Learning through learning

I read that it is easier to learn a language if you learn other subjects in that language. The idea is that you will pick up the language more naturally if you are learning science or math or art in that language. That is part of why immersion schools work; you're not just sitting and learning the language specifically.

Right now, in the classes B takes, they mostly learn through playing. They play games, do crafts, read stories, and sing songs. Next year it will change but for now it seems to be working well. His teachers try to teach him specific vocabulary and will tell me what words they are working on so I can work on it with him, and I have been adding some other words for things that happen around us or things he often talks about.

Next year though, we will do science at home in Japanese. Right now I don't know what they do for science in school, but I know next year they learn about the water cycle, and so I have found an explanation in Japanese in one of his books. He has science stations at home for water, light, and magnetism, so I will work on learning those words in Japanese. Maybe I will ask my former teacher if she can explain these to me in Japanese.

It feels nice to have a plan.

Oh, today I tried to say, "we are going by car" to my friend. (I said, "kuruma de ikimasu") 

I read 2 books to him in Japanese, he practiced writing, and he watched one episode of Pocoyo in Japanese. So the daily plan is still going along...we've been doing at least the reading every day. 

Little steps!