Keeping the Kiddos Busy

Tin cans are not the only things that can be made into pretty crafts.  Most likely, you have a stash of used glass jars in your house.  You and your children can make a lot of things with them. After you wash the jars and remove their labels -- as well as any traces of the adhesive that was used to attach the labels -- there are countless ways of decorating them. You can paint them, tie ribbons around them, stick things on them, drip melted crayon on them... Just be careful that your kids don't break them and injure themselves . Then, you can use the finished product for many things. You can use them as organizers for various items, flower vases, or even as lanterns .  Here are some ideas of things you can do with glass jars and bottles .  Again, the limit is your imagination. 

A few days ago, I blogged about how you and your children can make serious music using recycled items like tin cans.  But music is just one thing you can make with tin cans.  You can also decorate them to reuse them as pencil holders or organizers for other items. Older kids can make lanterns out of them by boring holes in them and adding a lighted votive candle inside.  Tin cans can also  be transformed into toys like toy phones and stilts. You can paint them, glue things on them -- the limit is the imagination! Just be sure to remove jagged edges or cover them with layers of masking tape, for safety. Here are some ideas of things you can do with tin cans, with instructions. But like I said, the limit is the imagination!

(Image credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Stones_go.jpg) Igo is a Japanese board game of strategy where the object is to occupy as much territory as possible.  The rules are simple, but the game can get engagingly complex. It featured in a popular manga and anime series, Hikaru No Go .  The game has a worldwide following among people of all ages, and you and your children might fall in love with it as well. Unfortunately, igo boards are difficult to find especially during this lockdown.  But there are many venues to learn and play the game online -- like this website , for example. And this one . ( As always, make sure your children know the precautions to take when interacting with strangers online. ) Pretty soon, you and your children might be engrossed in what the American Go Foundation referred to as "the ancient game of emperors and samurai."

I never learned to play chess.  My friends who love chess say I am missing out on a lot of fun.  Chess is a way for you and your children to have fun together during this lockdown. It is also a way to develop decision-making skills, and it drives home the importance of considering consequences before acting. If you have an unused chess set at home and you know how to play, now is the time to bring it out and teach your children how.  This website is also a good place to learn chess.  It has pages with videos showing the rules and the basic moves. It also gives tips on strategy. It also allows you to play games against the computer and against other chess players.  There is also a forum where you can discuss chess with other enthusiasts. ( WARNING: Parents, please make sure your children know the precautions to take when dealing with random strangers online. ) Your children may be on the way to becoming the next chess champions.

A joke is going around in social media that with all the canned goods we are eating during the lockdown, we can play tumbang preso.   While that is a good idea, another thing you and your children can make with all those used tin cans is music.  Cans and many other throw-away household items can be recycled into homemade musical instruments. Here are some ideas. Most of the instruments you can make with recycled materials will be percussion instruments.  Your children will have fun playing them to accompany songs, or even to experiment with their own rhythms.  It may seem like childish play, but believe it or not, serious music has been made using recycled instruments.  Take this video for example: Soon, you may be able to enjoy a free concert in the comfort of your own home.

Last week I blogged about growing bean sprouts.  Bean sprouts are not the only food you and your children can grow at home.  You can grow food from kitchen scraps -- no trips to the store to buy seeds needed. The DOST-PCAARRD released easy-to-understand infographics on how to grow some of the most common vegetables from kitchen scraps.  I am reposting them here.  Do not be discouraged if your gardening efforts do not work the first time.  As many other things, gardening is learned through trial and error.  Gardening does not only teach science. It also teaches patience, hard work, and perseverance. But nothing beats the exhilirating feeling from seeing plants grow and reaping the fruits of your efforts.

(Image credit:  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Bali_Wayang_Kulit_shadow_puppet_Ramayana_Hanoman_dramatic_show_4.jpg) Many  cultures have their own version of shadow puppet theater .  Shadow puppet theater is an age-old method of storytelling and entertainment. It is a good way to stimulate your children's creativity and imagination.  They will enjoy putting up a shadow puppet play as well as watching one put up by others.  Best of all, it could be done with materials you most likely already have at home. Basic materials are a cardboard box, anything translucent that can be used as a light backdrop (like wax paper), a light source, stiff paper and sticks for the puppets, glue or adhesive tape,  a cutter, and a pair of scissors.  ( WARNING: Please assist your children in using cutters and scissors. )  There are many online tutorials on how to do it, like this one .  For your story, you can make a puppet show out of fairy tales, folk tales, nursery rhymes

