長野県にある私立・才教学園中学校の50名の生徒さんがメルボルンのParktone Primary Schoolの生徒さんに和菓子を教えるプログラムをサポートさせて頂きました。
才教学園はParktone Primary Schoolと姉妹校の関係にあります。今回は4泊6日の修学旅行でホームステイをしながら現地生徒たちとコミュニケーションをし、国際感覚や自立心を養うことを目標としています。その一環として270名のParktone Primary Schoolの生徒さんに日本の伝統文化である和菓子の作り方を教えます。そのためまず私が事前に日本で作り方をお教えし、準備をして5月下旬に皆で現地に向かいました。
Parktone Primary Schoolでは日本語を第二外国語として学んでいます。生徒さんの日本への関心も高く、毎年日本文化を体験する「Japan Day」を開催しています。世界のリーダーを育てることを目標とし、大変興味深い教育を行っています。
イベントでは生徒さん同士のコミュニケーションもスムーズに行き、皆楽しそうに和菓子を作っていました。
和菓子（お干菓子、練り切り）は「クック膳」と「和菓子の型」で簡単に作れるので、小学生でも無理なく作ることが出来ます。
このプロジェクトは大成功に終わり、来年も続くこととなりました。
I was given the opportunity to support a program in which fifty students from a private middle school in Nagano Prefecture taught Japanese sweets to students at Parktone Primary School in Melbourne.
Saikyo Gakuen has a partnership with Parktone Primary School. This time, we aimed to cultivate the students' sense of internationalism and independence by making them communicate with local students while home staying for a total of 4 nights and 6 days. As part of this, we taught 270 students at Parktone Primary School how to make traditional Japanese sweets. In preparation, I taught the Japanese students in advance how to make it, and went to the site together in late May.
At Parktone Primary School, students learn Japanese as their foreign language class. Students are very interested in Japan and hold a "Japan Day" every year to experience Japanese culture. They are conducting a very interesting education with the goal of developing world leaders.
At the event, students were able to communicate smoothly with each other and everyone was happy making Japanese sweets.
Since Japanese sweets (dried and kneaded sweets) can be easily made with the "Cook-zen" and "Japanese sweets molds", elementary school students can make them without any problems.
The project was a great success and will continue next year.
Children happily making Japanese sweets
Using the Japanese sweets molds
The school aims to develop leaders of the world