Schedule

Even though the camp is only a few days long, they are action packed. We have a variety of activities, and they are all focused on improving your English.

Over the 3 days, you'll have lots of opportunities to chat with Nic-sensei and learn with a native English speaker. In addition, you'll be able to practice English communication with your other classmates. Of course, all while enjoying the beauty of Tanegashima!

Preparation before departure (2 months before camp)

There are a few things that you need to bring with you before coming. Remember, a more detailed list can be found in the ‘before you go’ section.

  • a. Send one interesting fact about yourself to Nic-sensei. Difficult to guess!
  • b. Bring something for show and tell
  • c. Bring your survival English handbook!
  • d. A positive attitude!

Day 1

Afternoon Arrival (?) You’ll arrive around lunch. So, we’ll have some food and drink ready for you, because what’s better than eating and drinking? Our English practice will begin right away though! Although you'll still be in Tanegashima, this trip will seem like a trip to an English speaking country. All the practical matters will be handled in English, and your friendly host Nic-sensei will act as your hotel concierge. So, you'll be doing all of the check-in and other formalities in English. Don’t forget your English survival handbook!

After the check-in procedure is finished, we’ll have a few activities to get to know each other, and for you to learn more about Nic-sensei. These will be fun, and designed so that everyone can practice English and meet their fellow campers!

Time permitting, we may be able to have a quick walk around outside on the beach, before dinner.

Dinnertime - we’ll have a delicious meal with some delicious local specialties from Tanegashima. As with everything else though, you’ll be in an English immersion environment. So, you'll have to do all your ordering in English, and of course the menu and everything else will be in English as well! Eating and learning!

In the evening, we will have time to have a quick show and tell, and see what everyone has brought from home. There may be time for a quick and fun game before heading off to bed as well!

Day 2

Day 2 starts with a casual breakfast. Once more, Nic-sensei is your waiter, so even if you're sleepy, you still need to use your English!

After breakfast, it’s time to go explore the wonders of Tanegashima. We have picked out a few spots to see that are close-by. Not only will we experience some interesting parts of Tanegashima culture, but we will also see why this island is one of the most beautiful in Japan.

Following an exciting morning and a delicious breakfast, we’ll get down to some English survival! Nic is planning a fun beach activity that will get you active, exploring, and most importantly: using English with a native speaker!

After an action-packed day, we’ll have a delicious dinner.

After dinner, and once it’s dark enough, we’ll go sit under the stars and practice English while enjoying the amazing night sky on Tanegashima.

Day 3

The last day of the camp is for celebration. We’ll have something special for breakfast, and Nic will present some awards to the best campers.

In addition, every student will have a chance to share their favourite memory, and what they have learned from the camp.

Then, it’s back home! But don’t forget, Nic-sensei will be holding another camp in the future, to share another great location in Japan, and learn native English at the same time.

(Depending on length of camp, we could also include another outside activity as well on the last day)

Time Schedule

Day 1

  • Greeting at airport, sorting baggage,
    transportation to accommodation.

  • Arrival at accommodation and moving into rooms.

    All English check-in handled by Nic-sensei.

    • Nic-sensei will play the role of hotel manager. He will process their checking in to the hotel. This includes giving them information about the hotel facilities and policies (keys/breakfast/check out/smoking/room service/etc.).
    • Students will be able to practice phrases from their ‘Survival English’ textbook in the ‘At a hotel’ section.
    • All information will have been translated into English by Nic-sensei prior to the camp, so all hotel information will be available in English.

  • Lunch

    Similar to check in for the hotel, this will be run by Nic-sensei.

    All material will have been translated and printed in English prior to the camp.

    Nic-will act as the waiter, and take orders for food. Students will be able to use phrases from their ‘Survival English’ textbook in the ‘At a restaurant’ section.

    Once lunch has been served, Nic-sensei will also give a brief introduction of himself and the camp, and talk more about what will be covered during the next 3 days.

    Students can also ask questions at this time if they have them.

  • Icebreaker games, and getting to know each other.

    Hand out English diaries

    • These will be used to chronicle their time in the camp, and write down what they learn and overall experiences.
    • In addition, students will be required to write down 3 ‘goals’ or objectives that they have for the next day of the camp.

