5月と言えば田植え！村の様々な場所では一斉に田植えが行われます。今回はエーゼログループさんが運営している生きものと共にお米を育てながら、田んぼの様々な価値を引き出し分かち合う「ビオ田んぼクラブ」の皆さんと一緒に田植えに挑戦しました。

学校の学習でも訪れる「ビオ田んぼ」。開始時間より早く来た子ども達は「ここにメダカがいるはず！」とすぐさま網を片手に生き物探しへ。あっという間にバケツの中には捕まえた様々な生き物たちが。「これは何ていうんだっけ・・？」「ヤゴだ！」と生き物を観察する姿も見られました。

そして、いよいよ会がスタート！「ビオ田んぼクラブ」の方の中には初めましての方も。まずは自己紹介タイムです。「えっと。自己紹介って何言えばいいん？」と最初は戸惑う様子もありましたが、他の皆さんが優しく見守ってくださり、「ぼくは○○です。西粟倉に住んでいます。」としっかり話すことができました。

自己紹介を終えると次は田んぼの中に移動します。田植えをするのは初めてという女の子。泥に足を取られ、一時田んぼの中に入るのを躊躇する様子もありましたが、サンダルを脱いで再挑戦。1歩ずつ、バランスを取りながら田んぼの中を進み何とかスタート位置に立つことができました。

田植えは田んぼに張られたロープの前に参加者みんなで並んで、印に沿って田植えを行います。

講師のエーゼログループ太刀川さんから「稲は5本くらいずつ束にしてしっかり泥の中にさしてください」とレクチャーを受け、「1・2・3・4・5！」と、しっかり苗の数を数えて植えていきます。浅く植えてしまうと苗が抜けてしまうため、しっかり手を泥の中まで入れます。泥が気持ちよかったのか「これ塗ったら日焼け止めにもなりそう～」と自分の足を泥パックしたりと楽しみながら苗を植えていきました。

途中、手持ちの苗がなくなりそうになると、どうしようときょろきょろしながら困っている子も。他の参加者の方が「苗をください」と言って、近くの人に苗をもらっている様子を見て、「私も苗ください」と、勇気を出して他の参加者の方に声をかける姿がありました。

そうこうしていると田植えの時間が終了。参加者からは「最初やる前は大変そうな作業だと思っていたけど、やってみると意外と楽しかった！」「田んぼの中がぐにょぐにょで歩くのが大変だった」という声が。普段見てもなかなか入らない田んぼでの活動でいろんなことを感じたようでした。「次は収穫もやってみたい人―？」と尋ねると全員の手が挙がりました。自らの手でお米作りに関わることで食べ物の大切さや、作り手の想いに触れることができればと思います。

一緒に活動させていただいた「ビオ田んぼクラブ」の皆さん。ありがとうございました！

■ビオ田んぼクラブ：https://a-zero.group/service/bio-tanbo-club/

[“Let’s Grow and Eat Our Own Rice!” – The Rice Planting Edition]

May is the season for rice planting! All across the village, the paddies are being planted all at once. For this activity, we joined hands with the members of the “Bio-Tanbo Club”—an initiative run by the A-zero Group that focuses on growing rice alongside local wildlife, while discovering and sharing the many wonders of a rice paddy ecosystem.

The “Bio-Tanbo” is a spot the children also visit for their school lessons. Arriving well before the official start time, the children immediately grabbed their nets and went exploring, shouting, “There must be medaka (killifish) here!” In no time, their buckets were filled with various little creatures they had caught. The kids could be seen observing them closely, asking, “Wait, what was this one called again?” “It’s a dragonfly nymph!”

Finally, the session officially began! Since it was the first time meeting some of the “Bio-Tanbo Club” members, we kicked things off with self-introductions. At first, some children looked a bit lost, whispering, “Um, what am I supposed to say for a self-introduction?” However, surrounded by the warm, encouraging smiles of the other participants, they were able to speak up clearly: “I’m [Name]. I live in Nishiawakura!”

With introductions out of the way, it was time to step into the paddy. For one young girl, this was her very first time planting rice. Feeling her feet sink into the thick mud, she hesitated for a moment, unsure about stepping in. But after slipping off her sandals, she decided to try again. Balancing carefully step by step, she made her way through the mud and managed to reach the starting line.

To plant the rice, all the participants lined up side-by-side along a rope stretched across the paddy, planting the seedlings along the marked guides. We received a quick lesson from the instructor, Mr. Tachikawa from the A-zero Group: “Please take about five seedlings at a time in a bundle and push them firmly into the mud.” Following his advice, the kids carefully counted out, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5!” as they planted. If planted too shallow, the seedlings will float away, so they had to sink their hands deep into the mud. Finding the mud surprisingly pleasant, some kids even started applying it to their legs like a spa treatment, joking, “If we put this on, it might work as sunscreen!” as they enjoyed the planting process.

Midway through, one child ran out of seedlings and looked around anxiously, unsure of what to do. After seeing another participant ask a neighbor, “Could I have some more seedlings?”, the child gathered their courage and spoke up to the other participants: “Could I have some seedlings too?” It was a wonderful, brave step forward.

Before we knew it, the rice planting came to an end. The participants shared their thoughts, with comments like, “Before we started, I thought it was going to be really hard work, but once I tried it, it was actually super fun!” and “The inside of the paddy was so squishy, it was really hard to walk!” By stepping into the paddies—places they usually only look at from a distance—they seemed to experience and feel so many new things. When we asked, “Who wants to try harvesting next?”, every single hand shot up into the air.

By actively participating in growing rice with their own hands, we hope the children will gain a deeper appreciation for the food they eat and the hard work of the people who make it.

A huge thank you to all the members of the “Bio-Tanbo Club” who joined us for this wonderful activity!