E x p a n ding fut ure pos s ibilit ies

P.10

Letʼs make a four-panel comic
Examples of quotes
1 . I like quiet evenings...
2 . Me too

17

3 . You like quiet evenings, right?
4 . YES!

We look forward to
your ideas!
Hiraku provides useful informationand the latest news related toEnglish and childhood education.

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Hiraku Editorial Department
TEL：06-6135-0150
Mail： hiraku@kinderkids.ed.jp

Published in
September 2021 Vol.17
Next issue isplanned to comeat the end of November

Kinder Kids Inc.
TEL：06-6135-0150
Pulala Tenma 2F, 3-1 Ikeda-cho,
Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka. 530-0033

www.kinderkids.com

Kinder Kids Establishes a New Elementary School Opening
People & Culture
Online lessons have been upgraded!

English in my Future 4
Heart to Heart
日本の心と、英語の力。Kinder Kids inc.

Kinder Kids Establishes a New Elementary School

Opening in April 2022
establish an elementary school.
We are trying to create a school where children grow up to
be Japanese who in the future are accepted all over theworld. The elementary school will focus on eight educational
programs based on the philosophy of "enjoying a happy life
anywhere in the world".
Kinder Kids CEO
Inﬁnity International
Elementary School Chairmanof the Board
Kimiko Nakayama

The senior high school of Inﬁnity International
School opened in 2019. We will open an elementary
school and junior high school in April 2022, ﬁnallyproviding an integrated global education forpreschool, elementary, junior and senior highschool students.
Kinder Kids will manage the Inﬁnity International
Elementary School!

Nurture children who enjoy their
happy life anywhere in the world

Unique Educational Programs

1

Multilingual education in English,
Japanese and Chinese

Skill-based individual and group3

Subject-based teacher assignment
and tutor suppor t system

4

Project-based learning

5

Reading enhancement program(extensive reading, speed reading,
English /Japanese / Chinese
reading comprehension)

6

H i s t o r y, g e o g r a p h y a n d s o c i a l
studies through travelingwith no grade level class distinction

About 20 years ago, I looked for an international school oran English school for infants as "I wanted to raise my childas a bilingual citizen of Japan" but I couldn't ﬁnd one in linewith my expectations. Then, I thought "If there isn't one,
let's make one!"....This is the story about how Kinder Kids
was established.... After graduating from Kinder Kids, mythree children advanced to public and private elementary
schools. As I watched them go through their education, I
began to wonder about the education in Japan, such as"Why can't children acquire enough academic skills to passentrance exams just by studying at school?", "Will studying
only for tests be useful in society?", "Can we better nurturethe skills only humans have?" and "Are there any schools
where children can learn what is useful in society?". So, justas when I established Kinder Kids, I thought "If there

isn't one, let's make one!" and decided to pursue to1

World-class language skills

We take the advantages of both individualand group learning in lessons.
In basic learning, depending on whether
children are good at a subject or not, they
are able to advance without being boundby a speciﬁc grade level curriculum or
improve their academic ability by "Optimal
Learning" with tutors' support to learn attheir own pace until they fully understand.
This is the basis of individual learning.
On the other hand, group learning isachieved by different grade levels studying
together. The goal is to "learn from eachother" by older children teaching younger
children or working on the same project
together. This helps children develop
leadership skills and a sense of self-worth,and accelerates the learning processcompared to learning only with children of
the same grade level.

The children who enroll in our school have spent the critical period for
language acquisition at preschool. They will continue raising their English to
the level of a British elementary school graduate while living in Japan. In
addition, they will learn Chinese over the next six years, aiming to acquire
another world-class language.

Each child's inﬁnite potential

2

7

Lessons using ICT

8Money-related education

FeatureStory

What is no grade leveling?

