*Dance and Sing like Royalties.* Enchanted Kingdom welcomes the country’s
king of OPM, Nyoy Volante for who will serenade park guests with his
soothing voice and entrancing performance at the Bandstand on June 12.
Groove to his original tunes as well as some of his cover songs and feel the
magic come alive from 7 to 8 o’clock in the evening.

Enchanted Kingdom will also premiere The Enchante OPM musical on all
Saturdays and Sundays, from June 12 to July 31. Watch the GMA Artist Center
talents and the country’s top young performers come together as the EK
Circle of Artists croon to you the best Original Pinoy Music classics that
will surely make you dance to your heart’s delight. Groove to the boogie as
they make the best Pinoy chart-toppers come alive with their own signature,
modern styles!

*Celebri-Tales Galore.* Enchanted Kingdom also welcomes the faces who have
captivated and enchanted the country on TV as they enchant park guests with
their spellbinding story-telling for a cause. Catch Celebrity Storytellers
at the Bandstand in June – seasoned action star Ricky Davao on June 5 at 4
pm, Jeffrey Santos on June 18, talk show host and That’s Entertainment
alumnus Jojo Alejar on June 19, and Mara Clara star Bobby Andrews on June
26.

*Enchantment Unlimited.* Enchanted Kingdom showcases performances that its
park guest have come to love through the years! Dance and jive the night
away on Brooklyn Nights at the Brooklyn Zone. Shows start at 8 pm. Catch the
Mazurka and Polkabal Muslim dance performances at the Portabello zone, as
well as the Subli, Sayaw sa Bangko and Tinikling at the Midway Zone and
Filipino favorites – Carinosa, Pandaggo sa Ilaw, Maglalatik and Igorot
dances around the Jungle Outpost Area.

The EK original Foot Parade also happens all weekends of June 2011 from 2 to
3 o’clock in the afternoon, captivating everybody around the park as they
entrance you with the most mesmerizing musical and visual spectacle!

Come to EK and sing along to only the most magical tunes this enlivening
month of June! For more information, visit www.enchantedkingdom.com.ph.

Research shows that among kids, memory lapses account for wasted effort and time in school, particularly during the first few months after the summer vacation. Fortunately, NumberWorks’nWords (www.numberworksnwords.com.ph), an international learning center for Math and English, offers a solution that maximizes kids’ learning by making them “enjoy” learning.

 “We help kids master and advance their skills in Math and English, thereby enabling them to start the next school year with their minds primed from the get go to effectively learn new material in school. Our innovative and enjoyable approach keeps kids coming back for more sessions, even after the school year starts,” notes Professor Dan Handy, managing director of NumberWorks’nWords.

 Professor Handy also points out that NumberWorks’nWords’ goal-oriented system has been fine-tuned for over 25 years since the first center opened, and that the system is individualized for every student age or disposition. He says the system, which includes meaningful motivation through competition and personal merit certificates to document crossing checkpoints and passing levels tests, allows tutors to approach problems from multiple angles very efficiently.

 The beauty of NumberWorks’nWords’ formula is that it makes kids fully enjoy the learning process. Even though the subject matter is serious and the practice is hard work, this does not mean they can’t enjoy doing it. At the same time, kids get the benefits of the center’s purpose-built software created by the company’s own software designers and educators, informed on child psychology research and experienced in meeting students’ needs.

 The system excels at solving many of the worries that face so many parents to promote a love of learning early in childhood. With a free evaluation and trial lesson, this proven after-school Math and English system targets exactly what goals parents can watch out for, while each lesson continues to identify needs to improve achievement levels.

 The four NumberWorks’nWords learning centers are located at 2F Casa Vicente Building, Alabang Town Center, Muntinlupa City; 2F One Kennedy Place, Club Filipino Avenue corner Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills Commercial Center; Unit 305 Prince David Condominium, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City and at the 5F, Market! Market! Mall, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. They are open Mondays through Saturdays. For details, call or text the central office at 0917844-6969 (0917-TGI-NWNW), or call the centers directly: Alabang branch at 772-4655 or 807-6294; Greenhills branch at 470-9021; Market! Market! branch at 846-6268 or Katipunan branch at 442-5547. Discovery Suites, the premier serviced residence in the Ortigas Business District, will be a center for fun learning this summer when it conducts the first Discovery Summer Camp from April 11 to May 29.

Arts and crafts

Discovery boasts a reputable lineup of instructors and resource persons who will teach kids new skills and keep them creatively occupied during the two-month summer break.

