To all our Nishitsu readers, I’m sure many of you are raising kids too. Whenever we post about kid-friendly spots like parks or child-rearing plazas, we get so many responses, and it makes us really happy. Thank you ☺️
Today, we’re introducing a place that we’d really like parents and caregivers to know about.
ありんこATスクール
What is an “Alternative School”?
It’s neither a public school nor a private school, but “a new school option.” It’s a school for children who have difficulty attending elementary school and are not currently going to regular school.
Here it is on the map↓
The address is 11-28 Shoraiso, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Tanaka Mansion 1F.
It’s just a 1-minute walk from Hankyu Kotoen Station. Turn the corner at Lawson and it’s right there.
Walk a little south and you’ll find VERY acaibowl, a specialty acai bowl shop that just opened the other day.
When we opened the door, the teachers and students welcomed us so brightly and warmly.
On the day of our visit, I brought my 8-month-old daughter along, and the students rushed over right away saying, “The baby is so cute! What’s her name?” Everyone was so cheerful and full of energy!! 😊
They even said, “No fair, only the teacher gets to hold her!” 😆
We got to observe an actual English lesson, and everyone was really eager to participate.
The theme was colors and shapes. One student described an item in the classroom by its color and shape in English, and everyone searched together to find where it was 🔵🟩🔶 Was it a pencil case? A notebook??
After that, they drew original faces by picking slips of paper with face parts and colors written in English ✏️
Basic study time lasts 45 minutes, followed by time to do things they like, cooking time, and more.
A very kind student playing with my daughter 👧🏻
On the day we visited for our coverage, there was also time to go to a nearby park for exercise.
The teachers and students all ran around together, playing tag at full power 😆
They split into two teams, played rock-paper-scissors, and moved forward in the game. The kids’ team had the advantage!!! 👏
They were spinning around the horizontal bars too, which was amazing 👏
This time, we spent about an hour and a half with them and covered what the school is like. Honestly, from what I saw, I couldn’t tell why the students had stopped attending regular school. All three of them were sincere, wonderfully childlike, and had such lovely smiles 😄
But they chose to come here because they had difficult experiences at elementary school, or because they continued to feel a strong sense that attending elementary school just didn’t feel right for them.
I felt that this is a wonderful place where they can truly be themselves, with wonderful teachers who support them 🌱
One of the school’s unique features is something called the social map project.
What is the social map project?
Learning about the society they live in through “experience,” learning about others, and learning about the world.
For example, everyone went into the city of Kyoto and interviewed foreign tourists on the street in English. Even though they were nervous, they confidently asked questions like “Which country are you from?” and “What do you like about Japan?” 🗣️
