Current Class Offerings (In Person)
Contact us to register for any of the current course offerings.
French and Japanese ClassesPreschool Age Children
Morning language immersion programs in Japanese and French for children ages 2 to 5 years old. These are play-based programs designed to introduce children to the sounds, words and tones of the language using hand games, songs, dance and crafts. Targeted skills include increasing vocabulary, listening comprehension and concentration. Maximum class size is 12 children. Weekly Schedule French: Mondays & Thursdays, 9AM-12PM Japanese: Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays, 9AM-12PM Aftercare is offered each day from 12PM - 2PM for an additional $20/hr. Drop in classes $50 per day. Your child can attend classes on a day-by-day basis if we have space available in a given class (less than 12 enrolled students). Advance registration and a small deposit ($10) is required to hold your child’s place. Please contact Blue Moon to find out which days are currently available for drop in classes. Monthly class tuition: 1 class/week: $170 2 classes/week: $340 3 classes/week: $500 4 classes/week: $660 5 classes/week: $820 A one-time registration and materials fee of $50 will also be collected with your first month's tuition. To enroll in a class, we require a $50 deposit to hold your space. This deposit is non-refundable but can be used toward your child's first month's tuition & fees. For the most part, we observe the same calendar of vacations and holidays as the Alameda Unified School District. However, we are often open on holidays when the public schools are not: President's Day, etc. School Age Children: Japanese Language Classes: Private and group Japanese lessons are available in the afternoons for children aged 5 and up. Classes are divided by both age and language ability (complete beginner, able to understand, able to speak), so please contact us to find out which group might be best for your child. Please contact us for tuition information. |
Japanese Cultural ClassesNew Ikebana Workshop March 30, 2023 6-7PM.
Ikebana Workshop Registration Link Ikebana, or Japanese flower arrangement, is a traditional art form that involves using live flowers and arranging them according to defined rules of composition. Whether you've dabbled in flower arranging before or you're a complete beginner, you're welcome to come to learn more about Ikebana and try your hand at it. Please see the flyer and be inspired by the sample arrangements that are attached. The cost is $50 including all materials and supplies. About the Instructor: Yasuko Naiki Yasuko is a member of the Ohara School of Ikebana. Her current rank is 2nd term Master. She started Ohara Ikebana in high school as an after-school activity in Japan. She is a member of Ohara School Northern California Chapter, Ikebana Teachers’ Federation and Ikebana International. She is actively involved in Ikebana and has demonstrated and participated in Ikebana International, Ohara Ikebana School Northern California Chapter, Ikebana Teachers’ Federation and the Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco. She has been teaching a group flower arrangement class at Kimochi Home, San Francisco since 2014. She teaches Ikebana online for the University of Southern Mississippi, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Japanese cultural class offerings
All ages, children and adults welcome Blue Moon offers various classes in Japanese art forms. Current class offerings are:
In Japan, there is an official testing system for both calligraphy and abacus, (similar to the belt test system used by karate and other martial arts so students can advance and earn rank). Since Blue Moon is not a member of those organizations, we cannot award official certificates of advancement; however, we would like to invite students to earn Blue Moon certificates of advancement as they progress and improve their skills in calligraphy and abacus! Japanese Calligraphy (shuuji) Shuuji is a Japanese art form that uses special brushes and ink to write Japanese characters. If you've never seen it before, here's a video of calligraphy in action as well as a video reviewing different styles of calligraphy. Calligraphy can be started at any age, although starting around age 3 will have various positive effects, such as activating the brain. Many people who start calligraphy as children continue it as a hobby for the rest of their lives. Like other Japanese art forms, calligraphy is not strictly about creating beautiful handwriting, but also about cultivating mindfulness and practicing a meditative state of being and is therefore recommended for children of any age. Japanese Abacus (soroban) Soroban is a type of manual calculator that has been used in Japan for hundreds of years before the invention of electronic calculators. Calculations are done by moving beads on a wire. Soroban teaches math concepts, improves math speed, and develops fine motor control. Check out these videos of Japanese kids using soroban to do super fast math & a 7-year-old adding up ridiculously huge numbers! The earliest age to start learning the abacus (soroban) is around 3 years old when the concept of numbers is gradually becoming understood. 5 to 6 years old is also a good time to start learning soroban because the development of the right brain is active. Another benefit of starting around that age is they will familiarize themselves with mathematical concepts using the soroban before beginning math classes in elementary school, and therefore be more confident when those concepts are introduced, and before they can develop the feeling of not being good at calculation and numbers. However, students will be able to learn soroban faster if they are able to add numbers up to 10. |