 Artist Welly Cuna will conduct painting and arts & crafts classes for children, six to nine years old, on April 13, 25, and 27. Older children, 10-12 years old, will have their sessions on May 4, 9, 11, and 16.

 Children interested in comic-style illustration will learn from professional illustrator Reno Maniquis. Sessions are ideal for 11 to 14-year-olds. The extensive two-hour sessions on April 15 and 29; and on May 6, 13, and 20 will tackle essential topics such as illustrating basic anatomy, perspective and composition, storytelling, and a lot more.

 Discovery Suites’ executive chef Luis Chikiamco will stoke the fire of culinary interests for would-be master chefs. Basic classes will be conducted on April 16, 26, 28 and on May 30 for children, six to nine years old, while older kids, aged 10-12, will receive cooking instructions on April 30, May 10, 12, and 20. The course includes one session at the San Miquel Culinary Center and a fun-filled cooking exhibition at the Podium Mall.

 Basic swimming classes at the Discovery Suites swimming pool will be conducted by Rachelle Santiago. The 10 one-hour courses are scheduled on April 14, 26, 28 and on May 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, and 19.

 Photographer Menchit Ongpin will hold a four-day workshop on basic photography aside from special camera techniques for aspiring visual artists. The photography course will be conducted on April 11-May 20.

 The hotel has tied up with Professional Skills Enhancement Center (PROSEC) for special summer classes on early interactive reading for children, seven to nine years old, on April 13, 25, 28 and May 2. Reading and study skills are scheduled on April 26-May 19 and speed reading on April 12-May 3.

 Course fees for Discovery Suites’ summer camp are priced at P5,500 per class. For more information, call Discovery Suites at 719-8888/719-6931-32 or 914-9888.

Ryan Cayabyab with wife Emmy has again come up with a package of special music classes for children this summer. The lineup has been proven effective in bringing out a child’s musicality and developing his sense of rhythm. The Ryan Cayabyab School of Music located at the Lower Level, Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas, Quezon City has been offering the workshop package to young music lovers for the past 15 to 20 years. And it has become so successful students recommend it to their friends and family. Musmusikahan for four to seven-year-olds is a music appreciation class that includes rhythm and movement, singing and instrumental ensemble.14 K, on the other hand, is a music appreciation class for eight to 12. Subjects touch on rhythm and movement, singing, instrumental ensemble and theater performance. Ryan Cayabyab, or Mr. C in industry circles, designed the program himself for the famous singing group that produced then pre-teens Geneva Cruz and Jeffrey Hidalgo, who made a big name for themselves when they grew up. Your teenager (13 to 17 years old) will learn the joys of singing, basic acting and movement in Muziktheater.Those who prefer to learn on their own can take up individual courses in voice, guitar, piano, violin and drums.

 Musmusikahan, 14K and Muziktheater are offered only during summer. Each of them culminates in a recital presented in a theater venue. Your son or daughter will apply everything he learned before a live audience.For details, call 637-9840, 914-5055 and 0917-9096484.

For this summer, Trumpets Playshop continues to make learning fun and exciting with the theme Color Your World. This encourages everyone to celebrate their unique talents by letting their ideas run free. Contrary to popular belief, it is not money that makes the impossible possible: It is imagination. When you imagine, you let yourself go beyond the boundaries you dare not cross.. Your world has become more colorful.

Whether it’s Musical Theater, Crumping and Poppin’ and Lockin’, Public Speaking, Hosting or Modeling you’re interested in, Playshop has a class designed to make that star within you shine. MusicAdemy — Playshop’s Music and Language Center — is o open to those who want to bring their hidden minstrels and maestros out into the world.

New classes in this year’s line-up deal on photography for kids and adults; filming class using mobile phones; basic and advanced make-up classes with airbrush technique under model and make-up artist extraordinaire Lou Bunyi-Pareja and voice masterclass for musical theater with Prof. Janet Sabas-Aracama of the University of the Philippines College of Music.

For details, call 636-2842 and 631-7252 or drop by Trumpets MusicAdemy (fifth level, Shangri-La Plaza Mall) or log on to www.trumpetsplayshop.com.

Classes being offered include daily classical ballet technique taught in five levels: Baby Ballet, Level 1A, Level 1B, Level 2 and Level 3. Level 2 has Beginner Pointe class; Level 3 has Variation and Pointe Class and Pas de Deux or Partnering Class. There will also be a Boys’ Class Beginners and Boys’ Class Advanced.

Classes will be held Tuesdays to Saturdays at the Ballet Manila studios at 1915 Donada Street, Pasay City.

