Did you know there’s a really fun classroom on the 5th floor of Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens Gate Building?
“Huh? What kind of classroom?” Actually, this place is not only where kids can play to their heart’s content after school, but it’s also packed with “learning”. It’s full of the little secrets that get kids totally hooked!
It’s here in the Gate Building, directly connected to Gardens from Nishinomiya-kitaguchi Station.
Take the elevator up to the 5th floor and…
an unexpectedly exciting space opens up before you!
Actually, on this 5th floor, there’s a classroom called “STEAM Campus,” where play and learning come together.
Oh! Isn’tthat LEGO?~~
Guiding us around was “Mariko-sensei.” The first thing she showed us was…
a scene that looked like a park made out of LEGO!
It really sparks your imagination: “Since there’s a tree, maybe a giraffe? Or since there’s a pond, maybe a duck?” So, let’s actually make a duck!
The time limit is 1 minute! Everyone starts building with LEGO in their own way, and then…
Ready, set…
Everyone finished a different duck
That’s the appeal of “thinking × making.” Everyone naturally gets their brains working at full speed, thinking, “How can I make it look more duck-like?”
And that’s what makes it so much fun.
On top of that, they also practice putting their thoughts into words with questions like “Why did you think that?” and “What did you try to make it work?” So kids develop creativity and thinking skills × communication skills all at the same time!
At STEAM Campus, kids also get hands-on with gears and parts, assembling them and making them move, or experimenting by dropping objects from above, so they can experience things from a science-minded perspective, too. There are lots of chances to wonder, “Why does that happen?” while playing, so it’s easy to get completely absorbed. There are also courses where kids can learn programming.
They even hold exhibitions during summer vacation, where everyone can share moments of “That’s amazing!” Isn’t it wonderful to have a classroom where the culture is about praising each other instead of competing and ranking who’s better?
Trial lessons are available for kids from the youngest preschool class through 5th grade. By playing through the process of “think → make → communicate,” the program helps children grow into kids who can keep coming up with ideas on their own. Shachomi’s duck creation might be there too, so go check it out.
A Science Lab Where the “Why?” Never Stops During Experiments!
Now, there’s another classroom on the 5th floor that seriously stimulates kids’ creativity.
It’s called “Science Lab”!
It’s a full-fledged experiment classroom open to children from the second year of kindergarten through 12th grade, where they actually wear lab coats and use all kinds of lab equipment!
When they mix chemicals using beakers and flasks, foam rises up with a whoosh, or clouds of smoke come out (more powerful than you’d imagine!
“Whoa! Why does that happen?” The questions just don’t stop!
For example, around 3rd grade, they do things like “experiments that generate gas.” When they stick an incense stick into a container filled with foam, a flame suddenly bursts out with a pop. It’s genuinely surprising.
You can just picture the look of surprise on a child’s face: “Whaaat!”
