Nature Walk, a date with my little one.

 Learning is not confined to the 4 walls of a classroom (or in our case, our house)… learning also takes place in different areas especially since we aim to provide our children the most direct experience they can have with a particular concept.  When we discussed the sense of sight, I then decided to take my little one on a nature walk at UP Diliman.  As we walked around, I asked Ynigo to use his eyes to see the things around him.  We also brought a magnifying glass for him to use in inspecting/observing flowers, plants and insects.  We even touched tree trunks and discussed textures.  Furthermore, we got to discuss about caring for the environment when he noticed that there were no more ducks at the UP Pond.

Afterwards, we sat on a mat in the middle of the grassy area.  I then gave Ynigo sheets of paper and provided him with pens to draw what he saw during our walk together.  He drew plants, cars, insects and a dog too.  After all the work, I brought out snacks and drinks and we enjoyed Ynigo’s favorite part – PICNIC! We stayed at UP for over 2 hours, walking, snacking, observing and playing soccer. 

He then asked me, “Mom, are we (on) a date?”  A huge smile appeared on my face as I replied yes… Hitting two birds with just one stone, it seems.  Not only does a nature walk provide good, direct experiences for my son with nature, we also got to have quality bonding time together that we both got to enjoy (and it did not cost us much, just the snacks).  Bring your kids out and enjoy the simple things in life we tend to take for granted!       

Losing my cool... a no-no!

This morning I did something I am not proud of and truly regret.  I was very busy, trying to finish what I was doing for I was short on time.   Then, Ynigo kept on covering what I was reading with his feet and then later on with his hands.  This was because he wanted to play with me.  But I explained to him that I could not as I had to  finish what I was doing.  Instead of obeying however, he went back to covering what I was reading.  I said please again and asked him not to but to my frustration he did not listen.  I started to feel irritated and to make matters worse, he started tapping on what I was reading.  It was then that I lost my cool... I snapped at him and nudged him away forcefully.  


This surprised my dear little boy and he looked at me with great hurt and sadness, like he was going to cry.  I had to look away and tried to calm myself first.  My heart went out to my little boy who was still sitting o  so stunned.  I immediately prayed and asked for God's forgiveness as I was not the woman and mother that He wanted me  to be.  I then looked at Ynigo, lifted him up  and hugged him tight.  I then said I was very sorry for doing what I did and when I said that, tears immediately fell down his cheeks and he sweetly said, "okay".  As soon as he said this, his tears turned into full blown crying which made me cry too.  I then said, "will you forgive me?" and he immediately, in between sobs, said, "yes, mommy".  We then cried a bit more and prayed together.   He even said in his prayer, "Dear Jesus... thank you for (I) forgiving Mommy..."  Oh, I truly pray that the Lord will help  me the best Mom that I could be.  I should not have snapped at Ynigo, I should have not nudged him, I should have controlled my emotions and most importantly I should have made him feel that he was MORE important to me than what I was  reading...


May I learn from this experience and not do this again.  I thank God for  rebuking me and working in me, may he continue to provide me with 'teachable moments' to prune me.  I thank God for my little boy who is always very forgiving.   May he always be this way.        

OUTDOOR FUN!

Allowing children to explore the outdoors is essential for their holistic growth.  Important concepts can be learned and skills can be developed in the outdoors.  Knowing this, I often encourage my son to interact with the outdoor environment regularly.   That is why, we as a family  truly look forward to our stay in our house in Laguna... we get to bond with nature and each other.  Here are some things you can engage in outdoors,  a  local park or your own backyard:


KITE FLYING - along with developing physical  skills, this activity may help children understand the concept of wind, flying and lightness of objects; may help children in following directions and practicing patience as they wait for their turn or while they find the "perfect" wind.  

BUG HUNTING / CATCHING - Outdoors are filled with treasures for your children to find.  Encouraging you kids to look  for / catch bugs (ants, moths, butterflies, dragonflies) for you to observe together will be very enriching.  Doing this is a great jumping point to more learning such as body parts, ecology, life cycle, etc.      However, I also make it a point to remind Ynigo not to hurt the insects and to let them go after we have observed them.  This will help your children respect all life forms.  

My boys observing their catch

Ynigo trying to catch a dragonfly

Daddy catching an elusive butterfly for Ynigo

  
PLANT OBSERVATION - I also encourage Ynigo to observe plants and flowers around him; making sure he uses as many of his senses as possible.  His favorite is the Makahiya.  He loves making them close.  

Ynigo's favorite Makahiya Plant

GAMES like  Hide and  Seek and Races - Outdoors is truly a time to  use those muscles and build endurance and strength.  Ynigo loves playing Hide and seek and Racing the most.  At times he joins his father  in basketball too.  He also plays golf and soccer at the fields.   

Racing with Daddy

Basketball with Daddy... sometimes Mommy joins too

You may also do PICNICS and ART ACTIVITIES while outdoors (I will show pictures on my next blog on these).

Have fun outdoors, everyone!