Animals in Water

M enjoyed dropping some water on a piece of paper. Then, he was more interested in using color water and again started dropping to draw something.

M explained, “This is my dolphin, look!” He enjoyed using colored water rather than plain water so he could enjoy choosing which paper matched with color water.

Water has Rhythm

L started to make dots in a rhythmic way like… tap tap tap. Yoko W, “What are you making?”

She replied, “A lots of dots and so many green so many green.” In the meantime, she found a bubble in her dot which made her surprised and happy. Since I caught a glimpse of her personality, I kept having a conversation with her. What is green for you?

L- Frogs! Because water is here now.

YW- Where do they live? Do they live in water?

L- Yes, they live in water. But they are on leaves and trees too. They like water.

YW- Do they swim?

L- Maybe???? I know that they like water.

YW- Do you like frogs?

L- No, No, No. Because I can’t touch them. They jump too. But I can draw frogs. She tried to make different sizes and shapes of bubbles.

One of children I happened to see was a very curious child. He watched the boy next to him happily drawing something with water and imitated him. Eventually, he had found his own way of enjoying himself and immersed himself in the world of water. Whatever the reason, we can always find our own new world and enjoy it. And the moment he found a fun world with water, a familiar material that he sees and touches every day, he showed me the best smile.

Yoko Kamikokuryo

I believe all children have a God-given sense of wonder. It was awesome to see children finding their own way place of belonging and exploring.

By observing, water is just not water for the children. For example, I could see various types of her. She was an artist, a conductor and a storyteller as well. I felt as if I was in another world and it was very comfortable for me to stay with her. Water allows children to express their feeling emotions, creativity and fine motor skill, too. In the meantime, they can be scientists as well.

Yoko Watanabe