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Raise Your Kids AQ with the ZooMoo Channel and App

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There has been a lot of issues lately involving kids’ safety on the Internet which has led many parents to ban their children from using certain apps. Is TV a good alternative though? Not so much because there are many TV shows that are unfit for kids to watch too. But it’s good to know that kids can now have access to an edutainment channel called ZooMoo.

My son, Ziggy, and I learned all about ZooMoo last February 9, 2019 when we attended the launch at the Zoo Cafe at Ayala Malls Vertis North. Zoo Cafe was the perfect venue because it showcases animals in their decor. ZooMoo is all about animals too. In fact, ZooMoo is all about animals, all the time.

During the event, Ziggy was able to enjoy a few activities including face painting (he chose a dinosaur), coloring and answering an activity sheet.

The parents in attendance were there to listen to a panel discussion, led by environmental advocate Gregg Yan and lifestyle television host and mom Kelly Misa-Fernandez, on the importance of teaching kids about animals and nature at an early age.

The ZooMoo Channel

Let me share with you what we learned about ZooMoo.

ZooMoo is an edutainment channel that aims to raise children’s Animal Quotient (AQ) by allowing the them to explore the animal world, develop knowledge and affection for animals, leading to a life long love of conservation. It is a collaboration between some of the world’s foremost wildlife filmmakers, early childhood educationalists, and technology developers.

The channel’s line up comprises 1500+ self-contained shows that combine spectacular wildlife footage with a range of puppetry, animations, and narrative techniques that makes for a safe and unique viewing and learning experiences for kids. They follow 5 themes namely Explore Time, Create Time, Play Time, Puzzle Time, and Quiet Time.

Some of the shows include Leo the Wildlife Ranger, Lost!, Clawdia’s Amazing African Adventure, Piglet’s Adventure Machines, and Ninja Pop. The channel is currently available to SKYcable subscribers as an add on. Just choose to add channel 120 to your channel line up for only P20.00 per month via SKYcable Select.

The ZooMoo App

ZooMoo is also the first channel worldwide that has its own fully synced audio App that is a key educational tool and extension to the channel. It enhances the kids’ viewing experience by engaging them in a world of games, puzzles and activities that teach them about wildlife and conservation. Kids learn about the animals’ appearance, their sound, habitat, level of scarcity, superpower, and diversity.

They can look after and care for 300 animals on secluded ZooMoo island by feeding them, keeping them clean, watching real life videos, taking photos and more. It also uses ZooSync technology when you run the ZooMoo app to collect content from the television. It even has a Parent’s Page where you can engage with your kids and learn together without the pressure of scores, time limits or stress. There are no ads and no wifi required to use the app. You can get it via the App Store or on Google Play. We actually have the app already on our phones and our two sons really love using it.

With ZooMoo, you can rest easy that what your children are viewing are not only definitely safe and child-friendly but also very educational and entertaining too. Learn more about it by visiting the ZooMoo website and follow ZooMoo on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Smarter Robotics for Smarter Kids

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It’s been a while since I last blogged. That’s because February has turned out to be such a busy month for our family. But I’m finally back and I’m so excited to share with you all about a robotics trial class for kids that my son, Ziggy, was able to join at Smarter Robotics.

Ziggy has always been into robots but prior to this class he has never had any formal class experience on robotics. It was actually great timing that he was able to try this one because we have been looking for extra-curricular activities he could join as an addition to our homeschool lessons.

Smarter Robotics

Off we went to Smarter Robotics at the Shangri-La Plaza mall last January 19, 2019 to learn more about Artificial Intelligence and Humanoid Robotics. Smarter Robotics is actually on a mission to produce responsible stewards of AI and Humanoid Robotics by providing a high standard of robotics education.

I learned that the robotics classes we see being offered for kids these days are usually Lego robotics, which is actually no longer at par with the technology available today. Instead of this, Smarter Robotics wants to provide kids with technologically advanced robotics class or STEAM programming beyond the bricks.

To achieve their goals, Smarter Robotics offers four program levels – Novice Program, Advanced Program, AI Robotics Program and Applied Engineering Program. Beginners start with the Novice Program (meant for kids ages 6 – 9 years old) and when they finish the course they can proceed to the next level. The courses are taught by industry experts whom they call their Robocoaches.

Trial Class Experience

The class started with an explanation of what Smarter Robotics is about. They shared details about their classes and even showed a demonstration of a humanoid robot at work. The robot actually moved in tune to music which was so cool. Ziggy and I were both impressed. We got even more excited to learn that the kids will actually be taught how to build their own robot and program it to follow certain movements.

