First Mother and Child Day

Last Saturday, July 27, Integrated School for Young Children (ISYC) held its annual Mother and Child Day.  I have been experiencing this event for 5 years, just as a teacher but now I finally got to experience this event as a Nanay.  

For the previous years we’ve had activities like DIY Doll, Tree Planting, Eco Bag Decorating, SPArty and Craft Day and Tub O’ Craft Day.  This year, Teacher Michelle, our directress, came up with a Candy Crush Themed activity.  There were 5 stations that each Mother and Child pair needs to accomplish.  The activities were very simple because the main goal is for the mother and child to spend time together and have some fun (I think that goal was achieved).

1.  The Candy Booster Matching.  It is very similar to the game Pin the Tail on the Donkey where the child was blind folded and he/she just needs to match the candy booster.

Candy Booster Game by Teachers Alexa, Cheryl, Nikki and Timmy

2.  Clearing the Jellies.  There was a huge mouth with jellies.  The child needs to take out all the jellies within 30 seconds.  This activity reminds the children to always brush their teeth after eating something sweet.

3.  Toss the Bean Bag Game.  The mother and child should toss the bean bag through the different shapes.  Lucas really enjoyed this. 

Bean bag toss by Teachers Lee Anne, Miriam, Grace and Karen

4.  The Giant Candy Crush.  This was the favorite of almost every pair.  The child needs to pick a candy card.  The mother and child pair should cross the giant candy crush mat just stepping on the card the child picked.  In our case we picked the red jelly bean.

Giant Candy Crush by Teachers Kat, Nappy, Rica and Nina
with Teacher Nikki

5.  Cupcake Decorating Station.  Here, each pair was given a cupcake, a bag of frosting, candy sprinkles, chocolate chips and marshmallows.  Basically we just need to decorate our own cupcake  (the cupcakes were from Felize’s Baked Specialties, will blog about it next).

Cupcake decorating station by Teachers Pia and Ana

There was also a bonus station, the Treat Shop where the children get to choose candies they like.  This is the station where I was assigned to prepare.  I really had fun setting this up together with Teachers Michelle, Patrick, Tin and Erlyn.

Lucas and I really had so much fun during this day.  An activity like this is a venue for mothers to spend a day with their kids despite their busy schedule.  Bonding with your preschooler boosts their confidence and makes them feel important.  But this type of activity does not only benefit your child but of course also the Nanays. 🙂  We can’t wait for the Father and Child Activity this coming August.

Above: entrance
Below: our game card

 

 

 

The Little Schoolboy

It is official! Our little Lucas started going to school last Monday, June 17. I just couldn’t believe that he’s now a school boy attending one of the Toddler Classes at ISYC (integrated School for Young Children), where I’m also teaching.

I chose the mid-morning (11am to 1pm) schedule because I didn’t want to pressure him yet in waking up early just to ride with me in going to school. Another reason was that I wanted to have a “stress free” morning as I prepare before going to work (I’m sure the mothers out there know what I mean)☺. So we decided to let him ride the school service with Ate Cindy in coming to school. He was hesitant to ride the service at first. But he easily got comfortable the following day (he even talks about everything that he see on the way to school).

When he finally arrived ISYC last Monday, he went to my classroom first and said Hi. I brought him to his classroom to meet his teachers (Teachers Lee Anne and Miriam). It wasn’t at all difficult. He placed his backpack in a cubby and went straight to the Manipulatives Area of the classroom. Letting him attend the Summer Fun class last May was really helpful. He immediately felt at home. Ate Cindy and I left him inside the classroom on his own and surprisingly he didn’t mind.

Their class schedule for 2 weeks will just be from 11am to 12noon. Lucas is still adjusting but I’m sure he’s enjoying school. It took a while to sink in to me that Lucas is already going to school. It just means that he is not a baby anymore. I’m looking forward to a great school year for him. I just hope that he won’t give his teachers a hard time…which is a little bit impossible 😉.