Thinking Day 2025

公開日：2025/02/20

鎌倉にあるインターナショナルスクールの1日

毎年1月31日は、Cosmos International School　Preschoolにとって特別な日【他の人のことを考える日】です。この日は特別「自分以外の周囲のことに関心を持ち、思いをよせながら、改めて違った立場から物事を考えてみる視点をもつ」よい機会となっています。

今年は、当校に娘さんを通わせていただいている保護者の方の一人がNorway出身なことから、その方をゲストとしてお迎えし、その文化についてパワーポイントで写真を見ながら説明して下さいました。Eちゃんの、お父様、お忙し中のご準備、本当にありがとうございました。皆でいただきました焼き立て熱々サクサクの生姜入りワッフルも、頬っぺたが落ちるほど美味しかったです。

Monica先生によるご紹介レポートです。ご一読ください。

On January 31st, we had our annual Thinking Day — our chance to think about the world beyond our own experiences. This year, we learned about the country of Norway and were lucky enough to learn about it first-hand! One of our students’ fathers is from Norway and graciously agreed to come in a present his country to us.

As we learned, Norway is a country in the far north of Europe. Though it is roughly the same size of Japan, it abounds in nature and animals. We were delighted to see polar bears, wolverines, lynxes, and — many students’ new favorite — Norwegian mountain cats.

We were also able to see traditional Norwegian costumes and see videos of life on a Norwegian farm. It was amazing to see them catching fish on their boat and collecting wild mushrooms in the forest! We learned that children in Norway play outside almost every day, no matter how cold. In winter, it snows a lot and children can enjoy building snowmen and sledding…

After today, I think every Cosmos student wishes we could take a field trip to Norway!

Of course, a big highlight of the day was our chance to eat delicious Norwegian waffles — thinner and crispier than Belgian waffles and kindly baked fresh for us by our students’ parents. To earn our delicious waffley prize, we learned to speak a little Norwegian! “Jeg heter. Kan jeg få envaffel?” And of course we were sure to say, “Takk!!!!” when we got it.

In our own class, we read a famous, traditional Norwegian folktale, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and compared the trolls in Norwegian folklore with the Yokai of Japan. It’s interesting how every country has some parts of their culture that are similar and some that are different.

Today was a wonderful experience — we broadened our minds and discovered a new and fascinating place. There are all kinds of people all over the world, all kinds of children, and all kinds of ways to live. We hope that our students, now and throughout their lives will use the English they learn and the curiosity they unlock to explore our beautiful world.