Mothers don’t get to do this often. They don’t get to sit down for a day to listen to stories that jump up from colorful, illustrated pages. They don’t get to quietly draw and cut papers, color and glue them together for one precious hour. In fact one mother felt at a loss on how she can bond with her child. “Hindi ko din naman alam kung anong pwede naming magawa (I don’t really know what we can do together),” she said.
During the first Village Reading activity in Sual, Pangasinan facilitated by Synergeia partner Museo Pambata, parents learned they didn’t need “Jollibee money” to bond with their children.
Take the story of Ang Pambihirang Sumbrero, a story about a girl who enjoys wearing an old hat while happily strolling around the neighborhood. Her neighbors offer to make the hat more beautiful and in the story, she started meeting important people in the community. To make the story memorable, the facilitator from Museo Pambata taught the kids and parents how to make fancy party hats using old newspapers and colored papers.
The children of Sual brimmed with excitement. They enjoyed pretending they were superheroes like “Darna” or “Lastikman”, adding their personal touch to their cut-out masks. They made recycled craft flowers, which elicited endless teasing among the boys as to which girl would get the flowers. “Hindi ah. Para sa nanay ko to!” came the defense.
But it wasn’t just the kids who enjoyed. The parents also brought home stories of how they learned something new and practical to do with their kids at home. “Hindi man ako kasing galing nung nagkukwento sa harapan, eh siguro okay na yung gamitin ko nalang yung mga pambatang libro sa bahay para mapag-praktisan (I may not be as good as the facilitator in front, but I think I could use the children’s books at home so I can practice),” said one parent.
The Sual Village Reading and arts and crafts activity proved one thing: learning is a family affair. All it takes is a little practice and a whole lot of love for kids to make learning at home more fun.
