Junior Chef's class at Manila Intercon

My eldest has been joining the Junior Chef's Cooking Classes at Manila Intercon for over a year now.  In this class, children are usually tasked to 'create' at least 2 of Intercon's offerings and bring them home to share with the entire family.

The older children get to work in the kitchen and really cook over fire, use knives and all the tools available.  For the little ones (7 and below) they are more into preparation than real cooking.  Nonetheless, these young children get to learn to follow instructions, food preparation skills, and become really good at food presentation.

We have stayed in the program not only because of what my eldest has been learning but also because of the very nice, accommodating, and hospitable staff.  They are very generous when it comes to ingredients and serving sizes and would even let the children bring home extra ingredients for them to cook back home.  Also, while the enrolled children attend the class, Intercon provides coffee, teas, juices and light snacks for the parents and a playground for the siblings to play in.  Moreover, enrolled children may use the pool for free after the class!

I can truly say that the 1000 Php fee is WORTH IT. :)

Little one in the play area while kuya cooks

sometimes they even allow my 2 year old to join

Making Rissotto Balls

     

This program is held every last Sunday of the month from 2-4 pm.  Fee is 1500 for the first session (includes uniform), succeeding sessions are at 1000 Php.


Last year's schedule (2014)

Elian's Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Week

I am a fan of literature-based learning and I have been doing this in my preschool classes as well as in homeschooling my 2 boys.  Lit-based learning not only helps create a love for reading in the little ones, ut it also provides a deeper integrated learning experience for them.

For the story Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and Lois Ehlert, these were the activities I did with my 2 year-old.

• Science: we went to the farm and looked at coconut trees.  I encouraged him to touch the tree trunk and the coconut too.  He then smashed open a coconut with a cousin, and his Dad made coconut juice. We got to drink it too. 
• Sensory Play: since chicka, chicka boom boom is a story about letters, Elian was given a chance to do water play with foam letters.  He even stuck the letters on the bathroom wall to spell out his name.  In the basin, he also had a dropper, spoons, plastic containers and sponges.
• Math: We counted coconuts (real ones and cut-outs).  He also did a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom floor puzzle (got it from Barnes and Noble) cooperatively with his older brother.
•  Art: He also did alphabet stamping with tearing and pasting for Art.  In addition, he got to join in his older brother's activity of leaf crayon rubbing (his brother is learning botany and had a leaf crayon rubbing activity so I decided to let him join in but made his leaves look like a coconut tree).  He was so amazed at how the leaf 'magically appeared' on the paper. 
• Music and Movement: we sang the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom song.  You may view my favorite animated version in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH4bBMW8eus&list=PLNr3ahoDXN0SskXsMFrT0h5WN_EaIQ39_ 
• Language: We drew a coconut tree on a white board and just allowed him to play with magnet letters.  I got to hear him identify most of the letters he used.  He also got to stick foam letters on the wall
•  Social Studies: Fow social studies, we explored the farm, met farmers, saw one climb up the coconut tree to get coconuts for us, observed the farm, shared stories and drank juice together, and he got to practice his cooperative learning skills when he finished a puzzle with his kuya (big brother).

I planned to just read the book for a week but Elian enjoyed it so much that we extended to 2 weeks and still read it occassionally.

Guilty Mommy of Two

It has been quite a while since I wrote.  Being a working homeschooling mom to two very spirited boys really do make time seem to disappear! I am certain most, if not all, of you mommies and daddies out there know what I mean.

After years of not opening this blog, I did so today and was shocked to read my previous posts. Seeing  photos and videos of my now elementary child in his toddler years brought back so many memories.  Then it hit me. I wrote and documented my eldest son's early years but hardly did for my second who is now 2 and a half.  The guilt started to come in.

I have heard other parents laugh and joke around about how when we are raising our eldest, we tend to be so involved. I heard some even joke that when a mouthing toy of a first child falls, a first time parent quickly picks it up and packs it away in a container or washes it thoroughly with organic toy wash immediately.  By the second child, the fallen mouthing toy finds its way to just being rinsed.  By the third child, the parent just dusts off the toys and gives it back to the child.  This is a funny thing to say but I know that there is a small amount of truth in it.

I was more relaxed and confident in raising my second, since as they say, I got 'some practice from raising the older one' which is a good thing.  However, I would also like to give my second the same amount of effort I gave the first-born.

My siblings and I (there are 6 of us) often joke about how the amount of baby pictures dwindled as more children arrived.  You see, my kuya (big brother) and I had the most baby and childhood pictures, complete with baby books.  My younger siblings however had far less baby pictures and incomplete baby books.  I am not even sure if my youngest sibling had a baby book. haha!  And now, it is becoming the same case for my kids.  My second's baby book is also unfinished. ooooppppsss! Need to start documenting my journey with the second again and of course, finish that baby book!

Have you finished all of your kids' baby books?