This portrait of John F. Kennedy is made mostly of eggshells . Indeed, you and your children can make art using them if you do not throw them away.  Eggshell mosaics are easy to make, although you can also make them as complex as you want them. To make an eggshell mosaic, draw first your template on a sheet of paper. Decide what color you want for each part. After cleaning your eggshells, paint them your desired colors and sort them out.  Spread glue over each part of your template, then attach the eggshells according to your desired color scheme.  When the glue dries, you're done! Here is a Youtube tutorial showing how it's done. You can also use the same eggshell mosaic technique to decorate items like vases . Eggshell mosaics are an accessible version of an ancient art form , something you and your children will enjoy making at little or no cost.

My parents introduced me to poetry at a very young age. To this day, they recall how I could recite "The Owl and the Pussycat" from memory, and how I used to laugh with childlike delight at the word "bong-tree". That is what poetry appreciation is all about. It's not about big words like "caesura" and "iambic pentameter" or decoding obscure messages in poems, although these can come later. It is about falling in love with language and discovering the power of words. I owe my current vocations as a lawyer and as a writer to many things, but I am sure having been introduced to poetry at a young age had something to do with them. How do you teach your children poetry appreciation? Just read poems aloud to them.  Let them enjoy the sound of the words: the rhythm, the rhyme, the repetition of words and sounds... You can start off your children with the same " The Owl and the Pussycat " poem I started out with.  Another exercise

Lizards, rats, ants, cockroaches, spiders, moths...we adults find them disgusting but some children find them fascinating.  Scientists find them fascinating too.  In fact, there is a scientific research project, Never Home Alone, that solicits observations of indoor wildlife from citizen scientists - meaning, members of the general public like you and your children who may love observing nature.  The Never Home Alone project is part of a greater study of the state of the biodiversity of the planet. Some new species have even been discovered through the project. To participate, just create an account at the project's website and submit your observations -- including pictures, if any.  This app can help identify the species, and information on how to obscure your location for privacy purposes can be found here . As always, practice common sense when dealing with nature. Refrain from touching wild animals, for example. The diversity in nature is fascinating, and children ar

Growing your own food is one of the suggested survival tips for "the new normal", and there is no reason your children cannot help out. Growing sprouts is easy. Your children will be fascinated to see the sprouts germinate, they will learn patience, and they will feel a sense of fulfilment from knowing that they have contributed to putting food on the table. According to Elizabeth Millard, who wrote Indoor Gardening , sprouts are packed with enzymes, fiber, amino acids, vitamins, and other substances that are beneficial for the immune system. And they can enhance any meal or salad. According to Millard, alfalfa, brocoli, peas, and mung beans ( monggo ) are good varieties for sprouting.  All you need are the seeds, a clean jar, and a strainer or cheesecloth or thin dish towel. First, put the seeds in the jar, add several inches of warm water, and let the seeds soak overnight.  In the morning, drain the water through the strainer or cheese cloth or dish towel.  Add water a

A zine is just a homemade magazine.  It is a lot of fun to make, and you and your children can make it about any topic you want:  stories, poetry, artwork, hobbies, life during ECQ...All you need for a basic zine are sheets of paper, writing materials, and a pair of scissors.  Of course, you can make a more elaborate zine using additional materials if you want. This article describes a simple method for creating a zine.  Here are some other ideas. After you make your zine, you can scan it and e-mail it to family and friends. Or you can just keep it, for the whole family to read, enjoy, and be proud of.

At first, I hesitated to feature cooking and baking as an ECQ activity for children because it is harder than usual to source ingredients these days. But then, I realized that part of the fun of cooking is discovering what one could come up with using what is available.  For example, canned sardines make good toppings for pan de sal pizza: just shred the sardines using a fork, mix with the tomato sauce with which they were canned, spread it on open-faced slices of pan de sal, add grated cheese, and heat in a toaster oven. It's very easy to make and children can help with tasks like shredding the sardines and spreading the mixture on the pan de sal. The same recipe can be made using other kinds of bread. Even very young children can be handy in the kitchen. Under their parents' supervision, they can make simple appetizers like skewers of fruit pieces and sliced cheese.  Or crackers topped with cream cheese and cold cut slices, maybe an olive or pickle slice or two. Thes

