Touringkitty

30
Jul
2014

Raising a smart child in a fast-paced era

Admit it, this is an era when everything changes in a split second. Or make that, with a click of the mouse (or a tap on a tablet, if that’s your case).

It is quite a challenge raising our children today. Because of social media, parents are becoming highly competitive. Each milestone is documented online quickly for all the world to see, and not anymore through keepsakes or journals or scrapbooks.

How do we keep up?

1. Heed advise from your parents. They’ve gone through that rough road of child rearing so they know better. They might always compare from the past generation, but it’s inevitable. Some advise might not be applicable in the modern era, but listen to them anyway.

2. Go back to basics. Lampin is fine. Freshly cooked food is perfectly fine. Breastfeeding is best. Classic, chic, and convenient, they all are.

3. Be a “present” parent. And this should be on top of everything else. Our young children need us, naturally. They are too young to understand how the world works, and it is our responsibility to raise not only smart but good human beings.

If we could be with her all day everyday, we would.

Of course, we want our children to learn a lot of things. It is said that children learn so many things early on as neurons quickly form everyday. Our child is turning four next month, and so far, here’s a rundown of some of her milestones:

Reading and Language: Reads English like a second grader and pretty much understands them as well, reads and recites Filipino poems and rhymes, speaks fluently both in English and Filipino (though sometimes she mixes them when she’s unfamiliar with translated words).

Writing: colors inside lines, doodles spirals and straight lines, can trace and write happy faces. Still working on it, I must admit, and she’s leaning to become a leftie (not my husband nor I are left-handed!).

Counting: counts and can read up to 100 with pauses, adds up to five, counts from ten to zero.

Music: sings in perfect rhythm and tune, knows how to sing arpeggiated triads, easily memorizes anything through singing and dancing.

Values: says “po” and “opo,” does “mano po,” which is a very good Filipino tradition that we must keep, shows thoughfulness, shares and helps around when she’s in a good mood.

How does our family do it?

1. By feeding our child well. We breastfed her since birth and there’s no sign of weaning at age four. We gave her only freshly prepared foods when she’s starting solids, and make sure she eats a balanced diet especially that she’s on the lean side.

2. By being her first teachers. My husband and I made sure we’ll be the ones who will teach our daughter her ABCs, so we read books to her, sang and danced with her, even if it meant coming home right after work and spending our evenings with her at the center of our attention. All of those worked well.

3. By always connecting with family outside of our home. Since we’re only three in our condo (we don’t have stay in help), we make sure she knows our family and friends, too. Aside from spending time with them, we make sure to call them constantly, do video call, post photos and videos so they will be updated with our child’s growth.

4. By introducing her to new things everyday. We use technology to our advantage, definitely. iPad apps and online resources are a great aid for learning, just make sure you set your limits when you use them. Anything excessive is bad.

5. By being parents by example. This is the hardest by the simplest thing to raise a smart and good child. What we want them to do, we must first be able to do ourselves. I am constantly reminded by my child to be a model parent just by looking at her. And yes, I struggle to be one everyday.

Bottomline is, we build first our connection with ourselves, then with our partners in raising our children (our spouses and other family members) in order to connect better with our child. Then, we can truly raise our child slowly but surely in the midst of an ever-changing society. As their parents, we must strengthen our faith in ourselves so that we can be the best parents to our children.

29
Jul
2014

The joys and benefits of homeschooling

categories: Education, Homeschooling

My daughter is turning four next month, and a lot of people are asking me if she’s in school already.

For me it’s a strange question. It just shows some well-entrenched ideas about “traditional” schooling. And the answer is no and yes. No, because our daughter does not go to a brick-and-mortar school. And yes, because we teach her at home. We’ve been doing that for almost four years now.

Whether parents like it or not, they begin teaching their kids when they are born. Parents should ideally be their children’s first and best teachers.

I am happy that we’ve nurtured our daughter’s love for learning this early. It was a challenge for me and my husband as she is such hyperactive preschooler. But we were delighted with the early results. She started reading simple words when she was a little over 1 1/2 years old, or about 20 months, and was able to count up to 50, thought with a lot of pauses. At a little over 2 years old, she could read simple sentences and count up to 100, but still with a lot of pauses because she’s still easily distracted.

