Ogijima Future Education Project is aiming to set a rich education environment for children on Ogijima. We have planned out an activity for Ogijima kids to gather beyond school and nursery school.
Research tells us that children learn best through play. So what better way to encourage children’s observational and memory skills than through a playful Ogi scavenger hunt?
This past week the children on Ogijima had the opportunity to participate in a scavenger hunt designed uniquely for our island, by islanders. The scavenger hunt boards were designed by two parents – one drew the pictures and the other parent personalized each child’s list based on their age. Having both pictures and words, as well as personalizing the lists allowed a wide range of ages to participate happily together. The youngest searched for three items, the four and five year olds had 6 items on their list, and the primary school students had the full page of 11 items to search for.
The pictures highlighted aspects of Ogijima nature and culture such as “someone pushing an onba,” “Meon2,” and “black kite.” It was a rainy afternoon, so some things were harder to find, like grasshoppers, crabs, and cats. It made many of us wonder where the grasshoppers go in the rain and where all the cats were hiding! The scavenger hunt encouraged the children to look closely – spotting tiny snails and checking hiding spots for the beloved pet, Spark the dog. Many of the children worked together if they noticed they were looking for the same item.
After about 30 minutes of searching we gathered back at Ogijima’s Soul to get out of the rain, compare our scavenger hunt lists, and to have a special treat made by one of the parents.
It will be interesting to do this on a sunny day next time and see what is different!
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