Independent Research is Parent-Child Learning (Play) - Summer Vacation & Tokyo Olympics Support Project!

Hello.

Yesterday, I wrote an article about the parent-teacher conference, so

today, it's about summer vacation independent research.

My motto is 'Parents should also enjoy summer vacation independent research.'

How it all started was...

When my eldest daughter was in the first grade of elementary school,

at the first-term individual parent-teacher conference,

her homeroom teacher smiled and said,

'Mother, for the summer vacation independent research,

please try doing it together with her.

It will be a good time.'

When I was an elementary school student,

I didn't remember doing independent research with my mother,

so I was a little confused when I was told that, but

I remember it becoming a very good time, just as the teacher said.

When my eldest daughter was in the first grade of elementary school,

my second daughter was in the middle class (at nursery school),

and my eldest son was in the young class (at nursery school).

Since she still needed a lot of help,

and now that my eldest daughter can do things for herself,

we haven't had much quality time just the two of us,

so the time I intentionally set aside for learning with her was precious.

First, I went to the library with my eldest daughter,

and while looking for reference books,

we decided what to research.

Then,

we thought together about the tools needed for that research,

and how much time it would take.

When they were in the lower grades, we didn't do anything major,

but my eldest daughter, second daughter, and eldest son,

all have different ways of deciding on their independent research themes,

and it's interesting to see their different ways of thinking.

I would like to introduce an independent research project that remains in my own heart.

We walked from our house to school and back, carrying trash bags and picking up litter along the way. Wearing work gloves, we kept picking up trash, and by the time we got home, the trash bag was full. When we returned, we sorted the trash in our home parking lot. At that time, I would have sorted it by type (bottles, cans, plastic, etc.), but my eldest daughter sorted it into "adult trash" and "children's trash." "Adult trash" consisted of cigarette butts and empty beer cans. "Children's trash" consisted of snack bags, empty juice cans, and used tissues. There was overwhelmingly more adult trash. My eldest daughter wrote in her report, "There was a lot of adult trash. I want them to throw it away in a trash can properly."
Let's stop littering!

After that, as they progressed through the grades,

their range of interests and what they could do expanded,

so they were able to take on various challenges.

My eldest daughter, once she reached the upper grades, did an independent research project on the theme of eating. Eating is living. She seemed to think about food from various angles.
She grew cherry tomatoes and cucumbers in the garden with her dad. She made a salad using those vegetables. Vegetables you grow yourself, even if they are a bit misshapen, are delicious.
When many friends came over to play, we made curry in a big pot. How many ingredients do you need for 15 people?
A chef experience at a certain hotel. Dad, as the chef of a large kitchen, wore a chef's coat and cooked for the family. It was our first hotel dinner.
Ingredients seen at the supermarket. Summer vegetables and winter vegetables. Meat and fish packs have both imported and domestic options.
What is the difference between a consumption expiration date and a best-before date? Let's go to the library and look it up!
Summarizing each thing on drawing paper, drawing pictures, and pasting photos, it was complete.
You did a great job.

My second daughter, because she often came to play at the elderly care facility where I work, once did an independent research project on the theme of "Jobs that support the elderly."
She interviewed staff in various positions within the facility, and the content she produced was interesting even to me.
"Why did you choose this job?"
"Are there any difficult parts?"
"When are the fun times?"
"What kind of tools do you use for your work?"
Since she is an elementary school student, the questions were straightforward. Among them, there is an answer I remember very well.
It was a question for a care manager about "job content." One of the job duties was helping with somewhat difficult paperwork and long-term care insurance procedures. My second daughter said, "Mom's job is to help the grandpas and grandmas with their daily lives a little bit, right?" I thought that was exactly right.
Registered dietitians and cooks help with nutritional management. Doctors and nurses help with health management, and caregivers help with daily life. That's right, if everyone helps just a little, life becomes easier. Once you get used to this industry (elderly welfare), you tend to forget about supporting independence and try to do everything for them, but I want to make sure I don't forget that we are there to help.
A very good project was created.

My eldest son loved watching sports, so he created an Olympic newspaper. That year, the Olympics were held, various events took place every day, and my eldest son was glued to the TV!
Then, he wrote one article a day about the thing that left the biggest impression on him from what he saw, and created a newspaper. The perspective of an elementary school boy was different from that of a professional newspaper reporter, and some of it was interesting even for me to read.

My eldest son is currently supporting the operations as a temperature check staff member somewhere at an Olympic venue. A job in Tokyo where he interacts with an unspecified number of people. While many people were declining, my eldest son said, "I'll do it."

It's the Olympics he's always admired. The eldest son who watched on TV and faced the drawing paper pretending to be a newspaper reporter has become one of the people supporting the Olympics.

My 18-year-old eldest son will surely create his own version of an Olympic newspaper this year as well.

In today's article by Kacchi-san, there was a sentence: "I want to let the athletes of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 finish with a smile, whether they win or lose, whether there are spectators or not, and whether there are problems with the committee or the government or not." 👇

For children, regardless of adult circumstances, I hope they can purely enjoy, get excited about, be moved by, and have dreams about the Olympics.

The Olympics are also an opportunity to learn deeply about sports that are not very famous, where you only "know the name," so it could also be a subject for children's independent research.

"I didn't know that! I looked up ○○○○! (👈 sport name)"

"The History of the Olympics"

"How is the host city for the Olympics decided?"

"○○○○! (👈 sport name) that was certified as an Olympic sport for the first time"

"A Special Feature on My Favorite Athlete💛"

The topics just keep coming, don't they~.

I recommend this for sports-loving children as they will likely enjoy working on it💛

Also, in a different year, my eldest son did an independent research project on the theme of "The People Who Work in My Town," which was also interesting. He interviewed and compiled information on people working within walking distance: banks, hair salons, supermarkets, pharmacies, nursery schools, liquor stores, dental clinics, dry cleaners, post offices, and bakeries.
There are so many different jobs within walking distance for an elementary school student. I wonder if he learned that adults in every profession are working hard.

Ah, how nostalgic.

It would be fun if we could do independent research together again.

Today's photos are also by chamland 👇

Thank you for reading until the end.
If you'd like, please also read this profile article. 👇

I would be happy if you could give me a like♡, comment♡, or follow♡.
I want to cherish my encounter with you today as well♡♡♡