Friday, April 13, 2012
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Populasyong Umaasa at Inaasahan
More Sibika songs...
Populasyong Umaasa at Inaasahan
(tune: Twinkle...Twinkle Little Star)
Populasyon ang tawag
sa kabuuang bilang
ng mga tao sa isang lugar
o di kaya sa pamayanan
Populasyong umaasa o inaasahan
Ating pag-aralan ang kaibahan.
Sanggol at mga bata
pati kabataan
ay karaniwang inaalagaan.
Sila'y pumapasok pa sa paaralan
umaasa sa magulang sa pangangailangan.
Matatanda naman ay mahina na
kabilang sila sa umaasa.
Naghahanap buhay at inaasahan
upang matugunan mga pangangailangan
sila'y may husto nang gulang
at malakas ang pangangatawan.
Nagbibigay serbisyo o produkto man
kabilang sila sa inaasahan.
Be blessed.
Happy Homeschooling!
Yamang Tao
Just a quick sharing about our Sibika lessons for the quarter.
We have been singing our "Sibika" songs to review concepts as we prepare for the quarterly test.
Yamang Tao
(tune: Bahay Kubo)
Mga mamamayan
mahalagang yaman
talino at lakas
ito'y yamang likas.
Sa sipag at tiyaga
lahat nagagawwa
natutugunan
mga pangangailangan.
Tanod, bumbero
pulis at sundalo
sila'y nangangalaga
kaligtasan ng bansa.
Magsasaka, mangingisda
pagkain ang biyaya
doktor at nars naman
sagot ang kalusugan.
Kartero, panadero,
minero, sapatero,
dentista, tindera,
at may mananahi pa.
Guro, abogado,
arkitekto, enhinyero,
mga manggagawa
tunay na yaman ng bansa.
Sorry for not being able to post the past weeks. I have been very busy with some minor renovations in our home and I must admit that it is disrupting our daily routines.Few more weeks to go and hopefully we will be back in full swing though I am trying my best to slowly get back to our "normal" schedule.
Be blessed.
Happy Homeschooling!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Mga Uri ng Pamayanan
This week's Sibika lesson is all about - "Mga Uri ng Pamayanan". When planning for this week's lessons, I thought that it would be easier now since Joshua is showing great interest in learning Filipino words. He asks for the Filipino or English translations of words he could not understand. Since the "Ako ay Pilipino" song was a hit last week, I thought of making another song for this week. I find the lesson for this week more challenging than that of last week. The Filipino words are longer and much harder to pronounce and understand.
And the challenge continues....
If you have more suggestions on how to teach this subject effectively, please feel free to send me a message. I really do need a lot of ideas to help me make Sibika lessons exciting and easier for my children to understand. :)
Here is another song that hopefully would help you in introducing or reviewing the concept of "pamayanan".
Rural at Urban
(tune: Leron Leron Sinta)
Mga uri ng pamayanan
atin ngayo'y pag-aralan.
Ito'y maaring ayon
sa dami ng naninirahan.
Takbo ng pamumuhay
atin din titignan.
Ano kaya ang kaibahan
ng rural at urban?
Masikip at siksikan
madami ang naninirahan
makabagong pamamaraan
pati na kagamitan
matataas na mga gusali
iba't ibang mga sasakyan
modernong pamumuhay
sa pamayanang urban
Pamayanang rural naman
kaunti ang naninirahan
buhay dito ay simple lang
layu-layo ang tirahan
dito naman ay makaluma
pati kagamitan
maaaring may taniman
o pangisdaan
At first, the kids seemed interested just with the melody of the song. They were more interested with the guitar than the lesson. Hmmm... I made an effort to post the words on the board not just for the kids to read but actually, it is for me to remember what I wrote. There was resistance at first, showing lack of interest in what we were doing (ouch....that hurts!) So while playing the guitar and doing my own "revival" of the song "Leron leron Sinta", I raked my brain for ideas as to how to make the kids interested in our lesson. Thank God that I spotted our box of musical instruments. I asked the kids to close their eyes for a surprise ( I was crossing my fingers that they would actually be surprised....) I opened the box and asked the kids to choose an instrument that they would want to use. We first worked with a steady beat. When I felt that their excitement was slowly building up, I asked them to again sing the song with me while we play our instruments to a steady beat. We played a little game of passing our instruments to the next person after each stanza so the kids were able to experiment with 3 different instruments. I also made paper strips where I wrote phrases descriptive of each community. I posted "Pamayanang Rural" on one side of the table and "Pamayanang Urban" on the other side. Both kids were holding equal number of paper strips and while humming the melody of the song, they chose which "pamayanan" was best described by the paper strip they were holding.
We played another round of the same game and this time they did it individually given 2 minutes to complete the game. The kids had so much fun and was trying to outdo each other and they requested to play the game a few more times. Hurray!
Mission accomplished!
