Kimonos Bring Japanese Culture to Life at Kedron

Kedron Elementary made a life connection with Japanese culture thanks to family visitors and traditional dress.

All of the 1st grade was reading “Suki’s Kimono” by Chieri Uegaki. The girl in the story, Suki, is Japanese and lives in the United States. Her grandmother comes to visit and brings her a kimono, a traditional wrapped garment that is the national dress of Japan. Suki is so proud of her kimono that she wants to wear it to school, no matter what people think. 

When her classmates think it is odd, Suki proudly tells them about her culture. Instead of being laughed at, Suki wins over her classmates with her joyful spirit, teaching them about self-expression, and pride.

With several Japanese families at Kedron, children were invited to wear their kimonos to school to show their classmates. Their mothers were also invited to model their kimonos to all the 1st grade classes. They made a life connection to many of the Japanese words from the story: kimono, obi, geta, and obachan. 

For teacher Danielle Kononen, her hope was to showcase the Japanese culture that they were reading about in class. 

“Kedron has students from over 30 countries. It’s beautiful to see so many cultures under one building,” said Kononen. “I want my students to love all cultures, to stay true to who they are, and to most importantly take pride in their unique heritage even in the face of peer pressure.”