Children's Day with Shinzen Garden
Celebrate Children’s Day (Kodomo no Hi) with Shinzen Garden!
Enjoy a collection of fun, cultural activities you can do at home and don’t forget to visit the garden for a special scavenger hunt adventure.
What is Kodomo no Hi?
First celebrated at the imperial court, this festival became the heritage of the samurai during the Kamakura period. Nowadays, during this holiday which ends the Golden Week, people in Japan enjoy culinary specialties with their families and wish good health to their children by performing some rituals.
Kodomo no hi, which can be literally translated as “children’s day”, is a Japanese adaptation of Duanwu, the dragon boat festival in China. This celebration, which is held every year on the 5th day of the 5th month according to the Chinese calendar, is also celebrated in other Asian countries such as Korea, Taiwan or Vietnam.
The children’s festival was formerly called “Tango no sekku” 端午の節句 and was introduced to Japan under the reign of Empress Suiko. Since the Nara period, it was celebrated at the imperial court just like other festivals that marked the seasons (Gosekku). On this festival day, archery games and horse races were organized and medicinal plants were offered to each other to ward off evil spirits.
Kodomo no Hi Activities to do at Home
🎏 Make Your Own Koinobori
Create a colorful carp streamer and learn about resilience.
🛡️ Fold a Samurai Helmet
Try this simple origami craft and become a warrior of imagination.
🌸 Shinzen Garden Scavenger Hunt
Explore, Discover & Celebrate Nature!
🎨 Coloring Pages
Download and color beautiful garden-inspired designs.
Koinobori "Carp" Streamer
Step 1
Grab your toilet paper roll, set it aside and begin cutting circles out from your colored paper or tissue paper.
Step 2
Once everything is cut out, grab your glue and glue your circles in an overlapping pattern onto your toliet paper roll.
Step 3
Cut some colored paper or tissue paper into strips. These will be your streamers. Then glue them inside the bottom portion of your “carp”.
Step 4
Take your yarn and create a handle at the top of the “carp” so it can fly in the wind.
Materials
- Scissors
- Glue Stick or Glue
- Yarn or String
- Paper or Toliet Paper Roll
- Tissue Paper or Construction Paper
- Markers or crayons (for the eyes)
Kabuto "Samurai Helmet" Origami
Folding Instructions
Step 1
Initial Folds: Start with a square piece of paper, white side up. Fold it in half diagonally to form a triangle, pointing down.
Step 2
Forming a Diamond: Fold the bottom two corners of the triangle up to the top corner, forming a diamond shape.
Step 3
Creating the Horns: Fold the two flaps you just lifted back down to the bottom corner, but not quite all the way, fold them at an angle outwards to create the “horns” or decorative tips of the helmet.
Step 4
Creating the Brim: Fold the top layer of the bottom corner up towards the center, leaving about a finger’s width from the top.
Step 5
Tucking the Brim: Fold that same layer up again, and then fold it up one more time, creating a brim.
Step 6
Finalizing the Helmet: Flip the model over. Fold the bottom triangular flap up to the center. Fold the remaining bottom flap upwards and tuck it into the pocket created.
Step 7
Shape: Open the bottom to create the hat shape
Shinzen Garden Scavenger Hunt
Dowload the Shinzen Garden Scavenger Hunt and bring it with you the next time you visit Shinzen Garden inside Woodward Park!
Check off each item as you find it. Take your time, explore, and enjoy the beauty around you.
The scavenger hunt is geared towards younger children
Coloring Pages
