Observation day at Rowen's school

Friday was a special day at Rowen's Yochien. In the year that Rowen has been attending Seika Kindergarten, I have never really seen him in 'action' at school.

I remember taking him to Westminster preschool in Point Loma (San Diego) and it was never a big deal if I hung around to watch for a few minutes or came a few minutes early to watch before picking him up. Actually, it was encouraged for parents to peek in a little.

Well...that's not the case with Japanese schools...

Rowen is picked up in the morning and dropped off at home in the afternoon, so I've always been curious as to what he does at school and how he interacts with his Japanese classmates. Even in the times that I have dropped him off/or picked him up from school, I've been asked to wait in the school foyer area while his name is announced over the intercom and his teacher (Sensei) escorts him from his classroom to the school front entrance. Kind weird huh? And the funny thing is, is that when I ask Rowen how his day was at school or what he did that day, he says, "he ate rice, oranges and drank tea and played with clay." Interesting...


Observation day was from 11:30-12 pm on Friday afternoon. When I arrived at the school, it was so strange for me to take my shoes off and actually enter the school and head to his classroom!!
When I got to his room, there were chairs set up for the mothers to sit and observe the kids.

Rowen was just too cute. His facial expression revealed, "Why are you here??" But in a happy and excited sort of way.

The students sang their opening school songs and prepared for the 'observation day project' which was to draw a portrait of their mother.



Rowen sang all of his songs in Japanese and listened to his Sensei for his instructions on drawing his portrait. It still amazes me how he is able to function and participate in a Japanese school!! I am so proud of him :)

I had the option of taking him home with me(early, since it was noon, and he usually gets home at 3), which of course he wanted :) We got to spend the afternoon together before picking up Arjun at school.

Enjoy the video below of Rowen singing songs at school! Rowen is on the right-hand side of the video :)
**Warning, one of his classmates really likes to sing in a screeching voice, so turn your volume down!!