Teaching ideas for TANABATA
(July 7)

Teaching ideas, art and craft, flashcards, games, lesson plans, songs, videos, useful websites, worksheets on the Japanese teaching topic TANABATA star festival たなばた.

Art and crafts

Tanabata fukinagashi
http://www.craftsforkids.com/projects/900/912_4.htm
Make a tanabata fukinagashi from paddle pop sticks and crepe paper (as seen right).

Tanabata paper crafts
http://www.tanabata.info/tanab.html
Make a variety of traditional tanabata crafts including tanzaku, fukinagashi, kamigoromo, senbazuru, kuzukago, kinchaku, kuzudama, watsunagi, marubana

Songs

Tanabata song
http://web.mit.edu/jpnet/holidays/Jul/song-tanabata.shtml
Lyrics for the traditional tanabata song (Click on 'Tanabata' to listen to the MP3.)

Websites

Tanabata story
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/stonemancabins/tanabata.html?mtbrand=AOL_US
Information about the origins and customs of the Tanabata festival.

Worksheets

Short story about Tanabata
http://www.jpf.org.uk/language/download/03-Tanabata-Script-WJEC.pdf
Tanabata characters and short story

Find a word and write a tanzaku
http://www.jpf.org.uk/language/download/07-KS2-Tanabata-WJEC.pdf
Tanabata find-a-word and write a wish for a tanzaku strip

Blank tanzaku strip
http://www.jpf.org.uk/language/download/09-Tanzaku-WJEC.pdf
Download a blank tanzaku (make a wish) strip and write tanabata wishes.