As part of taking action in our inquiry on recycling and saving the planet, our young learners took a meaningful field trip from Nagano Station to Zenkoji Temple — not just to explore, but to make a difference!

Armed with gloves and trash bags, the children eagerly picked up litter along the sidewalks. They carefully sorted the trash into burnable items and recyclable plastics, such as PET bottles and plastic wrappers. Every small piece of trash they picked up brought big smiles and proud hearts!

Along the way, we saw many people passing by. Some stopped to watch, others smiled, nodded, and even clapped their hands in appreciation. We hope that through this small act, our children will inspire others to be more mindful of the environment. Even as little ones, they showed that everyone can help protect our planet — no action is too small when it comes to caring for the Earth.

We are so proud of our little earth heroes for showing responsibility, teamwork, and compassion for our world. 💚

Exploring How We Express Ourselves 🎨🎵📚

We have also started our new Unit of Inquiry: How We Express Ourselves. In this unit, we explore the various ways people share their feelings, ideas, creativity, and information with others.

For our provocation activity, the teacher set up four exciting stations and invited the students to choose the way—or ways—they wanted to express themselves. It was wonderful to see everyone eagerly moving around, trying out different forms of expression. Some students drew pictures, others played musical instruments, wrote stories, read books, and some even expressed themselves by solving math problems!

After the activity, we gathered to reflect on what we had discovered. The students realized that there are many ways to express ourselves, and that everyone has their own unique way of sharing what’s inside. Whether through art, music, words, or numbers, every expression is special and meaningful.

It was a joyful start to our new unit—filled with creativity, curiosity, and self-expression! 💫