Making Faces Felt Story Set

Children love making faces! This fun-filled activity set contains 3 different stories:

1. A baby who goes from happy to hungry, sad and sleepy.
2. A pirate who chest is filled with...treasure?
3. A Japanese princess who shares about her culture.

Watch the characters come to life as you change their facial expression into different emotions!

Visit the SHOP for more on this interactive story set!

 

 

Happy Birthday Felt Story Set!



Perfect for ESL and preschool classrooms!  Celebrate birthdays with your students with this fun felt story.  Colorful, interactive and educational this story focuses on counting, animals and "How old are you?"  Visit the shop for more info!  Happy storytelling!

How to make a flannel board:

Here's a quick post on how to make a flannel or felt board. 

You will need:

White flannel fabric
A staple gun, staples
Scissors
A Canvas (16 x 20 or larger)

1.  Cut out the flannel fabric leaving enough space around the edges to fold inside the canvas frame.  (You can use wood or craft glue to secure the fabric to the frame or just fold it inside like I've done.)  2.  Start with one side and work your way to the edge. 
3.  The fold corner and tuck inside the frame.
4,5.  Staple generously all the way around the frame.
6.  You're done!  You have a clean flannel board that you can place on an easel and start storytelling!

Pictures from my students

The teachers were so sweet to have the students write me letters and draw pictures to say goodbye.  They were asked to either draw me or us together.   I love all their artwork but will post just a few today.  Seeing how they enjoyed English class with all the rainbows, hearts, and flowers makes me so happy ...I miss them all (sigh!)

Goodbye Japan!

I left Japan a few weeks ago and it was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made.  I loved the people, culture, food, and my job so much that my two-year plan of living there turned into 5 years!  But with the recent disasters in Japan, my family asked me to finally come home...so here I am in the wonderful United States!   In all, I taught 12 schools and rotated between them once a week.  I had so much fun creating curriculum and watching my students grow and enjoy learning English.  I'll miss all the kids, teachers and friends I made and will cherish fond, fond memories of this country I love.  God bless Japan and please continue to keep them in your prayers!

Support for Japan

Thanks to all my family, friends, and people I've never even met for your concern over the devastation in Japan.  I don't live in the area that was hit but I do have family and friends in the Tokyo area and am so blessed that they're all safe.  Please keep Japan in your prayers and donate to the Red Cross or  http://www.globalgiving.org/if you can.  With so many being without food, water, and shelter every little bit counts.

All the best,

Aimee

Obento (lunch box)

Today was "bring your obento day" so I stopped by to join in on the fun!  Their moms packed such heathly and colorful lunches for their kids that it's no wonder they enjoyed eating up all their veggies!  Plus, they have so many cute bags, lunch boxes, napkins and utensils that it makes it extra special. 

I attempted to prepare my own but it pales in comparison!  (It's the green and blue box above...  :)   )

Don't you just love the hello kitty bag?  I love them all but my favorite is the strawberry-polka dot one.  I asked her which store she bought it from and she said her mom made it.  Isn't that adorable? 

It was so much fun to relax and eat lunch with them, instead of just teaching my English class and rushing off.  I'll have to do this more often, but next time I'll need to be better prepared with a cute bag and obento box!  :) 

School project/artwork

One of my afterschoolers brought a robot he made from school.  Very cute and inventive, don't you think?  I love the googly eyes and antenna. 

The robot can even sit down....

or stand up!  How creative is that?  Perhaps he's a future robotics engineer in the making?  :)

Ella at the groomer's

Our lovely groomer posted some photos of Ella's visit and it looks like she had a blast!

"Hello world!"

Doesn't my girl look super happy?

After her trimming, she can play in the front area with the other doggies.  However, although Ella's a curious kid, she's also very shy.  Her way of joining in the fun is choosing the comfy couch and watching from a distance!  :)  Isn't she a funny character? 

I'm glad she always enjoys her time there and comes home looking like a princess.  We're so grateful to have found our groomer and look forward to our next visit.   Arigatou ne!

Japanese preschool

Today I went to one of my Japanese preschools that I visit once a week.  This is the 4 year old class who are hard at work.  (What is the key to them being so quiet and focused, you ask?  My secret weapon...a fun activity sheet!)

                  

As I called out the colors and shapes in English (orange circles, red ovals,etc.) the children followed directions and designed their giraffes.

A few of the boys were very creative ...they said their giraffes ate so much ice cream that it was pouring out of their noses!

The girls stuck to drawing hearts and ribbons.  :)

It's a great way to practice using what they learned and they're always so proud of their completed project.  Good job, class!

Shuri Castle

We made our way to Shuri Castle to see their 3-day event of festivities. They had traditional, Okinawan dances, tea ceremonies, and a tour of the castle. I thought it'd be fun to dress Ella up in a kimono and she was a big hit with the Japanese tourists!

