6 . Donna Edmonds certainly knows a thing or two about getting children outside of the classroom. Having been a teacher for 23 years, she’s now in charge of Farms For City Children, a program enabling children in cities to explore the farms in the British countryside. Visiting children can take part in the farm tasks: growing and harvesting in the gardens; caring for chickens and looking after the land; and cooking up a home-grown meal in the farmhouse kitchen.

Donna’s connection with the charity led to a life-changing experience. She explained, “In November 2000, my headteacher said we’d got this trip going to a farm. I didn’t want to do that. I’m from south London and had no interest in farming.” But the week at Farms For City Children changed Donna’s entire life.

Donna said, “Quite honestly, the nature connection gap in our society is embarrassing; there are so many children who haven’t been to the countryside. I remember asking them what cows drank and they replied “milk”. Seeing them fall in love with nature was incredible to my life.”

Donna believes there is a strong need for teachers to bring city children into close contact with nature. Farms for City Children was founded in 1976, and it has now embraced a new direction — more children from different backgrounds can get into the countryside and they may one day even make a career from it.

7 . Club Activities in Japanese Schools

In the after-class activities of Japanese high schools, there are various clubs. Participation depends on students; however, most students choose a certain club.     1     And there are various kinds within each type.

A recent survey showed activity participation rate (比率). In junior high schools, participation rate was around 70% in sports clubs and around 20% in culture clubs. In senior high schools, participation rate in sports clubs dropped to about 50%, and in culture clubs, rose to around 25%. One reason is that there are more kinds of culture clubs in senior high schools than in junior high schools, so there is a wider range of choices.     2    

The rate of junior high school students not choosing any club was less than 10%. However, that number more than doubled in senior high school. In recent years, the number of students not joining in any clubs is increasing. Stronger individualism, which causes unwillingness to participate in group activities, is one factor behind this change.

    3     Japanese clubs are considered “a part of education” and are different from club activities overseas. Learning teamwork is a common factor; in particular, sports clubs have a strict hierarchy (等级制度) and are useful in leaning to be polite. This is said to have influenced the way Japanese companies work, for example, with respect for seniors. Compared to sports clubs, the hierarchy in culture clubs is not as strict.     4     Besides, clubs which practice traditional Japanese martial arts and culture offer a valuable chance to learn the traditional arts firsthand. By experiencing such arts in teenage years, the chance of passing traditional culture to the next generation is large.