Ziggy ended up working with another boy and they shared a Robocoach who guided them on what to do. They were given a plastic box full of all sorts of pieces that they were supposed to use to build their robots. They followed instructions using an app on an iPad. The instructions came with illustrations and so the kids were able to follow them easily. It took them no time at all to finish the first and easiest robot on the list that was available to them.

Because they found the first robot quite easy to make, their Robocoach allowed them to choose a more challenging robot to make. Usually though, students can only make one project per class and they have to follow a sequence of robots starting from the easiest to the most complicated. This time though, the boys were allowed to choose a dinosaur robot which was one of the more complicated ones because it had a lot of parts.

Ziggy and his partner were actually able to finish building the dinosaur robot and were even able to try the programming part. They used the app to program movements so that the dinosaur could walk. I initially thought this would be a hard task for a child to accomplish but the instructions on the app were easy to follow and the illustrations also helped a lot. There was a lot of trial and error though before they were able to make the dinosaur walk properly.

Ziggy truly enjoyed the class so much that he actually asked if he could take the robot home. He didn’t want to leave the class and was the last one to leave the room. So, we’re really hoping that we would be able to enroll him in a full program soon. We believe that it will be a great opportunity for him because learning AI and Humanoid Robotics is now a must for kids these days.

If you wish to know more about Smarter Robotics, visit the Smarter Robotics website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

How We Inject Christmas In Our Homeschool

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Each year, I try to find more ways to be more intentional in our homeschool. So I thought, why not do something to be more intentional in celebrating Christmas, right? We want our kids to be reminded of what Christmas is really about aside from just giving and receiving gifts.

Like other families, we have our own Christmas traditions. However, this year I tried to start new traditions by incorporating them into our homeschool. Here’s what we’ve done so far this Christmas season.

DIY Advent Wreath

I remember making my own advent wreath as a Christmas project in school when I was a kid. I thought it would be fun to help Ziggy do the same. Besides, he’ll be having his First Communion already next year and I wanted him to be more familiar with Catholic traditions.

We made this advent wreath by reusing some random materials we found at home after I looked at some photos on Pinterest. We didn’t spend a thing on this, except for our time and effort. We made it in time for the 1st Sunday of Advent. Ziggy, and even two-year-old Zander, enjoy the activity because it involves lighting and blowing out candles. But we say our advent prayers too, of course. That is the whole point, after all.

DIY Parol

For this project, I had the hubby assist Ziggy. He actually had some wood shaped into a star from last year’s Christmas. It was supposed to be for his office but was never used. So we only had to buy some cellophane and other papers to wrap the star with.

Too bad we weren’t able to light it up. But that’s okay because we weren’t planning on putting it outside anyway. We just placed it behind our Christmas tree.

Christmas-themed Worksheets

While I usually follow the lessons in Ziggy’s textbooks, every so often I also get lessons and worksheets from other sources. There are lots of Christmas-themed ones online. The ones I found were even free.

I got a Christmas activity sheet for Ziggy’s math lesson on geometry. He had to cut out and color some shapes and combine them to make a Christmas tree and a reindeer.

I also found one for his English lesson on adjectives. It involved completing a Christmas-themed story by throwing candy (ideally a candy cane) on a sheet full of adjectives. When the candy lands on an adjective, you’re supposed to use it on one of the blanks in the story. It was actually such a fun and silly game and Ziggy really enjoyed it.

Christmas Stories and Carols

I was searching our collection of books to look for Christmas-themed ones and found this book called The Lion Book of Christmas Carols. It contains the story of Jesus’ birth starting from the Angel Gabriel telling Mary that she was to be the mother of our Savior. Each Bible story has its corresponding carols.

I started reading the stories to the boys a week before Christmas, one story each day. Then I found videos of the carols on YouTube so that we could sing them with music. We really love this activity because we are a music-loving family. I think reading the Bible stories also made Ziggy learn more about the origins of Christmas, making it more meaningful to him.

Visiting Christmas Light Shows

We make field trips a part of our homeschool as often as we can. For this quarter, we made visiting Christmas light shows a homeschool field trip too. We first visited Pixar Playtown in Bonifacio High Street. Too bad we didn’t have our girls with us then.

At least, Zoe and Ziya were finally able to join us when we went to the Ayala Triangle Gardens Lights and Sounds Show. We enjoyed this one more because of the Disney theme. Plus, the light show was grander and longer than the one at Bonifacio High Street.