At almost four years old now, she can recall events that occurred long ago, what she did at that time, and who she was with. She has also memorized dialogues of educational videos and favorite movies and even conversations during videos taken on our vacations. She seems to have perfect pitch and rhythm, and she can read like a second grader now.

Did home schooling do all that? We have no idea. But it looks like any form of consistent teaching of discrete topics, done in a spontaneous and fun way, can help children learn better.

Why does our family love homeschooling? Here’s why:

1. We can do it anytime, anywhere. My daughter is more attentive in the late afternoon and evening, so most of our homeschooling is done during that time. Even when we go out, we make sure to make that input, like identifying colors and vegetables in the grocery, or counting and reading anything we see. We also try to explain to her what a certain word in a signage means.

2. It encourages creativity, both for the parents and the child. If I don’t have materials, I use whatever’s at home.

Fishing using magnets:

Ranger hunt, animal-naming, and spelling:

3. Our topics can be as simple and as complex as we want it to be. I have a child who is very open to challenges. So, as much as possible, I create activities that would make her think a little harder.

Classifying animals:

Doing rhythm using stick notation (Kodaly flashcards). Here is also the Filipino poem she’s memorized already:

Science workbook discussing the concept of matter and taste buds:

This is one challenging activity for her ears! Singing triads. Daddy sings Do (root), Mommy sings Mi(third) and our daughter sings Sol (fifth):

4. We could play silly, sometimes. Yet, she still learns.

Our daughter uses her Mega Blocks to form letters and shapes:

5. There’s a reason to shop! We purchased a lot of books, but probably not enough, according to my husband. When she was around two years old and was reading simple story books quite well, we were appalled to see her reading one of her favorite books backwards! She started on the last page and then read the words in the sentences in reverse order. It was a sign that we had to buy her more new books.

There’s a study that says that the more books you have in the house, the more that your child will become a reader. So I guess buying more books and other learning materials can help. You don’t actually have to buy brand new books. There are a lot of used children’s books at Book Sale or Books for Less too. You can also buy books on sale.

This shape sorter game is less than a hundred pesos!

All these book for less than P1,000!

6. We’re always on a field trip. Yes, since we’re homeschooling and we have free time, we can easily go to nearby museums or catch a weekday morning concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Our daughter enjoys watching choral and orchestral concerts, as well as musical plays. She learns best with music and she loves singing and dancing, so I try to put some variety on the things I present to her.

7. We get to play games on our computer or iPad. I know that some of you may think that exposing very young children to computers and other gadgets may be harmful. But in my experience, there are cool apps out there that really help young children learn. There are very good free apps too. You may also want to consider investing in some paid apps. There’s usually a trial so you can see for yourself if it’ll be good for your child. Here are some of the apps we’ve used:

Little Reader for iPad (http://www.brillkids.com/teach-reading/little-reader-touch.php)

Elmo Loves ABCs and 123s (https://itunes.apple.com/ph/app/elmo-loves-abcs-for-ipad/id426747278?mt=8)

Todo Math (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/todo-math-complete-curriculum/id666465255?mt=8)

The three we purchased after we’ve tried their free versions, so make sure you try them out first before purchasing.

There are also a whole lot of free downloadable flashcards and other applications. Smart Apps for Kids website has a lot of suggestions and free downloads.

8. No pressure on learning. One thing I learned about homeschooling is to just follow the child’s learning patterns. Like any other person, each child has his or her own temperament and moods at any given day. So if ever I prepared something and it does not go as planned, I am open to trying it out another time or in another way. Most probably it works after the second try.

For this year, we chose not to enroll her yet because we still want to explore her learning patterns. It also helped that I am only on part-time work now so I could guide her more. Our initial goal is to enroll her as a Kinder homeschooling student next year when she turns five, and to continue to homeschool her until she’s Grade Two. I’m looking for homeschool providers that would best fit our little learner.

Interested in homeschooling your child? Here are some things to consider:

1. Homeschooling is not “school at home”. It’s about taking away the traditional concept of “school.” Homeschooling takes away the structure we find in schools, that’s why our family loves it. Since my daughter is only four, I follow her interests while introducing her to many things.

