The Tinkering School

I came across the The Tinkering School while browsing through TED.
I'm not sure if a similar concept is available here. I hope to either find
something similar or TRY to recreate the experience for our child someday.

Happy Viewing!

Staycation is now an official word!

It's official! Staycation is now included in the latest edition of the
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

What is a staycation?

"The word "staycation" is a portmanteau of stay (meaning stay-at-
home) and vacation. a period of time in which an individual or family
stays at home and relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home
to area attractions. Staycations have achieved high popularity in
current hard economic times in which unemployment levels and gas
prices are high." ~ Wikipedia

I must say, it never occurred to me to go on a staycation. If I couldn't
afford to go on a vacation, I simply didn't go on one. OR I would save
up until I could afford one. Naturally, I am intrigued by the concept.
May be we could try having one in the future?!?

Here are some tips on How to Have a Great Staycation from ABC
News:

a. Schedule start and end dates.
Just as you would with a vacation, schedule a beginning and ending
for your staycation to make it feel like an official vacation. Otherwise,
it runs the risk of feeling like just another string of nights in front of
the tube.

b. Pack that time with activities.
Plan a daily activity, and make sure something takes you out of the
house — for fun — every day.

c. Declare a "choratorium."
That means no chores! Don't make the bed, vacuum, clean out the
closets, pull weeds — nothing. You're on vacation!

d. Take staycation photos or videos, just as you would if you
went away from home for your vacation.

Share your Favorite Cartoon with your Child

Activity #8 - Share your Favorite Cartoon with Your Child

Do you have a favorite childhood cartoon? I can't quite recall which one was
mine. I mostly watched Sesame Street. But I loved the Peanuts cartoons my
younger brothers watched.

A funny thing happened a week or so ago. For some weird reason, I couldn't
quite spell HAPPINESS right. I kept on repeating the word and double
checking the spelling. H was amused and played "Happiness". The song
popularized by Lea Salonga but originally from "You're a Good Man, Charlie
Brown".

That was nice. The song gave me warm fuzzy feelings. I do look forward to
watching this with the baby when he/she is old enough for tv.

Click on the links to hear the respective versions. Here are the lyrics of the
Charlie Brown version for those who want to sing along:

"Happiness" from "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"

Charlie: Happiness is finding a pencil
Sally: Knowing a secret
Linus: Telling the time
Schroeder: Happiness is learning to whistle
Linus: Tying your shoe for the very first time
Sally: Happiness is playing the drum in your own school band
Linus: And happiness is walking hand in hand

Charlie: Happiness is two kinds of ice cream
Snoopy: Pizza with sausage
Schroeder: Climbing a tree
Charlie: Happiness is 5 different crayons
Sally: Catching a firefly
Linus: Setting him free
Charlie: Happiness is being alone every now and then
Gang: And happiness is coming home again

Charlie: Happiness is morning and evening,
Day time and night time too
For happiness is anyone and anything at all
That's loved by you

Linus: Happiness is having a sister
Lucy: Sharing a sandwich
Linus and Lucy: Getting along
All: Happiness is singing together when day is through
And happiness is those who sing with you

All: Happiness is morning and evening, day time and night time too
For happiness is anyone and anything at all
That's loved by you

On being an ate

Here's my reply to R's interesting email....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi R,

This is so funny!

I grew up "OC" so I can't relate to the fishballs, dirty ice cream and
water from the poso bit hahaha... But I did build a tiny playhouse,
ride the bike, play patintero and piko, make mudpies...

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? My family is much bigger
than H's... Anyway, he noticed that it was too quiet in one family
gathering... We decided to check out the kids... Guess what we saw
--> all the kids quietly playing with their PSPs... They were playing
together but using their PSPs... It kinda looked like a parent's dream
come true --- all the parents were busy chit chatting and they didn't
have to worry about their kids running around... Sadly, it seemed like
the most normal thing in the world... Sadly, because it has been said
that the kids of today have poor social skills... Plus, the cousins didn't
get to interact with each other...

But of course, I was ever the "ATE"... Last Christmas, I had some
games for the kids... I couldn't be a proper emcee as I was supposed
to be on bed rest... And my brothers were not exactly the best emcees
hahaha... Plus, we lacked prizes... I forgot that you need a lot --- even
if it's just a token, so long as the kids get a consolation prize... It was
short but fun while it lasted... My aunt was thrilled because they were
balikbayans and they were able to get a nice video of the kids at play...

It ended when the kids had to do their "program" ---> with a cash prize
for singing to the granddads and grandmoms... Eh pera yon di ba hahaha...

