The Pups class went on the 2nd field trip last Friday. They visited the local post office, police station, fire station, the Archibishop's Palace and .... Krispy Kreme. Baz came home and explained in detail what he saw. At the post office, he learned about the use of stamps and saw "flat rectangle holes" for Metro Manila, US, Visayas and Mindanao (he's editing me as I write and asked me to erase "Luzon" which I placed before Visayas). He also learned how letters are sorted into "boxes of different countries" and how letters are "placed inside square boxes inside the room" and how they are "given out outside the window".
At the police station, he saw saw "a cage with many round bottles" and the pictures of "bad people near the door".
At the fire station, he saw a fireman with "a blue and yellow suit with the hooks and holes and a helmet with a glass here (visor)." He also saw the "fireman with a firetruck, which has a hose connected to the rooftop of the firetruck. He described the hose as having a "snoozer with a shower at the end to spray the water".
At the Archbishop's Palace, he saw many seats near the "altar table where the priests celebrates the heavens and there was a big entrance, like that, like that (moving his arms to show an arch), and there was a tall tower and then there was Mama Mary on the balcony on top of the tower". Since he's very much into architecture and structures, he gave me more details on the church's structure which I am not able to capture here.
Here is a video of Baz relating what he saw at Krispy Kreme. See how descriptive he is and how much detail he is able to retain and communicate, even days after his trip.
The Krispy Kreme Report from malou.khan on Vimeo.
7.20.2008
Chick-Boy
Hadrien LIKES girls. Once, he asked his classmate Sophie to be his girlfriend right in front of her mother - then realizing what he had done, ran to hide behind me.
Now in his new school, he talks about the other girls in his class - Cathy, Paige and Carmen. Although he's consistently said that Joaquin is his bestfriend. He enjoys holding Carmen's hand when they sing "The More We Get Together". He even named a comb (of all things!) "Carmen" and pushed the comb around the house as if it were a car while saying that the comb was the "Carmen Comb Car--- but don't tell Carmen".... Don't ask me where he got the idea - but it sure is funny!
"Don't Tell Carmen" from malou.khan on Vimeo.
Now in his new school, he talks about the other girls in his class - Cathy, Paige and Carmen. Although he's consistently said that Joaquin is his bestfriend. He enjoys holding Carmen's hand when they sing "The More We Get Together". He even named a comb (of all things!) "Carmen" and pushed the comb around the house as if it were a car while saying that the comb was the "Carmen Comb Car--- but don't tell Carmen".... Don't ask me where he got the idea - but it sure is funny!
"Don't Tell Carmen" from malou.khan on Vimeo.
7.09.2008
Hadrien the Artiste
The first time Hadrien asked me to post his work on this blog, I was amazed and guilty. Amazed that he had a concept of bragging about his work online. Guilty that he may have felt that we weren't giving him enough credit for his work.
Here are a couple of his works:
I can hear him say "that's a check" when I look at this. See, the boys now receive checkmarks when they finish their meal without getting up from their place or if they pack away their toys and get x's when they disobey, don't finish their food, etc. It works for the most part and is generally a great way to discipline them (emphasis on the "generally"). I guess Hadrien thought to himself, "hey, I deserve a check for this" and gave himself one without forgetting to explain to his teachers what he just did.
Here are a couple of his works:
I can hear him say "that's a check" when I look at this. See, the boys now receive checkmarks when they finish their meal without getting up from their place or if they pack away their toys and get x's when they disobey, don't finish their food, etc. It works for the most part and is generally a great way to discipline them (emphasis on the "generally"). I guess Hadrien thought to himself, "hey, I deserve a check for this" and gave himself one without forgetting to explain to his teachers what he just did.
7.06.2008
School Time
Baz and Hadrien started school mid- June. Baz is in the Kinder Pups class while Hadrien is in the Nursery Panda class. Hadrien easily settled into school and the routine and is always eager to be in school much earlier than he needs to be. Not that Baz doesn't like school, he just hasn't chosen to participate yet. The good thing though is that he has started talking in the hallways and grounds.
Having been briefed on and after experiencing Baz's "silent treatment" quirk, teachers Rosana, Karen and Aiza suggested that we make a video of Baz introducing his family and home to coincide with their community theme. This would show his curious friends that he actually talks! True enough, little faces lit up and went from video screen to Baz upon hearing his voice.
Baz's Family and Home Video from malou.khan on Vimeo.
As for Hadrien, he is turning out to be the ultimate "sipsip". When I ask him how school went, he would brag "I shared my cookie with teacher Ingrid and teacher Nika!" Ingrid also told me how one time, thinking that the class was becoming too noisy, got the "quiet" sign for teacher to hold up. To think that Yaya Andora reports to me that his voice usually stands out whenever his class is in the playground!
