Sports Day at the Nursery

Onyekachi Nwabueze
 October 5, 2015
05 October 2015 Throughout the semester, I applied to participate in the Field Placement program. I am a participant observer at a nursery school in Chiba Prefecture. Every week I go to the nursery and play with, teach, and have fun with the cutest little children. This past Saturday I was invited to the school’s Sports Day, so a friend and I went to see all the cute kids perform various athletic activities. IT WAS THE CUTEST THING EVER! Now, I have seen the school practice and rehearse each routine many times in the past week leading up to the big day, but seeing all the parents coo over their mini shining stars and waving back at the children who saw Oniye-sensei in the crowd was great. My friend and I could not get over just how cute the children were. Even the smallest kids, who were maybe 1-year-old or younger, had a part in the show. After seeing the children rehearse relay races, circus-like acts, and dance routines, I’m pretty sure I felt the urge to dance with them from where I was standing. Okay, enough about their cuteness and on with what Sports Day is. Sports Day: The kids, divided into class by age, wore their bright colored hats and performed many different dances and sporting activities. It was exciting to see the children completely into what they were doing. For the opening of the show, each class marched out to the center of the field with the teacher holding up their corresponding class flag. The babies who could not walk yet were carried in a large rolling crib/stroller. The entire school performed a small opening dance and then marched off. This was followed by a series of smaller dance performances and athletic routines by various age groups (but mostly the older kids, ages 3-5). My favorite was the relay race because all the children ran with all their might and the parents were really cheering on every child and were rooting loudly. I did not have any clear expectations about what I was going to see. Now I understand Sports Day as a highly organized, family inclusive kids day. It was basically a show for the families. The children even rode unicycles! I'm glad I got to see a little bit of what attending school in Japan is like. Sports Day is something all schools do, not just nursery schools - so it is very common.

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Onyekachi Nwabueze

<p>Hey there! I am Onyekachi Nwabueze and I am a Nigerian born and raised in San Francisco, California. I am a student at Occidental College studying Cognitive Science, Education, and Linguistics. I love love LOVE to dance, sing, learn, try new things, and paint my nails. My current career paths include varsity athlete, big sister, wanna-be professional dancer, and villainous chiller (one who chills like a villain).</p>

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