It’s never too early to teach our children about compassion. Join us this month as we learn about the rich culture of Japan and what we can do to help others in need. Wish Flags are traditionally decorated with good wishes and hung outside for the wind to carry them throughout the world. This month we will decorate our own to hang, make origami art, plant hydrangea seeds, have storytimes based on Japanese themed picture books, learn about the famous dog Hachiko and enjoy an awesome performance by The Ryu Shu Kan - Taiko Drums, with music and inter-active story. Looking for a wonderful series to open up discussion about compassion with your kids? Check out Zen Tails by Peter Whitfield - classic philosophical stories adapted and beautifully illustrated, each book includes a moral as well as the original Zen tale.
As we celebrate Japanese culture at the beginning of this Summer, we remember the victims of the earthquake and its aftermath in Japan - including one of our favorite authors, Katie Van Camp (Harry and Horsie and Cookiebot!) who has made Tokyo her home since last year.
At the end of the month The Hampton Bays Children's Room will make a donation to Ashinaga - a non-profit organization that Katie has worked closely with which provides both financial and emotional support to children who have lost either one or both of their parents. We invite you to follow this link if you would also like to participate and to learn more about the organization. A few weeks a go Katie sent us the following message about our month long celebration...
Hi kids,
It's the writer of "Harry and Horsie," here, and I’m writing this note
to you from all the way across the world. I live in a city called
Tokyo, the capital of a country called Japan. A little bird told me
you will be spending a month learning all about this beautiful place,
so I wanted to tell you about my favorite time of year here – Spring!
Do you know why it’s my favorite? Because it’s the time when the
cherry blossoms bloom and the whole country turns into a magical
place. In Tokyo, the streets, riversides, and parks come alive with
exquisite white and pink blossoms that look like cotton candy. The
Japanese people believe the arrival of these flowers represents the
start of something new and fresh. Children and adults alike celebrate
by bringing big blue tarps to parks, sitting down with yummy food and
drink, and having day-long picnics under clouds of cherry blossoms.
This is called "hanami," which in Japanese means "flower viewing."
In my opinion, the best place to see the cherry blossoms in Tokyo is
along the Meguro River. When I’m there, I feel like a princess
floating on a bed of soft pink petals.
Cherry blossom trees can be found in the United States too! Do you
know where? In Washington D.C. In 1912, Japan gave some of these
beautiful trees to the U.S. as a gift symbolizing friendship. If you
ever visit Washington in Spring, you can walk around the National Park
and, for a few minutes, you might just feel like you're in Japan.
Here are some pictures I took of the cherry trees lining the Meguro
River. Enjoy! And thank you for letting me be a part of your special
month-long tribute to Japan.