Thank you, Lord for another fruitful week.
Need to start planning for next week's lessons....
Until next week....
Be blessed!
Happy Homeschooling!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
And The Journey Continues....
It's been almost a month since my last blog post and almost 2 weeks since we started School Year 2011-2012. So much has happened in the past weeks and one of the highlights of our journey was the beginning of another homeschooling year. So far, the kids are enjoying every homeschooling moment. Aside from routines to be established, daily chores to be done, the fresh scent of new books, assignments also need to be accomplished when their dad arrives home from work. Though we homeschool, we still see the importance of giving them with just a page or two to answer either independently or with their dad or an activity they can do with dad that can help them review the concepts learned for the day. The kids excitedly show-off their accomplishments as they tell stories about what happened during the day.
Sibika remains to be our waterloo. Much effort is needed in planning how to make the lessons interesting for the kids. This week's lesson is about Filipino Character Traits - "Mga Katangian ng Isang Pilipino" (Grade 2 Sibika). I thought of teaching it with a song since both kids respond to music positively and it is easier for them to remember concepts when there is singing/music involved. I also thought of adding a simple action for each of the character traits and... lo and behold...the kids had a blast singing the song (even if it got me confused at first, if we were singing or playing a tongue twister game) and memorizing Filipino character traits! It was also easier for them to understand what traits Filipinos are known for. We even played a game wherein they took turns in guessing the character trait being described. They even requested for us to sing the song before we started lessons this morning.
Sharing with you our song and hoping it would be of help to you, too.
Ako ay Pilipino
(tune: Building a Community)
Ako, ako, ako ay Pilipino.
Ako, ako, ako ay Pilipino
Ako, ako, ako ay Pilipino.
Ako ay Pilipino.
la..la..la...
Ang batang Pilipino
ay matulungin
mapagmahal sa bayan
at madasalin.
Ang batang Pilipino
ay magalang din
mahusay makisama
at masayahin.
**you can also change ako to...
... ikaw
... siya
...sila
...tayo
Be blessed!
Happy Homeschooling!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Seven Years and ...Beyond!
Dear Joshua,
"This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." It is truly a joyful day for us for today you are 7. We praise and thank God, the giver of life, for another year for you, our dearest son. God showed us His great love and mercy by answering our prayers for a child and giving you to us. You are one of our greatest blessings from heaven. Our God's gift!
I can still very well remember the anticipation and excitement we felt when you were about to be born. We prepared to go early to the hospital and everyone in the family were excited for your arrival. Daddy Nel and Ninong Jojo drove me to the hospital and they even let me have breakfast at Jollibee. No wonder, even if you can't eat anything from Jollibee, it still remains to be your favorite. I honor you for the discipline you are showing everytime we go to restaurants and you can't order anything for yourself except for "extra" rice and will have to eat daddy or mommy's homecooked meals especially prepared for you. I admit that it breaks my heart everytime we eat out and you can't have anything but happiness fills my heart when I see you being so contented with just being with us in the restaurant, eating your "baon" and happily looking at the colorful poster displays and collecting the store's flyers. I thank God for your self control and discipline.
Remember when we went to Ate Jill's party at Marquinton? We were happy that you showed interest to join the "pabitin". We were a little worried that you might grab other children's toys but how you handled yourself made us so proud of you. You never grabbed, you never hurt but instead had your eye on that one toy that you really liked among the many toys hanging on the "pabitin". When you got what you wanted, you quietly walked away from the crowd and headed back to us happily showing us the toy that you got. We never expected you to act that way and what you did that day made us very happy and proud. In our hearts we know that you are indeed on your way to recovery. You were focused to get what you wanted and was contented with just one and allowed the others to have their share. Bravo our dear warrior prince!
I honor you for the love you consistently show us, hugging and kissing us and always saying how much you love us. I appreciate every word of endearment coming from you for I know how sincere you are when you say those words and it is a manifestation of the purity of your heart. I thank God for each and every single day for giving me the opportunity to love and to care for you and your sister and for blessing Daddy Nel with work which gives us the provision for all our family's needs. Thank you for making us happy with your effort to obey and follow what we ask you to do even if at times I know how frustrating or tiring it can be for you. Thank you for always trying your best and for never giving up for it gives us so much hope and energizes our hearts to continue fighting our battle to overcome your condition. Though there are times when I feel so physically and emotionally tired, looking back to where we started and seeing where you are now, allows me to refocus and gives me the inspiration to go on and finish the fight. You are an inspiration to us. Your obedience to us, your parents, and to the will of the Father will surely bring us to our promised land.
Today, I am affirmed that my vision for you to stand in front of people witnessing how the Lord has healed you and telling them how much love the Lord has for you and for everyone is happenning really soon. Continue to pray and believe in your healing and recovery. The Lord is merciful and kind. He surely listens to your every prayer. Please include in your prayers children just like you and their families who are also fighting the same battle as ours. They, too, need love and prayers.
