This June, we had our first big event of this school year, Kenya Day!

Since April, all of our students have been learning about the culture and traditions of Kenya, including its language, food, games, wildlife, and more.  After learning about these different aspects of Kenyan culture, the students chose their favorite topics and prepared presentations to share with their parents.

For our event day, everyone started the day off with a traditional game played by children in Kenya, Nyama Nyama Nyama.  In this game one person calls out an animal, if the animal eats meat they jump, but if not they stay still.  The game tested the children’s knowledge of animals and their listening skills.  The Orca class listened carefully as the teacher called out different animals, relying on their own memory—and sometimes a few hints from friends—to try to win the game.  Some children made mistakes and had to sit down, but they continued to have fun and cheer on their friends.

In the afternoon we continued on with a special Kenya art for all the classes.  Everyone made a traditional Kenyan hut, which has colorful patterns on the walls and a straw roof.  While all classes made similar crafts, each class was challenged to try different motor skills and designs.  The younger children worked on holding crayons while coloring or putting different paper shapes on their house to simulate patterns.  The older children challenged themselves to create colorful repeating patterns that were unique to their own designs.  

After art time came snack time.  It was a huge hit!  We were lucky enough to try Mandazi, a triangle-shaped doughnut from Kenya.  This doughnut isn’t as sweet as the doughnuts we are used to in Japan, but everyone enjoyed them immensely, even to the point of wanting more!  Everyone enjoyed talking about the fun events of the day and how excited they were for their performances while they ate.

And finally, as the day was coming to an end, it was time for our main event, the children’s performances for their parents.  As parents began arriving at the school, the children cheerfully waved and said hello to their parents.

The first to perform was our Penguin class with a dance to “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” in Swahili.  They practiced a lot to get used to moving to the rhythm of their music and also learning the Swahili lyrics of the song.  When it came time to perform for their parents, some of them were shy but they tried their best to dance!

Dolphin class was next, doing a dance to “Waka Waka.”  Everyone smiled brightly as they danced and jumped around the stage, showing that they had learned and how much fun they were having.  Their dance focused on moving their hands and tapping their feet, getting used to moving their whole body as they danced.

Next up was the performance from Orca 1.  They gave a packed performance featuring two dances and a song.  The first dance was called “Fanga Alafia.”  Not only did they remember the choreography, but they also sang along confidently.  This dance was about a warm welcome feeling to friends and new acquaintances.  The next group did a dance to a song called “Simama Kaa,” showing an exciting and energetic dance to everyone.  Finally they ended with a Kenyan song called “Jumbo Bwana.”  Through our country studies, the children learned some Swahili phrases, “Jambo” was one of the Swahili words they learned, meaning “hello.”

Orca 2 gave a wonderful performance introducing animals of the Kenyan savanna.  They used teamwork to make groups of their favorite animals and talked together about what they wanted to do for the presentation.  Taking turns they told their favorite animal facts to their friends and family before ending with an exciting song about the joys of the animals of Africa.

Finally, the Orca 3 class wrapped up the performances with their presentations.  The children had so many things they wanted to share with their parents, so they made 5 groups to talk about Kenya.  There were a few quizzes to test their friends and parents’ knowledge of Kenya, asking about animals and plants.  We even had a special breakfast party introducing some popular foods from Kenya, while another group explained how to play Nyama Nyama Nyama.  And finally our last group presented the language of Kenya by singing a Swahili song called “Simama Kaa,” wishing everyone a happy Kenya Day.

Throughout their journey learning about Kenya, our students have learned so much and became excited to share their learning experiences with others.  The Beyondia children are excited to share more with you through the rest of the events this year!

Our next Country Day will be focused on France.  We look forward to sharing our experiences with you!