each culture. What a great way to learn geography!
More fun ideas for teaching geography to children: Living Geography: Travel the World from Your Living Room
