This is Shokoji Nursery School Yoshidacho. Six children from the Hoshi class (2-year-olds), five children from the Tsuki class (1-year-olds), and five children from the Hikari class (0-year-olds) participated enthusiastically in this year's Obon festival.
We also prepared for the Obon festival with the children.
The signs were made by children ages 1 and 2 together, using body painting on construction paper. At first, they were confused by the feeling of getting paint on their bodies, but as they got used to it by starting with the parts of their body they could touch, such as their fingertips, they gradually started to enjoy dynamic, whole-body play.
Each class then made crafts and souvenirs to enjoy at the Obon Festival. The Star Class, which runs a goldfish shop, made happi coats and showed them off to their friends in other classes. The children were so excited that they told us, "XX-chan made this," and we could tell they were looking forward to the Obon Festival.
On the day of the Obon festival, we made masks and goldfish. The children had fun making the shapes they wanted, asking the nursery teachers "Is it like this?" and saying "I want to scratch the cheek!"
And so the long-awaited Obon festival began. The energetic Star Class members, transformed into goldfish vendors, welcomed everyone with a "Welcome!" Although they were a little shy about saying "please" and "thank you," they looked pleased and satisfied that they had been able to do it. All the classes seemed nervous, but as they interacted with the nursery teachers, they gradually gained confidence, which led to them trying to interact on their own.
Even after the event, the children continued to look at their creations with joy and show them to their friends, and the sense of fun and accomplishment continued to linger. When their parents came to pick them up, they showed them the crafts they made and the goldfish they bought, and told them what they had done.
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