NDPR Finale: Sports Festival!

21 July 2017

The theme today is Speed because today is the last day of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation celebration at Dylan's school! Their final activity is a Sports Festival and all Special Education classes are participating.  That is why Dylan is wearing a "The Flash" shirt while I"m wearing a Ferrari shirt LOL

Assembly time was at 0730 and yep, even though it's a bit early for Dylan, we were both up and full of energy at this time of the morning haha

There were a number of sports activities that each class can participate in.  Parents and teachers had prepared several loot bags for the kids who participate and special prizes for those who win in friendly competition with other classes.

Dylan participated in all 7 activities though it's too bad I failed to take pictures or videos of some of them because I was busy assisting and cheering him on haha

NDPR Week Continuation: Film Showing and Food Festival

19-20 July 2017

Continuing with the celebration of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabiliation Week, Dylan's class participated in a Film Showing (Day 3)  and a Food Festival (Day 4).

You may wonder why there's a Film showing during NDPR week.  It's actually to test how long these kids can sit, focus and watch a full-length movie.  To normal people, sitting still for the whole length of a movie is a breeze.  But for special kids like Dylan and his friends, it's actually pretty difficult.

On Day 4, the food festival was done to encourage kids to prepare their own meals and to teach them to appreciate good food.  The kids made waffles!

Dylan's class is Munting Aklatan #95 thanks to Books for a Cause

20 July 2017

Today, Dylan's class became Munting Aklatan #95.  We were fortunate to be the beneficiaries of books for Dylan's Autism class courtesy of Sir Ramil Sumangil from the Books for a Cause advocacy.

Books for a Cause receives any and all books (and even toys) and in turn donates these to people who need them.  Thank you for our books!! :)

How we applied for Dylan's Person with Disability (PWD) ID

17 July 2017

The Person with Disability (PWD) ID basically serves as the PWD's passport to benefits and privileges.  These benefits include discounts in theaters, hotels, fast food establishments, groceries, medicines, diagnostic procedures, dental services and domestic ticket fares; educational assistance; access to express lanes and even tax exemptions for people who care for and are living with PWD's.

Dylan has been diagnosed a long time ago but we never really pursued getting one.  It was mostly because I thought that, as with most governmental procedures, it would just be tedious and time-consuming.

But, now, knowing all these benefits that he should be entitled to, and hearing from other parents how easy it was for them to get their kids' their PWD IDs, well I thought I should give it a shot.  Here's our story.

Opening of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week at Dylan's school

17 July 2017

Today is the opening of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation week at Dylan's school.  All Special Education classes came together to participate in the opening ceremonies.  Dylan isn't averse to attending large gatherings and is actually pretty stable when it comes to social events so I wasn't worried.  He was actually pretty excited to participate when he found out that they were supposed to dance in front of everyone.

It was truly an enriching experience for both Dylan and me because we got to see and interact with other Special Kids and Teens and we marvel at their capacity and determination for learning!  Kudos to the kids! Thank you to to their teachers and parents for their patience and support.  The future looks bright for all of us!

Dylan's Nutrition Month Celebration in School (2017)

14 July 2017

It was Dylan's Nutrition Month celebration today!  I actually dread these school events because it would mean having to be "artsy" and creative when making the costumes and props.  BUT, if it meant that my child will be enjoying himself, then I'm on board.  And today, Dylan really enjoyed himself!

Dylan's first Earthquake Drill in School

29 June 2017


Today is the scheduled Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill.  To be honest, I completely forgot about it until we got to Dylan's school.  Dylan and I always make it a point to be early in school so we arrived at 2PM.  As we went through the gate, we clearly heard the sound of an alarm blaring and I knew immediately that it was the start of a fire/earthquake drill.

At first, we weren't sure whether we should even participate since his class isn't due to begin yet but I thought if it were a real event, then I decided that Dylan should know what to do so we just waited for a while near the other students.

Over the megaphone, I could hear the school guard call the attention of the other parents who were idling about.  They were told to proceed to a designated space for parents too.  I thought, "Yeah, we should know where to go especially if we're caught in the middle of it."  But I think that some parents weren't really into it.  :)


Anyway, Dylan sat with the other Kindergarten students.  I instructed him to follow what they're doing.  I told him it was the "Duck and Cover" position.  He immediately picked up on covering his head with his notebook saying that it was to protect himself from things falling on his head.  Good Job Dylan!

It was a pretty big school so it took them 5 minutes to get everyone outside and around the grounds.  There were some students who were sneaking out and trying to go back to their class but the teachers surrounding them called them out haha
 

Everyone calmly went back to their respective classrooms after that.

Things were back to normal in a few minutes too.

All in all, it was a good experience for Dylan and I hope he remembers it.  It actually made me wonder what happens to all the SPED students during a situation like this.  Huh.

An educational and enjoyable visit at the Manga Hokusai Manga exhibit at the Ateneo Art Gallery

17 June 2017

"Manga Hokusai Manga will explore the similarities and differences between modern Japanese manga and Katsushika Hokusai's manga and introduce the charms of this unique field of Japanese culture".  As soon as I read this blurb from a post on the Japan Foundation Manila's FB page, I was immediately intrigued and so penned in the date on our calendar.  Anything that will get us to learn more about our favorite manga is worth a visit.  Plus, admission is free!

At the center of the exhibit is Katsushika Hokusai's "Hokusai Manga".  Browsing through all the panels encourages you to understand, appreciate and discern just how their (Hokusai and his contemporaries) works contributed to the evolution of manga.

The exhibit runs from June 17 to July 28, 2017 at the Rizal Library Special Collections Building, Ateneo de Manila University.  This exhibit is presented by the Ateneo Art Gallery, the Japan Foundation, Manila and the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines.

Dylan is back in school!

12 June 2017

Last June 05, classes in public schools began nationwide.  It was Dylan's first day back to school after awhile and I was apprehensive because it was also the first time that we will be part of the public school system.  Private SPED (Special Education) schools are pretty expensive so we considered ourselves fortunate that there was a public school which has a Special Education department near us.  We didn't have to shell out any money for tuition.  Still, we felt a bit of a culture shock as we continually adjusted with our new environment.

Mom-daughter bonding at the "Doodling and Lettering" workshop presented by the National Museum and Dong-A

18 May 2017

As part of the National Museum of the Philippines' celebration of International Museum Day as well as a post-Mother's Day activity, the National Museum in partnership with Dong-A Philippines sponsored the Doodling and Lettering for Mothers" workshop and Dana and I had the privilege to attend.  We learned new tricks and were challenged to test our artistic capabilities.  :)