子どもたちがお店を開く「子猫堂（こねこどう）」。西粟倉村で開催される「百森まつり」に「子猫堂」として出店したい！と、小学4年生の男の子が参加してくれました。

準備初日、販売できる商品のラインナップを見て「クッキーとマフィンとラッシー、それからサンドイッチもつくりたい！」と４つのメニューを選んだ男の子。さっそく試作に取りかかります。「クッキーの生地、延ばしたらひびが入ってしまう！」「マフィンが予定の時間焼いてもまだ白っぽいなあ」などレシピ通りに作っても上手くいかない部分がありました。そこで、ラップで生地を巻いてから包丁で切るクッキーに変更したり、30秒ごとにタイマーをかけながらオーブンで焼き目をつけたり、臨機応変に対応することができた子猫堂店主の男の子。試作は、その日Pocketに来ていた子どもたちや大人にも食べてもらい、「マフィンふわふわでおいしいね！」「もう少しサンドイッチにマヨネーズがあったほうが味が出るかも」などの意見をもらいました。

続いては、本番のための買い出しリストを作成し、商品の原価計算をしました。値段を自分で設定するために、算数を使って商品ごとに原価を出します。

「はちみつって大さじ９って書いてあるけど、gにしたらどれくらいなんだろう」とはちみつの”量”から一個あたりの値段を求めている時、はちみつは水のように「1ml＝1g」ではないことを発見した男の子。「他もそうなのかな？」と、油や牛乳も調べるなど、体積と重さの関係についての学びもありました。

大変だった原価計算を無事にやり遂げ、準備最終日には「子猫堂」をイメージしたメニューも作成し、いよいよ本番です！

迎えた百森まつり当日。「準備時間を早める」と6:30の予定をさらに早めてなんと朝6：00に集合！仕込みをはじめました。すべてのメニューの商品を作り切るために、マフィンを焼きながらクッキー生地をひとつひとつ切り分けたり、クッキーを焼きながらパンにハムチーズを挟んだり、厨房の中はドタバタとせわしない様子。試作の時よりもはるかに多い分量でつくるため、混ぜる工程や、型に流す工程に時間がかかり、「めっちゃ多いなあ…」と口にする場面も。それでも、丁寧に作業を進め、ついに４つのメニューが完成。試作以上の出来栄えに、店主もほっとした様子でした。

そして、いよいよ10：20に出店開始！今回は、レジ打ち、接客、商品のお渡し、集客、すべてを一人で行わなければなりません。はじめは、初めて使うレジに苦戦したり、「いらっしゃいませ」を言うことが恥ずかしかったりと、ひとりでお店をまわすことに必死な様子でした。しかし、だんだんとお客さんと関わるたびに、「おすすめはマフィンです」と伝えることができたり、慣れないレジ打ちも一本の指で打っていたところ、使う指が増えてスムーズなレジ打ちに変化していきました。

お客さんからは「どれもおいしそ～！」「ラッシー冷たくてありがたい！」との声が。「どんな材料が入っているんですか？」「どうやって作ったの？」というお客さんからの質問にも「米粉を使っています」「ミキサーで混ぜました」と自分の言葉で答え、接客するたび声の大きさも上がっていきました。

また、同い年のお客さんからも「ひとりでやってるの？すごいね！」と声を変えられる場面も。そんな言葉をもらって店主の男の子もうれしそうな表情。子どもから大人、村内の方から村外の方まで幅広い層のお客さんにお立ち寄りいただきました。

そろそろ商品も残り少なくなってきたころ。店主の動きは「ひとりで接客→レジ打ち→サンドイッチを厨房で切る→お渡しする」の一連の流れが大人の声かけがなくてもササっと動けるように。お客さんにも顔を見て「ありがとうございます」と、気持ちを込めた商品をお渡しすることができました。

最後に売上を計算し、お店をやり切ることができました子猫堂店主。。振り返りでは、「値段を決めたり、原価を計算するのが大変だったけど、売り切れてよかった！」「また次に出店するときもお菓子作りがしたいなあ」と次の「やってみたい！」も出てきました。次回はどんな商品がそろったお店になるのか、楽しみです。

百森まつりにて、子猫堂にお立ち寄りいただいた皆様、優しく丁寧に接していただき誠にありがとうございました。また保護者の方、地域の皆様には、日ごろよりあたたかく見守っていただき感謝申し上げます。

“Koneko-do” is a project where children experience running their very own shop. This time, a 4th-grade elementary school boy stepped up to participate, filled with a strong desire to open his own booth under the “Koneko-do” name at the village’s Hyakumori Festival（Hyakumori-Matsuri）!

