Visiting Yokohama’s Disaster Risk Reduction Learning Center
Preschool
July 21, 2017
Ocean class (two-year-olds) and Jungle class (three-year-olds) traveled by school bus to the Yokohama Disaster Risk Reduction Learning Center.
A large fire engine greeted us on arrival. The children excitedly called out its name in both Japanese and English.
After greeting our guide, we began the tour and activities.
First was the fire extinguisher activity.
A cooking pot appeared on a screen and suddenly caught fire. The children shouted “Fire!” to alert their teachers, who used the training extinguisher and successfully put it out.
Next came the smoke experience.
We saw how smoke moves during a fire and walked through the training smoke. During our monthly school drills, we remind children to cover their mouths and keep low when evacuating from a fire. Experiencing the smoke environment gave that instruction a more concrete meaning for future drills.
An animated DVD then introduced tsunami evacuation. Through the story, the children learned about the danger and how people evacuate.
The final activity was the earthquake simulator, where we experienced shaking from Japanese seismic intensity 3 to 7.
Some children felt frightened and began to cry during the visit. School events are usually enjoyable occasions, but this visit also aimed to help children understand through experience that disasters are frightening. Teachers must act quickly and guide children when an emergency happens, and children also need to develop awareness of protecting themselves.
We will continue drills while helping children think about the importance of protecting their own lives.
A large fire engine greeted us on arrival. The children excitedly called out its name in both Japanese and English.
After greeting our guide, we began the tour and activities.
First was the fire extinguisher activity.
A cooking pot appeared on a screen and suddenly caught fire. The children shouted “Fire!” to alert their teachers, who used the training extinguisher and successfully put it out.
Next came the smoke experience.
We saw how smoke moves during a fire and walked through the training smoke. During our monthly school drills, we remind children to cover their mouths and keep low when evacuating from a fire. Experiencing the smoke environment gave that instruction a more concrete meaning for future drills.
An animated DVD then introduced tsunami evacuation. Through the story, the children learned about the danger and how people evacuate.
The final activity was the earthquake simulator, where we experienced shaking from Japanese seismic intensity 3 to 7.
Some children felt frightened and began to cry during the visit. School events are usually enjoyable occasions, but this visit also aimed to help children understand through experience that disasters are frightening. Teachers must act quickly and guide children when an emergency happens, and children also need to develop awareness of protecting themselves.
We will continue drills while helping children think about the importance of protecting their own lives.
Author Profile
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Reiko - Services and Community Coordinator Japan
Reiko joined CGK’s founding team in 2016, bringing seven years of experience in licensed nursery schools in Japan and six years across two international preschools. She has also volunteered at a daycare in Canada and has held preschool leadership roles at CGK, including Principal and Vice Principal.
A qualified nursery teacher and holder of a Class 2 kindergarten teaching license in Japan, Reiko values each child’s interests and strengths. Drawing on her experience in multicultural early childhood settings, she supports an environment where children can explore new interests through hands-on experiences and express themselves in their own way.