Konnichiwa Sukiyaki

What?  Huh?  How about "Hello, tasty Japanese dish!"  Yes, you've guessed it.  Our latest Galloping the Globe adventure has taken us to Japan.  We've talked about yen, Mt. Fuji, cherry blossoms, etc., but as usual, the highlight of our study is to get together with our friends.

Ms. Cara shared books and facts about Japan, and Ms. Gretchen had several trinkets and souvenirs for the kiddos to see.  The boys got to demonstrate some of their karate moves for their friends, and then, we all headed to the kitchen table to try our hands at origami.  The kiddos made a carp with great success, but my perfectionist Caleb was reduced to tears when his puppy did not turn out exactly as he had hoped.

Thankfully, Ms. Cara had the kids help her cook next, so Caleb was able to recover.  All of the kids took turns chopping, cutting, pouring, and stirring.  Then, all were more than agreeable to taste-test their concoction.  Rachel gobbled it up - two helpings I believe.  Caleb was most impressed by the steak.  Jeremiah enjoyed the mushrooms and bamboo sprouts.  Surprisingly, even though I'm not a fan of soy sauce, I didn't dislike the sukiyaki.  I couldn't bring myself to digest tofu, so I avoided it along with the mushrooms.

Our time together concluded with Ms. Cara sharing a Japanese folktale.  Then, the kiddos got to act out the story.  We have a group of "hams" so this is always a fun activity.  Now, we must say, "Sayonara, Japan!" because we are galloping on to India.