This two-day, one-night weekend program will be held on May 24th and 25th. It was held in Namakusa, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture!
The program at Nagusa allows you to fully experience the natural surroundings of the Satoyama while engaging with fire, bamboo, mountains, and other elements, and feel the changing seasons with all your senses. It's a three-weekend program.
<Gathering>
This time, the group consisted of children from preschool to fifth grade, including some who were participating for the first time. Some of the children were nervous at first, but as time passed on the train, their expressions began to look more at ease.
Here is the Campship word search that our leaders prepared for this train time!
The answer to this question can be found in the Campship Guide, which is mailed to all children participating in the campship in advance! By doing a word hunt, the children naturally had fun conversations with the leaders! (Many of the kids liked shrimp!)
<Nakusa Chitto Farm>
After arriving at Tobu Ashikaga-shi Station, we changed to a bus and arrived at Nagusa Seminar House, the base of this program, and immediately had lunch at the nearby Nagusa Chitto Farm.
After eating, the children had free time in the Satoyama area, participating in a tree climbing contest, feeding animals, and searching for insects.
*Trees are easy to climb, which sparks interest in children.
*Unfortunately the weather was a little cloudy, but the kids didn't mind at all!
At Campship Academy, we value this "blank time" because we believe that it is very meaningful for children to think for themselves in this blank space.
Our accommodation this time was the Nakusa Seminar House, which used to be Nakusa Junior High School but is now closed and has been renovated into a lodging facility. It has a large schoolyard perfect for group play and beautiful facilities.
<Bamboo craft time>
The theme of this program is "bamboo." We will enjoy bamboo crafts and bamboo flowing somen noodles! But first...
The children entered the bamboo forest to see how real bamboo grows and tried their hand at cutting down actual bamboo! Some were amazed at how long the bamboo was, and some were surprised that it was surprisingly soft when cut. Everyone took the bamboo they cut home with them.
Then, try your hand at bamboo crafts! You will work on making bamboo cups to use for nagashi somen noodles and bamboo water guns. For the bamboo cups, you can choose the thickness you want, cut them to the length you want, and then file them. Finally, you can finish them off with an original design using a marker.
You can also choose the thickness and length of your bamboo water gun to suit your preferences.
<After completion>
Let's play a game to see how far the water will fly using your completed bamboo water gun! The way the water comes out will vary depending on the size of the hole! You can decide for yourself and make various discoveries by actually trying it out.
*Extra: A boy strikes a pose after learning that a plastic water gun flies farther than a bamboo one!
<Drum Can Goemon Bath>
After enjoying lots of bamboo crafts, we went for a drum-can Goemon bath! It feels so good to bathe outside! Even if it's the same water as usual, the smiles will be different depending on where you bathe!
*Let's start a fire together and burn firewood
<Evening to bedtime>
After enjoying outdoor activities, you can cook curry and It's time for bathing and eating. And then it's time for the long-awaited bonfire and marshmallows!
*It rained at night so we had dinner outside on a covered kitchen!
That's the end of a fun-filled day!
<Day 2>
On the second day, we cleaned the room and packed our bags! After that, the rain had stopped, so we went to the river in the countryside! It was still too cold to go swimming, so we went looking for wildlife!
*The children said they would help wash the breakfast dishes. It was a touching scene that showed how the spirit of helping each other was naturally fostered.
*Extra: Leader punished while cleaning
Searching for wildlife in a nearby river.
<Nagashi Somen Time>
After that, it's time for the long-awaited Nagashi Somen!
Everyone discussed and decided on the angle and course! Some kids had fun making their own original tunnels! In addition to somen noodles, they poured side dishes like ham, grapes, and fruit.
*Some kids tried to throw marshmallows, but they were sunk! (They didn't flow!)
<Final gym play>
After dinner, we had free time to play in the gym before leaving for the afternoon dormitory!
The leader's voice asking if he's tired is drowned out as he is called out to play (he doesn't appear much in the photo, but he is also the target of various things. Good job, leader!).
This concludes the activity! The two days in Satoyama have come to an end in a flash.
<The train home>
That's what happens!
<Finally>
The two days we spent surrounded by the great outdoors of Satoyama went by in a flash. The theme of this trip was "bamboo," and we had a lot of fun learning about how bamboo lives, what can be done with bamboo, and enjoying the fun of Nagashi Somen noodles.
Furthermore, by living together with members of different ages and backgrounds, various roles naturally emerged, and I believe this fostered cooperation and leadership skills.
"Realizing what children want to do and what parents want to experience"
We hope that these two days at Campship were a memorable and formative experience for the children. We look forward to seeing them again at another program!
