Sunday, October 9, 2016

Child Reader


This photograph was taken by my 6-year old daughter from her school. This is actually what her classroom looks like from the outside. Typical for hot summers being in a tropical country, an air-conditioned public school classroom can rarely be seen in the Philippines. This classroom houses about 50 public school grade one pupils. 

In the provinces, classes are being held starting from morning until afternoon. On the other hand, in Metro Manila, where public school classrooms are usually crowded, classes are being held per shift - first shit (morning), second shift (afternoon). 

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Offline


The picture above was taken in Pilar, Sorsogon when my family stopped for a while in the port before we headed to Donsol for whaleshark interaction. I long to see children playing in a true sense of the word - offline. I do not know what the exact name of this game but I'd rather call this game as lukso (literally means, jump). When we were children, we used to play luksong tinik and all sorts of jumping using various props. This one is quite improvised from what I did when I was a kid. Since the location is coastal, an improvised platform, sandbags, are used as the final touch before the jump. I still value when I see children playing like this rather than being individualistic playing all sorts of games in a tablet or smartphone. For me, interaction among children is very important and appreciating the value of the environment by making them feel what's in their surroundings form part of a quality child life.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Inside Museo Pambata (Children's Museum)

What would an adult like me be doing inside a children's museum? Well, visiting a museum is fun and it includes knowing what should I learn from Museo Pambata in Manila City.


In front of the museum, I was surprised to see a statue of Fernando Poe Jr. What was FPJ's stake in a children's museum anyway? Well, he put up a foundation whose main beneficiary is the Museo Pambata. Meaning, huge amount of endowment to the museum comes from the foundation.


Upon entering the reception, visitors are greeted by the sight of a vinta, a local boat made of wood. I thought the entrance fee is about 100 pesos, it's not. Children and adults should pay 250 pesos while residents of Manila City are given a special discount at 50%. Senior citizens with valid ID should pay 200 pesos. The museum opens from Monday to Saturday (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) while on Sunday at 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Parking fee is available at 40 pesos for the first three hours and minimal fee in the succeeding hours.


The present-day child heroes have their own stories to share. Don't miss to read their short stories because I was touched by one of them whose family is composed of mostly all deaf members. It is amazing to learn from those words printed beside their pictures as I pass by other historical heroes and listen to the voice over the phone describing who the heroes are.


Not only that which about children one can see in the museum but also the rich economy of the country during the American period. Fresh from the over 300 colonization by the Spaniards, the kalesa (above) made of cloves shows the foreign countries' interests in the natural resources of the country. The Galleon Trade will show the route of the spices from the country.


During the early American Occupation, the existence of the MERALCO Tranvia represents of the firsts in Asia. Nowadays, the country's train system has already been overtaken by its neighbors in the ASEAN region like Singapore and Thailand, respectively.



The second floor of the museum is obviously all about children. From sciences, to familiarization of the community set-up, not only will children enjoy the place but adults as well. The young generation of today may have missed these toys because of gadgets like tablets and phones are more common.



The children's library is filled with story books. The most interesting to me is the book entitled "100 Questions Filipino Kids Ask". Thank you because there is a model fire station with a fire engine, bunkers, trousers, fire boots, and fire hydrant. Children can play and wear fireman's costume and take unlimited photographs. Beside a fire station is a nipa hut and a market where one can literally see mini stores. I like the bakya because if children of today may only know wedge, then, what a bakya literally looks like as a wooden footwear is there.


Bahay Kubo

Bakya
The most important display for me is the rock from the moon. It was brought to the Philippines by President Bill Clinton in 1995 and being loaned by NASA to Museo Pambata. Before coming to the museum, I never thought that there is such thing as moon rock on display in the Philippines. Now, I know.

Moon rock, about 4 billion years old.
For those who thought the Museo Pambata is just a museum, well, there is more than that. You can already avail of venue rental packages:

Package A1 (Multipurpose Hall, 120-150 pax) - inclusions: use of venue for 3 hours, sound system and museum tour for 50 persons at P15,000.00

Package A2 (Multipurpose Hall, 120-150 pax) - inclusions: use of venue for 3 hours, sound system, museum tour for 50 persons, and 30 pieces of Museo Pambata giveaways at P18,000.00

Package B1 (Karapatan Hall, 100-120 pax) - inclusions: use of venue for 3 hours, sound system, museum tour for 50 persons at P18,000.00

Package B2 (Karapatan Hall, 100-120 pax) - inclusions: use of venue for 3 hours, sound system, museum tour for 50 persons and 30 pieces Museo Pambata giveaways at P21,000.00

Package C1 (Learning Room, 180-200 pax) - inclusions: use of venue for 3 hours, sound system, museum tour for 50 persons at P23,000.00

Package C2 (Learning Room, 180-200 pax) - inclusions: use of venue for 3 hours, sound system, museum tour for 50 persons and 30 pieces Museo Pambata giveaways at P26,000.00

Package D (Outdoor, 200-300 pax) - inclusions: use of venue for 3 hours at P25,000.00

Museo Pambata is located at Roxas Boulevard corner South Drive, Manila. For reservations, call (02) 523-1797 or email at info@museopambata.org. Their website is www.museopambata.org