2. There should be one parent who will dedicate time to homeschool. In our case, it is me. Her father also does some homeschooling when he gets home, usually reading and sometimes, keiko, or Aikido practice. She’s learned a few techniques already!

3. Pray for the grace (and patience!) to homeschool. Homeschooling is a new way of thinking and doing for the parents. And it may not be for everyone. That’s why I am really praying hard for the grace to homeschool, especially now that my schedule is getting busier by the day. A lot of patience is required, too, especially when you have a child as headstrong as ours.

4. One thing will not work for everyone. We have different learning curves, styles, and patterns. Experiment. That’s the only way to learn what will work for you and your child.

5. Take it one day at a time, but make sure to plan ahead. Today might be productive, but tomorrow may not be. It’s perfectly fine. But make sure to have concrete goals and work on them, slowly but surely.

6. Parents are the first and best teachers. Nothing will beat that. Children may learn a lot of things in life but the positive values and good moral behavior is first acquired from home.

With regard to social skills, and this is one thing other people worry about when homeschooling, my daughter is very sociable! As parents, we are there to teach her to respect others before anything else. Don’t forget that during the preschool age, our children should socialize with children their age. We supplement this by bringing our daughter out to play with our condominium neighbors, bringing her to church every Sunday, and sending her to play classes once in a while.

Whatever your decision, whether to homeschool or not, just remember that all of us parents have the duty to raise good human beings, not just smart ones.

Want to homeschool your preschooler, too? Here are some online resources:

I gather my homeschool activities on Instagram (follow @touringkitty)
http://www.kidsactivitiesblog.com/ – Activities from baby to elementary children.
http://www.pre-kpages.com/ – Materials and ideas for Pre-K teachers and students.
http://www.thelearningbasket.com/ – A Filipino blog about gentle homeschooling and also an online book store.
ABC Jesus Loves Me – Free curriculum for ages 2-5
Letter of the Week – Integrated activities for every letter of the alphabet

24
Jul
2014

Touringkitty Eats: Counting Calories with The Good Box

categories: Food, Health, Press Releases, Reviews

I have always wondered about food boxes. One, I wondered if their food is delicious and two, I wondered if it really works.

I seriously gained weight when I started eating healthier. If you follow me on Instagram (please follow @touringkitty) you’d notice my posts on #healthyeating and all I’ve been experimenting on my small kitchen. Since I resigned from full-time work exactly a year ago, I have gained about 20 pounds. I looked better, but I have been packing so much pounds already that I feel like I have to diet.

And this food box came my way.

I had the opportunity to try a day’s worth of meals from The Good Box yesterday, and here’s how my meal for the entire day looked like:

My food for the day! — My menu for the day!

I must admit, when I took out all the food from the bag, I was like, so this will be it? Where’s my rice?! =)

Here’s what’s on the menu:

What's on my menu? — What’s on my menu? Let us count the calories!

The delivery guy came with my goodies almost late in the evening the other night, good thing we’re still awake. So, as instructed, I placed everything in the refrigerator and reheat them the following day.

My breakfast was this:

Eggs Italiano, Fruit and Fruit Juice: I steamed the bread and egg, so it got a little soggy. But my breakfast was filling nonetheless. In between my breakfast and lunch, I munched the Popcorn Ball.

Lunch was Couscous with shrimp and salad. Ok, so at this point, I was really feeling I was counting the calories, so I almost ate something else after having this! I was about to go to teach then, so I had the afternoon snack, which was two digestive cookies.

The dinner was yummy! I had Vietnamese Tofu Noodle in Lettuce Wrap, plus a serving of jello.

I also made sure I was properly hydrated (plain water did the trick) after each meal. As I found out from their Calorie Requirement Chart, it was a giant drop from 2,000 calories (estimate for my age) to 1,200 calories that day. I had a busy afternoon that day and since I am also still breastfeeding, I had to take in a little more calories (I cheated, actually, because I ate a little rice meal after I had the digestives, just before I headed to my choir rehearsal!).

If you want to lose weight yet eat healthy and delicious, try The Good Box. They have meals for different caloric requirements. I cannot vouch for its effectiveness as I have only tried a day’s worth of food. They cater to various diet programs and offer at least a week’s worth of food boxes delivered to your doorstep everyday.

