This year, I presented to our kids here in Yumekirara about the schools in the Philippines. I told them about my experiences when I was still studying and the recent curriculum we are now following in my country.

Young kids in the Philippines start entering kindergarten at 5 years old. They enter elementary school when they turn 7 years old. But during my time, I started elementary school when I was 6 years old. After elementary school, I went to high school for four years. 

Now, elementary graduates will enter junior high school for three years. After that, they’ll become senior high school students for another three years before they enter university from the age of 19.

To make this lesson more interesting and to encourage kids to participate and speak more, we compared the schools in the Philippines and in Japan. We talked about the differences and commonalities of the schools in both countries.

This year, kids made a new Yumekirara Tree with their origami handprints. Some kids also made their favorite fruit. Now, our tree is bearing different kinds of fruits!

I have also asked kids to find me in our class picture when I was in first grade and fifth grade. I was laughing out hard when they pointed to different kids which were obviously not me. When I finally showed them my picture, some were surprised and some started nodding their heads as if agreeing that it was really me.

Kids also made other crafts – paperdolls of Philippine elementary students wearing school uniforms and girl/boy scout uniforms; and their final craft was a 3D tricycle (a mode of transportation in the Philippines).