Weekend Lifestyle and Organic Market Soon to Hit South Metro!

I noticed more and more weekend markets are emerging in the metro these days.  I remember the very first weekend market I’ve been to, and it wasn’t actually here in the Philippines, but in Bangkok, Thailand, and it’s famously called Chatuchak.  Oh, don’t I just love and miss Chatuchak!  Chatuchak is a 35-acre market area that is home to more than 8,000 market stalls, and is actually one of the largest weekend markets in the world.  Similar to our local Divisoria, it’s where you can discover great finds and a wide variety of goods - from food and beverage, clothing and accessories, handicrafts and ceramics, furniture and home decors, down to antique and collectibles, pets, plants and almost everything under the sun, at prices cheaper than in most commercial establishments in Bangkok.
 

Chatuchak Weekend Market

Here in the Philippines, however, the very first weekend market I encountered is the one at The Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City.  Opens on Sundays at The Lung Center hospital grounds, Mom used to come here for some fresh organic veggies and some local delicacies.  The other weekend markets I know are the Salcedo Saturday Market in Velasquez Park, Salcedo Village, and the Legaspi Sunday Market along Herrera and Rada corner Legaspi Streets, Legaspi Village, both located in the sprawling Makati City residential-commercial neighborhood.  Then there’s Mercato Centrale, situated at the corner of 34^th Street and 8^th Avenue (across MC Home Depot) in the new cosmopolitan business hub, Bonifacio Global City, in Taguig.

Dr. Seuss - The Book Benefits and the Musical

Courtesy of Repertory Philippines

Don’t you just love the classic Dr. Seuss books?  My children and I do.  We have a collection of these all-time children’s favorite classic books by Mr. Theodore Seuss Geisel, better known as the beloved Dr. Seuss.  The nonsense rhymes and repetitive words combine sentences that just make the tongue roll off, not to mention the use of some weird-looking characters and weird-sounding names, are the unique mark of Dr. Seuss that both adults and children alike love.  But do you know that reading Dr. Seuss books also provide some substantial benefits in developing your child’s language skills?

32nd Manila International Book Fair Coming Up in September

Time really flies so fast!  We’re already on the last week of August.  A few days from now will be the start of the “ber” months, and that means it’s also the start of the Christmas countdown.  Not only is September the beginning of the Christmas countdown, but to many book lovers in the country, it’s also the much-awaited month for the annual Manila International Book Fair (MIBF).  Now on its 32^nd year, the MIBF is scheduled to happen on September 14-18, 2011 still at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

I went there last year and bought different kinds of books and educational toys/manipulative that we can use mostly for our homeschooling.  I also bought some books that I can give as Christmas presents, and was fortunate to get an autograph on the storybooks I bought from one of my favorite Filipino children’s book authors, Grace Dacanay-Chong.  Last year’s book fair was also a memorable experience for me as I was candidly interviewed for the TV show “The 700 Club Asia” regarding the benefits of reading books by parents to young children.  In our case, I have been exposing our children to reading books ever since they were babies.  It has become a habit for us to always read a book (be it the Bible or a children’s devotional or storybook with character-building lessons), usually at the start of our daily homeschooling and at bedtime, or even anytime we like.  Not only has reading become a great bonding moment for us, but as a parent, I would also like to develop in my children the love for reading books.  And since they were exposed to reading books at a very young age, I noticed that they also learned how to read early.  I can go on and on, but the bottom line is that the benefits of reading books to children are truly immense and invaluable.

Here’s looking forward to going to the Manila International Book Fair again this year…

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. – By Charles W. Eliot

More Summer Activities for Kids

Although I noticed it's been drizzling most of the days this week, most schools are already finishing up with their lessons because summer break is almost near.  Ah summer!  I hope it will not be a "rainy" summer vacation for the kids.

Here's one more invitation I received for a cool summer fun activity for kids from ActiveFun (Fun Ranch).  For more information, you may visit any of the ActiveFun branches nearest you or you may email them at info@activefun.ph.

For a list of more summer activities for kids, you may want to visit Smart Parenting's website at http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/summer-activities/ and find out where you can enroll your kid(s) this coming summer.  Have a cool and fun-filled summer ahead!

Baking / Cooking Workshops for Adults & Kids

Here's another invitation I got from San Miguel Great Food Club, this time, where I am a member.

  

If your child is not the artistic type but is interested to learn how to cook or bake, the Kid's Kitchen Camp offered by San Miguel Purefoods Culinary Center might be for your little one.  And if you are on the same boat, who wants to cook or bake but does not know how, workshops for adult beginners are likewise being offered separately.  On the other hand, if you are simply looking for a business opportunity in the food industry, their B.O.S. (or Business Opportunity Series) might just be right for you.

A Summer Art Workshop

My little "Girl Angel" has always been fond of drawings and, recently, paintings.  Her favorite subject in her drawings is always a picture of a happy family.  Our family, actually.  Last Christmas, a friend of mine gave my "Girl Angel" a coloring book with paint and paintbrush attached on the book cover.  She enjoyed painting it, and has finished all the pages of the book, and felt very proud of her work.  Since then, she became inspired in developing more her painting skill.  Even though she's not that serious yet, I can see that the interest in her is there, and she's enjoying what she's doing.  And when asked what she wanted to take up this summer or what activity she would be interested to join, she told me that she wanted to join an art workshop.  And good thing, I found out about Hobbes and Landes' offering entitled "Around the World in 10 Days: 2011 Summer Art Workshop".  I became interested in it since it's the nearest one I could find, and the line up of activities sounds exciting and I thought perhaps something educational for the kids, as well.