We love you so much! Cheers to 7 years and ....beyond!
With so much love,
Mommy Jen
Monday, April 25, 2011
Ask, Seek, Knock
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." - Matthew 7:7-8
"Ask and it will be given to you..."
After 2 years of praying and waiting for a child, God finally answered our prayers. He gave us Joshua Rafael, our first born. As first time parents, we were excited and we started to have big dreams for our son. Two years after his birth, we received his diagnosis. We were told that autism is a developmental condition and the cause is still unknown. We were asked to prepare ourselves to care for him since the condition lasts for a lifetime. Did the doctor just say lifetime??? Ouch! That hurts! It hurts really really bad. And to put icing on the cake, we were also told that he may not be able to live a normal life.
That day, we stopped dreaming for our dear son.
All we wanted was for us to understand him better and to provide for his needs.
There was a possibility that he may never talk.
He may never do things on his own.
He may never make it to school or to college.
He may never call me, "mommy".
That day, we stopped dreaming.
"Seek and you will find...."
He learned how to put together the pieces of a puzzle even before he learned how to talk.
Almost a year after his diagnosis, he began to talk.
Six months after, he was talking in phrases.
Then in sentences.
Now he talks non stop!
He read his first children's storybook when he was 4.
He was learning so fast and we were amazed with his progress.
He was recommended to attend a regular preschool class.
After spending 2 years in a SPED school, he was mainstreamed in 2008.
After 3 years of Occupational Therapy, he was discharged from OT services in December 2009.
He learned how to swallow a capsule in 2009.
Now he swallows capsules of all shapes and sizes.
He drinks his medicines on his own. He knows which medicine to take and when to take it.
He knows his medicine schedule more than his dad.
He bathes himself and dresses up on his own.
He chooses his own clothes.
He prays before eating.
He eats on his own, carries his plate and cup to the sink, and volunteers to wash it.
He is disciplined to eat only the food that we prepare for him or those that are inside his lunchbox.
He knows how to use the computer.
He remembers all passwords.
You Tube is his favorite site and since he is only allowed to go to that site with my permission, he knows how to press the "escape" button when he feels that I am about to enter the room.
He greets us good morning upon waking up and gives us a hug and a kiss.
He knows how to make us laugh.
He loves his sister dearly and enjoys playing with her. I love listening to them argue once in a while :)
He knows how to say sorry when he does something that we do not approve of.
He memorizes the words of a song after listening to it a few times.
He remembers even the smallest detail in a magazine or newspaper ad.
He loves to read.
Language is his favorite subject.
He loves to draw both on paper and on his megasketcher.
He even made his own layout of SM City Masinag.
He is learning how to play the piano.
He is asking so much questions that sometimes I find very difficult to answer.
He now complains why he has to do a lot of work. But he still does it anyway.
He does errands in the house such as setting the table and sweeping the floor.
He packs away his toys and school materials.
He is now learning how to play basketball and soccer.
He asks his dad to play basketball with him on weekends.
He knows how to ride a bike with training wheels.
He behaves for the entire duration of the mass and participates actively in singing the mass songs.
He enjoys listening to Tito Bo Sanchez preach each and every Sunday at the Feast.
He raises his hands and sing songs of praise and worship to our God.
He writes his prayer of healing and recovery.
He prays for healing for sick family members and friends.
He prays the rosary and knows what mystery to pray for the day.
He is interested in learning the Japanese language and culture.
He counts in Japanese and knows the days of the week and months of the year in Japanese.
He sings "Mary had a Little Lamb" in Japanese and knows a few Japanese greetings.
He learned the Visayan song,"Si Pelimon", and together with other homeschoolers, sang it during their celebration of the Linggo ng Wika.
He joined various school programs, singing and dancing on stage.
Just 2 weeks ago, he watched "Rio" with the whole family, something that we never expected since the movie house is a place that can get children with ASD overly stimulated. It was his first full length movie and he did great! Amazing!
 |
| Joshua and Isabela at the movies |
"Knock and the door shall be opened..."
The list gets longer and longer each day ....
but as a mother, the most important thing in the list that I treasure most was the first time he called me mommy. Then I knew, that the Lord has great plans for this boy.
It was also then when we realized that we should never stop dreaming for our son.
Joshua never gave up on our dreams for him.
He always exceeds our expectations.
He strives to be the best that he can be.
He never gives up on anything that he puts his heart into even if he is labeled - Autistic.
He never gives up the life that the Lord wants him to live.
He never gives up the dreams that the Lord planted in his heart.
Who are we then to give up on someone who is so precious to us?
Today, we begin to dream again.
We continue to dream big for Joshua.
Just like the dreams that the Lord planted in our hearts ... the first time we held him in our arms.
Never will we give up this fight.
For our son...
For his dreams ...
and for ours, too.
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