Last Saturday we both attended the sports festival at the kindergartens we each work at. It's an all day event where the 3, 4, and 5 year-olds all perform acrobatics, compete in races, have dance performances, and do other activities that involve the parents, grandparents, and siblings. The kids work so hard for months to prepare for this day. The sports festivals are really popular here; it's actually a national holiday where we get the day off! Elementary and Jr. high schools hold sports festivals as well.
The schools get really excited when the English teachers come to events. At the kindergartens, they always give us presents afterwards as a thank you. Melissa even got a reserved parking space...the Japanese writing on the paper says "Melissa Sensei," which means teacher. Just like at home, the parents all videotaped the kids from the sidelines.
The event begins with the opening ceremony. Then they have opening speeches. Melissa had to give a short speech in English at the kindergarten she went to! Then they say a prayer (see picture on left) and sing some songs, then the games begin. The kids really take this day seriously and it is so cute to watch! Here are some pictures below of the kids doing their dances, relays, and games.
The five year olds did some acrobatic performances. They practiced for up to 6 months for this. We were really impressed with how well they all worked together and did everything at the exact same time. Here is a video and some pictures.
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