This is happening at Hobbes and Landes Bonifacio High Street on April 4-25 (Session 1) and on May 2-23 (Session 2).  Thank you so much to Hobbes and Landes for answering my inquiry right away, and now I'm sharing to you the "frequently asked questions and answers" about the workshop.

1. What is TASK?

- TASK is an acronym for The Art School for Kids.

 2. What are the different activities of the workshop?

-Students can anticipate making crafts other countries are known for. Some of the activities that we will be doing include Indonesia's Batik Painting, America's Tie Dye, Japan's Origami and Italy's Glass Painting (please refer to the activity 

Line-up for more examples).

3. What kind of materials will be used?

- Basic art materials such as canvas, different types of art papers, blocks of clay, crayons, paint and glitters will be used for all the activities.  The teachers/moderators will ensure proper safety when children are handling the materials.

4. How will the workshop be conducted?

Each workshop session will focus on one country where the day’s activity will be based. Students will get to learn some interesting trivia and facts about the country being featured. In addition, students will also be taught of featured country’s geography. This is to make sure that the children do not only learn crafts but facts as well.

* Who will conduct the workshop? How many moderators are there?

- There are three (3) teachers/moderators per class.

-  The workshop moderators are all graduates of Art Courses from the University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City . (Anna Cristobal: Fine Arts; Bianca Esguerra: Art Studies and Maita Lupac: Film and Audio-Visual Communication)

5. How old is the minimum/maximum age of students that can enroll?

- The workshop will cater to children ages 4-10 years old.

6. Where will the workshop take place? Is it available in other branches as well? 

- The workshop will take place at Hobbes and Landes Bonifacio High Street and will not be available at any branch. 

7. What is the schedule of the workshop?

The workshop will be available from April 4 - 25 (1st batch) and May 2 - May 23 (2nd batch). To be held every Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays from 1:30pm - 3:30pm in Hobbes and Landes, Bonifacio High Street.

8. How many sessions does the workshop have?

- The workshop has a total of 10 sessions per class.

9. How much is the workshop fee?

- The workshop fee is P5,500 inclusive of all the materials and VAT. Pre-registration required for slot confirmation (limited slots available). Pay the registration fee at any of the following Hobbes & Landes branches: Bonifacio High Street, Greenbelt 5, Rockwell Power Plant and Greenhills Promenade.

11. Why are there limited slots? (max of 15 students per class only)?

- Limited slots are available to ensure the right number of students. The teachers/moderators want to make sure that each child gets proper attention and guidance as they work on the activities.

12. What if I still want to enroll my child when the workshop has already started?

- Late enrollees will be entertained only if the number of students has not been reached. Considering the maximum number has not been reached, they will still pay in full if they had only missed the 1st-5th sessions, but if they enroll when the class is already at their 6th - 10th session, the tuition fee will be reduced by 50%.

13. What if I only want to enroll my child during some of the workshop days?

Walk-in participants are welcome as long as the maximum number of students has not been reached. Walk-in rate is Php 750.00 per class.

14. What don I need to bring on the first day of the workshop?

Please bring original receipt of workshop payment and get ready to interact with other children. Be friendly and have fun making arts and crafts!

15. In case the student can’t attend the class on a specified day

Please inform the teacher prior date of absence or call Hobbes and Landes, Bonifacio High Street at 8560935. Student can make-up for the missed class by making the craft on the day he/she goes back to class.

16. If you have further inquiries:

Please email us at mail@hobbesandlandes.com 

LIST OF ACTIVITIES

Session 1

DAY 1
Country:	PHILIPPINES
Art Activity:	Canvas Bag Painting and Paint your own flags
DAY 2
Country:	CHINA
Art Activity:	Paper Making and Chinese Dragon Magnets
DAY 3
Country:	INDIA
Art Activity:	Canvas Painting and Accessory Design
DAY 4
Country:	JAPAN
Art Activity:	Japanese wind sock and Origami Collage
DAY 5
Country:	INDONESIA
Art Activity:	Batik Shirt Making and Indonesian Puppet Making
DAY 6
Country:	CAMBODIA
Art Activity:	Weaving and Clay Sculpting
DAY 7
Country:	THAILAND
Art Activity:	Mask Painting and Sand Art
DAY 8
Country:	KOREA
Art Activity:	Korean Fans and Korean Lanterns Making
DAY 9
Country:	MALAYSIA
Art Activity:	Painting and Make your own Kite
DAY 10
Country:	SINGAPORE
Art Activity:	Design your own notebook covers and Photoframe

Session 2

DAY 1
Country:	ROME (Italy)
Art Activity:	Stained Glass Painting and Clay Scuplting
DAY 2
Country:	BRAZIL (Mardi Gras)
Art Activity:	Mask Painting and Bead/Bangle Painting
DAY 3
Country:	AUSTRALIA (Aboriginal Art)
Art Activity:	Aborginal Dot Art and Paperweight Painting
DAY 4
Country:	MEXICO
Art Activity:	Sombrero/Pot Painting and Make your own Maracas
DAY 5
Country:	RUSSIA
Art Activity:	Nesting dolls/owls and painting activity
DAY 6
Country:	USA
Art Activity:	Tie Dye Shirt and Bandana Painting
DAY 7
Country:	FRANCE
Art Activity:	Canvas Painting and French Braided Bracelets, Anklets and Zipper Pulls
DAY 8
Country:	AFRICA
Art Activity:	Pathwork Quilt Notebook Cover and African Drums
DAY 9
Country:	GREECE
Art Activity:	Mosaic Art in Cermaic cups and plates
DAY 10
Country:	OUR WORLD
Art Activity:	Decopatch Photoframe and Special Activity