Another thing I liked about The Good Box is that they use biodegradable containers. As you’ve seen the photos above, those are not plastic containers, but something made out of sugarcane that is called “Bagasse.” It will turn into compost in 12 weeks. Add to that, they source most of their produce from Gawad Kalinga’s Enchanted Farm. Pretty neat, right?

Want to lose weight? Start by eating healthy! Check out their website and Instagram (@thegoodboxph).

~ Touringkitty

18
Jul
2014

Engineering For Kids: Introducing STEM Education to younger children

categories: Uncategorized

Do your kids love playing with cars, toy planes, do science experiments, wonder how things work?

Then Engineering for Kids (EFK) might be perfect for them.

Given the fast-paced change in our technology, it is practical to introduce our children to STEM education early on. STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. EFK introduces this to children gently and in an integrated way.

From their Facebook Page:

Why is STEM Education Important?

-️7 of the 10 projected fastest-growing occupations over the next ten years are in STEM fields
️
-STEM occupations have grown 8% in the last 10 years (2000-2010) and are expected to grow twice as fast (17%) in the next ten years.
️
-16 of the 25 highest-paying jobs in 2010 require STEM preparation and STEM workers earn 26% more than their non-STEM peers.

Last week, my daughter was able to try out a class on Engineering for Kids. An ideal after-school activity for your little science explorers, EFK introduces science and technology in an interactive and cool way.

My preschooler being welcomed by the teacher. We were one of the early birds. Check out that backpack drama happening. So grown up!

Classes run for an hour. For this trial class session, they are about to discover aerospace objects, in particular, a rocketship.

We're goin' on a trip in our favourite rocketship! — We’re goin’ on a trip in our favourite rocketship!

See the concepts? Yes, they’re being taught already. So, after the short lecture, the kids starting to make their own rocketship!

Looking at mom and smiling to say she's ok. Such a grown up little lady. *insert ugly cry* — Looking at mom and smiling to say she’s ok. Such a grown up little lady. *insert ugly cry*

Designing her rocketship made out of paper roll and straw and clay.

Aria and her classmate showing their almost finished products.

Testing the rocketship with the help of teacher.

Wonder what else they can do in EFK? Check out their curriculum for the year (subject to change):

Themes change every month. This is their proposed curriculum for the year but still subject to change.

I first thought this would be a good birthday party activity. Their marketing specialist, Lalie Odal, mentioned that they do offer this for parties! They can even customise the activities to your chosen theme.

Overall, the EFK program is another good exposure for our children in STEM education outside the school setting.

Is Engineering for Kids a good fit for your children 4-14 years old? Know more about them via their website and Facebook Page. They have branches in BGC and Greenhills, and is on its way to partnering with schools and opening more branches. Text them at 0917-551-8705.

~ Touringkitty

15
Jul
2014

Breastfeeding Month Activities

categories: Breastfeeding

UPDATED with two more events! Read on.

August is just around the corner! Oh, how time flies. It also means my daughter will be celebrating her birthday again, and she’s turning four!

Unexpectedly, my August became my second December for this year with the line up of activities related to breastfeeding. My breastfeeding advocacy inspired me to continue this blog (see breastfeeding posts on my blog here), take a peer counselor certification so I could properly and formally address breastfeeding concerns among friends and the community, and to carry on with breastfeeding my daughter until she weans herself. She is semi-weaned, nursing only once a day, some days none.

Here are a few activities wherein you can participate as well. Breastfeeding or not, we do hope everyone shows support by sharing this blog post on your social media as well. Better yet, join us in one of our activities.

August 2: Breastfeeding Pinays: HAKAB NA!

Click link to join: http://bit.ly/HakabNaMnl2014

Breastfeeding Pinays is a collective of mothers, fathers, lactation counselors, and medical professionals who support, champion, and educate about breastfeeding. Admins of the Facebook Group is organizing this year’s simultaneous breastfeeding with The Big Latch On, aiming for a bigger number of attendees. The Hakab Na is being done to promote breastfeeding, especially in public.

