Homeschooling ADD Kids

 

I had to skip posting a unit study last week.  My aunt passed away, so I had to take a flight up to Rhode Island for the funeral.  I’m still in RI right now, but didn’t want to skip posting another lesson, so here it is!

 

Two weeks ago we did Part 1 of the international unit study on Japan.  This week we’re going to focus on the history and sports of Japan.  We’ll just look into a few main aspects of Japan’s history and sports, leaving it up to you to decide how much further you want to investigate (depending on the age and ability of your child).

 

Keep in mind that although you’ll be incorporating some reading, writing and math in this unit study, the main purpose of my international unit studies is to help children understand and appreciate other cultures.

 

 

YOUR CHILD’S NAME IN JAPANESE

SKILLS TAUGHT:  HANDWRITING, CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

 

In last week’s unit study on Japan, your child learned how to write a few letters of the Japanese alphabet.  Now he’ll learn how to write his name in Japanese.

 

Go to: Japanese-Name-Translation.com and type in your child’s first and last name.  Then hit the Go button.  After it gives you the Japanese characters (Katakana), have your child write them on a whiteboard or sheet of paper.  Try writing names of other members of your family.

 

A LOOK AT JAPAN’S HISTORY

SKILL’S TAUGHT: WORLD HISTORY, READING, WRITING, ART, SCIENCE

 

SAMURAI

Samurai, or warrior clans were very powerful in Japan between the years 1192 though 1868.

Here is what the samurai warrior outfits looked like (actually, the last one was a ceremonial outfit, not used for fighting):

 

 

Get some paper and crayons and have your child create his own version of a samurai uniform.  Or go to Artpad’s Painter to have him create a digital painting.  After he finishes it, you can save it and send it to me at kbroccoli@homeschoolingADDkids.com .  I’ll then put a link to it on one of my upcoming blog posts so all our subscribers and visitors can see it!

 

GEISHA

Geisha were also an important part of Japanese history.  These female entertainers were skilled in dancing, singing and the art of conversation.  There have been Geisha in Japan since the 1600’s and you can still see them there.

 

Here’s a picture of a modern-day Geisha:

 

 

The Geisha wear Kimonos which are beautiful silk dresses. The Geisha were not the only ones to wear kimonos.  Here is a site with pics of children wearing traditional Japanese clothing:

 

http://www.japanesekimono.com/childrens_kimono.htm

 

EARTHQUAKES

 

The Great Kanto Earthquake was one of the largest earthquakes recording in history.  It destroyed the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama.  Over 140,000 people lost their lives.

 

Here are some pictures of what it looked like (don’t worry, they are not too graphic):

http://www.japan-guide.com/a/earthquake/

 

Try this experiment to teach your child why earthquakes occur:

http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/why.html

 

POLITICS

 

In 1926, Hirohito became the emperor of Japan.  Japan pushed to expand their empire and invaded Manchuria, China.

 

In 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  This led to the United States becoming involved in World War II.

Four years later, the United States dropped atom bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

 

After the war, power was taken away from the emperor and given to the people.

 

 

 

SPORTS AND GAMES IN JAPAN

SKILLS TAUGHT:  CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

 

One of the most popluar of Japanese sports is sumo wrestling. This website explains how it is fought and the rules of the game:

 

Sumo Wrestling at the Los Angeles 2008 Grand Sumo Tour - Funny home videos are a click away

 

They also love soccer, baseball and karate.

 

The Japanese have a sense of humor that might seem odd to us. Here’s an example of one of their game shows:

Human Tetris

 

How about some "binocular soccer"?

Japanese Binocular Soccer

 

JAPANESE FOOD

SKILLS TAUGHT: CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

 

Japanese eat very differently then we do. Their food is tasty but takes time to get accustomed to. Even though some Japanese use chairs when they eat, others families don’t use chairs like we do. Instead, they sit on cushions on the floor, like in this photo:

 

 

Here’s what some of their food looks like:

 

 

This are two different ways that they make noodles:

 

 

In Japan there are rules about how to eat: http://www.allsands.com/food/japaneseeating_nr_gn.htm

 

Chop sticks are often used in Japan.  Try teaching your child how to use them.  If he has trouble getting the hang of it, you can make chopsticks easy to use by following these directions.

 

 

JAPANESE NIGHT

SKILLS LEARNED:  CULTURAL DIFFERENCES, COOKING, MATH

 

Now that your child has learned a little about the Japanese culture, a fun thing to do is to spend a night pretending you live in Japan. Start by making a menu with your children. Here are some easy Japanese recipes:

 

Hibachi Chicken & Vegetables

Simple Sushi

 

If you don’t have a sushi mat you can use a cloth napkin. The nice thing about sushi is that you can replace the filling with anything your kids may like.

 

…and finish with some dessert:

 

Kushidango Recipe - Japanese Sweet Recipe

…or

Daigakuimo Recipe - Japanese Sweet Recipe

 

After making an easy Japanese menu with your child, head out to the store. This is a great time to have your child do math and find all of the ingredients just like we did in the dog unit study. After getting to the store, look for the international section and you will find most of what you are looking for.  Don’t forget the chopsticks!  If we don’t find something on one of the recipes, try to improvise or look for a local Asian store.

 

When you get home, set your living room up by putting your coffee table in the middle the room. Then collect pillows to sit on.

 

Now head to the kitchen and start cooking. This is a great time to work on fractions by having your child cook with you, measuring the ingredients.  If you are making double the amount of food, show him how to multiply all the ingredients by two.

 

Once dinner is ready get the room ready. We like to put on some soft Japanese music such as this (or other Japanese music that you can find on youtube):

 

 

Next get the kids ready. If you have a little girl have her dress like a Geisha.  While I couldn’t find a website that shows you how to make a Kimono, you might be able to use this site that shows you how to wear a Kimono.  Try using a robe instead.

 

After the kids are dressed you can start eating your Japanese meal with your chopsticks.

 

When dinner is over, enjoy some Japanese entertainment by having a sumo wrestle. We use our carpet in the living room as the "wrestling mat".  Steven and Kevin put belts over their clothes and then follow the directions in the sumo video. It is great fun and it will give your child a little taste of Japan.

 

NEXT WEEK

 

It’s time for working on memorization again.  As usual we’ll be doing it by means of physical exercises and games.  Please be sure to leave a comment to let us know what you thought of this week’s unit study!  And make sure to click on the Share button, below, to send this unit study by e-mail to a friend.  You can also use the Share button to post this unit study on your Facebook account or other social media sites.

In: international unit studies | | #