Our goal is to complete the six years ofbasic learning required in public elementary
schools in about two years.
The time created can be used to optimize
individual learning and each child will set
their own learning goals and plans, such as
inquiry-based learning, programming,science and preparation for junior highschool entrance exams.
By working closely with each child's
abilities and aptitudes, they will be able toachieve their goals and make their six years
more meaningful.

The world is changing rapidly. At Inﬁnity
International Elementary School, we havedeveloped a program to provide children
with the necessary educational system sothat they will not be left behind the times.
Our goal is to provide a true education thatwill allow children to freely create theirown future, without being bound by thestandard elementary school education
system in Japan today.

Source: Statista

The World's Most
Spoken Languages
Billions of people

The World's Most
Powerful Languages
Score

20

1

15
0.5

10
5
0

0

lis
Eng

h

C

es
hin

h
e Hindinis
Spa

Learning through practice
We help children "Explore tolearn(Inquiry-based learning)" throughtraveling around the 47 prefectures tonurture their multifaceted thinking
and decision-making skills by being
able to apply their knowledge andﬁndings in history, geography andsocial studies. We also provide"money-related education" wherechildren can learn how to calculate
income and expenses and marketingthrough actual experiences by creating
their own currency and using it within
the school.

英語 中国語 F r e n c

h

Spa

nis

h

ClimateSpecialties
Vegetation
GeologicalHistory2021 General Application and
Entrance Examination Schedule C
Application Period:
October 27, 2021 (Wed) 9:00 ～October 28, 2021 (Thu) 17:00

Scan the QR
code forthe latest
information!

Date of Examination:
November 19, 2021 (Fri)Eligibility:
Preschool children graduatingin March 2022 or preschool graduates

2People & Culture Kinder Kids staﬀ members come from many countries, such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom,005

Tom Billson

Australia, and China. Let's start our journey to Kinder Kids World and meet people and cultures from all around the world!

006 Grace Muchendu

From Nottingham, United Kingdom

From Thika, Kenya

Head Ofﬁce, Kanto Area Manager
Poster Boy of Kinder Kids

Through cross-cultural understanding

Do any of you remember the photo on
the right?
It's me over ten years ago when I was
slimmer! Around this time, I was often
used in promotional photos for Kinder
Kids. I could be seen on billboards intrain stations, ﬂyers, ad banners andmany other places, earning me thenickname "Poster Boy.
The photo shoot was not a "staged"
event, but a photographer sneaked into
our regular lessons and took photos of
us without any prior notice. I remember
how surprised I was to ﬁnd myself in thead!

At University, while majoring in psychology, I took a Japanese
language class and I was particularly interested in the unique cultureof Japan. My Japanese class lecturer taught me about Japanesechildren and the differences in the norm between Kenya and Japan,
which sparked my interest so I ﬁnally came to Japan after graduation.
Now, more than 10 years later, I am truly happy to be able to work
together with people from different backgrounds, cultures andcustoms to create a great team to bring smiles to children.

UK's best food is home cooking!

3

Head Ofﬁce, Education Division

Most of visitors to the UK only try
eating out menus such as Fish andChips, Roasted Beef, etc. But I think the
UK's best food is in the homemade
recipes.
For example, "HP Sauce" made in
Nottingham and became popularthroughout the UK. It is poured overbacon or fried eggs, and is also good asa secret ingredient in stews and curries.
It can be bought online at a slightly
higher price than in the UK.
One of my favorites is "Mince Pies"
which has been loved by UK families
for centuries. It has the sweetnessof dried fruits with a spicy ﬂavor
that is light and addictive. I hope
you will try it at home!

Love of adventure leads toward
a world I've never seen

The home country where
I was born and raisedEver since I was very young I have always wanted tolive in a foreign country. The excitement that comesfrom overcoming challenges in an unfamiliar
environment is very special. A different culture andlanguage that I am exposed for the ﬁrst time isalways fresh for me and I love the feeling of theexcitement when stepping into an unknown world.
I was attracted to countries as a place steeped inhistory, culture and technology. Japan was one ofmany countries on my wish list. One location within
Japan Iʼ ve always enjoyed has to be Hokkaido,
especially Sapporo. I enjoyed driving in thebeautiful nature, snowboarding, and overwhelmed to see snow festival. Hokkaido
produces some great food items. I always
make sure to leave space in my suitcase forsome Royce Chocolate Potato Chips!