  • Icebreaker games, and getting to know each other.

    Game 1: English game bingo

    Explain the rules, and hand out materials.

    Every student is given a bingo sheet with personal statements written by all student

    • Before the camp, all students must SECRETLY send an interesting fact about themselves to nic-sensei.
    • Students then go around introducing themselves to each other, and asking questions

    After everyone has a name for every sheet, we then play bingo.

    This involves randomly calling a name, and when that name is called, the student has to stand up and give a brief introduction about themselves, and their interesting phrase!

    When a student gets bingo (the get a line of 4 or 5 names), then they get to choose 5 M&M candies.

  • Game 2 MM Speed date

    Students use the M&M they got in the previous round to do a ‘speed date’.

    Each colour of M&M corresponds to a different type of question. For example,
    　Blue = family
    　Green = school
    　Yellow = friends
    　Red = hobbies
    　Brown = music/movies/TV

    For example - when 2 students meet, they talk for 3 minutes. (15 students - 45 minutes).

    So, if a student has 5 blue M&M, they must say 5 interesting things about their family. If they have 2 red and 3 brown, they must give 2 facts or things about their hobbies, and 3 about music/movie/TV.

  • Game 3 - shouting match

    Nic-sensei will ask questions to the group.

    Students then shout out their answers, and then listen for others who have the same answer. Then, they form a group.

    For example,

    • Nic asks - What’s your favourite colour
    • People yell out various colours like ‘blue’. If they hear someone else yell ‘blue’, then they should match with that person. Then, they continue to shout ‘blue’ and find more people with blue as their favourite colour.
    • There should only be one group with 1 answer (that is, one group with blue as their favourite colour, yellow as their favourite colour, etc.)

    The final question will be related to Tanegashima, such as ‘what’s your favourite ocean animal?’

    This final question will lead to a short discussion about nature, and the next activity.

  • There are many famous sunset spots on Tanegashima. On the first evening, we’ll visit one of them, and start the beginning of our scavenger hunt.

    Tanegashima is an island, so we’ll be spending a lot of time at the beach! On this first evening, there’ll only be one single thing to find. Students will have a chance to relax, enjoy the scenery, and try and find the one item.

    Of course, Nic will be around to show you around and point out things on the island.

    In this activity, you’ll get to practice simple directions and asking for directions. We’ll cover most of the points in the ‘Finding Your Way Around’ section in your ‘Survival English’ books.

    Students will be given written instructions to find an object on the beach. In addition, they can use their Survival English books, and all their English skills, to ask Nic for any hints or tips. If students ask Nic nicely, I'm sure he’ll be happy to offer some suggestions!

    Students should be able to find their item before the sunset around 1830.

    Once students have found their item, everyone will come together to watch the sunset and chat before heading back for dinner.

  • Dinner is served!

    Just like the previous meals, this will be a role play in English. Students will be able to have an English immersion experience at a restaurant, where the menu and all ordering will be done in Japanese. Of course, they are free to ask questions and chat with Nic as well.

  • Show and tell and English diary update

    After dinner, we will have time for Show and Tell!

    Before the camp, students are asked to bring one item, or think of one story that they want to share with the other students.

    It can be anything. Here are a few examples to think of:

    • Something that inspires you. It can be something that inspired you to study English (like English music or a book), or it can be something more general.
    • One of your interests - do you play a musical instrument, or are you part of a sports team? Maybe you make something. Anything you want!
    • Any stories that you would like to share. Something related to English would be great, such as fun experiences abroad or using English with native speakers!

    Of course, Nic will also have something for show and tell as well!

    After the show and tell, students can work on their English diaries for the day, and for the next day. Nic will be available to help with these diaries as well.

Day 2

  • Breakfast

    Relaxed time, and free chatting with Nic.

    Once more, Nic will act as a waiter, so all ordering and things will be done exclusively in English.

    • Tip - bring your survival English handbook and try some new phrases with your waiter (Nic!)

  • Travel to the southern part of the island and visit the Tanegashima Space Centre

    On the drive over, Nic will act as a tour guide, and point out various points of interest on the drive.

    In addition, we will play the simple English vocabulary game ‘I spy’!