And so, it seems that's how it's going to be... If you think it's important,
you will have to do something... Otherwise, the adults will just chitchat
and the kids will just play their PSPs... As for me, I hope to pull off
something better this Christmas... I can't help it, I'll always be ATE
hahaha...

* Ate - the Filipino word for eldest or older sister

To all the kids born in the 50's to early 80's

R emailed this to me today. I had a blast reading it! I sent her a reply ~ I'll put that
in a separate post.

The article has been going around the internet for quite some time so I don't really
know who wrote it. If you do, kindly send me a note so I can acknowledge the writer.
Thanks!

Happy Reading!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN
in the 1950's, 60' s, 70's even early 80's !!

First,
some of us survived
being born to mothers
who did not have an OB-Gyne
and drank San Miguel Beer
while they carried us.

While pregnant,
they took cold or cough medicine,
ate isaw, and didn't worry
about diabetes.

Then after all that trauma,
our baby cribs were made of hard wood
covered with lead-based paints,
pati na yung walker natin,
matigas na kahoy din
at wala pang gulong.

We had no soft cushy cribs
that play music,
no disposable diapers (lampin lang),
and when we rode our bikes,
we had no helmets, no kneepads,
sometimes wala pang preno yung bisikleta.

As children, we would ride in
hot un-airconditioned buses with wooden seats
(yung JD bus na pula),
or cars with no airconditioning
& no seat belts
(ngayon lahat may aircon na!)

Riding on the back of a carabao
on a breezy summer day
was considered a treat.
(ngayon hindi na nakakakita
ng kalabaw ang mga bata)

We drank water
from the garden hose
and NOT from a bottle
purchased from 711
(minsan straight from
the faucet or poso)

We shared one soft drink bottle
with four of our friends,
and NO ONE actually died from this.
Or contracted hepatitis.

We ate rice with star margarine,
ate raw eggs straight from the shell,
and drank softdrinks with real sugar
(hindi coke zero),
and we weren't sick or overweight kasi nga......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home
in the morning
and play all day,
and get back when
the streetlights came on.

Sarap mag patintero,
tumbang preso,
habulan at taguan.

No one was able to reach us all day
(di uso ang cellphone
at walang beepers).
And yes,
we were O.K.

We would spend hours
building our wooden trolleys
(yung bearing ang gulong)
or plywood slides out of scraps
and then ride down the street,
only to find out we forgot the brakes!
After hitting the sidewalk
or falling into a canal
(sewerage channel) a few times,
we learned to solve the problem ourselves
with our bare & dirty hands.

We did not have Playstations,
PSP's Nintendos, X-boxes,
no video games at all,
no 100 channels on cable,
no DVD movies,
no surround stereo,
no IPOD's,
no cell phones,
no computers,
no Internet,
no chat rooms,
no Friendster,
no YouTube,
no multiply....

WE HAD REAL FRIENDS
and we went outside
to actually talk and play with them!

We fell out of trees,
got cut, broken bones and teeth
and there were no stupid lawsuits
from these accidents.

The only rubbing we get
is from our friends with the words..
masakit ba?

Pero pag galit yung kalaro mo,
ang sasabihin sa iyo..
beh buti nga !

We played marbles (jolens) in the dirt ,
washed our hands just a little
and ate dirty ice cream & fish balls.
We were not afraid
of getting germs in our stomachs.

We had to live
with homemade guns..
gawa sa kahoy,
tinali ng rubberband,
sumpit, tirador at
kung ano-ano pa
na puedeng makasakitan.

Pero masaya pa rin ang lahat.

We made up games
with sticks (syatong),
and cans (tumbang preso)
and although we were told
they were dangerous,
wala naman tayong binulag o napatay.

Paminsan-minsan
may nabubukulan lang.

We walked,
rode bikes, or took tricycles
to a friend's house
and knocked on the door
or rang the bell,
or just yelled for them
to jump out the window!

Mini basketball teams had tryouts
and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't pass
had to learn to deal
with the disappointment.

Wala yang mga childhood depression
at damaged self esteem ek-ek na yan.
Ang pikon, talo.

Ang magulang ay nandoon lang
para tignan kung ayos lang ang mga bata,
hindi para makialam
at makipag-away sa ibang parents.

That generation of ours
has produced some of the best risk-takers,
problem solvers, creative thinkers
and successful professionals ever!
They are the CEO's, Engineers, Doctors
and Military Generals of today.

The past 50 years
have been an explosion
of innovation and new ideas.

We had failure, success,
and responsibility.
We learned from our mistakes
the hard way.

You might want
to share this with others
who've had the luck to grow up
as real kids.
We were lucky indeed!

And if you like,
forward it to your kids too,
so they will know how brave
their parents were..

It kind of makes you
wanna go out and climb a tree,
doesn't it?!