November got off to an exciting start as we welcomed two new members to our Waterfall family: our new international facilitator, Ms. Farima, and a lovely new learner!Ms. Farima entered the classroom looking a little nervous at first, but it didn’t take long for her to join the children. She began asking questions such as, “What’s your name?” and “What are you playing?” and quickly started building connections with everyone. Before long, she was happily playing alongside the children!During her first lesson, we started with our morning meeting, where everyone practiced saying each other’s names and introducing themselves. We then looked at pictures of faces showing different expressions and talked about how our facial expressions can communicate our feelings. The children used their favorite colors to decorate the faces in their own creative ways. It was a fun activity that gave us another opportunity to explore how we express our feelings!
待ちに待った外国人ファシリテーターのMs. Farimaと、新しいお友達が仲間入りし、にぎやかな11月がスタートしました！少し緊張した様子でクラスに入ってきたMs. Farimaでしたが、すぐに子どもたちの輪に入り、「名前は何て言うの？」「何をして遊んでいるの？」と積極的に声をかけてくれました。子どもたちとの距離もあっという間に縮まり、一緒に遊ぶ姿が見られました。初めてのレッスンでは、朝の会でお互いの名前を呼び合いながら自己紹介をしました。その後は、さまざまな表情が描かれた顔のイラストを見ながら、表情と気持ちのつながりについて考え、好きな色を使って自由に色を塗りました。顔の表情から気持ちを読み取ったり、自分なりの色で表現したりと、改めて「気持ちの伝え方」について考える楽しい活動となりました。
Playing Together with Friends!
During outdoor play, we have noticed that the children’s desire to play together is growing stronger. They want to use the same equipment, play with the same toys, or enjoy the same spaces. Sometimes, this can lead to disagreements when everyone has different ideas or wants the same thing.What has been wonderful to see is that the children are increasingly trying to resolve these situations themselves. We hear expressions such as “Later!”, “No, thank you,” and “Let’s play together!” as they learn to communicate their feelings and find ways to play together. We are amazed by how much progress they are making!Of course, there are still times when children find it difficult to share their belongings or personal space. However, when they manage to understand each other and enjoy playing together, their happy and excited expressions say it all!Rather than immediately providing another toy or stepping in to solve every disagreement, we want to give the children time and space to think, communicate, and work things out together, while offering support when needed.
友達と一緒に遊びたい！
外遊びでは、「お友達と一緒に遊びたい！」という気持ちがますます強くなってきたWaterfallの子どもたち。同じ遊具を使いたかったり、同じ場所で遊びたかったりと、時には思いがぶつかることもあります。そんな場面でも、「あとでね」「No, thank you.」「一緒に遊ぼう！」など、自分の気持ちを伝えたり、友達と折り合いをつけたりしながら、自分たちで解決しようとする姿が増えてきました。その成長には、私たちも驚かされています。もちろん、まだまだ自分の物や自分の場所を大切にしたい気持ちが強く、友達とシェアすることが難しい場面もあります。それでも、気持ちが通じ合い、一緒に楽しく遊べたときの子どもたちの表情はとても生き生きしています。大人がすぐに物を用意したり、間に入って解決したりするのではなく、必要なときにはサポートしながら、子どもたち自身で考え、関わり合う時間を大切にしていきたいと思います。
UOI – Express Our Feelings
In our UOI, we explored the connection between colors and emotions through the story The Color Monster, which we read in both Japanese and English.We talked about how different feelings can be represented by colors and explored the kinds of situations that might make us feel certain emotions.For this activity, each child created their own original monster by choosing and coloring their favorite colors. We then asked, “When do you feel this way?”Some children found it a little difficult to imagine specific situations connected to certain emotions, while others simply answered, “I’m always happy!” We also heard some lovely answers based on their own experiences, such as “When I see my daddy,” “When someone buys me a snack,” and “When I open the front door.”Many children especially wanted to express feelings such as happiness and love. As a result, we created a wonderful collection of colorful and adorable monsters!We are planning to give the children an opportunity to introduce their monsters to the class and share their ideas. After that, we will display their creations in the hallway. We hope you enjoy seeing them!
UOI – Express Our Feelings
UOIでは、『The Color Monster』という絵本を日本語と英語の両方で読み、気持ちと色のつながりや、どんなときにどんな感情になるのかを探究しました。今回は、自分だけのオリジナルモンスターに好きな色を塗り、「どんなときにこの気持ちになるの？」と一人ひとりに聞いてみました。まだ、どんなときにその感情になるのかイメージするのが難しい子もいれば、「いつもHappy！」と答える子もいました。また、「パパに会えたとき」「お菓子を買ってもらったとき」「玄関のドアを開けたとき」など、自分の経験を思い浮かべながら答えてくれる子もいました。特に多かったのは、HappyやLoveなど、嬉しい気持ちや大好きな気持ちを表現したいという声。色とりどりの、とてもかわいらしいモンスターたちが完成しました！これからクラスで発表する時間もつくり、その後は廊下に飾る予定です。お楽しみに！
Getting Ready for the December Winter Show!
Starting next week, we will gradually begin preparing for our December Winter Show.Through reading lots of storybooks and enjoying pretend play, we will explore how the characters might feel and how we can express those feelings through our roles.We would love for you to continue this exploration at home, too! When reading a story together, try asking questions such as, “How do you think this character is feeling right now?” or “Why do you think they feel that way?”Sharing your own thoughts, such as “I think they might feel this way because…” can also encourage children to consider different perspectives and broaden their thinking.Rather than focusing only on finding the right answer, let’s enjoy discovering different feelings, ideas, and ways of thinking together!With our new members joining the Waterfall family, our classroom is becoming even more lively and full of energy. We look forward to another month of discoveries, meaningful connections, and wonderful growth together!
12月のWinter Showに向けて！
来週からは、12月のWinter Showに向けた活動も少しずつ始まります。たくさんの絵本を読んだり、ごっこ遊びを楽しんだりしながら、それぞれの役の気持ちや表現の仕方について探究していきたいと思います。ぜひご家庭でも、絵本を読むときに「この子は今、どんな気持ちかな？」「どうしてそう思う？」と問いかけてみてください。また、「私はこう思うよ」と大人の考えも伝えながら、親子で意見を交わすことも、子どもたちの思考の幅を広げるきっかけになります。正解を見つけることだけでなく、それぞれの感じ方や考え方を楽しみながら、ぜひご家庭でも一緒に探究してみてくださいね！新しい仲間も加わり、ますますにぎやかになったWaterfall。11月も、子どもたちと一緒にたくさんの発見と成長を楽しんでいきたいと思います！
↑This is one of WF’s favorite seasonal songs♪WFが大すきな季節の歌です。