    • For I spy, Nic-sensei or a student looks around, and picks something that they see. Outside or in the bus, both are fine.
    • Then, students take turns trying to guess what the other person is looking at. They are allowed to ask questions, and are encouraged to, so that they can practice English.

  • At Tanegashima space museum

    While at the space museum, we can look around at the exhibits, as well as enjoy the site itself, which is one of the most beautiful parts of the island.

    Upon first arriving, students will be given a list of objectives that they will need to accomplish at the museum. Of course, the camp is about learning English, so these will be related to English.

    For example, students will need to:

    • Ask Nic 5 questions in English about the contents of the museum. These can include asking him about his opinion ‘Do you want to go to space?’. They can also be questions related to the exhibits at the museum.
    • Find or locate certain objects. The only way to locate or find these objects will be to ask questions to Nic-sensei in English.
    • Learn at least 2 new words related to the exhibit or visiting the museum. These can be space related, or more general words like ‘Meeting point’.

  • Travel to Yokino beach for lunch.

    On the bus, we will talk about our trip to the museum. In particular, we will discuss the words that everyone learned, and their favourite part of the museum.

  • Picnic lunch at Yokino beach

    Once more, Nic will act as the waiter and everything will be conducted in English!

    This restaurant is located right next to the beach, so there will be lots of opportunities to talk about the location, and chat with Nic.

  • English obstacle course. This time, students will be given a series of English challenges that will need to be completed. This will be a group activity!

    A variety of challenges will test student’s English knowledge, and what they have learned so far. They will need to recall things that we have covered earlier in the camp, such as English phrasings/wordings used in the previous activities, as well as the outing to the museum in the morning.

    Students will also need to use English extensively to work as a team! Students should use English both within their team, and when communicating with Nic to complete all the challenges.

  • Learning summary of the day, and relaxing before the sunset

    After a long day, this will be a time to reflect and think about everything we have learned so far. This will be done in a casual setting, with refreshments (drinks) available.

    First, students will complete their English diaries for the day, and write down the main things they learned from the camp. The purpose of this is to prepare a short speech to the group.

    This short statement will then be presented to the other students. This statement should include 2 things:

    • Their favourite thing about the day so far. This can something useful that they learned, an activity they enjoyed, or something else they experienced.
    • One question they still have. This question will be answered by other campers. Whoever answers the question gets to present next, or nominate the next person to present.
    • Something interesting that another student did. This can be a good question that they asked, or something they did during one of the activities, such as solving one of the challenges in the ‘English obstacle course’.

  • Sunset time! This is island style! One of the best things about being in a rural area is the simplicity of life. Therefore, we will once again go outside to watch the sunset before dinner.

    This is a great time to chat with fellow campers and Nic-sensei.

  • Dinner

    Be prepared to do everything in English again, as Nic will be the waiter. In addition, he might give you some challenging questions before he will let you eat!

  • Pictionary

    This will be another group game! There will be 2 teams.

    Nic-sensei will have a collection of words or phrases that are related to what you have learned so far. This will include foods that you may have eaten at meals, things you may have seen outside during our beach walks or sunset views, or they could be from our activities like the trip to the space museum.

    One student will get a word/phrase from Nic-sensei, and then attempt to draw it for their group. If the group can guess the word/phrase within a time limit, they get a point. If the group doesn’t guess correctly in a certain amount of time, the other group will get one chance to guess and ‘steal’ the point.

    After Pictionary, students will get a chance to complete their English diaries for the day, especially their 3 goals for the next day.

Day 3

  • Breakfast

    Relaxed time, and free chatting with Nic.

    Once more, Nic will act as a waiter, so all ordering and things will be done exclusively in English.

    • Tip - bring your survival English handbook and try some new phrases with your waiter (Nic!)

  • Northern area excursion

    On Day 2, you visited the Space Center, which is in the south. Now, we will visit the more rocky and rugged northern part of the island, and see 2 interesting sites.

    First, we will visit the summit of Mt. Tennyogakura. This has the undisputed best views of the island, and is conveniently located close to your accommodation.

    Since you’ll have a complete view of everything around the map, you’ll practice your English by completing a map!