Mince PieI grew up in a quiet little town called Thika,
Kenya in East Africa. There were vastpineapple and coffee plantations, theperfect place where we played hide and seek
as children. At the time, it was still a small,quiet, rural town.
In Kenya, I have lots of memories of going on
safari with my family and friends. Spendingtime surrounded by nature of the endlesssavannah never gets old for me. I still
remember how excited it was whenrunning across the prairie andencountering the wildlife, such aslions, buffaloes, elephants, leopards
and rhinos. The great wildebeest
migration with its power of life ofa huge herd is one of my favorite
scenes, which cannot
be experienced in a zoo.

oduce
Intr my country !
Scan the QR codes to check(as of September 2021)

out recipes on YouTube

Mukimo"No Human Is Limited""No Human Is Limited", which is a quote, said by
the most famous marathon runner from Kenya,the 2020 Olympic winners and the marathon
world record holder. He has left behind many
words of wisdom along with his accomplishments.
His messages through his marathons certainly
motivate and encourage us to be our best! Just
like that, I want to be the one to encouragechildren from all over the world, that they can doanything they set their minds to.

"Mukimo", the soul food of my country
When I traveled back to my hometown, my
grandmother and mother always made "Mukimo" forme. Now that I am a mother, I love to make thisdish for special events and occasions, even small
gatherings, and enjoy it with everyone.
Mukimo is made of potatoes, pumpkin leaves, redbeans and white corn. Boil the peeled potatoes ﬁrst,
then add pumpkin leaves (spinach is also good), redbeans and white corn. After the ingredients arecooked, discard the water, add butter (optional) andthen mash it together. At last, add salt and/or pepper
to taste and it is now ready to serve. Mukimo is best
served with a spicy beef stew and a side of vegetables!

4

N-san says that she has beenable to think more deeply ofthings because of her volunteer
activities. All the activities gave
her opportunities to observe thecurrent situation and causes ofproblems, what could be
expected from problems andthe impact on variety ofenvironments and people frommultiple viewpoints.

Interview

Englishin my Future

My dream to study early childhood
education at the University andbecome a bilingual
Kinder Kids teacher

N.F-san is a Kinder Kids Sakai School graduate and is in her
third year of high school. Ever since she was a child, she has
dreamed of becoming a Kinder Kids teacher.
This summer, she participated in a Grad Club summer event togain work experience and learn more about her career path!

I worked for Grad Club!

N-san during her Kinder years#Volunteering #Work Experience

There was just a call for volunteer staff at the Grad Club, and I
accompanied them to a camp and museum visit event. I was given
the role as a group leader, and on the ﬁrst day I was worried about
whether I would be able to organize and lead the children well, using
only English, but the university student staff who had alreadyparticipated in the event kindly gave me instructions and made itvery easy for me to work with the children.
As a ﬁrst-time participant, I had no idea what kind of atmospherethe group would have, and I was worried about whether the children
would accept me and what I would say to the children in English. I
was very nervous, but the children relied on me as well as the otherstaff members, which soon made me relax. I am happy I had a great
experience.
Next time I participate, I would like to be more aware of how I talkwith children so that they will be more willing to use English.
She still remembers
memories of the Christmas parties, camping
and other fun events.

N-san graduated from a local elementaryand junior high school. Many of students
could not speak English when they wanted
to because they only memorize and learn
writing and listening in their English
lessons. She continued to study
English at Grad Club until the second
year of junior high school. She wasable to not only maintain goodacademic scores in English, but also
improve her speaking skills.

