今回のバザーの趣旨は、子どもたちがこれまでに経験した「募金活動」から発展させたものでした。「募金って何？」「募金のお金を集めるためにバザーをしよう！」という発想から始まり、「どうやってお金を集める？」「何を売る？」「いくらで売る？」「お店の形はどうする？」と、子どもたちなりに考えを深めながら準備を進めていきました。

当初は、集客・収益・経費といったビジネス的な視点にも触れられる活動にしようと考えていました。しかし、子どもたちと一緒に進めていく中で、「今この子たちにとって本当に大切なのは何か？」と考えたとき、数字や利益よりも、子どもたち自身の興味関心に沿って学びを広げることの方が重要だと感じました。そのため、バザーの準備やお店の運営、マネジメントといった“体験そのもの”に焦点を当てる方向に切り替えて進めていきました。

そして今週はバザーの振り返りと収益の計算を行いました。子どもたちはとても楽しんだようで、達成感に満ちた表情をしていました。今回の収益は、各自が通う学校と、神戸「子ども本の森」に寄付するための本を購入します。事前に各学校へご連絡していたところ、数校では児童の取り組みとしてクラスで取り上げていただき、どんな本が良いか話し合ってくださったようです。子どもたちの学校外での活動をこうして評価していただけたことが、本当に嬉しかったです。

収益の計算では、「えー！こんなにあるの？」「僕たち頑張ったから！」と、クラスによって様々な反応がありましたが、どのクラスも大きな収益に驚いていました。最初は「一冊も買えなかったらどうしよう」と心配していたので、複数冊買えることが分かると、みんなホッとした様子でした。

バザーに来てくださった皆さま、そして準備・当日のサポートをしてくださったご家族の方々に、改めて心より感謝申し上げます。

計算のあと、子どもたちは本屋さんに行き、寄付する本を選びました。自分の好きな本だけでなく、「男の子が好きそうな本」「女の子が喜ぶ本」「みんなに人気がありそうな本」など、届ける相手のことを考えながら選んでいる姿がとても印象的でした。

これから各自が本を届けたら、このバザープロジェクトは終了となります。今回の経験が、子どもたちにとって新しい学びの引き出しとなり、次のチャレンジにつながっていくことを願っています。

The purpose of this bazaar project grew out of the children’s previous experience with donation activities. It began with their simple curiosity: “What is a donation?” and “Let’s hold a bazaar to raise money for donations!” From there, their ideas continued to develop as they asked themselves questions like, “How can we raise money?” “What should we sell?” “How much should we charge?” “What should our shop look like?” The children deepened their thinking step by step as they prepared for the event.

At first, I considered incorporating elements of business—such as attracting customers, calculating profit, and understanding expenses—into the project. However, as we progressed together, I found myself asking, “What is truly important for these children right now?” I realized that rather than focusing on numbers or financial results, it was far more meaningful to expand their learning in ways that aligned with their own interests and curiosity.
For that reason, we shifted our focus toward the experience itself: preparing for the bazaar, managing their shop, and learning through hands-on involvement.

This week, we reviewed the bazaar and calculated the total proceeds. The children looked proud and satisfied, clearly having enjoyed the entire experience. With the money they earned, they will purchase books to donate to their own schools and to Kodomo Hon no Mori Kobe. When we contacted the schools beforehand, several of them introduced the children’s project in their classes and even discussed what kinds of books might be good choices. I was truly grateful that their efforts outside of school were recognized and appreciated.

When calculating the proceeds, the children reacted with excitement:
“Wow! We made this much?”
“Of course! We worked hard!”
Every class was surprised by the amount they had earned. At first, they were worried—“What if we can’t buy even one book?”—so they were relieved and happy to know that they could buy several.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who visited the bazaar and to all the families who supported the project through preparation and on the event day.

After the calculations, we visited the bookstore, where the children selected the books they would donate. It was wonderful to see them choosing not only books they personally liked, but also books they thought boys might enjoy, books girls might like, and books that would be popular with everyone. Their thoughtfulness and consideration were truly impressive.

Once each child delivers their chosen books, this year’s bazaar project will come to a close. I hope that this experience becomes another meaningful “learning treasure” for them and leads to new challenges ahead.