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Japanese, local kids in friendly competition
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Posted on Aug 19 2005
A two-day cultural exchange program between Japanese and local students concluded with a friendly sports competition at the Oleai Sports Complex yesterday.
Some 100 members of Japan’s Peppy Kids Club joined 130 local children on Thursday and Friday for the activities that comprise the second Pacific-Peppy Weekend Summer Fun Event this year.
A similar event was held on July 22 to 24, 2005.
On Thursday, the participants engaged in interactive fun events that featured both the Japanese and local cultures. Japanese children had the opportunity to learn how to make mwar mwar from their local counterparts. In return, the visitors from Japan taught the local children the art of origami.
The cultural exchange activities were held at the Saipan Business and Language Institute and EIC Marianas offices at the 3rd floor of Nauru Building in Susupe.
The youngsters spent yesterday morning out in the sun, exercising and participating in a “mini Olympic” at the Oleai Sports Complex.
For the past five years, the Peppy Kids Club has brought in elementary students from various schools in Japan to provide them an opportunity to interact and learn English through natural conversation with children from another culture.
The Peppy Kids Club is the English language academy of Chuoh Publishing Core Inc. The club started with only five school members in 1993. To date, the club has over 78,000 student members from over 1,000 schools through 41 prefectures in Japan.
At the Peppy Kids Club’s schools, students put into use the skills they have gained using a unified system called the Total Set System. The skills are learned by speaking, writing, playing games, dancing, singing, crafts and arts, and doing other activities in English. (Agnes E. Donato)
