Category: Family Journal

Walking One Mil for Little Picnic

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Musa had his first picnic with his kindergarten friends and teachers today. This picnic was called engai (園外) which is literally out of garden (園 refers to ‘kindergarten’). It’s a simpler version of ensoku (遠足), another common term in Japanese kindergarten life, which means “excursion”, a more serious and farther trip that usually needs guardian to accompany the kid.

For this little picnic, the kids have been prepared since a week before by doing simulation. One day, they were brought to walk around the kindergarten. In another day, the teachers asked the parents to bring the kids lunch without box and necessary equipment such as waterproof mat, plastic bags, plus wipes. At that time, the rain was falling, so they moved simulation location from school yard to the classrooms, Musa and friends were practiced to:

  • unfold and fold the mat
  • open their bento (in onigiri wrap or sandwich wrap, whatever foods without box) and eat without table
  • cleaning their hands without water
  • put everything, including the water bottle, to be fit into their school rucksack (usually they put more stuffs in a tote bag)

How was the Day-D? The result was awesome! Continue reading →

Road to Kindergarten

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The next Monday (July 2) will be a big day for Musa. He’s going to begin the journey of being formal student in a Japanese kindergarten. As the newbie, he has to catch up his friends in the class who have already started their school three months ago. Musa couldn’t enter kinder at the same time like other kids once the new academy year nationally kicked off on April in Japan because he was still two years old. However, when a kid turned 3 years, it is possible to apply kinder after normal period as long as the school still has quotas and opens the recruitment. That’s what we did 🙂

Lebih lengkapnya tentang celoteh post Instagram yang saya share di atas akan dibahas di bawah. Ada beberapa hal yang perlu saya jelaskan tentang TK di Jepang.

Agak mengejutkan bagi saya bahwa di sini TK bisa dimulai dari usia tiga tahun. Cepet, ya? di Indonesia umur segitu masih playgroup, sedangkan di Amrik juga masih preschool. Lebih wow lagi kalo nyimak sebagian psikolog, salah satunya bu Elly Risman, menyarankan masuk sekolah baiknya dari umur lima, mengingat di usia 7 tahun lah otak mereka baru siap nerima pelajaran kognitif seperti membaca dan menulis.

Dulu, saya nggak kebayang masukin anak sekolah sedini itu, bahkan sempat terpikir jika kami berada di Indonesia mungkin saya akan pilih homeschooling melihat beban anak sekolah zaman now tidak seperti yang seharusnya. Namun, jujur aja, kalo kami dikasih kesempatan tinggal di negara maju selama masa pendidikan dasar anak, keinginan saya justru sebaliknya: sebisa mungkin anak bisa ikut sekolah. Beda soalnya pendekatan mereka sama negara kita. Di negara maju yg saya tahu seperti Jepang dan Amrik, anak balita nggak diajarin baca tulis, apalagi syarat “sudah bisa membaca” saat masuk SD, dan sekolahnya bisa dibilang isinya banyak main-main aja. Belajarnya sambil main. Mainnya seru-seru, serius, dan fasilitas memadai. Ala-ala Montessori gitu.. banyak program keluar sekolah dan bikin craft juga. Wah, senang lihatnya.. jadi boleh banget laaah masih kicik ikutan sekolah biar kereatif 😂

Balik lagi ke Jepang..

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