The issue of socialization is often brought up by all parties involved. The concern is whether homeschooled children can learn proper socialization and cooperation without exposure to their peers. Remember homeschooling does not mean children abstaining from children. Homeschooling is an alternate way of schooling. Hence, socialization happens in alternate ways as well. Homeschooled children socialize differently. They learn to interact with children of all ages. Children may not be exposed to the 20-200 peer children in their grade level on a daily basis, but they may be exposed to 10-20 children of all ages on a varied basis. Additionally because of the nature of how they are schooled, they have varied learning experiences. As a result their exposure to adults increase, too. Homeschoolers learn different socialization skills as they have varied experiences of interacting with persons of different ages.
Cooperative learning doesn’t have to be learned solely in a class room environment. It can be learned through sports, scouts, religious classes, community activities, etc. There are many non-profit organizations registered with Yokosuka Legal that provide activities for the community. Check with the family service center for classes available to children. The Community Center offers classes from Kumon to ceramics. MWR has sports, Teen activities, Camp Adventure and other programs throughout the year. The base library provides story times throughout the week. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are available at Yokosuka and related outlying housing areas. For Sunday School, CCD, Awana, VBS, Youth Group, Quest, children’s choir and other religious activities contact the Chapel at 243-6773.
Your local Japanese community also provides various activities free or for nominal fees. Some activities include Japanese and other foreign languages, sports, cultural events, festivals, etc. Check with your local community center or city hall for groups and point of contacts. City Halls maintain “volunteer banks,” a list of volunteers and their services. You may want to start up a class by utilizing these services. Other civic groups also offer cultural exchanges. Again you can obtain a list from City Hall.
(Please note most communication at off base facilities is in Japanese. There is usually someone who speaks English in most public facilities. However, be prepared to provide a translator.)
City Hall
Hayama City Hall 0468-76-1111
Kamakura City Hall 0468-23-3000
Zushi City Hall 0468-73-1111
Yokohama City Hall 045-671-2121
Yokosuka City Hall 0468-22-4000
Gymnasium Complex
Zushi Arena
Yokosuka Gymnasium
Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium
Children’s Groups/Clubs (1st-6th grades)
Each Japanese school ward is divided into residential areas, each having its own children’s club. Membership is 1500-3000 yen a year. Children meet periodically for field trips, festivals, play time, parties, etc. Contact City Hall or the Japanese school for your area’s kodomokai.
Jyuku-Tutorial/Cram School
There are many after school tutorial schools. Jyukus offer tutorial services mainly in math, Japanese and English. Others offer additional instruction for science and social studies. Instruction is in Japanese. Some English schools offer foreign language instruction. Soroban, Japanese calligraphy, and art are some other types of jyukus children can attend.
Kumon (on base) 243-4189/6713
Kumon Japanese Language Program 0120-49-4625
Nova Language School (Grades 1 and above. Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese)
Zushi Station 0468-72-6161
Yokosuka Chuo Station 0468-26-0398
Yokohama (Kannai Station)045-664-3334
Music
Japanese love music. There are several music studios. Some of the more popular are Yamaha and Kawai. Music teachers utilize traditional pedagogical methods and the recent popular Suzuki methods. Junior orchestra and junior emsembles are available through various communities. Auditions may be required.