Back to Nature

2022 December Back to Nature: Christmas Report vol.2

Date: December 17 & 18
Place: Mitake, Tokyo
Participants: 23 campers, 6 LIT’s, 5 Care Worker, and 11 staff/volunteers (2 days total)
Sponsor: Morgan Stanley
In-kind donors: Morgan Stanley (craft supplies) / Oracle (craft supplies) / Avery Dennison (craft supplies) / Costco (snacks) / HARIBO (snacks) / Wahl+Case (snacks) / RICHEMONT JAPAN LIMITED (CARTIER) (snacks and Christmas cards) / Namako sensei (cake) / Decathlon (fleece for LITs) / MiiR (water bottles for LITs) / Rakuten Group, Inc. (dry bags for LITs)

Program: 

We celebrated the end of year with our cozy Christmas program! The program was all about the theme of “giving,” and to teach the children that Christmas is not only a time to receive presents but to give and share something with people dear to you.

We started off the program with Christmas quiz challenge, followed by an indoor and outdoor activity to estimate the length, weight, and temperature of various objects and areas. It was a great reminder for all of us how much wonder there are in our daily lives.

After everyone enjoyed some warm delicious stew for lunch, we continued to let our creativity and personality shine through Christmas craft making. Bags full of pine cones and acorns were soon turned into a special Christmas crafts that were one of a kind.

Finally, we had a Christmas party with music, dancing, Christmas snacks from various countries, and hot chocolate! Mirai no Mori had also prepared a small gift for everyone, and we took this time to reflect on our happiest moments of the year and our goals for next year as everyone was going to be a grade older, some even starting junior high school.

“I didn’t know the red-nose-reindeer had a name! Now I can call him Rudolph!” by a camper

“I didn’t know that the Christmas is about “giving” rather than “receiving.” And, I was glad that I did well with my Christmas crafts and that the care worker and LIT, who I made crafts for, were happy to receive them.” by a camper

“It was new for me to guess the temperature and length of items without tools, and it was simple and a great activity. Also, it was impressive to see the sides of campers we usually don’t see during the activity. They were so creative, proactive and willing to participate and share.” by a care worker

We would like to thank everyone for their continued support for making this event possible and creating a positive impact on these children’s lives. We wish you a safe and wonderful holiday season!