Author: Nasi Vasiliki, Kindergarten teacher/ Director of the 18th Kindergarten of Ioannina
I chose to implement the scenario “A Voyage Through Asian Culture” by Giacomel Mirela in a Section that numbers 22 toddlers & pre-toddlers.
The choice started from the fact that at this particular time we had completed with the children an activity related to a form of narrative art, of Japanese origin, Kamishibai – ‘Paper drama’. Since to reach Japan and China one has to travel a long distance from Europe, this learning scenario allowed me to shorten that distance with the help of artworks that present some important elements of the distant culture.
There was a preparatory phase when the Preparation- activation series of activities were organized . It was called Getting ready for travelling (3 * 30’)
Two works were placed on the class easel: “Bamboo and rising sun” (free to use from Europeana resources Bamboo and rising sun, Japon, XIX century, Rjksmuseum, PD) and “Chun Li” – art work of El Marques (Online educational material)
On the PC screen, the children could find available 2 puzzles that, if they were formed, created the easel works (//www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=09b744e85b24 & //www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=18d90cdcc886) and in the puzzle corner added tangram – 1 for each child.
During free activities, the children, passing through the corners, had their first contact with the materials while everyone created their ticket beam for the start of the journey
Resources used:
- //teachwitheuropeana.eun.org/learning-scenarios/a-voyage-through-asian-culture-ls-me-707/A
- Bamboo and rising sun, Japon, XIX century, Rjksmuseum, PD, [Japan Album] από τον/την A. Farsari & Co – Girona City Council, Spain – Public Domain.//www.europeana.eu/item/2024914/photography_ProvidedCHO_Ajuntament_de_Girona_346411
- [Japan Album] από τον/την A. Farsari & Co – Girona City Council, Spain – Public Domain. //www.europeana.eu/item/2024914/photography_ProvidedCHO_Ajuntament_de_Girona_346378
- Kimono – 0 – National Museum of World Cultures Foundation, Netherlands – CC0. //www.europeana.eu/item/2048221/europeana_fashion_809991
- Vrouwen kimono met origami kraanvogels en camelia’s – Rijksmuseum, Netherlands – Public Domain. //www.europeana.eu/item/90402/AK_RAK_2009_3_27
- Kimono, Dräkt – Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Sweden – CC BY. //www.europeana.eu/item/91643/SMVK_OM_objekt_111779
- Kimono for an Unmarried Woman από τον/την anonymous – Rijksmuseum, Netherlands – Public Domain. //www.europeana.eu/item/739/europeana_fashion_AK_RAK_2009_3_7_B
- Vrouwen kimono met origami kraanvogels en camelia’s – Rijksmuseum, Netherlands – Public Domain. //www.europeana.eu/item/90402/AK_RAK_2009_3_27
- Žena v kimonu – Náprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures, Czech Republic – CC BY. //www.europeana.eu/item/488/https___www_esbirky_cz_detail_235581
- Facipő by Lukács Tihamér – 1934 – Déri Museum – Debrecen, Hungary – CC BY. //www.europeana.eu/item/2048128/630264
- Zilverreiger in de regen – Rijksmuseum, Netherlands – Public Domain. //www.europeana.eu/item/90402/RP_P_1999_548
- Kimono – 0 – National Museum of World Cultures Foundation, Netherlands – CC0. //www.europeana.eu/item/2048221/europeana_fashion_809991 //www.europeana.eu/item/2048221
- //www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9IFZw8n5E8
- “ManekiNeko and Chun Li”, painting by Mirela Giacomel CC BY4.0,
- //www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWnpbk007cE&t=4s
1.The narrative
Poem Activity 45’
The teacher reads a rhyming poem, with each stanza presenting an artwork with elements of Asian art and culture. Children, hearing words, look for the elements in the picture and then use the beebot: Children guide the beebot to the corresponding artwork by listening to the stanza. //docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LKIJEhZTJDKYvwnb-2eK3uSwrZaS7hZy/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=108152000540331342536&rtpof=true&sd=true
//drive.google.com/file/d/1HRjxJnd_8H_M5hV9QB7FOrSVCrIg86LI/view?usp=sharing
‘Finding rimes’ activity 45’
The educator made her intervention in the work “ManekiNeko and Chun Li”, and children were invited to create their own stanza to add to the poem .
Τhey painted their own cherry blossoms on paper lanterns, decorated classroom and – as they welcomed the first month of spring – they made their own flowers with the colors of March in Greece.
Children observed material from the Europeana collection and created their own cherry blossom themed kimono
//drive.google.com/file/d/1fTWZXvn1V6JZIq3x25zZLT9cz0KBsN92/view?usp=sharing
Herons 45’
Kids observed kimonos and found their common point: herons. Educator and kids admired their flying way by watching a you tube video. They tried to create their own pictogram.
By using the Japanese favorite colors -red and yellow – they were asked to fill a given shape but with 3 colors: red, yellow and orange…and the question was “What could these be?”. 
They created patterns with the pictograms for the words ‘sun’ and ‘moon’
and at the end read the love story between Klepetan and Malena- a new published in Greek fairytale!
Dragons and pumpkins 2 * 45’
On the occasion of Halloween and Shrove Monday celebrated in Greece, we saw on youtube paper dragons in Japan. They made their own dragons – not to fly but to decorate the classroom. 
“ManekiNeko and Chun Li “ was modified. 
2.Outcomes
Link to the learning scenario implemented: A Voyage Through Asian Culture (LS-ME-707) – Teaching With Europeana (eun.org)
Do you want to discover more stories of implementation? Click here.
PDM 1.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the Leiden University Libraries.
