At our September 27 workshop with Mr. Jun, who is transgender and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, children chose materials, followed their own ideas and found inspiration in one another`s artwork. Some discovered a new direction only after they had begun. Each approach offered a glimpse of that child`s individuality.
Alongside the workshop, parents explored LGBTQ+, family diversity and how to support a child who shares questions about their gender or sexuality.
One reflection to take into everyday conversation: we do not have to find an answer immediately. Listening, saying “Thank you for telling me,” and thinking together when needed can help children feel safe to talk.
The photos show creating and listening: two ways of making room for each person to be themselves.
“It feels like autumn.” What colours, sounds or sensations are held in that small observation? Finding words for a season is not only about using vocabulary we already know. It is also a way of discovering what we have noticed.
In Japanese language learning at CGK Elementary School (Grades 1-5), students explore seasonal words and changes in nature through haiku and free verse. The aim is not simply to produce a polished poem straight away. The process of searching for words that fit an observation or feeling, and choosing how to express it, matters too.
Imagine looking at a leaf and calling it beautiful. Rather than stopping there, look a little longer. Which colours overlap? What changes when light passes through it? What sound do leaves make underfoot? More specific observations give us more possibilities for expression.
Two children may notice different things in the same scene. One might focus on colour; another on sound or texture. Instead of offering the “right” description first, an adult can ask, “What did you notice that made you feel that way?” and listen to the child`s perspective.
At home, this could be as simple as choosing one interesting thing during a walk and looking for words to describe it. There is no need to turn it into a formal haiku. A short sentence is enough.
Expression becomes interesting where a growing vocabulary meets a child`s own way of seeing. Both deserve room to develop.
At CGK Elementary School, mathematics and Japanese language are taught through Units of Inquiry (UOI) wherever possible. When lessons focused on particular skills are more appropriate, subject content is also taught separately.
To explore a question in depth, children need to read for meaning, work with numbers and quantities, and put their thinking into words. Using those skills to investigate a question also helps them see why the skills matter. Foundations support inquiry; inquiry gives those foundations a purpose.
At CGK Elementary School (Grades 1-5), we connect subjects where meaningful while making time to develop individual skills carefully.
Consider a comparison. A child might initially feel that one quantity is greater than another. Using numbers or measurements to check that impression, then explaining the evidence, makes the comparison more precise. This is one example of mathematics and language becoming tools for thinking.
Leaving room for children to think does not mean withholding the knowledge or methods they need. There is a place for demonstrating a method, a place for practising it, and a place for children to decide how to apply it. Each has a role in supporting inquiry.
We do not have to choose between independent thinking and strong foundations. What matters is helping children move between the two.
@element_earth04 (Oct 24 & 25): Make your own moss terrarium.
@hanahanahandmade73 (Oct 25): Sticker workshop and handmade items.
Heal the Future (Oct 24): Plant-based ingredients and natural supplements, from Kamakura.
October 24 (Sat) & 25 (Sun), 2026 | 10:00–14:30 CGK Kannai Campus, Yokohama Open to the public. Free admission; no advance booking for entry. Some activities are paid. Exhibitor dates vary. More details via the link in our profile.
スポーツに、小さな世界づくりに、ハンドメイド。CGK School Festival 2026の出展者を、今回も5組ご紹介します！
TD Flag Football (10/24・25): 参加賞もあるフットボールの的当て。
横浜エクセレンス (10/24): バスケットボールのシュート体験。
Element Earth (10/24・25): 自分だけの苔テラリウムづくり。
はなはなハンドメイド (10/25): 切手風シールづくりとハンドメイド品。
Heal the Future (10/24): 植物由来原料・自然派サプリメントを扱う鎌倉の企業。
A little water on a hand. A small step into something new. 💧
Ocean Class (2-year-olds) tried its first water play at the end of July, as featured in August`s CGK Times.
Some children began cautiously, pouring small amounts from cups onto hands and feet. As they grew more comfortable, they explored spray bottles, water guns and toys that floated or sank.
