A group of elementary students at Van Buren Elementary School listened intently as graduate student Aya Watanabe, TESOL major, shared information about the Japanese culture.

Second, third and fourth graders from Van Buren and McComb elementary schools had the opportunity to learn about the Japanese culture from UF students on Nov. 17 and 20. Funded by a grant from the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, the students’ visits were part of a project titled “Connecting Japan with Hancock County, Ohio.”

Earlier this year, The University of Findlay’s Japanese program was awarded the $5,000 grant to launch the new outreach project. The program aims to integrate Japanese culture into the elementary school curriculum of rural northwest Ohio.

Of the 17 students who traveled to Van Buren Elementary School, five are currently studying Japanese at UF. The other 12 students are Japanese students enrolled at the University. In addition to the college students, eight Japanese community members assisted with the activities.

“The visit was a wonderful experience,” said sophomore Laura Maurer, who is majoring in Japanese and TESOL. “The children that we talked to were so excited to learn about Japan. What I enjoyed most about the experience was eating lunch with the children. We got to sit down at the small tables and eat the same school lunch while being bombarded with questions and curious stares. It was inspiring to see just how curious they were about the Japanese language and culture. It really made me want to tell them more.”

A scrapbook exchange with schools in Japan and Japanese home visits by McComb and Van Buren teachers also were part of the project. In addition, some instructional materials will be purchased with a portion of the grant money.