54Participated as a Grad Club staff member
At the Nature Experience Museum

Power of English＋α
When I was a ﬁrst grade in high school, I
participated in the "Global Youth Conference", aprogram sponsored by the YMCA. It is a global
event where people of the same age group gather
from all over the world. Starting with cultural
exchanges, we deepened our understanding of
the SDGs, the common global goals by exchanging
opinions and learning about the issues.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, a volunteer
group (ICS: Impact Citizens for SDGs) was set up
to plan and produce a daily calendar to increase
understanding of the SDGs and distribute themto nearby junior high schools. We also set up a
special corner at the Maruzen Junkudo bookstore
in Umeda, Osaka, and held our own in-store
events to educate a larger audience to SDGs.
For those of us who had never done anything likethis before, everything we did was a learning
experience. When we made mistakes, we
discussed what the problems were and devised
ways to solve them, and even though wesometimes clashed, we all felt that we weregrowing together.
Thanks to our hard work since 2019, we were able
to experience a great sense of accomplishment
when we were selected as the winner of the
Excellence Award in the contest for the 2020
"One World Festival", one of the largest
international cooperation and exchange events inwestern Japan. The most important thing for me
was that I gained the ability to listen carefully toeach individual's opinion and learn how to ﬁnd
solutions.
She was a full-ﬂedged staff member
providing great support
even as a high school student!

The appeal of an international high school,
said to be the ﬁrst of its kind in JapanThe high school I attend opened two years ago as
the nation's ﬁrst public sector managed integrated
junior and senior high school.
When I ﬁrst entered the school, there were noseniors or juniors, so I was very excited to take theinitiative to create the ﬁrst page of a brand newschool history.
The reason why I wanted to attend this school was
because it was an accredited school where I could
obtain an International Baccalaureate. The math,biology, and chemistry classes taught in English
were difﬁcult, but they were rewarding because
the classes were explained in an easy-tounderstand manner when I asked questions.
School life is more liberal and open-minded thanat other schools.
Students are free to dye their hair, wear makeup
and nail polish, and have piercings.
There were basic principles regarding safety,
human rights, and bullying and other detailed
rules were established based on student opinions.
We had plenty of time for discussions, and I think
it was a privilege for the ﬁrst-year students tohave their own opinions and listened to theopinions of others to come up with answers.
In such an environment, I realized the importanceof the purpose of going to school, studying
together, listening to and respecting the feelings
and opinions of others. I am proud of being a ﬁrst
year student at my school!

At high school, N-san has been recognized for her
leadership qualities, such as being able to "react
quickly" and "lead a team".
She is making steady progress toward achieving her
dreams. We will continue to support her as much as
we can as she moves into the workforce!

6Adapting to the times

Online lessons havebeen upgraded!
The demand for online lessons has been rapidly increasing in various educational ﬁelds.
We also have been working on expanding our services of Grad Club's online lessons "Grad Chat".
Now is the time to use online tools as it's getting harder to go out. Through "Grad Chat",
let's enjoy improving your English speaking skills, regardless of race, culture or region!

stic
a
t
n
Fa

!
w
o
h
S
z
i
u
Q
The

info@grad-club.com
Contact us

questions and competed for points.
The host teacher picks a challenger inorder. Then, the challenger reads aloud aquestion and chooses the correct answer
from four options shown on the screen. Ifthey don't know a word, the teacher will
explain how to read it and its meaning. The
options include English words that are
useful to know, which helps children
increase their vocabulary.
We created the witty structure with a wide

Online is now more fun and convenient!

range of topics to choose from, including
science, culture and the popular Olympics

One-on-one lessons are now available

to stimulate the intellectual curiosity ofLessons are adapted according to individual skills, knowledge and level ofunderstanding. You can order lessons according to your objectives and focus on the
key points to efﬁciently overcome your weak points!

children!

