Nutrition Month

One thing I love about my daughter's school is how they don't make a big fuss about extra curricular celebrations. While other schools had to prepare weeks for United Nations Day, Linggo Ng Wika, Christmas parties and the like, they usually go about with these activities with utter simplicity. I like that because I am a working mom who doesn't have the luxury of time to scour for costumes and props. And I also find it very impractical for me to buy items that my kid will only use once. And yes I know there's plenty of how-to's online but my claim to craftiness stopped at amateur and I admit with no shame that I am only really good at freestyle art. So there. I've laid it out in the open. Haha.

This July I think majority of the schools here celebrate Nutrition Month. My kid's school was not spared of that. Well, I actually have no issue on that. I'm all for educating kids of proper nutrition as early as preschool age. Last Friday, my kid went home with a note on her diary saying Wednesday is going to be Nutrition Day celebration in school. "Bring a basket full of vegetables and fruits. Just enough for your child to carry"

Normally, those notes come a day or two before the activity so I'm actually glad we were informed earlier than the norm. I had the weekend to look for a small native basket. I checked the nearby palengke but could not find one. I was tempted to buy one from the mall but reminded myself of my self-imposed 'practical' policy. Fortunately, my aunt who has great fondness for the little miss had a small native basket stowed away. She gladly offered it to the little miss. I just had to do minor repairs (mostly gluing) on it and it was good as new. 

I made the extra effort to arrange it nicely in the basket. Complete with the 'recycled' sinamay trimmings.
BUT NO. I didn't make the cut. Haha. OA lang kasi, Mommy!

Tuesday night I arranged the fruits and vegetables that we had set aside for the activity. I bought tiniest local veggies I can find in the supermarket so the kid won't have any trouble carrying her basket. I had tiny ampalaya, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, tiny bunch of bokchoy, a bunch of grapes, a small orange, potatoes. These were vegetables and fruits that the kid eats so I'm also confident she can identify them in case she gets asked what she brought for the activity.

Wednesday morning, I asked her to try and carry the basket but she complained it was too heavy. And told me it's because I did not arrange the items well. She went on to point to where I should place the orange and where I should have placed the potatoes. "That's where the leaves were supposed to go, Mommy. And the grapes should be here". And then she emptied the basket unto the table and went to re-arrange her healthy basket. To her liking. (And that mommy is a warning to leave the arrangements to the expert. OKAY?)

I was silently laughing while watching her arrange the food items. When she was done, she tried to carry it again and proudly announced: "THERE I CAN CARRY IT NOW. SEE?" 

Sadly, her dad and I couldn't take a day off from work so it was Ate Inday who went to school to witness her parade her veggies. The parade was only held within their building but she was so excited to tell us about it when we got home last night. We all had fun watching her videos. My little preschooler didn't mind our absence. Happy that she always understands her parents. :)