It's Fiesta!

Fiesta, a festival, a tradition we inheritted from the Spaniards, means food, dance and music and the don't forget the most important reason of its celebration is done in honor of a saint.

St John Bosco's feast day is 31st of January, hence celebrated on the nearest Sunday.

1. Read: Getting to know Don Bosco

Available at Don Bosco Makati Bookstore

2. Listen: Part of the celebration is the band that plays annually.

Several bands played around the Barangay

3. Movement: Learning to march

- daughter and I are marching around the house

left & right, walking in coordination as we practice to march like them

4. Read along book

- We read this before, and seeing the band play the instruments made my daughter smile even more.

The neighborhood enjoyed all the festivities, from the pageants, to bingo bonanza! 

But keep in mind the essence of the fiesta is to let the life of the saints be a reminder of how we can spend our life in the service of others.

On the Go!

We are so excited to share activities from the 'three years old' class as we call it. It is a month of vehicles, from boats to cars and trains.

In this class there is less parent interaction. The child is encouraged to be independent, follow instructions, listen and explore.

1. Book: The Big Race

supplied by Kindermusik

2. Traffic Rules: Stoplight and the Stop & Go sign

we did the online materials with a little modification

3. Singing & Movement: Walk, Run, Stop and Go

Going around with our home made train

4. Pretend Play: a train, on a boat, a plane

Playing around

5. Crafts: make your own train. 

Materials used:can, boxes, yogurt cup, dowel , 

water bottle caps (big and small), camera film cover, Yakult bottle

Paint: Tempera non toxic paint, washable, though you have to put top coat so it will not peel off

Sanding of the smooth surface needed for the paint to adhere

Wheels are working! Attach paperclip to box and insert the dowel.

 Use a glue gun to stick bottle caps to dowel

Test Run

6. Virtues: Helping

Both books in the story teaches about helping, here is my daughter eager to do her part 

7. Go Along Book

  

Faith the Pope Brings

There has been several writings, talk and reaction on how our country behaved at the arrival of the Pope.

Let's focus on the message he brings and learn:

1. Getting to know Pope Francis
    -download the pdf mini book from The Learning Basket

    -or get information from Wikipedia

   

getting to see the Pope's photo, cover of the Bible Diary and on TV

2. Strengthening our faith by reading Bible. 
St Mary's Press is the most interesting and complete Catholic bible for children I have seen so far.

complete Bible with selected highlight stories with activities

3. Praying

Teaching the habit of talking to God before we sleep.

Thanking for our meals.

a guilty smile when we forget to pray and start praying after a few bites

4. Values
Let us reflect on the Pope's messages. (for those who missed it, here is the link via Rappler)

My mom at UST with screenshots of the Pope
 and getting hold of a photo with the crowd

It doesn't have to take the Pope to be a clean organized city, we can do it for ourselves. Maybe the Pope's visit is a boost for us to keep trying and be the change our nation needs.

Book: My Blue Boat

We were excited to have this book. Why? Because it has been out of print, republished with a 20th Anniversary edition.

We are lucky to be one of the first 100 to have this and got an art cover with it.

Sailed 2 months to get here in the Philippines, now it is sailing in our evening readings.

Activities for it:

1. Art: Watercolor, style and technique

2. Play: Captain and the Pirate Sailing

3. Language, Drawing and Words: Water Vehicle Types

4. Vocabulary building: chanel, swell, harbor, fleet, beacon, lighthouse

5. Science: Animals - Whale and Dolphins

6. Go Along Books

Happy sailing to 2015! 

Fun Learning this Christmas

What makes each day of December fun? 

1. Celebrate Christ's birthday

To celebrate Christ's arrival, we are counting the days till the 25th with an ornament a day to hang in the tree.

2. Christmas lights, trees and goodies

Do I need to say more? :)

3.Music & dance

Opening the second semester is a Christmas special from her class. Moving up together with three year olds, our daughter is starting to learn to join other playmates and go around singing and dancing to the season's music.

4. Drawing and story telling

A special story for this season as told by their teacher.

5.Gift Giving

Fun fun with Santa's Elves as they distribute Christmas goodies and the kids give some of their own too.

6. Chrismas book surprise

We read christmas story every day since 1st of December.

7. Friends and Family

It is The season where we spend with people that matter.

Have a Joyous Christmas to all!

The Nutcracker

Books
We are fond of the Ella Bella series, we are kicking off with Ella Bella Ballerina and the Nutcracker.
James Mayhew's is a  great introduction to the story, the ballet and the music.

More of The Nutcracker

Different versions of E.T.A Hoffmann's Nutcracker can be found, some are ballet adaptations, some are from the original book, try to find what appeals to your family.

Music & Ballet
My husband and I had the chance to watch Lisa Macuja, via Ballet Manila last year. We are hoping the event will continue to show until my daughter is old enough to watch. For the meantime, we listened to the the Music of Peter Tchaikovsky and watched online an orchestra play.

Read a book about instruments too.

Photo from Silas Orchestra and Houston Ballet

Crafts

We made snowflakes cutouts.

Photo & instructions at Martha Stewart's site

Together with her dad they made several art faces and one of them is the nutcracker.

Tissue core plus water color, and viola, here is the finished product

Christmas
We decorated the 'small tree' hoping it will grow big.

This year marked that she understood what Christmas is about

A themed decoration where my daughter got excited and identified all the characters.

counterclockwise, the Wooden Nutcracker, Clara, the would be Prince,
my daughter's favorite Sugar Plum Fairy, Rat King,
and a pose from an enthusiastic little girl 

A surprise from her dad, a musical nutcracker where my daughter 'danced' ballet in its tune.

Enjoy the season of joy! Happy Christmas!

Book:The Carrot Seed

With few words, this book has a lot to say.

It talks about hope.

It talks about perseverance.

It talks about planting.

Daughter plants, waters, removes weeds

It highlights color. (See how the carrot is highlighted at the end of the book).

My daughter and her dad made their own representation of the carrot.

Carrots in watercolor 2014.11.20

We incorporated singing of the chinese song Ba Luo Bo.

A song we often sing - Pulling Carrots

A read along book with this.

One of our favorites

Bible go along story: Parable of the Sower.


Few words can mean a thousand more to every reader.