wind chime

A summer ornament that makes a cool, breezy sound when the wind blows: the wind chime. They come in many varieties, such as glass and ceramic. How about making some at the daycare/preschool as well?

cicada

There are many different kinds of cicadas, such as the min-min cicada and the abura cicada. If you look into the differences in their calls, you’ll likely find them more interesting when you listen.

sunflower

Large yellow sunflowers that bloom from July to August. There are places where many sunflowers are planted to create sunflower fields that delight visitors. Sunflowers that grow taller than children are uplifting to see, aren’t they?

Give thanks to the sea

Marine Day originates from “Umi no Kinenbi,” the day Emperor Meiji returned to Yokohama via Hakodate from Aomori. It is designated as a day to give thanks to the sea and to pray for Japan’s prosperity.

watermelon

Many people consider watermelon a fruit, but according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ definition, it is a vegetable. It could be fun to teach this to children along with the answer, right? It’ll likely spark lots of questions like: What is a vegetable? What is a fruit?

fan

There may be children who have never seen a fan with a rotating head. It’s fun to watch how it creates wind and to play by speaking into it, isn’t it?

morning

The traditional Japanese morning glory found in Japan blooms from around 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. In contrast, the Western morning glory keeps its flowers open until evening, so the difference is easy to see. It’s fun to observe them while you’re out for a walk.