All these activities have really made our Christmas celebration more fun and most importantly, more meaningful. We’re not done yet though. We’ve actually been decluttering our house lately and have already segregated a lot of items that we plan to donate. We’ll be donating clothes and toys but haven’t decided where yet. But for sure, we’ll be including our kids in that activity too.

You don’t have to homeschool though to do these activities. There’s lots of things you can do as a family. Next year, I’m actually planning on doing an advent calendar activity too. How do you make Christmas more meaningful for your family? Do give me some ideas.

For now though, let us greet you all a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!!!!

#OnFirePHC2018: Quotes from the Philippine Homeschool Convention 2018

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Last September 22, 2018, I had the privilege of attending the Philippine Homeschool Convention 2018 at SMX Convention Center, SM Aura. The theme this year was On Fire!

I was super excited to attend because I missed the ones from the past two years. I was only able to attend the one held in 2015.

Aside from the prospect of seeing and reconnecting with my homeschool mom friends, I was of course excited to learn from the various speakers. This year, the Philippine Homeschool Convention line up was especially generous with 9 speakers during the morning plenary session and 3 from the breakout sessions in the afternoon.

With my friend, May Palacpac, of FullyHousewifed.com

 

With my bestie, Darla. It was her first time to attend the convention and she’s thinking of homeschooling her youngest child.

Going into the convention, I really felt like I needed inspiration to keep lighting my fire for homeschooling. While homeschooling has been going great for us, I’ve been feeling burnout recently because it’s hard to balance it with doing chores, taking care of the kids, and working part time too. I needed a reminder of why we decided to do this and I certainly got that from listening to the speakers.

Lessons and Inspirations from the Philippine Homeschool Convention

The speakers shared a lot of valuable knowledge and inspiration and I’d like to share some of my favorite ones with you. Please bear in mind that I might not be quoting them exactly but I tried to capture the essence of what they shared to the best of my ability.

 

Cassandra Shepherd: You Can Homeschool!

  • Homeschooling is for teaching real people to prepare them for real life.
  • You don’t have to be the expert.
  • Leave room to breathe.
  • Your curriculum is not your servant not your master.

 

 

Jayson Lo: Homeschooling with a Vision

  • Treat your kids the way they want to be treated.
  • Dreams do not come true, visions do. Visions are dreams with a deadline.

 

 

Michelle Padrelanan: Homeschooling Through the Mountains and Valleys of Life

Keep on!

K – know your goals

E – entrust your children to the Lord

E – enlist help when needed

P – pray

ON – onwards and forward

 

 

Dr. Teresa Moon: The Secret to More Time and Energy

  • We gain more time by doing less and gain more energy by loving the less we do.
  • A calm mind brings clarity, contentment, and compassion.

 

Laksmi and Vishnu Maluya: Spreading the Fire of Homeschooling

  • Focus on the child.
  • Give kids time to play.
  • Dream:

D – determination to finish

R – respect others

E – eagerness to learn

A – always be patient

M – make God our center

 

Lia Cua: Making a Difference as a Homeschooled Kid

  • Homeschooling allows kids more time and opportunity to find and pursue their passions.

 

Jen Wi-Bellosillo: Homeschooling Special Needs Kids – A Life Changing Vocation

  • Find the structure that works for you.

 

Camille Paguio: Homeschooling Works!

  • Fail better, fail faster.
  • Think out of the box.
  • Teach kids how to value time.
  • Defy the norm.

 

Nove-Ann Tan: Homeschooling 101 – Beginning Homeschooling

  • Know your why.
  • Know your what.
  • Know your how.
  • Prepare to make a mistake.
  • Find where your child is now and move from there.
  • Don’t let your schedule run you. Be flexible.
  • Be the person you want your child to become.

Moira Bulan – Bunyi: Finding Your Village – Starting and Sustaining Co-ops and Support Groups

  • Identify goals: academic, social or extra-curricular
  • Define level of involvement, rules, schedules and modes of communication in relation to your goals as a group

Gina Guerrero-Roldan: How to Inject Truth, Beauty, and Goodness in Your Homeschool

  • It’s not enough to know a lot of truth if it doesn’t change the way you live. Be doers and not only hearers.
  • We can know beauty because God is beautiful and His entire creation resounds with His glory and proclaims His nature.

