Elementary schoolers experience the harvesting of wakame, fertilizing it themselves with their full blessing/Kamakura

Translated from the original article at: http://news.kanaloco.jp/localnews/article/1202170009/

February 16, 2012

Children harvest wakame at Koshigoe fishing port.

On the 16th, Grade 5 students from the Koshigoe Municipal School of Koshigoe, Kamakura City experienced the harvesting of wakame at Koshigoe Harbor. Last year, they fertilized the wakame themselves. Returning back to school, they used the wakame as an ingredient for miso soup, enjoying the taste of locally raised food.

Feeling it was very important for the children to experience nature, the Koshigoe Fishing Industry Cooperate Association (Presided by Ikeda Toshio) combined their resources to implement the program. Sixty Grade 5 students participated. Last year, they also fertilized the wakame.

On the 16th, the students went 500 meters offshore. From there, they witnessed the scene of the wakame they fertilized themselves being pulled from the ocean. Upon returning to the port, they cut the now giant, fully grown wakame from the rafts which they were grown.

Returning to school with the harvested wakame, the children used it as an ingredient for hot miso soup. The school menu consisted of food with local ingredients from the sea that they grew under their full blessing.

Sekino Gousuke (Age 11) spoke with deep emotion: "Thanks to the sea, the wakame was able to grow. The ocean is amazing. We students being able to create that was overwhelming."

Original text:

小学生がワカメ収穫体験、自ら種付けの恵み満喫/鎌倉

2012年2月16日

ワカメを刈り取った児童ら＝腰越漁港

鎌倉市立腰越小学校（同市腰越）の５年生らが16日、腰越漁港でワカメの収穫を体験した。昨年末に自ら種付けをしたワカメで、児童らは学校に持ち帰り、みそ汁の具材として地元育ちの味覚を楽しんだ。

子どもたちに自然の大切さを感じてもらおうと、腰越漁業協同組合（池田利男組合長）の協力で実施。５年生ら約60人が参加した。児童らは昨年末にも、ワカメの種付けを体験していた。

この日は、船で沖合約５００メートルまで出て、自分たちが種付けをした養殖いかだが引き上げられる様子を見学。戻った港で、大きく成長したワカメをいかだから刈り取った。

収穫したワカメは学校に持ち帰り、児童らが温かいみそ汁を調理。給食のメニューとして、自ら種付けをした地元の海の恵みを満喫していた。

関野郷介さん（11）は「海のおかげでこんなに成長した。海ってすごいなあ」と感慨深げ。「自分たちでつくったものは、ちゃんといただかないともったいないですね」と話していた。