Learn about Japan for Kids with this printable book to read, color, and learn about Mt Fiji, charming gardens, and sushi without leaving home!
How to spend 2 weeks in Japan with kids guide for 2 weeks in Japan with family. Planning a trip with kids can mean that you’ll have extra things to consider
It's Japan's Foundation Day & we're celebrating with amazing Joyful Japan Crafts for Kids! Take your pick from Origami, Kokeshi or Hinamatsuri!
Take the kids to Japan on a virtual trip around the country. Particpate in Japanese crafts for kids and activities including a STEM earthquake project. Make your own sushi and more.
Looking for the best things to do in Tokyo with kids? In this seemingly serious and adult focused city there is a surprising amount of fun family activities
Koinobori, meaning 'carp streamer' in Japanese, is a traditional craft made in Japan to celebrate Children's Day (Kodomo no Hi). Held on May 5th every year, it's the final national holiday during Golden Week, which is a series of national holidays to allow Japanese people take a week off to travel, visit family and spend money. The purpose of Children's Day is to
Take the kids to Japan on a virtual trip around the country. Particpate in Japanese crafts for kids and activities including a STEM earthquake project. Make your own sushi and more.
Are ya'll familiar with the Japanese holiday called Children's Day? I think sometimes my students are convinced that everyday is Children's Day which is why nearly every night is Grape-Flavored Grown-Up Drink Day for this art teacher. But I digress. The real Children's Day is celebrated in Japan on the 5th day of May which, in case you didn't know, is the 5th month. It's a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness. Which, seriously, that part should be everyday in an art room, don't you think? On this day, all children fly a carp kite called a koinobori on a flag pole, along with the koinobori of those in their family. The father's koinobori is usually at the top, followed by the mother with the children's kites, from oldest to youngest, flown below. I had big visions of flying the kids' koinobori outside of our school for the occasion and for our upcoming art show (which is in 10 days, people! Not that I'm freaking out at all). However, we had some pretty Big, Bad and Ugly weather at the start of last week that lead me to believe that keeping these lovelies inside would be a better bet. The last time I hung something in these windows, it was a pretty big hit so I thought I'd do it again with our koinobori. Along with a sign, of course. Otherwise everyone just thought they were super cool fish kites. Which they are but there's also a super cool story behind them as well. So just how did my friends in First Grade Land create these awesome koinobori? Dude, it was so super easy and, like, the World's Fastest Art Project (which for me is a total rarity). Here's a list of the supplies we used: Roylco's Japanese Carp Wind Sock Kit For about $8, you can get your kitten mittens on a set of 24 die-cut fish with tag board strips that get glued into the mouths (if you look at the orange fish above, you'll see the tag board propping open the mouth.) Sharpies. This is optional. I had the kids use these to add details that they wanted to remain permanent. Watercolor Paint. Boy, talk about an End-of-the-School-Year-We-Are-Almost-Outta-Supplies Limited Palette, ya'll. But, we're artists, kids! We can make do! Or something like that. A Spray Bottle Full of Water. Yarn. Hole Punch. How the lesson went down: My kids have been learning about Asia, with an emphasis on Japan, all year. In fact, we'd just finished off this sushi lesson not long ago and had just completed making a ceramic koi fish. I needed a short and quick tie-in lesson while our clay projects dried and fired. These koinobori were just the perfect thing. After chatting about Children's Day, the kids were given a tray of warm and cold colored Sharpie markers. We chatted about the parts of a fish (fins, gills, scales, tail, etc.) and how we might emphasize those with either warm or cool colored Sharpies. That took up our first 30 minute session. For the next 30 minute session, we reviewed correct use of water color paint (which obviously doesn't include cleaning the tray, ew!). I also told the kids that they were again to use warm or cool colors but that they didn't have to stick with the same color family as they used last art class. Once the kids had collected their supplies (a paint brush and two ziplock bags -- the two things I forgot to mention in that above supply list, doh!), they were to raise their hand and I came over and squirted their fish with water. Because the paper is made from the same stuff as coffee filters, a wee spritz of water really helps the water color paint to spread out. The kids thought that was pretty rad. Once the kids had painted their entire fish, they were given the option of splatter painting. I don't think a single kid opted out of that one. To dry, the kids gingerly carried their zip locked fish to the floor. The reason I kept the bags on the bottom was that I found that the color will often run off the paper and on to the surface that it is sitting on. However, if the paper is allowed to "sit in it's own juices" so to speak, it dries much more vibrant. Now, normally, I woulda had the kids add the tag board and attempt to tie the string. But I was in a bit of a time crunch. So I set aside about 15 minutes every afternoon to hot glue the tag board at the top, hot glue it into a tube, hole punch the top and add the yarn. By the end of the week, I had all of my classes finished. To hang, I bent a paper clip so that it looked like some sort of scary prison shank and stuck it into the foamy ceiling tie. I added the top fish to that paper clip. Then I hole punched the bottom of that fish and added a bent paper clip to that hole where I attached the second fish. If I'm not making any sense it's because I'm deep into that aforementioned Grape-Flavored Grown-Up Drink Day and I simply cannot be held accountable for my incoherentness. I managed to get 'em all up and ready for Monday, May 5th on Friday. I can't wait for the kids (and the grown kids) to see them and celebrate all things children -- especially during our standardized testing week! Until next time, enjoy Children's Day! Or Grape-Flavored Grown-Up Drink Day. Your choice.
