Fun Friday: Arts and Sports for Summer

Third Friday of the month:  Recreation / Art / Sports

It's officially summer break - well, at least for my boy.  My girl still has a culminating program and moving-up day on Tuesday.  But all of us are already psyched for vacation time, which means staying up and waking up a little later that usual, no more homework, more play time, lazy days at home, and a chance to learn a new skill, a new sport, or dabble in arts and crafts.

Personally, I'm not keen on sending my children to take academic enrichment programs, summer break or not.  They do academics during the school year already and I want our vacation (yes, it's ours 'coz I take a break from tutoring too) to be free from "studying".  I prefer them to explore and enjoy the arts, learn a musical instrument or sport/s instead, and attend classes up to 3x/week only.  I simply want them to have fun, relax, de-stress, and forget about schooling, at least during the break.  But that's just us.  Some families can make it work for them, having a packed week and still have time to travel and relax.  That's not bad at all.  To each his own.

Art class set up at Kidz Art

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Fun Friday: Going Black in Taekwondo

Third Friday of the month:  Sports / Hobbies

2010: "My Nintendo DSi addict son got his yellow belt in taekwondo yesterday and said... Daddy, I leveled up!" This was the Facebook shout-out of my husband on May 30, 2010 after the boy got his first colored belt from his taekwondo summer class. Two years later, he got his Black!

Personalized belt - Black/Red for his age group, below 15 years old

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Fun Friday: Images of Summer

I can't believe summer season will be over in just less than two weeks! It seemed like only yesterday when the kids were counting down to their last day of school and looking forward to "doing nothing" all summer long.

This is my last Fun Friday post for the season and it would be nice to share this collection of images from our summer this year.

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Family Friday: 6 Favorite Kiddie Pastime & Bonding Activities

Second Friday of the month:  Kids / Parenting


Everyday, my kids will have their 'cat & dog' fights, and some sweet moments in between.  It's inevitable among siblings.  It doesn't matter if they're all boys or all girls, or both... they will kick, push, scream and fight, hug, play and laugh together.

We're no exception.
The boy is in second grade while the girl is in junior kinder, technically preschool. With their gender difference and age gap, we'd often wonder what could they enjoy doing together especially at home.  I guess we're at this stage where they can get very physical with their quarrels (with some minor injuries here and there) yet still show affection towards each other without being too conscious about it.

Precious snapshot -- sharing and feeding each other potato strings!

My challenge is what (unisex) activities, aside from reading books and cooking, could I introduce that would appeal to both of them given their obvious differences, and encourage more interaction.  Well, good news for me, I think I don't need to try since they're doing quite well on their own these days -- with the power of imagination!  Barney would be so proud of them! LOL!

6 Favorite Kiddie Pastime & Bonding Activities


1. Dress-up and Pretend Play

With whatever toys and props they find in their room or around the house -- from kitchen tools, my scarves, old boxes and whatnots, conjuring up mythical characters, pretending to be animals, making up stories, and playing dress-up has been a regular scene around the house almost everyday. And they can play for hours!

Pretend play with using plush animals

2. Build and Create with Manipulative Toys

We have tubs and boxes of colorful blocks in different sizes like MegaBlocks and Lego, magnet balls and joints, Jenga, Jawbones and Zoob among others.  They love creating different shapes and characters with them, use for their "puppet show" or even create something pretty for mommy! These toys promote busy hands and creative minds. I love them all!

Zoob character creations

3. Gadget Games

I cannot deny the fact that my kids are tech-savvy, thanks to daddy. I have no contribution whatsoever when it comes to using their Nintendo DS, iPod Touch, and iPad.  They also, on occasion, invade our laptops/notebook. They have their favorite video games that they play regularly, and which we allow for as long as they are done with their school work.  I recognize that they do learn so much from these gadgets, like improved reading and comprehension, analytical thinking, and math application.

Hogging some computer time

4. Art and Drawing

Drawing is like a part of their daily routine already. If you've been following my blog, you'll know how much my kids enjoy drawing.

Given some downtime during the day, either they grab the iPad or bring out pencils and clean sheets paper.  Big brother has been a positive influence on the little girl in this area, so when the boy sits down and starts sketching, the girl will not be far behind.  And they both love to show off their 'works of art', even asking me to take photos like this one here!

Showing off her 'Simon' chipmunk sketch

5. Outdoor Play

Swings and slides. They won't refuse an invitation to go to a park or playground, and they don't wanna leave! We have a slide, but we don't have enough outdoor space for them to play and run, so I try to bring them to the nearby village park if time permits.  Running in the open field, climbing and swinging helps release their energy and allows them to get in touch with (a little bit) nature.  They even get a thrill from poking ant hills, and picking tiny berries from the aratilis tree!

6. Taekwondo / Sports

It's been a little over a year since we introduced this sport to our kids. Since summer of 2010, my boy started attending Taekwondo lessons, and recently, my girl has been joining big brother twice weekly.  It is so sweet to hear my boy's request for his little sis to always join him, and vice versa.  They even practice sparring at home, even though it sometimes lead to serious rough play which we have to referee! I just hope they can keep this up and move to the next level.

With all the toys, gadgets, and recreational materials we've provided, I believe they are more resourceful now on how to make use of what they have. Since they have found some favorite pastime, I am not one to stand in their way, and will just continue to show support and encouragement.  I wonder how long before the next wave of special interests?

See what the kids had been up to:
Art of Plants vs. Zombies
Taekwondo Classes for Kids
Draw Insects
Bonding over Zoob

Do you have kids? What's their favorite pastime? Do share! :)


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Fun Friday: Taekwondo Classes for Kids

Third Friday of the month:  Sports / Recreation

Taekwondo (Korean) - tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way," "method," or "art." Thus, taekwondo may be loosely translated as "the art of the foot and fist" or "the art of kicking and punching." Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. - wikipedia

Photo from WTF website

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