Last year, despite heavy rains, we were able to gather at Aristocrat Restaurant in Roxas Blvd., Manila who graciously opened its doors as the event was supposed to be held outdoors. We actually had second thoughts on joining, but my husband, who was my number one supporter in giving the best food for our daughter. He wrote about last year’s activity here.

See you on this year’s hakaban on August 2 at Taguig.

August 9: LATCH BUMP: Breastfeeding Uncovered: Mission Possible

August will be an even busier month for me especially now that I’m part of an organization called LATCH. LATCH is a non-profit breastfeeding support and education group. Last June, I and the other Batch 5 LATCHers had a chance to talk about breastfeeding at a Yahoo Philippines Spotlight event.

Passionately talking about one advocacy closest to my heart (and my breast, pun intended).

It was my first time to talk about breastfeeding, so I am super duper excited and nervous that I have committed myself to give another talk–a breastfeeding testimonial–on July 26 at The Medical City! I can remember how I was more nervous giving that talk last month to a full house of pregnant moms and fathers (hooray for joining us!). It was so special because it was held a day before Fathers Day.

Last year, I was able to attend Dr. Jack Newman’s talk here in Manila, and was even luckier to have won the ticket for it (thanks, Eliza Ypon of The Painters Wife!). After Dr. Newman’s successful visit last year, LATCH is once again fortunate to host him, this time in three cities!

I had no idea who Dr. Newman was until I attended the whole day talk. It was Aria’s third birthday, but I knew I could not miss that chance. Here’s some scenes from last year’s event, and why we want you to attend, too.

Post by L.A.T.C.H.

Here’s a newsclip about that talk that came out on Salamat Dok:

Post by L.A.T.C.H.

So, if you are a mother, father, medical practicioner, or would want to support and promote breastfeeding more, attend his talk. See photo below for details and register now:

August 23: Breastfeeding Seminar hosted by Yahoo Philippines

Click photo to register. Limited slots only!

Yahoo Philippines hosts this breastfeeding talk on August 23 at the Yahoo Philippines headquarters. This is where I had my first talk last June.

August 30: Thanksgiving Mass in honor of Our Lady of La Leche

Just recently, a friend reached out to form a core group who will help propagate the devotion to Our Lady of La Leche, the title of our Blessed Mother in honor of nursing mothers. The Our Lady of La Leche Movement is planning to hold a special mass in celebration of breastfeeding month on August 30 at Mandaluyong. Watch out the blog or my Facebook Page for more details.–>UPDATE: See post here for complete details.

I prayed through her intercession especially on the early days of my nursing journey. An image of Our Lady is enshrined at our church, Shrine of Jesus. I was also fortunate that my church community was supportive of mothers like me to breastfeed their children. By taking the peer counselor certification of LATCH, I am praying that God will use me to promote, educate, and support more people in their breastfeeding journey.

And to cap off August, Aria will celebrate her fourth birthday! Actually, we still don’t have plans for that day. It will be a Sunday, so we have Mass Service. Will ask that our family be the main offerors for the 10:30AM Mass on August 31, so we invite you to join us and pray with us for the wonderful blessing of family. The Shrine of Jesus Children’s Choir serves for that mass as well, so it will be your chance to hear my choir sing Mass songs. So, please join us!

Likewise, it is the Feast Day of Saint Raymond Nonato, the patron saint of pregnant mothers, childbirth, and children. It was with such serendipity that my daughter was born on that Feast day, when we were all expecting a September baby. Read my birthing story here.

Check back the blog for more breastfeeding month activities. See you in one of them, or in all of them!

~ Touringkitty

10
Jul
2014

15 and 1

categories: Choirs, Madz, Uncategorized

Yesterday, after a full day of work (faculty meeting in the morning then choir rehearsal in the afternoon), I headed off to two important celebrations: the Shrine of Jesus’ 15th Anniversary of its consecration and dedication, and OA’s first death anniversary.

These two events coincided on the same time, so I had to fix my schedule. I sang for the Mass at the Shrine, missed the boodle fight dinner, and went to the dinner gathering albeit super late, where I missed the earlier memorial ceremony and Mass for Ma’am OA.

15: Falling in love…with a church

It is no secret how much I love serving at the Shrine of Jesus. For the past eight years of serving as children’s choir conductor, and eventually, as music ministry coordinator, I was molded into the person I am now. Thanks to my mentor, Monsignor Bobby Canlas, the Shrine Rector, from being a mere choirgirl, I am in the helm of the children’s choir now, and have handled important projects of the Shrine.