Grad Chat's ﬁrst online event

A different kind of lesson will motivate you to learn English.
The game based lessons are exciting and thrilling. You can enjoy leaning together
with multiple people!

Additional lessons are now available for purchase
You can now easily purchaseboth "one-on-one" and "group" additional lessons!

Now available for all grades from Monday to Saturday

Challenger I.O-kun

You can now choose lessons for all grades that are offered 6 days a week. You canbook and/or reschedule your classes 24 hours a day on our website!

＊Photos and interview by his motherUpgraded video call software
for an easier operation and more stable communication environment
Credit card payment system availableUse

r's Com( N a ra To m i g a o k a G 2 ) ' s I n t e r v i e w ★
It was my ﬁrst time to participate in such an
event, and I was looking forward to the day withgreat enthusiasm. It was nice to learn English ina different way from my regular online lessons.
At Glad Chat, I enjoy meeting my formerclassmates and others for the ﬁrst time.

ments

The best thing is taking lessons without commuting to school. My
child can make good use of their time. They enjoy talking withteachers of their choice, even at a time as an adolescent who ﬁnds it
difﬁcult to talk with anyone. It's a great way to kill not
only one or two birds but also three or four birds with
one stone while keeping and improving their English
skills. Thanks to the system support, we don't haveto worry about any problems with a computer.
7

In this event, participants answered quiz

Scan the QR codeto access the"Glad Chat" website!

grad-chat.net /guide

More exciting events
coming soon★
This event was held as our staff members wanted
to give children an opportunity to enjoy playing
and learning together in English while they werebeing forced to endure the prolonged travel
restrictions. If you haven't joined us online yet, let's
participate in our online lessons and enjoy learning
together with Grad Chat members from all overJapan and native teachers by taking online lessons!

Grad Chat
Teacher
Maiko
Yamane8Letʼs make a four-panel comic

How much can we do about the problems that keep coming upー.
Heartful communication always leads to solutions.
Kinder Kids Episode abouttrue feelings between parents and staff.

episodeKanto

Before we bring you the episode in
the next issue, let us give you a brief
introduction to the positions of thestaff members we will be introducing.
They are the key persons in the Kanto
Head Ofﬁce.
They are always discussing how to
improve schools in different regions,environments, and sizes, as well as
the issues that keep changing in
response to COVID-19.
Let's take a look at all the faces of
the Kanto Head Ofﬁce!

Head Oﬃce

02

Connections
as o

Tom Billson has worked as a classteacher and leader at various schoolsin Kansai, and with over 10 years ofexperience working with other staff
to improve lessons of Kinder Kids.
Tom is now one of the managers
in Kanto who is responsible foreducational development as well as
operation.

f 2021

Tom Billson

ShinagawaTama Plaza

By PHONICS GARDEN

Introduction

Tokyo Honko

HungryHippo
Juggling Jellyﬁsh

1

A four-panel comic ﬁlled with the charm of the Phonics' unique friends.
This time, we have food loving Hungry Hippo and young and innocent
Juggling Jellyﬁsh. Then here comes Zippy Zebra, the mature older brother.
Put the four sentences below in the correct box tocomplete the four-panel cartoon!

～,right ?︓～だよね︖

Zippy Zebra

2

1

・
・
・

2

Yokohama

Sara Koizumi
After working as a cover teacher in Kanto, she built up
her career in the childcare ﬁeld at Yokohama School.
Currently, she is focusing on the management of
the school, while working across the Kanto area
to improve the childcare program.

Currently
onChildcare
Leave

Mark Palcsak
9Natsuko Ijima
She has worked in a variety of roles and positions
including class teacher and operation manager ofShinagawa and Tokyo schools. At the Head Ofﬁce,
she is the lead manager of the Kanto Grad Club
based on these experiences.

Kanto
Head
Ofﬁce

3

3

4

“You like quiet evenings, right?”“I like quiet evenings...”“Me too”“YES!”

4

Reference the back cover for dialogue examples

10