On the very first day of preparation, he looked over the selection of items he could sell and eagerly picked four menus: “I want to make cookies, muffins, lassis, and sandwiches!” He immediately jumped into making trial batches. However, baking from recipes isn’t always as easy as it looks. He hit a few bumps along the way, noticing things like, “When I roll out the cookie dough, it cracks!” and “The muffins still look a bit pale even after baking for the planned time.” Despite these hurdles, the young shop owner adapted brilliantly on the fly; he changed his cookie method by rolling the dough in plastic wrap and slicing it with a knife, and adjusted the oven browning by setting a timer to check every 30 seconds. He shared his trial creations with the children and adults visiting Pocket that day, gathering valuable feedback such as, “The muffins are so fluffy and delicious!” and “Maybe the sandwiches would have more flavor with a little more mayonnaise.”

Next, he created a shopping list for the actual event and calculated the cost of his ingredients. To set his own prices, he used math to figure out the cost per unit for each product. While determining the price per serving based on the volume of honey required—which read “9 tablespoons”—he discovered that honey does not weigh the same as water, meaning 1 ml does not equal 1 g. Wondering if the same applied to other ingredients, he went on to investigate oil and milk, turning the cooking prep into a wonderful hands-on lesson about the relationship between volume and weight. After successfully powering through the challenging cost calculations, he wrapped up his final prep day by designing a menu sheet that perfectly captured the spirit of “Koneko-do.” He was finally ready for the big day!

On the morning of the Hyakumori Festival, determined to get a head start on prep, he moved his scheduled 6:30 AM arrival even earlier, gathering at the kitchen at a staggering 6:00 AM to begin cooking! To get all his menu items ready in time, the kitchen became a whirlwind of non-stop activity: he sliced cookie dough while keeping an eye on the baking muffins, and assembled ham and cheese sandwiches while the cookies were in the oven. Because he was working with much larger quantities than during his trial run, mixing the ingredients and pouring them into molds took much longer. At one point, he couldn’t help but mutter, “Wow, this is an absolute ton of food…” Even so, he pushed forward with meticulous care, finally completing all four menus. Seeing that his festival treats turned out even better than his trial batches, the young owner looked visibly relieved.

At last, at 10:20 AM, the shop officially opened! For this event, he had to handle the register, customer service, handing over the food, and attracting crowds entirely on his own. At first, he was stretched to his limits just trying to keep the shop running by himself—struggling with a register he was using for the first time and feeling a bit too shy to call out “Welcome!” However, with every customer interaction, his confidence grew. Soon, he was comfortably telling people, “My personal recommendation is the muffin!” and his register skills visibly improved, shifting from a slow, one-fingered peck to a smooth operation using multiple fingers.

The customers showered him with warm feedback, saying, “Everything looks so delicious!” and “A cold lassi is exactly what I needed!” When asked questions like, “What kind of ingredients are in this?” or “How did you make it?”, he answered proudly in his own words, explaining, “I used rice flour,” or “I mixed it in a blender.” With every transaction, his voice grew louder and more confident. He was even approached by a customer his own age who praised him, saying, “Are you running this all by yourself? That’s amazing!” This put a massive, joyful smile on the young owner’s face. His booth drew in a wonderfully diverse crowd, attracting everyone from children to adults, and local residents to visitors from outside the village.

As his inventory began to dwindle, his movements became incredibly sharp. He seamlessly managed the entire sequence—greeting customers, ringing up the total, rushing to the kitchen to slice a sandwich, and handing over the order—all without needing a single word of guidance from the adults. He was able to look his customers in the eye, offering a heartfelt “Thank you very much” as he handed over the products he had poured his soul into making.

After closing up, he calculated his final sales, successfully wrapping up his journey as the independent owner of Koneko-do. Reflecting on the experience, he shared, “Setting the prices and calculating the costs was really hard, but I’m so happy everything sold out!” He is already bursting with ideas for the future, adding, “I definitely want to bake treats again the next time I open a shop!” We cannot wait to see what kind of wonderful products will line the shelves of his next store.

To everyone who stopped by Koneko-do at the Hyakumori Festival, thank you so much for your warmth, patience, and kindness. We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to the parents and the local community for your continuous and heartwarming support.