Our Planet

Text : Saeko Imai

April came, it feels like the winter had ended. This year was particularly warm, and the amount of heavy snow was significantly low. Butterbur sprouted much earlier than last year, and it felt a bit lonesome.
However, season changes, spring arrives.

 

From a cloudy sky, a vivid blue sky appears, the fallen leaves start to get broken down to become fertilizer, and beautiful green leaves start to come out, and season flowers start blooming as if they are having a race.
With the landscape changing everyday, perhaps you can feel your own heart and body change as well. I personally tend to wake up when the sun goes up, I feel the change in the everyday morning scenery because the timing of the sunrises changes a little bit everyday.

Also, children love to go outside and play now that the outside temperature has gone up like plants going towards the sun. I feel a deep sense of  happiness looking at their skins get darker and darker. It means that they are playing under the sun.

 

In our “Little Planet”, there has been various changes happening in the last 2 months and a half.
First, there has been 9 trees that we welcomed.
Pomegranates, zelkova, plum trees, juneberries, gingko biloba, shonai persimmon, mulberries, gummy trees.

After digging a deep hole, we welcomed and watered trees that come from afar, and wished that they would find Yamanoko their home. Trees do not talk or walk, but they are clearly alive. They photosynthesize and get bigger, some have fruits that become food for birds and become shelters. Not only for humans, but trees are an essential part of the ecosystem. What is amazing is that trees “today” do not look the same as trees “tomorrow”. Quite similar to humans. I wonder what we see in the now, next year,

At Yamanoko, there are already dramas surrounding trees. Juneberries started to have berries. (Juneberries have those name because they fruit in June). The ones who want to eat the delicious red berries are of course children. Children who grow juneberries who grow at home tell eachother “it’s so goood!”. Take note, children are not the only ones looking at the juneberries. There are a few sheer black crows that have been eyeing on the berries.

 

I personally knew that we were going to develop this relationship where we would be fighting for the same resources, so I thought it would be a good idea to build rapport. Whenever I made eye contact with a crow in the morning, I said “good morning, please do not eat delicious berries off of our trees. I know you have to live, but we would like to eat those berries. Thank you”. I also practiced squawking like a crow.

One morning, I saw one crow sitting on a juneberry tree and the bird was eating a berry.
“Oh look, the bird is eating the berry”, said R-kun. An immediate action was required from Akebi class.
“I am going to handle this”, said J-kun running barefooted.
“STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP”, said J-kun.
Crow flew away. It was settled then but noone thought the birds would not come back.
I was so mad.

 

A-chan must have felt the urgency, so at the morning gathering, she said “crow was eating juneberries”.
By the way, when children see a delicious looking berry, they do everything in their power to eat it. We adults do not hardly help, so they use their best knowledge and teamwork to get the berries that as much as they can.

 

After their nap, crows appeared again. This time he brought friends! There are now 3 of them.
“I see crows!”, said A-chan.
I said “NOOOOO”. My body moved without thought and ran outside.
“STOOOOOOP” I said to the crows, and many children followed, also barefooted.
“STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!”, now everyone is screaming.
Crows flew away, squawking “Ka ——”.

 

Where the crows have left, there were remains of what have been eaten, as if it were to show off what they devoured.
There were more than 10 fish (medaka), red berries that have been chewed down (it could have been either juneberry or strawberry). Some of these fish were still moving, as well as those with half their bodies missing. Children showed great interest and curiosity. They poked them with a stick, asking questions like “where did these fish come from?” “It’s still alive!” “I wonder if the fish are here in rice paddies nearby?”.

 

Now we have another urgent meeting
We are tired to having our berries eaten!!
We could not believe that they would leave out remains just to show off.
We want to eat juneberries too!, said children and me.
What should we do?
K-kun said, “should we put out a net?”
“I don’t like how it looks”, said I.
“Maybe someone should always be at the tree, watching”, said R-kun
“Who is going to watch when we are sleeping?”, said A-chan.
“Hmmmmm, how about we draw something scary like a ghost?”, said R-kun.
What a brilliant idea!

 

I asked them what they needed, and S-kun said,
“really really big paper, and many of them. Also, tapes and ropes”
They each started to draw “a scary spirit”.
“It’s better if they only have one eye” “They have to have jagged teeth”.
I witnessed children exploring what is perceived to be “fearful”.
With this, there were so many fun interesting humorous
Next day, H-kun made a scarecrow and A-chan brought glittering tapes from home.
Each one of them very creatively interacted with the project.

 

After this, children did not stay away from juneberries.
A red round berry shining in the green, understandably, is attractive toward other animals besides humans.
I absolutely understand the notion. It reminds us of times when we were hunters

 

By adding plants in our environment, not only us humans but bugs and non-human animals have been deeply influenced by the change.
This is our Little Earth.
We would like everyone who comes into the space to flourish happily.
After the summer solstice, we are approaching winter already.
I hope that everyone stays healthy both in their hearts and the bodies.