The convention truly reminded me of the reasons why we homeschool. I guess it’s just normal to question yourself every so often, which I realize is still a good thing because it forces you to take a good look at your homeschool journey. We’re currently in our fourth year now and it’s just normal to experience some highs and lows. What’s important is that it still works for us and we’re committing to it for us long as our kids continue to thrive in this set up.

Thanks to the Educating for Life team for organizing a successful convention. I’m definitely looking forward to joining again next year.

“On Fire!”: 2018 Philippine Homeschool Convention

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We’re on our fourth year homeschooling this year. I can’t even believe it has been that long already. I wasn’t so sure we’d last more than two years. Haha! But seriously, it has been such an interesting journey, to say the least.

I love that Ziggy and I have been successful in homeschooling so far. He’s learning. He’s enjoying homeschooling and doesn’t want to go to a regular school yet. I also enjoy teaching him and seeing him learn new things. At the same time, I get to really bond with him as well.

However, I’ve honestly been thinking of quitting after this school year already. It’s mostly due to my feeling that I have so much on my plate already. Homeschooling takes a lot of my time. Add to that the time I need to spend on taking care of my family, doing chores, blogging, and working. As it is, I only work part-time. I really want to earn more and the only way I think I can do that is if I increase my work hours.

Nothing’s final yet though. I still wish to homeschool for as long as possible. I guess, at this point, I just need some encouragement and maybe some inspiration so that I can figure out how to manage everything on my plate and still homeschool.

That’s precisely why I want to attend this year’s Philippine Homeschool Convention. I was only able to attend the first one, which was a few years ago and I really enjoyed the experience. I’m hoping that this year, I’ll learn more things and rekindle that fire I have for homeschooling.

If you’re interested to attend the convention as well, here are some helpful info you need to know.

On Fire: 2018 Philippine Homeschool Convention

This year, Educating for Life (EFL) and SMX Convention Center, SM Aura Premier are pleased to invite you to the 2018 Philippine Homeschool Convention (PHC). To be held on September 22, 2018 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Aura Premier, Taguig City, this year’s convention aims to gather Filipino parents and provide them with inspiration and encouragement to keep the flame burning as they fuel and kindle their children’s passion and purpose.

The Convention, with the theme “On Fire!”, draws its inspiration from the quotation commonly attributed to the poet William Yeats, but is said to originate from Greek biographer and essayist Plutarch’s original words that say, “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”

As homeschoolers, we believe that our approach to education is characterized by this very concept. In homeschooling our children, we do not merely fill their minds with information. We aim for character-building that goes beyond the academics. We strive to guide our children to find what fuels them. We kindle these passions and vocations in the hopes that they find their meaning and purpose in life.

Thus, “On Fire!” is also a call to all Filipino homeschoolers—parents and children alike—to make a difference in a world that seems void of hope, empathy, and compassion. As we kindle the fire within our children and teach them life’s most important lessons, may all homeschooling families become tiny sparks that together will set the world ablaze.

Speakers, Program and Activities:

This year’s Philippine Homeschool Convention features inspirational speakers and seasoned homeschooling parents who aim to rally all homeschoolers to “Light the Fire”, “Fan the Flame,” and “Spread the Fire” of homeschooling within their families and communities.

The line-up of speakers consists of both international and local speakers who will leave the participants inspired, encouraged, empowered, and equipped to start or continue their respective homeschooling journeys with even greater passion than before.

Among them are homeschool student-turned-homeschooling veteran mom and advocate Cassandra Shepherd from New Zealand/Singapore, homeschooling dad, bestselling author and sought-after motivational speaker Jayson Lo, veteran homeschooling mom, author, and speaker at major U.S. homeschool conventions Dr. Teresa Moon from the U.S., and homeschool coach and author of the first homeschooling book in the Philippines Nove-Ann Tan.

Click this link for more information about the speakers.
Click this link for a copy of the program.
Click this link to view the PHC topics for the plenary and breakout sessions.

Similar to the past conferences, there will also be an Expo and activities for kids and teens.

Registration:

Interested PHC participants can register online via this link.

Below are the registration fees:
* Early bird rate – Full access (With access to plenary talks, breakout sessions and expo) – P1000 per participant
* Expo only ticket – P100 per person
* Walk-in and on-site payment rate – Full access – P1200 per participant
* Kids 3 and below are free (lap seating only)

Physical tickets are also available at the following:s
Catholic Filipino Academy
OMF Literature Bookstores
Peniel Integrated Christian Academy of Rizal
The Parenting Emporium

Hope to see you there!

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