Hi Kids!!!
Welcome to the first grade!
My name is Flat Stanley. Did your teacher read you the book about me? I am flat so people can send me in envelopes and suitcases all over the world. I love to travel and I want to tell you all about the new places I go and the people that I meet this year! We can learn about the cultures and customs that are different from our own.
Welcome to the first grade!
My name is Flat Stanley. Did your teacher read you the book about me? I am flat so people can send me in envelopes and suitcases all over the world. I love to travel and I want to tell you all about the new places I go and the people that I meet this year! We can learn about the cultures and customs that are different from our own.
This summer I visited Japan with Dr. Kristie and Dr. Kevin. It is an island country all the way around the world. Because it is on the other side of the Earth, the sun shines on it when it is dark at home. When Rock Hill is having daytime, it is nighttime in Japan.
The people speak Japanese. The words sound different, and look different, too. One of the first things I noticed was the Japanese writing. There were signs everywhere. The writing goes up and down, not across the page like English words do. They don't use letters to stand for sounds the way we do, but use characters instead. Each character stands for a whole word.
The people speak Japanese. The words sound different, and look different, too. One of the first things I noticed was the Japanese writing. There were signs everywhere. The writing goes up and down, not across the page like English words do. They don't use letters to stand for sounds the way we do, but use characters instead. Each character stands for a whole word.
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| You can see the Japanese and English words on the Post Office sign, too.
We took a walk in a bamboo forest. Bamboo is really a kind of grass, but it can grow as tall as trees. It was shady and cool in the forest, and we hiked on a trail. Did you know that pandas love bamboo? It is the only food that they eat. There are no pandas in Japan, though. Pandas live only in China, which is a nearby country.
All of the people that we met were very friendly. These two girls held my hands so we could have a picture taken together. They are wearing clothes called kimonos. The wide belts are called obis. Most of the time the people here wear clothes just like ours - jeans, tee-shirts, hoodies, dresses, and that is called Western dress. For special events, they wear traditional clothes like this.
Do you like to dress up for special occasions? What do you wear when you do?
Another day we went to a concert. These ladies played beautiful music on traditional Japanese instruments. I had never seen these before, but one of them reminded me of an instrument that Mr. Cole plays in music class. Can you guess why?
Many of the foods that we ate were a lot like what we eat at home - fish, rice, oranges, melon, cookies. In the first picture, you saw me with an ice cream cone. Other foods are very different. Here are some things that I saw at the food market.
These are a vegetable called daikon. They are shaped like carrots, but are a kind of radish. They taste spicy. These are cactus pads. The sharp spines are removed, and they are eaten as a vegetable.
People all over the world eat good foods to keep them healthy and strong. You might not have ever eaten these, but we do eats and vegetables.What veggies do you like to eat?
That's all for now. I will write again later, and show you some more things about my visit.
Your friend,
Flat Stanley
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