学校法人 日本教育学園 石田幼稚園

English Teachers' Blog

Digging Up Sweet Potatoes.

Earlier this week the students of Ishida Kindergarten went on field trips to a nearby arable farm. The aim of these visits were to harvest sweet potatoes from a field located there.

The trips were organised over two days; with the older children visiting on Monday and the younger children visiting on Tuesday. On each day, two of our school buses transported the students.

On arriving at the farm, students had to collect a small scoop and then line up along the ridges and furrows. The sweet potatoes had been planted along raised ridges, making them easier to access. Each child stood between two white lines that marked out their allocated space. They could then begin to dig and pull up the potatoes, making sure that they placed them carefully into their own plastic bags.

Everyone was so excited to see what was on the end of the stalks. Were there many potatoes, or just a few? Were they big or small? Were they long or short?

All the children filled their bags with a lot of sweet potatoes. It was such a good harvest!!! Many students said that their bags were too heavy to carry!!!

We all made sure to then get a good drink from our flasks. It was a very hot and sunny day. Combined with the heavy digging and pulling, we all felt really hot and sweaty!

Even so, everyone did their best to get as many sweet potatoes as possible!

After cleaning up and washing our hands, the older students could walk around a part of the farm. They could see such nice views and observe some local nature. Many were able to find interesting leaves, flowers, sticks, stones, insects, seeds and buds.

I am sure that everyone enjoyed their field trip to the farm. It was great that they could gain knowledge about how vegetables grow, as well as looking at nature on the farm.

Did everyone enjoy eating the sweet potatoes that the children harvested?

I think that they were so delicious!!!

– Mark –

(石田幼稚園の子どもたちは,今週初めに近くの農園へ芋掘り遠足に行きました。

年長・年中組の子どもたちは月曜日,年少の子どもたちは火曜日に行きました。どちらの日も2台のバスで移動しました。

農園に着くと,子どもたちは小さなスコップを持ってお芋の畝の前に並びました。2本の白線の間に植えてあるお芋を自分で掘りました。掘ったお芋は落とさないように気をつけながら袋に入れました。

みんなは蔓の先がどんな風になっているのか,とてもワクワクしていましたよ。お芋はたくさんついているかな,それとも少ないかな?大きいかな,小さいかな?長いかな,短いかな?

そして,袋いっぱいの,たくさんのお芋が採れましたよ。子どもたちも大満足!!!みんな「とっても重いよ!」と言っていましたよ!!!

お芋掘りの日は晴れていて暑かったので,お茶を飲みました。たくさん掘ったので,とっても暑くていっぱい汗をかきましたね!

それにしても,お芋をたくさん掘ろうと,みんなとてもがんばっていましたよ!

手を洗った後は,年長・年中組の子どもたちは農園の周りを散策しました。とてもよい景色で,たくさんの自然に触れることができました。素敵な葉っぱやお花,枝,石,虫,種,そして蕾を見つけましたよ。

みんな芋掘り遠足をとても楽しんでいたと思います。農園での自然に触れながら,どのように野菜が育つのかを知ることができる,とても良い機会でした。

子どもたちが一生懸命掘ったお芋はどうでしたか?

とってもおいしかったですね!

Mark先生より)