Arrowhead Elementary School third grade students in Lorraine Hegarty’s, Lorin Herrmann’s, Jennie Starr’s and Danielle Tardo’s classes celebrated Children’s Day, the Japanese national holiday (May 5), with lessons on the culture, art and iconic symbolism of the East Asian nation.

In addition to creating some beautiful crafts, the students learned some new vocabulary words as they put together stunning representations of the country’s artwork. They learned about origami, the traditional art of folding paper, and heard about various uses for paper handheld fans, including how they were used to send secret messages. They were also taught a fun way to make cherry blossom artwork by blowing ink through a plastic straw and attaching pink tissue paper for the blossoms. The students also found some pinecones and branches on the school property to add to their ikebana displays, the disciplined art form that relies on developing a closeness with nature.