Of Bells Ringing and Children Singing

The CPU Handbell Ringers at Maya!

Ephrathah Farms Trip!

The parent-child program of Maya Playgarden and Daycare Center, Duyan, for children aged 2-3 years old, culminated their Block 2 with the theme, "From Farm to Plate," with a field trip to Ephrathah Farms, an agri-farm resort in Brgy. Sariri, Badiangan, Iloilo.

As is typical of our parent-child programs, we always begin the block with an observation class where parents will have an opportunity to observe their children at play with the other children in our setting. Then the series of sessions on our themed activities went on from baking banana cake with the children, making our salad dressing together, and eventually preparing all the vegetables needed for our green salad. To cap the theme, we showed the children where vegetables grow and ate a hearty yet healthy lunch! (Although, we really didn't expect most of them to like the vegetable salad like we did! It's a work in progress.)

The good thing about visiting this resort is that it was so peaceful and quiet and yet it was not without nothing to do. In fact, the children made an instant playground of the grassy area fronting the glass chapel!

The children, and their parents, also fed the thousands of koi fish around the area!

And since it was nature walk day, being a Thursday, it was a refreshing respite from their usual trek around the neighborhood in Ticud, La Paz and they got to explore Badiangan for a change!

It is our great hope that in this activity, both parents and children, bonded in nature and have found a deeper appreciation of nature's produce that makes up for healthy eating! (Suffice it to say, we truly enjoyed their fresh juice, red lady papaya, and salad! Here's an interesting tidbit: their salad tasted so much like the salad we prepared at Maya!)

:)

Photo credits: Tita Jomai of Puya, parent-child program for children aged 1-2 years old

Maya Playgarden and Daycare Center, is a Waldorf-inspired preschool in Iloilo City, located in Ticud, La Paz. For inquiries, please check facebook.com/MayaPlaygarden or text 0999 8801455.

introduction

So, is a picture really worth a thousand words? 

If you see a photo of a blossoming tree, what comes to your mind? What does it tell you about the environment of the tree? Does it tell you how it was nurtured from the time it was a seedling until it is a fully-grown sturdy tree? Does it tell you how most of the time nature took its own course and the tree actually managed to grow naturally without any interference from humans? How the right amount of sunlight, rain, and human care helped it grow? Does it also tell you that it took a long time for the tree to grow and eventually serve its purpose in bearing fruits or seeds or provide shade during hot days or the perfect place to climb and play? Does it tell you that at the right time it will just grow?

If you see young children, what comes to your mind? What does it tell you about their environment and where they're growing up? Does it tell you how they were nurtured from the time they were babies until they've started to walk and talk? Does it tell you how most of the time nature took its own course and the children actually managed to crawl, sit, hold its head up, stand, walk, run without any interference from humans? How the right amount of love, care, proper nutrition, sleep and play helped them grow? Does it also tell you that it took a long time for the children to grow and eventually serve its purpose here on earth as an adult? Does it tell you that at the right time they will just grow and be like one of us?

So, what do you really see when you see a tree or a child?