Popular water guns also brought a social challenge: there were not enough for everyone at once. Children asked to use them, waited and passed them on. Sometimes waiting was frustrating too.
The story holds both enjoyment and difficulty. Exploring something new includes learning about our own feelings and those of our friends.
From CGK Times, August 2026. More school stories: website in our profile.
手に少し、水をかけてみる。新しい遊びへの、小さな一歩。💧
CGK Times 8月号では、Oceanクラス(2歳児)が7月末に初めて楽しんだ水遊びを紹介しています。
The machine was finished. The explanation mattered too.
At the end of CGK Afterschool`s two-day hydraulic and pneumatic machine project, teams demonstrated their creations and explained their choices and difficulties.
One team`s challenge was improving how well its machine could lift. In its presentation, the team described overcoming that obstacle through communication, teamwork and repeated testing—and by not giving up.
A working model shows one outcome. Explaining the changes and challenges reveals more of the learning behind it.
The project was part of Summer School, featured in August`s CGK Times. CGK Afterschool programme: Grades 1–9.
From CGK Times, August 2026. More school stories: website in our profile.
Show & Tell does not end when the speaker finishes.
In Mountain B Class (4-year-olds), children regularly share something meaningful to them: a favourite object, an interest or a personal experience.
Then it is their friends` turn—not simply to wait, but to listen, decide what they want to know and put a question into words.
Teachers have noticed children becoming more comfortable sharing their ideas with the group. The repeated opportunities matter: speaking, listening and asking are all part of participating in a classroom community.
One object can open many conversations.
From CGK Times, August 2026. More school stories: website in our profile.
In a two-day Summer School project at CGK Afterschool, teams built hydraulic and pneumatic machines.
Teachers provided instructions for the base. From there, students made their own adjustments through a cycle of design → build → test → improve, keeping one function in mind: lifting different materials.
There was something concrete to test—not just whether a model looked finished, but what it could do. Each round gave teams another opportunity to consider a change.
The finished machine is only part of the story. The decisions made along the way matter too.
CGK Afterschool programme: Grades 1–9.
From CGK Times, August 2026. More school stories: website in our profile.
A campsite indoors. Real opportunities to share. ⛺
When summer heat limited time outside, our teachers brought Jungle A and B Classes (3-year-olds) together for an indoor camping adventure.
Children caught pretend fish, cooked on a DIY barbecue and roasted cotton-ball marshmallows over a pretend fire. Tents and sand slime added opportunities to imagine, touch and explore.
The teachers planned the stations with a purpose: sharing with children from both classes. “Share, please” and “Wait, please” were part of the play as children took turns.
The campsite was make-believe. The practice in patience, communication and kindness was real.
From CGK Times, August 2026. More school stories: website in our profile.
Meet our workshop exhibitors! 🎨 School Festival 2026 — introductions, round 2
• Becca Dufie @becca.dufie — Painting and creative expression (Oct 24–25) • Mariella @mariella_japan — Ocean resin art (Oct 24) • Atelier Theresia @ateliertheresia — Handmade creations (Oct 25) • Michel Art School @michel_art_school — Creative art for children (Oct 24–25) • The Tome of Masa @thetomeofmasa — Create your own four-panel manga (Oct 24–25) • Sofi*a style @sofia_style_maiko — Halloween wreath making (Oct 25) • LIA LAB @lialab_official — Multilingual craft activities (Oct 24) • Happy Beans @happybeans_englishsitter — Make your own bag charm (Oct 24)
Oct 24–25, 2026 | 10:00–14:30 | CGK Kannai Campus, Yokohama Free admission; workshop fees apply. No advance booking needed for entry. Details via our profile`s Website link → School Festival. Photos include examples of exhibitors` work. Offerings and dates may change.
Film-making, collaborative art, plant exploration, two field trips, a harvest festival and Halloween: choose your days and join us for as little as one day.
