Worldschooling: Japan

As I wrote the title to this post I actually heard myself say, "Blech", outloud because I hate labels like "worldschooler" or "unschooler" and the list goes on indefinitely, as hoards of families seeking something different from traditional education seek to categorize what they're doing. I prefer to say, "I teach my own children", because, like so many other moms who've taken this path, that's exactly what we're doing and...its undefineable. We're doing what we believe is best for our kids each day, each year...hell, some days I scrap school altogether and head to the park! But, for this year, my kids ninth trip around the sun, we're in Japan and planning to travel ALL over Asia!

We are not permanent nomads, but we are a traveling family so I like to plan our educational units around where we are, or where we'll be (depending on my mood). We started our Japanese unit on Okinawa because we're living on this island so we created a map of the island, labeled bodies of water, the major cities and colored in regions such as jungle, plains, agricultural and coastal regions. We briefly discussed the history of the island, but mostly we got to know it by exploring local spots and, well, living here, haha. Now, we're starting a unit on mainland Japan!

Before we left the states, we started reading a book called, Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus, which I HIGHLY suggest reading before, and during, a unit study of Japan. If you have a wordsmith in your family, have them start a glossary in a notebook and then use a dictionary to define new words, as this book is chockfull of advanced vocabulary! We also drew a map of Japan's four main islands and defined "archipelago", since Japan is actually a chain of islands, unbeknownst to most. We also used a globe throughout our reading to locate other areas that are referenced in the story such as the Philipinnes (Manila), Hawaii, China, Korea, New England, and California. We also tried to figure out who the "blue-eyed barbarians" were in the story, which really only required a look in the mirror, but also prompted a quick google search regarding the Edo Period of Japan, also known as the Isolationsist Period.

Also, in every unit book we create, we add a timeline for documenting major events. Learning about the Edo period led us into studying Shogunate, Samurai (learning the samurai code, weaponry, caste system, and training required), but also exploring what came next- the Meiji period and the architecture of that time (houses, temples, shrines) as well as the religious changes the country faced with the influx of Westerners and other foreign nations. Japan is predominantly Shinto, by faith, but philisophically Buddhist. I can't say I'm "Budhist", but I can say my boys have grown up exposed to Buddhist mantras, meditations, prayer circles, exploring zen gardens and a mom who struggles to create "rules" outside the zen principles of respect self, others and nature so they rolled their eyes when I told them we were going to do a study of Buddgism, "Mom, we know all this!" But, being familiar with Buddhism from a Chinese, or Indian, viewpoint is different than Zen Buddhism in Japan so we began to compare and contrast the differences we noticed across a former study of the Hindu faith, Indian Buddhism in ancient India, our time in Bali, and what we know about Siddartha. We also reread a few Jataka tales and wrote down the lesson Buddha hoped his disciples would observe (cursive practice). Have fun with this by dying paper indigo with onions or flowers and writing Jataka tales with gold pens, or paint, like the first printed words of the sutra.

We're traveling to the cities of Osaka and Kyoto next week so we watched a documentary about traditional tea ceremonies, geishas, kimonos, art, and Japanese customs. The phrase, "ichi-e ichi-go" stuck with me. This, written in kanji, often hangs in the front of a home meaning, "One time, one meeting" to remind guests to be present in each moment. This is something so many say, but do not quite truly grasp the meaning of. I hope to model this for the boys as we hand feed the deer in Nara amongst the cherry blossoms, eat sushi at a low sitting table, or don a kimono at a local castle.

Also, I always suggest including folk tales, folklore, mythology and children's fairy tales in ANY unit study of another culture. My nine year old boys still LOVE folk tales from around the world. Not only are virtues hidden in the context, but its a gentle (non-babyish) way of keeping magic in the home and keeping material light. A famous Japanese folk tale is "Urashima Taro" (referenced in Heart of a Samurai) and also "The Chestnut Tree", we found in a book called A Forest of Stories. "The Funny Little Woman" is an easy one to find in most children's sections of the library and try to find the legend of the Tanabata; the star-crossed lovers of the Milky Way and include a night of star gazing to look for them. The creation story of Japan about Izinagi and Izinami is also a MUST to start your unit off with excitement!

If you're wondering about our "unit books", this is also referred to as our main lesson book. In Waldorf schools, students document their own learning by creating textbooks of their discoveries. We don't separate our learning into subjects like art, history, writing, science, but rather learn all skills at once in a main lesson. The boys may be drawing and illustrating a map of Japan and adding inagery of food, clothing and houses, while learning how it's placement in the world has affected it architecture (snow, earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons), food supply (fish, cherries, rice, seaweed, sea grapes, sake) and clothing choices. A study of it's war history includes discussions about religion, art, music and literature that may have been influenced by the war and the politics surrounding it. As their teacher, I choose the subject matter, but they do the learning and we go where the wind blows!

Sayonoara,

Chelsea