Green River Aikido Holiday Craft Making December, 2007 - 1

Greenfield, Massachusetts www. greenriveraikido.org

Green River Aikido in Greenfield, MA (Dave and Kathy Stier- instructors) invited children of all ages to visit the dojo to create some traditional Japanese holiday crafts. Over the past year, the dojo has hosted cultural events that coincide with the changing of the seasons in an effort to reach out to the local community and to learn more about Japanese traditions. This winter the activities included chains of red and white paper, origami cranes to hang as ornaments, various snowflake patterns, and a medium-sized Japanese New Year decoration constructed of straw, pine boughs, and ribbon. For the craft-making, our tatami mats were covered with a large canvas drop cloth and stations were set up where children could go to make each of the crafts. Many dojo members participated instructing the children and even making some crafts themselves. The children and families could take home their crafts or choose to have them hung around the dojo. The themed crafts fit well with the dojo atmosphere and help us understand how the Japanese view the changing of the seasons. All in all, it was a great way to invite new families into the dojo, have some fun with our members, and decorate the dojo. Some of the ideas came from the book: Japanese Crafts and Customs: A Seasonal Approach by Kunio Ekiguchi and Ruth South McCreery (Paperback Ð Jan 1993).