(You may want to make a note that this special day can be introduced to children in conjunction with the theme of "March Winds/Kites," letter Bb for "boys," or with the theme of "Home and Family."  As I've said, since "dates" are not easily understood by young chilren, we can still share the holiday without getting into the subject of "when" the holiday takes place.)

From Sabrina H., Preschool Caregiver and Army Wife stationed in Friedberg, Germany:
Children's Book: Stormie, I found a great book last year that ties in to the Japanese Boy's Day celebration: A Carp For Kimiko, by Virginia Kroll and Katherine Roundtree.  It's about a girl who wants to participate in making a carp kite like her brother.  (I searched every library around, and couldn't find it, but I finally found a copy on Amazon.com, and it was pretty cheap too!)


From Tara, in Japan:
GIRL'S DAY
When? March 3rd
Why? Symbolic of the wish for young girls to be healthy and happy
How? On "Girl's Day," young girls display their collection of imperial dolls (dolls that represent each member of the royal family).  Some girls get new dolls for the day and others get their family's antique dolls to display.  Traditional rice dishes and desserts are eaten on this special day.  It is lovely to see and enjoy.

Please also see a photo and additional information sent to us from Miki, in Japan
(Don't worry, you won't get lost as that page will return you to this one.)

Activities:
From Stormie:
How about having the girls in your classroom bring dolls from home as a follow-up activity to telling them about this wonderful Japanese tradition?  Line a shelf with red paper for displaying the dolls (in Japan, the dolls are displayed on shelves covered with a red cloth).  Have the girls "show" and "talk" about their dolls.  

My encyclopedia research also tells me that:
*Often in Japan, at the time of this event, peach blossoms are in bloom, so maybe you could put out some peach-flavored potpourri as you and the children pretend to be surrounded by peach blossoms.
*Peach blossom branches are also sometimes put on display at the event, so perhaps, the boys could bring small tree branches for their part in the celebration.

Snack: Serve rice cakes for snack and/or peach flavored Jello, cut into diamond shapes (in Japan, diamond-shaped rice cakes are served).  (Actually, authentic Japanese rice crackers are the best, but they are a little expensive and may be hard to find in some areas.).  You could also have the children taste green tea.

Room Decor: You could hang green, white, and pink paper streamers from the ceiling.  (In Japan, on Girl's Day, green is for new growth, white is "like the snow," and pink is for the color of the peach flowers.)

(You may want to make a note that this special day could be shared with children in conjunction with the letter Dd for "dolls," Gg for "girls," or with the theme of "Home and Family," omitting the date altogether.)


From Miki, in Japan:
SETSUBUN, The End of Winter Festival
( Pronunciation of "Setsubun": "Sets-bun" or "Sets-u-bun."  The "u" sound in "bun" is pronounced like the "u" in "put," not like "bug" or "sun.")
When? February 3rd
Why? In Japan, February 3rd is "Setsubun" (the traditional end of winter).  "Setsu" means season, and "bun" means partition/division in Japanese.
How? To celebrate, roasted soy beans are thrown about the house (outward and inward) to ward off evil.  We shout, "Out with the demon and in with fortune!" as we throw the beans.  Sometimes, one person might wear a mask of the "oni" (demon, ogre) and let others throw the beans at him/her.  After cleaning the beans, we eat the number of the beans of our age (which is thought to bring good health and fortune).  (This would be a fun activity for children that are old enough not to choke on small beans.)

(The oni)

Story behind the celebration: In the lunar calendar that ancient Japanese used, February 4th (in the Gregorian calendar) was the New Year's Day, and the beginning of spring.  (The first season of the year was considered to be spring, even though it is still very cold in February.)  So, the day before the ancient New Year's Day is celebrated as Setsubun, to conclude the winter and the whole year as well.  That's why people throw beans to ward off evil and invite fortune on this particular day.

Activities:
From Stormie:
Have your own little "Setsubun Festival."  Here are some activities children could do :
*Gross Motor: Bean Throwing: Draw the "oni" on the side of a box, cutting out the eyes and nose and have children practice "throwing" beans through the openings.
*Science: Compare dry and cooked beans.
*Pre-Math: Count beans
*Fine Motor: Children drop beans (one at a time) into a long necked bottle.
*Creative Art: Provide large paper plates for children to create their own "oni" masks.


From Miki, in Japan:
SHICHI-GO-SAN
When? November
Click here to find out why and how it's celebrated and to get activities
(Don't worry, you won't get lost as that page will simply return you to this one)

More Japanese celebrations are coming when/if I have time to do the research.

Please share your ideas too.  E-mail me at stormie@preschoolbystormie.com

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Reminder from Stormie: If you would like to begin collecting ALL my current classroom ideas (each on a 4 x 6" index card), as well as new ones that I create, you can do so by ordering my "Activity Cards."  Click here to check them out.