The cornerstone event of the Ohanashi program will be a one-day festival held at Miami University in the newly renovated King Library on November 18, 2006.  This date coincides with the International Education Week and Children's Book Week (November 13-19).  The festival can be broken down into these two parts, which will run simultaneously:

1. Large group story sharing session in the new Special Collections auditorium
2. Series of cultural discovery stations that will be held in various outpost locations in the library

Story Sharing Session
The story sharing session is the centerpiece of the one-day festival, and will feature various individuals or groups taking turns reading or enacting Japanese stories for an audience comprised of teachers, students, and community members.  Teachers, students, or other groups or individuals can sign up for a time slot to present a story by selecting a book from our Booklist page.  We will then ship you a free copy of the book.  You can choose to share the story any way you choose. Suggested options include:

• Picture book reading
• Presentation of a kamishibai (picture card) version of a story, either using pre-made cards, or cards that students from your classroom drew themselves
• Dramatic presentation of a story
• Reading accompanied by visual slides or music

We ask that stories selected come from our book list.  If you would like to present an alternate story, please contact us first.

Cultural Discovery Stations
While the story sharing session is going on, we will also feature “cultural discovery stations” that will explore in greater depth selected aspects of Japanese culture that are embedded in the stories presented.  These stations will be placed in various locations within the library, and students will be able to discover aspects of Japanese culture that interest them at their own pace. Each station will be staffed by at least one Miami University student, staff member, or knowledgeable community member (many stations will be staffed by more than one person). The themes of the cultural discovery stations are:

• Everyday Culture in Japan
• Japanese Food
• Japanese Language
• Performing arts
• Toys, Games, and Sports
• Traditional Arts and Architecture
• Visual and Graphic Arts

In order to encourage classes to gain a deeper understanding of these aspects of Japanese culture, we have set up a Classroom Activities page that provides resources and ideas for teachers to use in the classroom either before or after the One-Day festival.