Well, well, here’s the follow-up to yesterday’s post about the online workshop.

The theme for the May online workshop was science. We held an online “Wild Plant Walk” workshop. The children took the mission sheets included in the workshop kits delivered to their homes and set out on fieldwork around their neighborhoods. They couldn’t go far—just around their homes. But being given specific missions instantly turned their neighborhood walks into adventures.

"Let's look for heart-shaped leaves." "Are there any leaves that get sticky when you crush them?" "There are also leaves that smell sweet. Can you find any?" "What about wild plants that make a crackling sound?"

Sight, touch, hearing, and smell. I sharpen all my senses to search for wild plants.

“With dandelions, the stem of the fluffy seed head is really, really long. Why is that?” “Wild plants often grow in cracks in the concrete. Why is that?” “Houttuynia has a very pungent smell. Why is that?” I’ll take photos of anything that catches my interest and share them in an online workshop. I’ll try to express my favorite wild plants through drawings and words.

Kobe, Sendai, Gifu. Since participants are joining us from all over the country, we’re able to collect plenty of photos even when we limit the focus to local wild plants. This time, there was a surprising twist: a child participating from Hida-Takayama discovered a wild plant that turned out to be “Himefuro” (a plant you can’t find in the Kanto region, with a distinctive scent)—an endangered species.

"There's a reason for everything about wild plants—their colors, shapes, and textures." Online, Non-san, the instructor from "365 Days of Wild Plant Living," answers the children's questions.

“I think that because we went outside together as a family beforehand to look for wild plants, our child was able to participate more actively in the online workshop than they would have in a typical one.” “It seems they’ve started taking an interest in plants they would normally overlook, and I think they’ve discovered a new joy in playing outside.” “They’ve been reluctant to go outside lately, so this gave us a good reason to go for a walk.”

We received feedback like this from parents.

https://www.canvas.ws/kenkyujo/

But you know, it would be great to go exploring together in real life, too. We're planning to do this at the Tama River during summer vacation! Please come join us~.

Preschool Class

https://www.canvas.ws/k…/laboratory/toudaisc2020_yasou_y.php

Elementary School Class

https://www.canvas.ws/k…/laboratory/toudaisc2020_yasou_s.php

*Continued in Online Workshop (4)

　

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