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What is SummerTree Japanese Education? SummerTree Japanese Education is a Japanese language and culture class for children from 3 to 7 years old, taught by Mariko Ohkoshi, a Japanese teacher at Westside Waldorf School (Pacific Palisades) for 17 years. The class is held three times a month on Saturdays at 9:00 a.m.. The class is held three times a month on Saturdays from 9:30-12:30 at Temescal Gateway Park, where children can learn various things in a relaxed atmosphere while interacting with nature.


●Our Aims ●
It is not easy for families living in the U.S. to provide their children with daily exposure to Japanese language and culture. Especially for children who attend local schools, families where the language spoken with family members is mostly English, or conversations with friends are in English, etc. … We want our own children to know the joy of speaking Japanese and the beauty of Japanese culture. We want them to be interested in Japanese language and culture. Summer Tree aims to provide children living in the U.S. with a fun way to learn Japanese with their teachers and friends in the same environment, while incorporating traditional Japanese games and events into the activities.


●Example of a daily schedule ●
9:30am -------- Meet at the foot of the mountain. Explore the forest with your teacher and collect nuts, leaves, pine cones, flowers, etc. as you make your way to the classroom.
9:45--------Making nature tables. Students will learn to use their imagination by decorating the table with the leaves and nuts they have collected.
10:00------ morning greetings. We greet the teacher and friends, sing Japanese songs and play hand games.
10:15------ Japanese language study. Reading and writing Hiragana. We learn how to hold a writing utensil correctly and how to use scissors.
10:45------ snack. Gluten-free, organic and healthy snacks will be prepared by SummerTree.
11:00------ free play. Run around in nature and play with jump rope, Daruma-san kororanda, koma, kendama, teddama, okajimasama, etc.
11:20------ crafts. Activities such as making rice balls, calligraphy, origami, and other fun activities to develop Japanese language, finger puppets, imagination, and social skills.
11:50------Reading. We will read picture books and touch a variety of Japanese language.
12:15------ say good-bye to the teacher and friends. We head with the teacher to the foot of the mountain to the parking lot where our families are waiting.
12:30 ------Deliver children to parents at the foot of the mountain.


●Activities change each class:
- Making rice balls
- Japanese calligraphy
- Origami
- Kite making
- Watercolor painting
- Koinobori making
- Hina decoration
etc …


●Schedule and Time●
Saturday 9:30-12:30
(The schedule is determined by vacations and long vacation periods, but as a rule, it is held on Saturday.
●A Day in the Life ●
We post photos and videos of our classes on Instagram. Please feel free to follow us or DM us.
@SummerTree_Japanese_Education