We've also started doing homework (not assigned homework from school). I figure they need to get into the habit of working even before the real homework comes pouring in :) So far, they enjoy it a lot. Baz does english and math exercises while Hadrien is practicing writing and is learning the sounds of the letters (M says "mmmm", W says "daba"!)
Having been briefed on and after experiencing Baz's "silent treatment" quirk, teachers Rosana, Karen and Aiza suggested that we make a video of Baz introducing his family and home to coincide with their community theme. This would show his curious friends that he actually talks! True enough, little faces lit up and went from video screen to Baz upon hearing his voice.
Baz's Family and Home Video from malou.khan on Vimeo.
As for Hadrien, he is turning out to be the ultimate "sipsip". When I ask him how school went, he would brag "I shared my cookie with teacher Ingrid and teacher Nika!" Ingrid also told me how one time, thinking that the class was becoming too noisy, got the "quiet" sign for teacher to hold up. To think that Yaya Andora reports to me that his voice usually stands out whenever his class is in the playground!
We've also started doing homework (not assigned homework from school). I figure they need to get into the habit of working even before the real homework comes pouring in :) So far, they enjoy it a lot. Baz does english and math exercises while Hadrien is practicing writing and is learning the sounds of the letters (M says "mmmm", W says "daba"!)
7.02.2008
Hiatus
I've just realized that we haven't posted anything in nearly two months. Yet a lot has happened: we were in the States for most of May to attend Na-a's graduation and then we drove down to Disneyworld; then in June the boys started school in Ex-. We'll update the posts as soon as possible, but right now let me start off with a list of ten fun things from the boys' summer vacation, in no particular order:
1. Enjoying every bit of Disneyworld, particularly the log ride
2. Playing in Madison Square Park
3. Seeing astronauts at the Kennedy Space Center
4. Avoiding getting drenched by Shamu
5. Visiting with the "good" and "bad" dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History
6. The company of cousins Ian, Arianna, Alex and Gabrielle, and friend Teo
7. The big blocks at the National Building Museum
8. Denny's, Friendly's and Perkins, and Holiday Inn, Best Western, Hampton Inn and Comfort Suites, with Daddy, Mommy, Gramps, Gramma and Auntie Genni
9. All the stuff at the Baltimore Children's Museum
10. The cannons and other forms of "gunning" in Charleston, Savannah and Richmond
We'll be posting about these places and events soon!
1. Enjoying every bit of Disneyworld, particularly the log ride
2. Playing in Madison Square Park
3. Seeing astronauts at the Kennedy Space Center
4. Avoiding getting drenched by Shamu
5. Visiting with the "good" and "bad" dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History
6. The company of cousins Ian, Arianna, Alex and Gabrielle, and friend Teo
7. The big blocks at the National Building Museum
8. Denny's, Friendly's and Perkins, and Holiday Inn, Best Western, Hampton Inn and Comfort Suites, with Daddy, Mommy, Gramps, Gramma and Auntie Genni
9. All the stuff at the Baltimore Children's Museum
10. The cannons and other forms of "gunning" in Charleston, Savannah and Richmond
We'll be posting about these places and events soon!
5.04.2008
Hadrien's 3rd Birthday (Cont.)
Hadrien hosted an intimate dinner with family on his birthday. He chose Fely J's - a "comfort food" place in Greenbelt 5 run by the same people who own Abe's in Serendra and Cafe Adriatico in Malate. Gramps, Gramma, Papa, Mama, Aunties Genni and Ritchie, Uncle Jolly and Tita Kristine, Graunties Enya and Neny, Granuncle Ernie and Uncle Japes, and Yaya Dora and Lita were all there!
Hadrien was early, and entertained himself by drawing with his pastel crayons:
He's in his Jackson Pollock phase, apparently. Here he explains to Auntie Genni that the black part of the painting represents "darkness" (his word - he didn't say, "night").
The "darkness" is riven by flashes of red ("fire") and yellow ("lightning"). But apparently there's a double meaning: the red and yellow also represent the "sun" - it's rising because it's almost morning. The Grandparents' Committee was impressed and congratulated him on his latest work:
It was a good meal, and later the waiters and waitresses came out with a birthday cake (actually, three slices of cake with candles on top) singing "Happy Birthday!" loudly, startling Hadrien who, nonetheless, responded with equanimity and his "nguso" style of candle blowing.
He was so excited to be the center of attention that he wouldn't eat at first, until Daddy (pretended) to call Teachers Maica and Weng to tell them that Hadrien wasn't eating his meal. With his "No, no, no!" he immediately began eating prompting Auntie Ritchie to remark that I was playing off his desire to maintain his "good boy" public image in school!
The ebullient host, in his favorite Doraemon shirt, shown here with his entourage:
He rolls 15 deep!
Hadrien was early, and entertained himself by drawing with his pastel crayons:
He's in his Jackson Pollock phase, apparently. Here he explains to Auntie Genni that the black part of the painting represents "darkness" (his word - he didn't say, "night").
