Moshi Moshi!

I realize that 'moshi moshi' is the Japanese telephone greeting. I'm just gonna go with it, since I'm not greeting you in person and because it's a fun way to begin our account of Chase's latest project: a presentation of Japan. On March 20th, our homeschool group organized an International/History Fair. From a short list of options, Chase chose the country of Japan. Jim has been to Japan a few times for work and we've had three individuals stay with us from Japan, so we were able to pull together a large number of items that represented Japanese culture.

Here we see Chase-san in his Danny Larousso costume holding up an origami swan (which he, incidentally, didn't create). Behind him is a display board with his short essays on engaging Japanese topics like 'Sumo Wrestling' and 'Mt. Fuji'.

We had a great time preparing for the International Fair. Chase worked hard on his writing and he learned a lot. We were able to look through many of our 'artifacts' and remember the people and places that we (as a family) have connected with. Chase and I made an origami crayfish and monkey.

We served Cherry Blossom tea to those who were brave enough to try it. This tea is beautiful to prepare. It's made by pouring hot water over a preserved cherry blossom. If you gently poke at the flower with your chopstick (which may not be proper chopstick ettiquette), it opens up into a lovely blossom. The tea tastes a bit salty, I think because of the salt preserves that it's packaged in, but you can also taste just a hint of cherry. This tea was a gift from our dear friend Norio, who spent a day with us last Summer while he was at CMU learning English.

Have I mentioned that I love homeschooling? This is a good example of the fun and interesting things that we do every day! What a privilege!