2013 kicked off to a good start at Treehouse Montessori School in Yokohama with children doing “kakizome” as part of learning traditional Japanese calligraphy during Japanese Culture Week. This is an annual event held on the first week after the winter holidays. Children excitedly looked forward to using Japanese “fude” (writing brush) to create Japanese characters in black ink and to sign their own name either in English or Japanese. The Japanese calligraphy class is now part of the regular curriculum.
The following week was another exciting time for the children when they made a beautiful “snow woman” from the snow that had piled up in the school garden after some unexpected weather. Each child was given some colourful mittens and participated in making and decorating her with various objects from the classroom, such as yarn, shells, pinecones, sponges, twigs, and pails. She was unanimously named “Carol.”
Treehouse Montessori School Yokohama strives to provide a warm and home-like environment for children to learn at their own pace by focusing on each child’s unique personality. The school was established in March 2001 and will soon be celebrating its 13th year.
The school has a broad range of Montessori-based academic programs, as well as music, creative arts and crafts, outdoor physical education, indoor aerobics and stretching, musical concerts, and cultural outings and activities.
Children from ages one through six from all nationalities and backgrounds are welcomed. Please inquire at the school directly or check http://tms-school.com. — JENNY VYVIAL