If you care to look at the slideshow, click here . Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve in the market

It was busy today with people doing their last-minute shopping before the 3-day New Year's celebrations. Locals and tourists flock to this part of town to buy the freshest ingredients so I decided to join in on the action!

Several stands sell the same items so how does this foreigner know which one is the best? I have a little system... go with the one that has the longest line! Yep, yep. :) This kamaboko (fish cakes) stand fit the criteria so I waited for my turn and sure enough, it was delicious.

Next up was the cakes stand. So many to choose from...no wonder people are super serious trying to pick their favorites!

One by one, I enjoyed browsing through the food and took snaps of some of the popular delights. Japanese yams, the yummy cakes, mozuku (green seaplant) and soba (long noodles symbolize long life).

Delicious treats are brown sugar, sata andagi (Okinawan donuts), the must-have mochi (rice cake), and muchi (Okinawan mochi) wrapped in banana (?) leaves. My favorite is the sata andagi donut!

After my shopping, I was getting hungry and stumbled upon an awesome place to eat. From 3pm on New Year's Eve the local shop owners set up some tables and serve homemade soba noodles. It was oishii (delicious)!!

Did I mention it cost only 100 yen (less than a US dollar)? For those of you who are in the area next year, it's right along Heiwadori towards the back. Just be sure to get there before the soba runs out...which is fast! :)

Happy holidays!

The new year is just around the corner! So many plans and things to prepare...very exciting. But for now we're going to take a little time out to enjoy the holidays. Hope you have fun doing the same. :)

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and looking foward to 2011!

Kawaii Zakka Shop

Today was an unusual day for me because I had the afternoon off...yay! So without a second thought, I went straight to my favorite handmade/specialty shop. If you're a big "zakka" fan like me these places are like heaven!

Plush toys, books, stationary...you name it, they have it.

I love all the yummy colors and kawaii characters but how do they fit everything on the shelves? Japanese sure are professionals at being compact !

If that was not enough, they even have a bakery filled with delicious treats

and fresh flowers for the home.

With some cream cheese bread and a little shopping, it was the perfect way to enjoy my afternoon! :)

FREE Printable Christmas Activity Sheet!

The kids in my English class got into the holiday spirit making these cute, Christmas trees. It's always fun incorporating crafts into our lesson because it gives them a chance to practice USING English (I'm all about learning by experience...that's why I came to Japan to study Japanese! :) ) Our focus was on following directions, using colors and shapes, and being creative.

So after folding the paper in half and cutting out our tree...

I asked them, "Find the color RED and draw some small circles. Now take out the color LIGHT BLUE and draw some squares." (Those who needed a little help could look at the board and follow my demo.) As we went through the activity, I tried to let them locate the colors and draw the shapes before I did. It was great practice and they loved making the project.

At the end I allowed them time to add their own designs and put on the final touch....

a shining star at the top! They did an amazing job and had no problem doing this activity all in English. So proud of my students...they're all such bright stars! :)

Now it's your turn. You can download the worksheet for free by clicking here. Save the picture and when you print it out be sure to select size B5 and "fit to page". Feel free to drop a line or show us some pics of your trees. :)

Have fun and happy holidays!

Day trip to Nanjo

Yesterday, I took a trip with a small group of friends to Nanjo City. We visited a few historical sites and then headed to the beach. Tucked away in this hidden path was....
Hyakuna beach! The white sands, coral rocks, and turquoise water make it such a peaceful place. Plus, it was so secluded we had most of it to ourselves. :)

After enjoying the view, we ate at a restaurant called Mozuku Soba. I've never tasted such fresh mozuku (Okinawan seaweed) in my life...probably because it came straight from the sea. What a treat!

On our way back, we stopped by a farmer's market for some fruits and veggies. I felt like one of the locals buying my groceries for the day.

At the market, my little friend made a few friends of her own. Aren't they adorable?

It was a wonderful day and I want to say a special thank you to the "A team" for the nice memory....Arigatou!

Eisa and the Blue Moon

Children were performing some Okinawan Eisa dances today. I've never tried to
play a taiko drum before but after seeing them, I hope to have a chance someday!

Such colorful, customes!

What a cutie!

He was actually very good!

As we were walking away, we caught a glimpse of November's full moon .

It was a nice way to end the day! :)

Children's Art Exhibit

One of the teachers mentioned that the children submitted their work in the annual children's art exhibition, so today I stopped by the gallery. Turns out, many of the other schools I teach at also entered their students' work in the competition and I was excited to see their art on display. The age range was from 2-5 years old, and their objective was to paint a fun memory from their summer vacation. From family outings to sports day, catching bugs, birthday parties, riding the school bus; these simple moments were the exciting adventures they enjoyed. It was awesome to see their impressions on paper!

Isn't this precious?

So many budding artists!

On the hunt for cicada.

I even ran into one of my kiddos who had his painting on display. Good job, buddy!

The vivid colors, detailed expressions, and spirit of play captured on canvas was truly impressive. Needless to say, I walked away inspired to create that same kind of magic! :)