The past 15 years have been a true testament of God’s love to this church. With no parishioners living around the area, the Shrine community started with tens, then hundreds, then now, thousands. From that barren land stood only that church where no public transport dared to travel. Lay people from nearby provinces were called to serve. The Shrine eventually became a popular wedding, baptism, and reception venue, and a favourite among churchgoers when important church feast days like Holy Week and Christmas seasons come nearer.

Mons Bobby explained during the Mass how the Shrine of Jesus came to be. In 1995, during the 10th World Youth Day held in Manila, Philippines, then Pope John Paul II proclaimed to build a church in honor of that well attended and successful event. After four years, the church was inaugurated and named Shrine of Jesus, the Way the Truth, and the Life. Quite a mouthful for a church name, I first thought, but it originated in John Paul’s message during that Mass, that Jesus is our way, truth, and life.

What keeps us loyal to the Shrine? It’s the community it built. It’s the welcoming atmosphere among its volunteers. It’s the solemn and meaningful celebrations of the Holy Eucharist. It’s the “pakulo” we tirelessly prepare during special occasions.

Most of all, it’s a church that gives back. In 2008, my wedding year, some music ministry members were starting to plan projects for the benefit of the church. A simple concert will do, we said. Our Rector dreamed bigger for us. And out of that dream, we were able to have the Philippine Madrigal Singers perform at the CCP, and we were able to raise 1 million pesos for the PGH pediatric cancer patients. It was more than what we dreamed of. Of course, we were able to raise more than our target amount, so the rest went to several other institutions, and whatever was left went to the Shrine. We were just humbled and proud of that project.

Apart from it, and Mons Bobby does this all the time, he fervently asks the community to dig deeper into their pockets to give more during calamities. Give until it hurts, that’s what he reminds us always. Whatever is collected, he sends straight to the affected diocese.

The Shrine has been blessed because of its priests, its talented and generous lay people and churchgoers. The church is always misconstrued as strict, or sometimes, snob, especially when kids roam around during Mass. I’d say, disciplined is the proper word for it. And I would not have it any other way.

1: In memoriam

A year ago, Ma’am OA, as we would call the founder of the world-renowned choral group, the Madz, passed on.

The Madz is the Philippine Madrigal Singers. Ma’am OA is Prof. Andrea O. Veneracion, its founder. I wrote about her necrological rites last year here, and another blogpost months prior her passing on as my tribute to her here.

I, along with two more Madz alumni, came almost at the end of the program, but we’re glad to have made it. As OA would say, Just do it. So we braved EDSA traffic (which was unusual at already eight in the evening!), were served dinner, and listened to more singing and more testimonials to our dear Ma’am OA.

And the highlight of the night: this song.

Justice Magdangal de Leon and THE Sal Malaki who originally did the guitar and flute, er, should I say, whistle of the very first Madz song I learned in my church choir in high school. Happiness.

Happy 15th Anniversary to the Shrine of Jesus, and happy first year in heaven’s choral community, Ma’am OA.

This was the fundraising concert the Shrine co-organized. It was held two weeks before my wedding, that's why I was not able to sing anymore for this. I "resigned" from being Madz member in the middle of 2008, with much sadness but much fulfillment and memories in my heart. — 45 and 10: Madz’ 45th Anniversary and 10th Shrine Fiesta. This concert was held two weeks before my wedding. I “resigned” from being Madz member in the middle of 2008, with much sadness but much fulfillment and memories in my heart.

~ Touringkitty

06
Jul
2014

K5 Learning Program Review

categories: Homeschooling, Reviews

A couple of months back, I was invited by K5 Learning to try out their reading and math program. Just what I needed that time when I was not regularly homeschooling my child. I posted about it here.

So, here’s our review of the program. (Disclaimer: We were not able to finish the entire program because my persistent kid would just do this when she wants. Will tell you why in the review below.)

What we liked about K5 Learning Program:

You design your own program. You get to choose the level of your child after having her assessed, then choose which skills you’d want to focus on. I did this because I know which skills we should work on already since I’ve been teaching her already.