Prima ballerina and BM artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde leads the faculty roster which also includes BM’s seasoned dancers and teachers Osias Barroso, Eileen Lopez, Jonathan Janolo, Marika Capati, Czarina Villegas, Mylene Aggabao-Salgado, Jennifer Rose Olayvar, Elisha Soriano and Sofia Sangco-Peralta.

Auditions for half and full scholarships will be held on March 5 and 6. Registration will begin at 10 a.m., while the audition proper will be held from 12 noon to 1 p.m. There is a registration fee of P300. Applicants who do not qualify for scholarship may enroll as regular paying students for the workshop.

Summer workshop will culminate in a school recital dubbed “Just Dance,” to be presented on May 21 and 22 at the Aliw Theater. This year’s recital will feature The Four Seasons and a concert of different classical and contemporary pieces.

Interested parties are encouraged to enroll or reserve slots in advance as each class will only be limited to 20 students for a more effective instruction.

The Ballet Manila School offers package deals which include complimentary tickets to the recitals, costume rental, souvenir program pictorial and inclusion of photo, and other recital and miscellaneous fees plus tuition.

There are plans to hold adult ballet and yoga classes for all ages if there are sufficient numbers of enrollees.

For inquiries, call Ballet Manila at 400-0292 and 525-5967, visit www.balletmanila.ph

Even Europe has started its own advocacy they call Underwear Rule, being promoted through a TV spot, a children’s book, poster campaigns and a website.

The spot features a green cartoon child who gives permission to a large, brightly-colored hand to pat him onthe head and tickle him, but reacts angrily when the hand asks if it can touch him inside his underwear.   

It delivers a powerful message indeed but may not be applicable as part of the the local TV fare, as the Filipino viewing public may think it too explicit.  Nevertheless, we laud the efforts of the Council of Europe in helping combat sexual violence against children and moving towards improved international cooperation on prosecuting offenders. 

It says one child in five  in Europe is a victim of abuse and the Underwear Rule, aimed at teaching children aged four to seven about their rights to set limits and speak out against abuse, hopes to inspire countries across the world to tackle the global phenomenon of child abuse.

As parents we are the protectors of our kids and as much as we can, and to the best of our ability, we take that responsibility to heart. Here are a couple of tips on keeping kids safe from  abuse:

Take time to listen to your kids. Ask them about what went on during the day when they come home from school. Take note of the all the people he/she is in contact with and prod him/her to tell you about her interaction with this person/s.

Screen household help since they become the caretakers of the kids when you are out of the house. Make sure to have their NBI clearances before you hire them and check their background when you interview them prior to employment.

Discuss with your child that there are places that no stranger, or even someone close to him/her should touch because it is his/her “private place”. People ought to respect that and if someone does otherwise, she/he should tell mommy and daddy.

Watch out for any change in your kid’s behavior such as aggressiveness or bullying, failing grades and loss of concentration, being cautious and wary around adults, loss of appetite and temper tantrums. Gently prod the child to talk. If not, an outsider such as a school guidance counselor might even be helpful in getting the child to open up.

Watch out for unexplained bruises on your child and observe his behavior. Is he keeping it hidden and shows reluctance when asked  how he got it?

Educators and behavorial scientists claim that listening to certain types of music may enhance thinking skills, or create an appropriate mood, or climate, for effective learning to take place.

The Center for Applied Music of Miriam College recently launched an innovative program which will transform child’s play into performance art.

Known as the Orff Approach, or Music for Children, it teaches kids about rhythm, melody , texture, harmony and form and other elements of music through singing, chanting, dance, movement, drama and the use of percussion instruments.

Conceieved in the 1920s by German composer and educator Carl Orff, the program is based on his belief in the importance of rhythm and movement. Encouraging the child’s natural sense of play, music composed by children is mostly used in the Orff classrom. The teacher (who acts as a conductor) gives cues to the kids (the orchestra players). She may choose a story or a poem to read and the students participate by choosing instruments to represent a character in the story or poem.

Xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels, castanets, bells, maracas, triangles,cymbals, tambourines, timpani, gongs, bongos, steel drums and conga drums are some of the instruments used in the Orff classroom. 

The culminations of the class is the formation of a Children’s Percussion Orchestra. The course also gears to an Angklung Ensemble with the marimba as either a solo or accompanying instrument.

