This outdoor school class was held in conjunction with a clam digging event put on by Mitsubishi Electric's Inazawa Works, and 49 children of employees age three to ten got the chance to experience marine life close up. Nine leaders assisted in nature observation.

• Environment quiz
  A quiz on the environment, starting with the issue of garbage, was held on the bus on the way there for children and adults
• Orientation
  Cautions when using a magnifying glass (don't look at the sun), cautions when engaging in the activities (don't do the activities alone; we will go into the ocean but not far)
• Clam digging
• Catching marine life
• Observing living things on the sand (tideland)
  What kind of creatures live in the water and in, or on top of, the sand?
  Learn about the diversity of life while collecting garbage and raise awareness of environmental preservation

• Marine life caught
  Shrimp, goby, eels, crabs, sea slugs, hermit crabs
• Observation and explanation of living things
  Observation of all the marine life caught in the containers

All the children were very serious about observing marine life, probably because they had caught the animals themselves. When the class was over, many parents asked us to hold outdoor school again. Given this enthusiastic reaction, I felt that the class was a hit.

Junichi Yamamura
Outdoor Classroom Leader