Computer coding is a very valuable skill. Knowledge of computer ptogramming, website development, game development, data analysis, and other  related activities makes one desirable in the job market.  As society becomes more and more dependent on computers especially as physical distancing has forced us to transfer our activities online, people who know computer coding will become even more and more in demand.  Thus, encouraging your children to learn computer coding during these days of lockdown is a good idea. You and your children may learn coding for free at www.codeacademy.com  . For reasonable fees, you may also enroll in online coding classes at The Coding School .  The Coding School offers classes to children as young as six years old.  Tech requirements for the courses are indicated on the website. By learning computer coding during the extra free time provided by these days of lockdown, your children can turn lemons into lemonade by taking advantage of the idle time t

Today, instead of featuring a suggested activity for your children, I am featuring a read-aloud story for them written by my friend, the award-winning author Dr. Joem Antonio . Joem has won several Palanca awards for his plays and short stories for both adults and children.  He also conducts writing workshops for aspiring writers of all ages. If you are interested in letting him conduct an online workshop for you and your children, you may contact the Storywriting School at its website .  The story Joem tells is a heartwarming one which does not shy away from depicting harsh realities of life but views them from from children's innocent and sincere eyes. You will enjoy telling it to your children as I have enjoyed reading it.  Unfortunately there are no illustrations yet, but the absence of illustrations does not take away its charm. Without further ado: PAPER HUGS by Joem Antonio "Big Hug Race!" Ada raced Macky towards Mama as she entered the

Learning a new language is more than learning how to say or write things in another language. It opens you up to whole new worlds as it gives you access to new cultures, people, and ideas.  For this reason, encouraging your children to learn foreign languages during this lockdown is a good idea.  In fact, you might want to learn languages with them so that you all can practice speaking with each other. Most of all, learning a new language is fun. There are numerous language learning resources online.  There are downladable apps that teach languages through games and quizzes. ( WARNING: Some have the feature of enabling users to practice conversing with native speakers. Please make sure your children know how to protect themselves from the potential dangers involved in contacting random strangers over the Internet. Also, some language learning materials may have mature content. )  There are also online language courses such as this one for Spanish and this one for Japanese.  S

These days, we pin our hopes on scientists and engineers for solutions to the current crisis: not just cures and vaccines, but other innovations as well that respond to all the needs that the crisis has created. Your kids may be too young to come up with such solutions, but as early as now, you can already light the spark in them that will ignite the passion for scientific discovery and invention. But even if your children do not end up becoming scientists or engineers, encouraging an interest in these fields as early as now will help them grow up to be the science-literate citizens we need to decide on science-related issues affecting society. The best way to get your children into science is to keep it fun. Take note I wrote keep , not make.   Science does not have to be made fun; it already is. Children like experiments.  I suspect that most of the time, children get into mischief because they want to investigate things  - like the time I messed up my grandma's lipstick

Happy Easter! It is time to get festive -- not just today but for the rest of the Easter season. But how do you get festive during lockdown? Recently, a heartwarming video went viral.  It depicts how a mom and dad recreated a restaurant for their two small sons who have been wanting to eat out and who are too young to understand what the lockdown is all about.  For those of you who have young kids who are similarly situated, they will enjoy the same treat for a meal or two.  It will also be an opportunity to teach them proper table manners. If the young kids have older siblings, the older siblings can be enlisted to help recreate the restaurant setting.  They will enjoy it, and it might even lead them to careers in food and beverage or other related fields  someday.  They can help cook, decorate the dining room (perhaps even try out some fancy napkin folding ), and play roles such as waiter or waitress. Those who are playing waiter or waitress, as well as the chef, can even

UPDATE: according to my uncle, the spiritual retreat will be postponed to the end of April. But this blog will nevertheless take a break in observance of the Easter Triduum, and I will be praying for all my readers just the same. This blog will take a break during the Easter Triduum ( Holy Thursday - Black Saturday). I plan to spend those days in silent spiritual retreat to be facilitated  online by my priest-uncle. I will be praying for all of you, my readers, during the retreat. No doubt my Catholic readers will also be observing the Easter Triduum in their own ways. For those who want to also do the retreat, please look out for announcements at my uncle's  blog.   You may also want to take your family on an online "Visita Iglesia" at https://bit.ly/2Rf2A6V  where visitors will be taken on a 28-minute 360 degree tour of 14 different Catholic churches in the country. Children can be encouraged to observe the Triduum too.  Those who are old enough can be en

Paper weaving is easy to learn and to do.  For very young children, it is a good way to introduce the concepts of "over" and "under".   The only materials needed are paper, scissors, and glue or paste or adhesive tape.  Your designs can be as easy or as complicated as you want; you can experiment with different color combinations.  In any case, the result will look pretty just the same. Some instructions to get started are here and here . You can post the weaving on the wall as a work of art. You can also use paper weaving to make cards, bookmarks, and other similar items. Older children who want a bit of a challenge might even want to try weaving paper baskets.  Here are instructions to make two kinds of baskets: one out of colored construction paper, another out of rolled strips of newspaper. Here are more ideas of things you can do with paper weaving.  There are countless others in the Internet.