Learn about Japan for Kids with this printable book to read, color, and learn about Mt Fiji, charming gardens, and sushi without leaving home!
able Thinking Day fact card for our passports. Perfect if you chose Japan for your Girl Scout Thinking Day or International Night celebration.…
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Discover Hokusai's 36 views of Mount Fuji with this fun printmaking activity for kids! This Japanese wooblock prints lesson is for preschool and elementary.
Looking for fun family activities in Tokyo, Japan? Click this now to discover the most FUN things to do in Tokyo with kids - AND GET FR
Ancient Japan for Kids: Fun and Simple Handwriting Activity. I have an Ancient Japan for Kids handwriting activity. Also, look at more ideas on my page Medieval Japan Unit Study and Lapbook 1185 – 1600 A.D.
Japan activities are perfect to add to your kindergarten or first grade social studies lessons. Includes Mount Fugi craft, kid friendly sushi, and more.
Check out these 10 fun facts about Japan Culture for kids, with added information on having more hands on experiences and a free download of activities.
Ancient Japan for Kids: Fun and Simple Handwriting Activity. I have an Ancient Japan for Kids handwriting activity. Also, look at more ideas on my page Medieval Japan Unit Study and Lapbook 1185 – 1600 A.D.
Take a fascinating journey to Japan with this exciting Japan Study and learn more about the people, food and culture along the way.
We love Japan in our home! My children have learned a lot, but still they crave more. All About Japan is a wonderful book with a wealth of information.
Explore the culture of Japan from home with our Japan preschool unit! Activities, crafts, food, and more for your child to enjoy.
Taking the kids to Japan on holiday? Read our fun travel itinerary. We travelled to Tokyo, Kyoto & Osaka and did it all from kimonos, temples, cooking classes, robots & crazy rainbow fairy floss!
Learning about Japan for kids with these CUTE and FREE Japan Coloring Pages including - Mt Fiji, sushi, bonsai, cherry blossom, kimono, and more!
Make and decorate your own Japanese Kokeshi doll with this fun salt dough craft for kids! A great addition to a Japan cultural unit.
Take this list of Japan books for Kids to the library to gather for your Japan unit study. Kids will love learning about the Japanese culture.
It's Japan's Foundation Day & we're celebrating with amazing Joyful Japan Crafts for Kids! Take your pick from Origami, Kokeshi or Hinamatsuri!
Bring Japanese culture closer to home with these fun mix of activities, including modern and traditional games for kids of all ages.
Another fun way to make Japanese Paper Fans! You can use our premade fans to color or paint abeautiful picture....or use our printable fantemplate and let children design their own! This is a fantastic group
Japan Family Holiday: Visiting Japan with kids? This guide covers the best places to visit & the best things to do in Japan with kids.
Explore colorful tribal wear, African safaris, thatch houses, mandazi and more with these free printable Kenya Coloring Pages for kids of all ages.
It's Japan's Foundation Day & we're celebrating with amazing Joyful Japan Crafts for Kids! Take your pick from Origami, Kokeshi or Hinamatsuri!
It's Japan's Foundation Day & we're celebrating with amazing Joyful Japan Crafts for Kids! Take your pick from Origami, Kokeshi or Hinamatsuri!
Make these cute Japanese fans with your kids in honor of Girls' Day. I've included a free printable guide to make this an easy craft!
With so many options, finding things to do in Tokyo with kids can seem overwhelming. Explore these top unforgettable experiences for the perfect trip!
Japan activities are perfect to add to your kindergarten or first grade social studies lessons. Includes Mount Fugi craft, kid friendly sushi, and more.
Our kid-friendly Japan profile page includes a detailed country map, infographic, photo gallery, video, activities, and more!
Don't miss the best things to do in Tokyo with kids! This Tokyo itinerary for 4 days will show you the best of the city through a kid-friendly lens.
To continue with our Kids’ Culinary Passport journey to Japan, my kids really loved making these pretty paper lanterns! Paper lanterns are often associated with festivals, and they are very common in both China and Japan. I love how festive these paper lanterns look hanging from the ceiling in our craft room, and they can […]
Take your kids to try these foods when you next visit Japan (they will especially love number 5!).
We've created this printable map of Japan for you to label and color and customize. Use a student atlas and our list of places or one of the ideas to practice map skills.
Japan is a beautiful, unique country with a vibrant culture. This is one of those places I most want to visit, but since we weren’t able to travel this year a unit study about Japan was the b…
It's Japan's Foundation Day & we're celebrating with amazing Joyful Japan Crafts for Kids! Take your pick from Origami, Kokeshi or Hinamatsuri!
Have you ever heard kids complain that there isn't a holiday just for kids? Learn about koinobori with this fun holiday worksheet.
Ancient Japan for Kids: Fun and Simple Handwriting Activity. I have an Ancient Japan for Kids handwriting activity. Also, look at more ideas on my page Medieval Japan Unit Study and Lapbook 1185 – 1600 A.D.
This is the perfect 7 day Japan itinerary for an unforgettable trip. Explore Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and more with insider insights.
Tanabata 七夕 Tanabata 七夕 is a Japanese holiday that is celebrated on July 7th every year. (Although in some places in Japan it is celebrated in August). This holiday came about because of a romantic story that was created based on the stars Vega and Altair who are closest to each other on the 7th day of the 7th month
