Tuesday, August 9, 2011

One step at a time



"Be master of your petty annoyances and conserve your energies for the big, worthwhile things. It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out - it's the grain of sand in your shoe." 
- Robert Service -

When I came across the quote mentioned above, the floodgates of wisdom opened up.

I often look far and wide for things to conquer and battles to win that I forgot to look down and find the most important consideration is right under my feet.

I'm beginning to see myself going to places without having to look at the ground all the time. :)

Friday, August 5, 2011

Museo Pambata Trip


At the entrance with co-teachers.
For Buwan ng Wika, my co-teachers and I decided to prepare for a culminating activity at Museo Pambata where the children can enjoy a tour with their parents. We went to the museum to do an ocular to have an organized trip by the end of the month. Luckily, teachers get in for free if they just present their IDs.

National mode of public transport.
Try as I might, I cannot bring to my mind any childhood memory of going for a trip the "Children's Museum" while I was in school so I think it is safe to say that it was actually my first time to visit Museo Pambata. Though I missed to go through this wonderful place as a kid, I am very appreciative of it now as an adult and as a teacher. As I explored the various exhibits there, I realized the importance of this haven for the younger generations to come.

I Love My Planet Earth! exhibit.
I love how interactive the exhibits are. It is important that children engage all their senses for learning to be truly imbibed. The entire museum comes to life with the various props and backdrops. I can already envision the children having a great time when they get here.

Part of Body Works exhibit.
There was a very spacious room dedicated to knowing about how one's body works: the different systems of the body, the various organs and senses and how they operate within us, and so on. There were stations that also provide hands-on games to engage the children in using their bodies and discovering the facts for themselves. Another area is the Pamilihang Bayan or Marketplace, which was a really amazing studio of various stores and shops where kids can wear costumes and play with the different materials to simulate an actual marketplace scenario. Even I let my imagination run away a little.

At the Pamilihang Bayan (Marketplace) pretending to sell freshly baked bread.
The Gift Shop houses a lot of good buys: mostly educational items and native crafts.
Goofing around: Seems like I'm part of the portrait, which is actually a mirror.
The next few photos are some of my favorites taken from the Paglaki Ko (When I Grow Up) exhibit where the Writer's Corner and Illustrator's Corner can be found. I am a writer but a frustrated illustrator. Anyhow, I have not given up trying to produce some personal works [for my eyes only at this point]. Though that may be the case, the arts will always have a special place in my heart.


Oh, how I love ink drawings!
One of my local favorites.
Colorful art by Ruben de Jesus.
Another interactive wall.
Museo Pambata also has an Old Manila exhibit. I love anything that has to do with the past! I am a bit old-fashioned (quite the understatement) and I appreciate the richness of cultural evolution. I reckon that the 'golden days' always pertain to something that has come to pass.

Old Manila exhibit: standing by a large scale church model.
A peek inside the church's interior.
Spanish Galleon.
Flags and portraits dedicated to our heroes.
I was impressed with this area of the exhibit because of the interesting way the museum staff had elaborated on the national heroes' lives. To know about the bayani (hero), you need not read lengthy biographies or look at posters. Instead, all you need to do is pick up the phone, dial a number and listen to a voice narrate about your chosen hero. How clever!

I wish I could bring home this antique typewriter... even better if it still works!
Chinese lanterns made the ceiling gallant.
Old carriage on display.
Untouchable. More memorabilia from the past.
Tara na!
I really enjoyed our tour of Museo Pambata. By the end of our ocular, I felt so young and vibrant I wanted to run to a mirror and check if I was a seven-year-old again.

I suppose our journey ends here for now. I want to come back to this place again next time but hopefully not as a visitor but as a volunteer. It is always a worthwhile endeavor to share moments with young minds and hearts.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Heads Up, Feet Down



A picture paints a thousand words.
So they say.

I say:
"A picture evokes a thousand thoughts."

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