The "darkness" is riven by flashes of red ("fire") and yellow ("lightning"). But apparently there's a double meaning: the red and yellow also represent the "sun" - it's rising because it's almost morning. The Grandparents' Committee was impressed and congratulated him on his latest work:
It was a good meal, and later the waiters and waitresses came out with a birthday cake (actually, three slices of cake with candles on top) singing "Happy Birthday!" loudly, startling Hadrien who, nonetheless, responded with equanimity and his "nguso" style of candle blowing.
He was so excited to be the center of attention that he wouldn't eat at first, until Daddy (pretended) to call Teachers Maica and Weng to tell them that Hadrien wasn't eating his meal. With his "No, no, no!" he immediately began eating prompting Auntie Ritchie to remark that I was playing off his desire to maintain his "good boy" public image in school!
The ebullient host, in his favorite Doraemon shirt, shown here with his entourage:
He rolls 15 deep!
Bad Bear!!!
Hadrien and I are just chillin' this weekend at home, principally because I threw my back out and can't stand. We've both been reading our respective books (me, Michael Chabon's Yiddish Policeman's Union; Hadrien, his Shark Pop-Up Book) and last night, watched Auntie Ritchie as she guested on an ABS-CBN news show to speak about World Press Freedom Day:
For the past couple of weeks Hadrien's play has involved getting away from the "Bad Bear." This started with Baz and him pretending to ride a boat surrounded by "bad crocodiles" or the "bad shark" - the only times they're allowed to do "gunning" i.e. pretending to shoot these bad creatures with a gun, as other times gun play is forbidden. (Hadrien gets around that by saying that he's "spraying," not "gunning.") Then it became "bad bear" - think black grizzly bear.
Hadrien's first reaction is to run away from the bad bear, so he gets me, Mommy or whoever else is visiting (yesterday it was Gramps and Gramma) to get on his bus, which he then drives away with the bad bear chasing:
Notice the passenger seats behind Hadrien's driver's seat. Once, seated on the third seat, I pretended the bad bear had run fast enough to grab me. Hadrien stopped his bus, got off, pulled me back into my seat, then ran back to his seat to drive away.
Looking out for the bad bear was also a theme of this Diego playset installation he made:
The 'propeller' is actually a wind machine that you turn on when you see the bad bear, blowing the bad bear away. Diego stands by the rail, looking out for the bad bear, who might come through the forest at the base of Jaguar Mountain.
But lest you overanalyze this play theme and think that "bad bear" is some deep, disturbing fear that Hadrien's trying to confront, bear in mind that "bad bear" isn't all bad. After all, Hadrien takes the time to talk to him on his walkie-talkie, saying among other things, "Hello? Bad Bear? Stop fighting me! OK, bye bye."
And, "Hello? Bad Bear? I know the flags and you don't, hahahaha!" (That is, his flash card Flags of the World, in which he's mastered recognition of the flags of countries as diverse Vietnam, Somalia and the Czech Republic.) OK, so it's not exactly a friendly conversation with 'bad bear," but at the same time, it shows that he isn't scared enough to not taunt him.
For the past couple of weeks Hadrien's play has involved getting away from the "Bad Bear." This started with Baz and him pretending to ride a boat surrounded by "bad crocodiles" or the "bad shark" - the only times they're allowed to do "gunning" i.e. pretending to shoot these bad creatures with a gun, as other times gun play is forbidden. (Hadrien gets around that by saying that he's "spraying," not "gunning.") Then it became "bad bear" - think black grizzly bear.
Hadrien's first reaction is to run away from the bad bear, so he gets me, Mommy or whoever else is visiting (yesterday it was Gramps and Gramma) to get on his bus, which he then drives away with the bad bear chasing:
Notice the passenger seats behind Hadrien's driver's seat. Once, seated on the third seat, I pretended the bad bear had run fast enough to grab me. Hadrien stopped his bus, got off, pulled me back into my seat, then ran back to his seat to drive away.
Looking out for the bad bear was also a theme of this Diego playset installation he made:
The 'propeller' is actually a wind machine that you turn on when you see the bad bear, blowing the bad bear away. Diego stands by the rail, looking out for the bad bear, who might come through the forest at the base of Jaguar Mountain.
But lest you overanalyze this play theme and think that "bad bear" is some deep, disturbing fear that Hadrien's trying to confront, bear in mind that "bad bear" isn't all bad. After all, Hadrien takes the time to talk to him on his walkie-talkie, saying among other things, "Hello? Bad Bear? Stop fighting me! OK, bye bye."
And, "Hello? Bad Bear? I know the flags and you don't, hahahaha!" (That is, his flash card Flags of the World, in which he's mastered recognition of the flags of countries as diverse Vietnam, Somalia and the Czech Republic.) OK, so it's not exactly a friendly conversation with 'bad bear," but at the same time, it shows that he isn't scared enough to not taunt him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)