Free worksheets. For busy moms who want easy access to a library of worksheets, K5 had them all compiled for you. Just click and print, or save for future printing.

Compiles valuable resource on their Blog section. As a homeschooling and career mom, researching material for our lessons can be quite overwhelming. K5’s blog combines a great mix of external links, internal resources, and tips and tricks for the parent and the student, all in one website.

What we think can be improved:

Audio and sound bytes. This might be really minor, but I have a sound-sensitive child so perhaps I should take note of this. At one point, she told me to turn the sound off before we begin the K5 lesson. There’s this fanfare sound which ends each exercise that bothers her ears. So, I did turn off the sound, and she finished the activity. Though in the next lessons, we needed to listen to the sound for her reading, I was able to talk her out of it. I once noticed that the male voice sounded like a female, so maybe this can be improved as well.

Pacing of each exercise. Shorter instructions and extros, perhaps? We can’t move on to the next unless the sound byte is done with her dialogue or her counting or the instructions.

iPad app. Oh yes, this would be a very welcome improvement! Everyone turns on their iPad cos you just click and go. My daughter has all her writing and math supplements in her iPad. I do hope K5 considers this!

Certain sections I appreciated, like the reading comprehension and prediction, although I must say that some exercises there could still be improved. I had a hard time explaining the “what could happen next” exercise, mainly because the illustrations given were not that clear and comprehensible at first sight.

I’d recommend this program to supplement your child’s learning. I would still want Aria to try it, maybe in the next two years when she can better manipulate the mouse or trackpad on her own. I have, in the meantime, saved the worksheets for our homeschooling activities.

K5 learning is a good substitute to your kid’s computer time. Mix the learning and the playing in this program. The best news is, K5 is not only for kids, but for adults as well, giving us a wealth of information and ideas on how to successfully guide our child in his learning journey.

Why don’t you try it for yourselves? Get a 14-day free trial and optional assessment through this link and let me know how it goes.

~ Touringkitty

05
Jul
2014

Touringkittyps: Five for the mom traveller

categories: Touringkittyps, Travel

Travelling with your tot? Here are five things that never leave my bag.

First, what bag should you use? I have a big and lightweight bag where I can put both my kid’s and my stuff for the day.

Generic bag from the store that's got it all for you. Less than P500. Waterproof because it's plastic. — Generic bag from the store that’s got it all for you. Less than P500. Waterproof because it’s plastic.

I also have a nylon bag, a wee bit smaller but spacious. Waterproof as well.

Wonder what’s inside?

One of my current favourite things, the carabiner.

Carabin-what? A carabiner is a quick snapping metal hook. This is often used as keychain as you can easily hook it on your belt…slots? It’s called “sinturera” in Filipino but I don’t know its English equivalent! I hook these on my bag’s metal loop. Much useful when I do the grocery alone with my child. Saves my hands from carrying all those bags in each of your fingers; you can just clip all at once and go.

CIMG0383 — Quench your thirst easily, anytime, anywhere.

This water bottle I always hook on my carabiner on my bag. Much, much easy to carry water for the little one. Choose one which is easy to clean as well.

Tissue and hand sanitizers do the trick always for me. The all-natural hand sanitizer I got from Mommy Patch called Little Contessa. Spritz onto your child’s hands and to toys, furniture, high chairs, before use. I often save tissue I get from restaurants or fast food chains for unexpected use.

Ring sling saves my back from further injury when carrying my big day bag and my preschooler, sometimes a couple of grocery bags. I got two ring slings from Next9 which I bought in a department store.

Eco-bags are such a great hit nowadays, especially that some cities are going eco-friendly by eliminating plastic. Often, when we buy stuff, they will be packed in huge brown bags without handles. So, ecobags definitely saves my day!

What are your mini-lifesavers? Sharing is caring!

~ Touringkitty

03
Jul
2014

Touringkitty Travels: My first international trip

categories: Madz, Travel

Ten years ago, five countries, three months, two categories in one choral competition.

It was my first international trip. First time to be away from family. First time to ride a plane. First time in Europe. First time to join an international choral competition. These many firsts I had the pleasure to share with about 20 people. We collectively call ourselves the Philippine Madrigal Singers, or Madz to the legions of choral fans it has gathered through the years.