Encouraging kids to read is an obvious choice of an activity during lockdown that it needs no introduction.  But some parents may be wondering how to do it, especially in these times when electronic gadgets attract children's attention more than books. Here are some tips: Be involved, or at least, interested . The simple act of initiating a conversation with children about what they are reading can reinforce good reading habits. Ask them what they are reading, listen to them when they talk about it, and talk to them about it. Talking to children about their readings is also an opportunity to encourage critical thinking, impart values, and explain complicated topics. Keep it light and easy... Do not make reading a chore or else all the more will children not like it. Also, in a conversation I had with a friend who has written award-winning children's stories, he complained to me that a lot of children's books being published these days are too serious. I tend to agre

Clerihews are fun to write. They are humorous poems about people  - famous people, people you know, or even fictional characters. A clerihew has four lines. The first and second lines rhyme with each other. The first line names or identifies the person who is the subject of the clerihew. The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other. Syllable counts do not matter in clerihews. A clerihew is funny. (Take note that I wrote "funny", not "mean". It is not a good idea to write clerihews that insult or bully others.  Be careful about posting your clerihews online.) Here is my favorite clerihew written by G.K.  Chesterton about Cervantes, where he pokes gentle fun at the rivalry between Spain's and Italy's most famous writers: "The people of Spain think Cervantes Equal to half-a-dozen Dantes; An opinion resented most bitterly By the people of Italy." Like I wrote above, clerihews can even be written about fictional characters, l

When I was a kid, I taught myself the alphabet in sign language just for fun. It was worth it, because I could communicate with my dad's deaf cousin during family reunions. It was wonderful being able to connect with her, to see how her silent world is just as rich as mine. Filipino sign language is another skill you and your children can learn during the extra free time available in these days of lockdown. Start with the alphabet, then learn one phrase or word at a time. Practice the signs again and again until you master them. Here are videos that demonstrate some basic signs: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXbEzZsWfyODLbSOi77T0-w https://youtu.be/_PYpGJdFt5w https://youtu.be/Gk9h7PYCXtQ There are also many downloadable apps that can help you learn Filipino Sign Language. They can be found at Google Play Store. You may have to pause and replay the videos again and again while learning the signs. Learning Filipino Sign Language is more than just a wholesome div

Image credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Einbanddurchreibung_von_Stempeln_%280116%29.jpg "Tripsigraph" is just a fancy term for "rubbing". A rubbing is very easy to make. Put any textured object - a coin, a leaf, a doily, etc. - under a sheet of paper, then, using a crayon or a soft-grade pencil, rub the surface of the paper that covers the textured item. You will end up with an impression of the item on the sheet of paper. Your kids (and most likely you too) will enjoy making rubbings. And there are many things you can do with them. They can stand alone as works of art, or you can mount them on thicker paper or cardboard  to make cards, bookmarks, gift tags, place cards, and other paper crafts. Have fun!

Learning to tie knots is a staple activity of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. But your kids need not be Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts in order to learn to tie knots. Knot-tying is a useful skill to learn. It comes in handy in outdoor activities or even in household chores like installing a clothesline between two poles. It may even help save someone's life, as knots are often used in search-and-rescue operations. There are many online resouces to help your kids learn different knots. This website , for example, has easy-to-follow videos showing how different knots are tied. This article also has videos on how to tie ten of the most basic knots, as well as explanations of what each knot is used for. In learning to tie knots, practice is important. Your kids can practice using ropes, cords, or even bathrobe sashes. ( Note: young children should be supervised to prevent the danger of strangulation. ) For some knots like the clove hitch, they will need a ruler or a stick or a rod to pr

Your children will be hits at your next party or school talent show if they can entertain with magic tricks.  You might also want to learn these tricks yourself for fun. A lot of magic tricks are easy enough for children to learn. This website is especially designed for children who want to learn magic tricks. There are also many instructional videos on Youtube. The extra free time during these days of community quarantine can be spent learning, rehearsing, and mastering magic tricks. Your children should practice the tricks again and again until they can perform them confidently and without giving away the secrets. Pretty soon, they will be able put up their own magic show to amuse and delight.