It's story time at Allez Hop Stretch 'n Grow

Kids sat silently as they listened intently to the story being played on the tarpaulin stage about a fierce dragon who lived in a cave who is very sick because of eating too much junk food. Now come the real heroes of the story, the four characters who represent the 4 basic food groups, who, in time, convinced the dragon to eat healthy.

I can’t recall the many times my mom used to tell me to eat my greens when I was a kid. Only when I became an adult did I finally realize the benefits of eating healthy and maintaining proper weight.  At Allez Hop, they believe in starting ‘em young.

The activity is part of Stretch ‘N Grow program of Allez Hop Wellness and Balance Center, a boutique studio dedicated to building and maintaining over-all wellbeing thru a wide variety of physical fitness programs such as pilates, spinning and P.T. classes in individual, couples (for married couples who want to work out together) and group sessions. Classes are tailored to individual fitness needs. They also offer rehab therapy and pre- and post-natal pilates classses by physiotherapists board-certified by  American Fitness Practitioner Association (AFPA).
With Stretch ‘n Grow, kids as young as 4 years old get started on health and fitness consciousness thru fun activities such as storytellig session, show and tell and movement activities. After the initial group meet at the center, the trainers then come to the school on a twice-monthly basis.

Kids are never allowed inside fitness gyms, especially around eqipment as they may cause injury. But at Allez Hop, they have one such activity where trainers introduce gym equipment and use in a fun way. Mr. Treadmill and Mr. Bike makes your heart strong, while Mr. Dumbell builds big, strong muscles. At this point, terms such as biceps and triceps are introduced and how muscles and bones work together.

Mr. Cadillac and Mr. Reformer elongates the muscles and makes you flexible so you may reach your toes. After each introduction kids are given a strong reminder never to come near them as they are “for your parents’ use” only.

Allez Hop, (means “let’s go” in French) opened in August 2008 and is the first of its kind in the country, located at the heart of Makati, a stone’s throw away from Makati Medical Center. Francesca Ballmer, its owner and general manager, is a Pilates practitioner specalizing in wellness and nutrition.

To many parents all over the world, the name Glenn Doman is synonymous to amazing babies — babies who can read, do math and tons of advanced physical activities

Can a ten-month old baby start learning how to read? According to a study by physical therapist Glenn Doman, they can. His pioneering work with brain-injured children and early development of well children from around the world spawned a series of books which includes How To Teach Your Baby To Read (1964), How To Teach Your Baby Math (1979) and How To Teach Your Baby To Be Physically Superb (1988).

The most famous from the Doman method of teaching is thru the use of Doman’s Flash Cards, available through their website. Such learning tools were developed based on Doman’s belief that the infant brain evolves(as with evolution of the species) through stages of development similar to a fish, a reptile, a mammal and finally a human.(source:Wikipedia).

We all know that toddlers absorb knowledge like a sponge. According to developmental psychologists, a child at 2 to 4 months may have a vocabulary of 10 words. The pace of word learing quickens dramatically between 18 and 24 months, the so called naming explosion,  when tolddlers may add 10 to 20 words a week. At this age,toddlers seem to arrive at the wonderful realization that everything has a name  and they want to learn as many names as they can. Doman says that the younger the child, the easier the learning process. Thru his method, you could flash your baby’s brain and make him learn to read. Visit the  official site of the Glenn Doman Method to read the detail information.

A child learns the fun way to make a pizza at Yellowcab

We are wise to take our children’s play seriously, because how children play has everything to do with how children work.  Whether they will explore the world with energy, ingenuity, resourcefulness or be enterprising, tenacious, optimistic or confident — qualities that are nurtured first and most efficiently through our children’s play. For many parents, it’s new to consider that we might actively, thoughtfully support the quality of our children’s play. More and more children are restless and out of sorts unless they are plugged in to television, the videogame or computer.

How then can we influence children’s play? To start, we can think carefully about helping our children to be resourceful when they play. We can be at our best as parents when we can truly “live off the land”  — when we can take what is available in our life and make something of it: when we create trains out of cereal boxes, turn socks into dinosaurs, puppets and blankets into curtains;  when we draw, color and spin stories together while looking up at the clouds and the different formations we see out of them. 

When we do these, we are authoring worlds of meaning, which is fundamental to all that we will do in our lives. Thus, if we want our children to be able to “live off the land”, then it is not only the playthings we give them that matter, it’s the playthings that we do not give them that matter too. The best playthings are those that teach kids that anything can become a source of adventure and inquiry. So when you are tempted to buy your child an expensive toy, think first. More often than not, it doesn’t take much for kids to enjoy play. Remember the philosophy: less is more!