The first time will always be the most memorable. And as I celebrate my ten years of traveling, I’d like to share highlights of it through this post.

Pre-departure: How I got into the semicircle

The Madz quartet exams is for me, one of the, if not, the toughest, exam there is. I can still remember the scene. We were waiting for our turn outside the Minihall of the UP College of Music. Paneling for that quartet exam were Sir Mark, Ma’am OA (Prof. Andrea Veneracion, Madz founder), and Anna Abeleda (now Piquero, a Madz alumna and sought-after conductor who just got off of the Madz circle at that time). We were all anxious, excited, nervous, while listening to the other singers inside. It was like American Idol, literally, where you will be critiqued after singing. Passing that exam was our golden ticket to the upcoming European tour.

If I could remember right, OA just told me to vocalize everyday. I felt even more nervous as I did not know if I passed or not. Luckily I did. And was cast to join the tour.

Homesickness is a serious sickness

The first timers were stricken by so much homesickness that we were always on the hunt for an internet connection or a phone booth to call home even for a few minutes in a week. I spent so much on calling and sending SMS and paying for internet just to update my mom, my sister, and my boyfriend (now my husband) on where I was. We’d cry over the Harana songs of the male section of the Madz during concerts. During concerts, yes. We terribly missed home!

The three of us were first time travelers. Enrico was the youngest among the group and I was the youngest among the females. That's how we were so excited to see snow for the first time in the Dolomiti mountains in Italy. — The three of us were first time travelers. Enrico was the youngest among the group and I was the youngest among the females. That’s how we were so excited to see snow for the first time in the Dolomiti mountains in Italy.

Preparing for the tour

Before we left Manila, our schedule got tighter and tighter. We just had to sing and sing together, that’s why. We would have performances and rehearsals almost everyday. This is also to prepare our bodies and voices for the upcoming trip–which was equally busy. Ma’am OA met us the day before we left Europe to share stories and give advice. We got to meet her again halfway during the tour, when she followed us in one of the stops in France, which was incidentally, on the day of her birthday.

Tough assignments for a first timer

I did not know I could play guitar until Sir Mark asked me to. I had to always practice while in Manila to prepare me for my international debut! Each concert was nerve-wracking because aside from playing guitar, Sir Mark also entrusted me the task of being the pitchgiver. But all these definitely boosted my confidence on stage.

Mission: accomplished!

We brought home the bacon! Two bacons, even. We won two first prizes in the 50th Certamen Internacional de Habaneras y Polifonia in Torrevieja, Spain. It was a big moment for the Madz, that we even got busier as we arrived Manila.

And the rest of the traveling story, as they say, is history.

This was one of the songs we sung for that competition. A tu lado by Javier Busto (a friend of the Madz) and Anton Mena. Such a simple and beautiful habanera which made us win first prizes in the Habanera and Polyphony categories of the competition.

If there was only one thing I regretted, I should have written all these down! I had a journal in 2006 which was still with me, but photos of each trip will suffice.

Will photo post on the next blog post!

Meanwhile, read more posts about my first time travel with the Madz here and here. All Madz related posts are here.

~ Touringkitty

26
Jun
2014

Madz @ 50: The culmination of the golden year

categories: Madz

The 50th year celebration of our beloved choir ends with a two-night concert this last weekend of June.

The closing concert begins a rebirth of what has been, and always will be, the Madz way.

The past year featured concerts, tours, performances, homecomings, among the current and the alumni members. Once again, we gather on stage to do what we have loved doing best–singing with the Madz.

The Madz et al family, joins the celebration, too. Participants of the recently concluded Madz et al Festival will be performing as well.

The Sing Philippines Youth Choir, a vision of our founder, Prof. Andrea Veneracion, shall sing for the first time this weekend. Gathered through auditions held the past year, in cooperation with the CCP Cultural Exchange Department, these choristers will be performing compositions by Madz resident arrangers Ily Matthew Maniano and Nilo Alcala.

Join and be part of the choral celebration that is the Madz! Here’s looking forward to the next 50 years of the Madz and beyond.

Check the Madz Facebook Page for ticket details.

~ Touringkitty

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