The Schools ....

Here are a few snapshots of my schools. They're really different from schools back home, but in a good way. I'll try to post more soon.

This is the artwork hanging up at Chitose Nursery School. The colored pieces are egg shells and those are the children's faces & hands. Cute, huh? Shirley - why didn't we do this with our chick shells? Just joking :)

I'm upstairs looking down on the playground. The children spend a lot of time outside. The building in the background is another part of the school.

Outside Futaba Nursery School. Yes, that is a swimming pool. In the summer season the children go swimming during outdoor activity. I wouldn't have minded a pool at Freeburg. C3 could have been the lifeguard. :)

Inside Kanada Nursery School. This school has a good vibe. I like it. That is the entrance and the shelves on the right are for your shoes. Everyone must wear indoor shoes inside the school.

A lot of the classrooms have a patio or balcony or outdoor area attached to the classroom. The children can go outside anytime. I love it. I definitely wouldn't mind one of these at my next school.

I think most of the schools have a tatami room. I don't know the sole purpose of this area but I know that children (or me) can go here when they are tired and take a nap or if they are not feeling well. There's also a piano in this room. It's quite relaxing. It's not super comfortable for napping though. I tried once.

The children collect bugs and insects all the time, just like our collection of creepy crawlies in my kindergarten room last year. The only difference is instead of collecting ladybugs, grasshoppers, and bees these children collect beetles, spiders, and praying mantises. At first they really freaked me out, but now I'm used to it.
The beetles are huge!!
Eww ... He tried to get me to pick it up and I was not having it.

Isn't this sweet? Little did they know my hair would be wild & curly. :)
much love
-tara-
xoxo