Grades 1-6 with previous English-learning experience October 13, 14, 15, 16, 23 and 26 CGK Kannai Campus, Yokohama Regular days 10:00-14:00 / Field-trip days 10:00-16:00
CGK families: Autumn School also runs on October 23 and 26, the School Festival substitute holidays for CGK students.
See the programme and fees via Website in our profile, then Seasonal School. Book by 17:00 on the business day before attendance; bookings close when full.
For children aged 2–5, what does inquiry look like in the early years?
At CGK International School in Yokohama, children learn through questions, play, relationships, and hands-on experiences. Our Open School introduces families to the IB PYP approach, daily life at our international preschool, and the care and learning environment children experience at CGK.
■ Saturday, October 3, 2026 9:00–10:30 | Japanese 11:15–12:45 | English & Japanese ■ CGK International School, Kannai Campus ■ Advance registration required; capacity is limited.
Art, light, movement—and learning beyond the classroom.
At teamLab Borderless, CGK Middle School students explored how technology can become creative expression. Sharing the experience also meant practising communication, collaboration and self-management.
Sky Class (5-year-olds) explored world flags, cultures and the history of places, then created airplanes and boats of their own. Curiosity about the world became thinking and making.
CGK Afterschool students explored six types of simple machines around the school, then used their discoveries to begin building hydraulic and pneumatic machines in teams.
初の2日間開催！／Our first-ever TWO-DAY festival! 📅 2026年10月24日(土)・25日(日)／Oct 24 (Sat) & 25 (Sun), 2026 ⏰ 各日10:00–14:30／10:00 AM–2:30 PM each day 📍 CGKインターナショナルスクール関内校／CGK International School, Kannai Campus
在校生・ご家族はもちろん、一般の方も大歓迎！ ゲーム、音楽・パフォーマンス、さまざまなブースを、ご家族やお友だちと楽しみませんか？ Everyone is welcome! Bring family and friends for games, music, performances and fun booths.
入場無料・事前予約不要。当日は受付でLINEでの参加登録をお願いします。 FREE admission; no advance booking required. Please register via LINE at reception.
出展者9組をご紹介！／Meet our nine vendors: ① タルトリーアルベール／Tarterie ALBERT｜タルト＆キッシュ／Tarts & quiches｜24–25 @tarteriealbert ② ルカデリ オーガニックキッチン／Luca Deli Organic Kitchen｜オーガニックBento／Organic bento｜24–25 ③ バックヤードコーヒージャパン／Backyard Coffee Japan｜コーヒー＆国産抹茶／Coffee & Japanese matcha｜24–25 @backyardcoffee.japan ④ 新緑／Shinryoku｜おにぎり＆お惣菜／Onigiri & deli dishes｜24のみ／only @shinryoku_onigiri ⑤ メゾンエスティア／Maison Hestiā｜オーガニック素材のケーキ＆パン／Organic cakes & breads｜24–25 @maison_hestia_ ⑥ 101美食／101 Bisyoku｜ダージーパイ／Taiwanese fried chicken cutlet｜24のみ／only ⑦ Mogu Mogu 横浜元町本店／Mogu Mogu Yokohama Motomachi｜お弁当＆お惣菜／Bento & deli dishes｜24–25 @mogumogumotomachi ⑧ オーガニックわたあめ わっしょい／Organic Cotton Candy Wasshyoi｜無添加わたあめ／Additive-free cotton candy｜24–25 @wassyoi_nouen ⑨ つながる青木堂／Tsunagaru Aokido｜神田須田町から参加するイベントプロジェクト／An event project from Kanda-Sudacho｜25のみ／only @syuhey.ohtsuka ※数字は10月の出店日です。／Dates above are in October.
一昨年（2024年）のSchool Festivalの様子はこちら！ Watch our School Festival from two years ago (2024): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J79pXK8fFs8
掲載順不同。出展者・出店日・内容は変更になる場合があります。 Listed in no particular order. Lineup, dates and offerings may change.
