World Cultures: Japan

Course Description

This course is $12 and can be enjoyed by any child that is old enough to read independently.

*Non-reading children can also enjoy this course but keep in mind that for younger children, this course will need to be a partnership with a reader. They will need to have someone read and explain most of the course to them. A free sample course is available to help you determine appropriateness.*

You will notice that the sections of this course are set up in a non-traditional way: “Watch”, “Listen”, “Read”, “Write”, etc… Instead of sorting activities by topic or subject, I sort by experience. That is because I follow a method I call “Experience-Based Learning“. You can read about my personal approach to this idea here. In this way, I am aiming my learning adventures at the children’s EXPERIENCES, which is in my opinion more meaningful to the children themselves than topics or academic subjects. However, you will notice that there are still topics and academic subjects that are being covered…I just choose not to group my courses around these.

What’s included in this course:

An interactive introductory lesson about Japan:
This includes guiding children through online research to find information on such things as a country’s location, capital, currency, official language, and even things like what the time and weather is currently and what animals are native! (And much more!)

Upon finding the answers to questions, children are guided to input info to confirm their answers, and record most of their answers in a visually appealing 11-page fill-in printable “Country Report” to save (and show others) what they’ve learned! In this way, I like to combine both virtual and manual writing/drawing (and if they choose to print/cut/paste images…even more tactile!) experience. Plus a great “report” made by them to save and read what they learned again and again!

By the end of their introductory lesson, they will know a lot about the basics of Japan!

A “Read” section:
This section includes a book list of recommended reading on a variety of books about Japan for children. It also includes many links to websites with interesting information about the country and customs of Japan. All sites have been screened for appropriateness.

Please note: While I have done my best to screen all online content for child appropriateness, this is the internet, and things change regularly. Children are capable of clicking on things and leaving a site to explore where they shouldn’t…I ALWAYS recommend content filters on browsers as well as supervision when working on the internet. I simply cannot guarantee all online content because of how the internet works. If you or your child ever find any questionable content, please do alert me and I will handle it quickly and appropriately.

A “Watch” section:
This section of the course includes dozens of (usually short: 5-10min, though occasional longer documentary-type) embedded YouTube videos on a variety of topics to guide them in learning about the country and customs of Japan. Examples include videos about the geography of Japan, the culture of Japan (often with on-screen children), traditional Japanese music and dancing, and a whole lot more!

A “Write” section:
This section includes different writing activities such as learning how to write a Japanese traditional poem called a haiku, as well as learning to write in Japanese letters.

A “Listen” section:
This section includes audio stories from Japan as well as music from Japan, both traditional and modern.

A “Play” section:
This section includes links to a variety of sites to learn traditional Japanese children’s
games as well as to play online games involving language and geography.

A “Create” section:
This section includes links to true “hands-on” activities to create things such as crafts and cooking projects. Most activities also include information and videos about the background of the topic that they will be creating. For example, before painting pink cherry trees, children will learn all about the Japanese tradition of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Before making cotton ball sushi, children will learn about the history and tradition of making sushi.