[6th Meeting] Making Our Own Specials, Making Our Own Ideas!
Hello from “Kyoju” -- Putting our ideas into names
Thanks for coming today! Even though it’s getting cold, so many of you showed up — that makes me really happy. I hope today we can talk a lot, share ideas, and have fun making Yawata a better place.
In everyday life, kids don’t always get a chance to name things or create things freely. But here, at the Children’s Conference, your creative names and ideas shine. If towns all over Japan used names created by kids — like we do here in Yawata — the world would definitely feel more fun.
After 21 years of the Children’s Conference, I’ve realized something: Names created by kids are unforgettable. When we hear the name again, the idea behind it pops right back into our mind. That’s the magic of names.
So today, try to come up with names and ideas that are fun, unique, and stick in people’s minds. And as always, write down what you try, what works, and what discoveries you make. Think about how your idea can solve a problem and help our town grow.
Elementary Team A: Designing a New Yawata Food — Bamboo Charcoal Pasta!
Team A is creating a brand-new local dish for Yawata. This time, they used bamboo charcoal to make delicious black pasta. They improved the recipe based on last time, and everyone was excited about how good it tasted! Bamboo charcoal is known to be good for health, so their pasta might become a cool local specialty for the town — tasty AND healthy. Maybe it’s good enough to show the mayor someday!
Elementary Team B: Stopping Littering with a Fun 4-Panel Comic Poster
Team B is working hard to stop littering in the city. Everyone made their own anti-litter poster last time. Today they compared their best ideas and worked together to create one big poster.
They decided on a catchy 4-panel comic style -- something funny, bold, and way more attention-grabbing than regular posters. Next time, they’ll finish it and practice presenting it to the mayor.
Elementary Team C: Strawberry Milk Made from Real Strawberries
Team C is creating the perfect strawberry milk for Yawata. Last time, they used store-bought jam. This time, they made their own jam from fresh strawberries!
They tried all kinds of ideas — adding lemon juice, condensed milk, and more — to find the tastiest recipe. Next time, they’ll think about price, ingredients, and how to make it in a real-life way. Maybe this will become a new Yawata treat too!
Junior High Team D: Building a Bamboo Disaster Tent to Protect the Town
The junior-high team is working on a big challenge: Can we build a safe, strong disaster tent using bamboo from Yawata?
They’re improving their earlier designs and trying to make the tent safer and more useful. They also made a disaster-prevention poster and even created a character that represents the good things about Yawata. Next, they want to make a video to share their idea!
High School Team E: Rediscovering Yawata’s Cool Spots with Karuta Cards
The high-school tem is designing a deck of “Yawata Kids’ Karuta” cards. Last time, they created the phrases. This time, they drew colorful pictures of Yawata’s famous places — like Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine.
While making the cards, they rediscovered how many cool things their town has — and had lots of fun too.
Mini-Game Tim: “111 Challenge” -- A Lucky Number Game!
Since the meeting was on November 1, the college helpers created a special mini-game called the “111 Challenge.”
A bunch of sticks are numbered 1 to 11. Each person picks 3 sticks. You win candies for each “1” you pick. For example: pick 1, 4, 1 → you win 2 candies! Everyone was excited (and a little nervous!) when drawing their sticks. Some kids cheered, some groaned — but everyone had fun.