    • Nic-sensei will give you a sheet to complete. On it, there will be many blanks that need to be filled out. The only way to complete this will be to explore the area around you, as well as ask questions with Nic. Once you are finished, students will be quizzed on their map! To do this, students will ask each other questions, and the only way to answer these will be using the maps that they have made!

    Next, we will visit the northern most part of the island, and see Kikakazaki Lighthouse.

    This is a unique area of the world. It’s one of the few places where you can see 2 different bodies of water converge. Once more, you’ll be given a set of challenges by Nic-sensei, that can only be completed by exploring the area around you, and using English with fellow students and your teacher.

  • Lunch and farewell to departing students.

    During lunch, departing students will get a chance to prepare a short speech to other campers and Nic-sensei. They can talk about anything they want, but they must include a few things:

    • Their goals for the days, and whether they achieved them.
    • The highlight of their trip related to Tanegashima.
    • The most important thing they learned regarding English.
    • Their goal and purpose for learning English, and how they will continue to improve their English to achieve their goal.

  • Preparing for cooking activity!

    Up until now, all your food has been given to you!

    This time though, you're going to get a chance to make something yourself. However, it can’t just be anything.

    Instead, Nic-sensei will provide you with a selection of recipes for classic Canadian dishes. Choose the one you want, and don’t hesitate to ask Nic which is his favourite. These will all be in English, and might include some unfamiliar terms, so be sure to ask Nic for help, and add any notes that you need to your recipe.

    The dishes will be a variety of difficulties, so don’t worry if you aren’t the best cook. Neither is Nic! You can also work together in pairs if you would like some help in the kitchen.

  • Travel to grocery store to get ingredients.

    You may not know this, but grocery stores are one of Nic’s favourite places (really, anything related to food!).

    With your English recipes in hand, you’ll be required to get the ingredients for your dish. In addition, Nic will give you some challenges at the shop, to help you with terminology related to cooking and shopping.

  • Preparing your dishes

    Upon returning, you’ll have an hour to get everything prepared before you start cooking. This includes asking Nic for any special utensils or instruments that you need to prepare the dish, as well as preparing the ingredients to be cooked.

  • Sunset time!

    After all the excitement of shopping and preparing to cook, it’s always good to relax and unwind. We’ll come out and watch the sunset, safe in knowing that our food is ready to be cooked!

  • Prepare food for dinner and then eat!

    Enjoy cooking with your friends before having a delicious Canadian style dinner!

    When you’re finished cooking and eating, you will give a presentation to the class about what you cooked. You can talk about any special ingredients that were needed, any styles of cooking that were difficult, and how it tasted of course!

  • Last activity and finish English diaries before bed

    Snowball game!

    • First, students are separated into 2 groups.
    • Then, students will be asked to write down 3 questions that were covered during the day on separate pieces of paper.

      The questions can be related to our excursion earlier to the northern part of the island, and ask about specific terminology or wording covered. Or, it can relate the cooking activity. In addition, questions regarding other days are fine as well.

    • Once the students have 3 pieces of paper each with a question, they crumple the paper up into ‘snowballs’. Then, the students can throw them around the room at the other team. Of course, they can pick up new snowballs and throw them again.
    • Eventually, students will pick up the snowballs nearest to them, and as a group student will try and answer the questions contained within.

    Students will then be free to work on their English diaries or chat with Nic.

  • Show English movie (?) The Terminal

Day 4 (Optional)

  • Breakfast

    Relaxed time, and free chatting with Nic.

    Once more, Nic will act as a waiter, so all ordering and things will be done exclusively in English.

    • Tip - bring your survival English handbook and try some new phrases with your waiter (Nic!)

  • Relaxed beach activity

    For the last morning, Nic will have a relaxed activity for you to do at the beach. Once more, Nic will have a series of English challenges and obstacles that you will have to complete. This will include everything that you have learned so far.

  • Summary and fun time with Nic

    This will be a time to show Nic what you have learned! All students will get a chance to have a quick 5 minute chat with Nic, and tell him their experiences. In addition, Nic-sensei will quiz you and ask you questions about phrases from the survival English handbook, and the English phrases that you should definitely know when travelling abroad.

  • Lunch and then departure (options for further activities if departing later)

    After one final meal with Nic, the camp will come to a close. However, depending on when you depart, you may have time for other activities on the island, such as sea-kayaking!

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