Face Your Fear at The NIDO FORTIFIED Science Discovery Center

Just sharing what our friends from the NIDO FORTIFIED Science Discovery Center sent me yesterday. This will surely be a fun experience for you and your kids this Halloween. Teach your kids to face their fears by learning more about them. Read on, moms and dads!

Experience The Fun side of FEAR at The
NIDO FORTIFIED Science Discovery Center
The best way we could teach our kids about how to confront fear is by letting them learn more about it, and there’s no better place to learn more about the Science of fear at the NIDO FORTIFIED Science Discovery Center.

Its latest attractions — the SNIBBE Fear and Bug Rug— are sure to arouse your kids’ curiosity and provide a perfect opportunity for you to guide and bond with them as they interact with scary creatures as creepy crawlers and jungle beasts.

SNIBBE Interactive is a leading manufacturer of what is termed as “Social Immersive Media” based in San Francisco, USA. Founded by computer science engineer Scott Snibbe, his works have installed in over 100 art museums, performance spaces science museums and public spaces worldwide.

“Social Immersive Media creates unique experiences for visitors and allows them to actively interact with the exhibit installations. Its Fear and Bug Rug exhibits, for example, let visitors experience how it feels like to be confronted by a lurking predator or creepy crawlers. Visitors can use their body to interact with these immersive experiences. It’s like being in a movie where you can actively participate in. Moreover, these two exhibits are the first of its kind in the country and can only be found at the NIDO FORTIFIED Science Discovery Center” explains Raymund Maclang, AVP for Operations, Family Entertainment Center, Inc.

Jel Leyte, Marketing Promotions and Events Manager for NIDO FORTIFIED adds, “These new attractions are part of the center’s efforts to provide an immersive experience for children as they learn different Science concepts.”

Jungle Predators and Creepy Crawlers

In Fear, visitors are made to collect fruit from a jungle tree. What seems to be an easy task, though, become a thrilling experience as a lurking leopard prowls the ground and ready to attack when distracted.

In Bug Rug, meanwhile, visitors will get the chance to walk along the Madagascar forest floor where insects are busy foraging for food and returning to their hiding places under rocks and plants. If you move quickly, you’d be scaring the insects away; if you stand still, you can have fruits as baits and guide the bait into traps with your hands and feet’s shadow.

Tales of the Creepy Jungle

These new attractions are not the only things to look forward to at the NIDO FORTIFIED Science Discovery Center, though. Exciting activities like its forthcoming “Tales of the Creepy Jungle” Halloween activity is likewise something that you shouldn’t let your kids miss.

The “Tales of the Creepy Jungle”, slated on October 31, 2009 at 1 PM, gives your kids the chance to experience the Fear and Bug Rug attractions through the activities, the Fear-O-Meter and Bust-A-Bug.

Numerous games and pocket activities are likewise scheduled to make this Halloween celebration truly different. These include participating in Science experiments like the Spooky Fog, Screaming Balloon, Slime-making, Noise Money, and Cup of Sound.

Add to this a visit to the Haunted Virtual Reef wherein kids will learn more about the chills and thrills of life underwater with Mr. T, the talking fish, all ready to answer their questions.

Face painting and tattoos, hourly costume award recognitions, and a trick or treat activity are likewise something to look forward to.

Participating kids will be given a game card/passport, which will be marked as they complete all the games and pocket activities. Kids who will also be coming in their Halloween costumes and is with one paying customer, will enjoy free entrance from October 30 to November 1, 2009.

The NIDO FORTIFIED Science Discovery Center is located at the South Side of the SM Mall of Asia’s Entertainment Building, and is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, please call 5562153.

For Working Parents

I received this email just recently. I am sharing this with fellow mommies and daddies especially those who are working. May we never forget that family is more important than work. Although we cannot leave work to spend more time with our children, there are countless other ways on how we can have quality with them.

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
DAD: "Yeah sure, what it is?" replied the man.

SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily.

SON: "I just want to know.. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour."
SON: "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $10.00 ?"

The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he asked such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00 and he really doesn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. "Are you asleep, son?" He asked. "No, dad, I'm awake," replied the boy.

"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the man. "It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $10.00 you asked for." The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, and started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money and then looked up at his father.

"Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled. "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.

"Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you." The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

Our kids grow taller and wiser every single day. Let us not let precious time pass by without hugging them and telling them how much we love them. Even a simple dinner with the family or a bed time story at night will do. You know how kids are, they have simple joys but these simple joys tend to be the ones that leave a mark in their hearts.

Make The Internet Bring You and Your Kid Closer to Each Other

My son and I had that Yahoo Messenger chat session one night after he came home from school with a sore throat. He had a big Science test the following day about the Human Skin and we had to seriously review for it. The biggest challenge was not the studying part but how we can interact with each other while reviewing. You see, my style in reviewing my son is not really through memorization but by letting him explain how a process happens.

I was working on some writing projects when he arrived home and my laptop was still running. I decided to let him switch his netbook on and had him log in to his Yahoo Messenger account. He was excited when I told him that we were gonna review via chat. We don't let him use the computer on school days except when there's something to research on.

Since I was busy with my online work, I didn't have time to make a reviewer for the quiz. I found it convenient for us reviewing online because I was able to make an impromptu photoshopped "label the parts" diagram of the human skin. Then, we had a photosharing session over at YM. Neat, eh? My son was able to articulate himself more by typing in what he wanted to say. I guess, the output would have been different, slower, and boring if I asked him to write on a piece of paper instead. The YM review was something new and that made him interested. We really need to make an effort to keep our kids interested by giving them something new.

While some old school parents think that technology keeps their kids away from them, I think otherwise. I believe that, as parents, we should try to keep ourselves updated with recent technology so we can be able to relate more with our kids. My son and I both love to play Facebook games BUT we don't let him play computer games on a school night or when there are tons of school work to do. When I started to blog in 2005, I also taught my son how to articulate his thoughts and hone his writing style by setting up his own blog.

I guess my mommy blogger friends and other techie moms out there can totally relate to what I am trying to say. We can make internet technology work for both parents and kids as long as we don't forget to set the limits and to make them clear. We should also be on constant guard to check the sites that our kids frequent but not in an intimidating and annoying manner. The internet should never be the one in the middle that keeps us apart from our children. Instead, it should serve as the connection that keeps us closer to them.

Mommy: Tantrums, Tantrums...

I am a cool mom but I can be a strict one when I need to. I guess my son knows me too well that he rarely had tantrums even when he was younger. I was lucky to be able to discipline him at an early age. He knows that he can't get what he wants all the time.

His expression in that photo is the closest he was able to do to display a tantrum. My son was six years old that time. We were on a summer outing at Club Manila East with my parents. He was desperately trying to ask my permission to go take a dip when we haven't even settled ourselves yet. Next thing I knew, he walked out on me with a smug face. My brother found him and took this shot of him sitting beside this plant box behind our cottage looking as pitiful as he can be to his grandparents. I tried not to give in to his whims but my father took him, undressed him, and took him to the pool without sunblock! Grandparents are really spoilers but, I guess, we moms already know that.

One Proud Momma

I am one proud momma today. All the hard work paid off. I was not expecting too much when I went to my son's school to get his report card. He had better grades in some subjects last year. His adviser informed me that he's Top 1 Over-all (the whole Grade 3 level). Being Top 1 means so much to us because it will mean that he can be under full tuition scholarship next year. I hope that he can keep it up for the next two terms. My husband and I are planning a grand reward when this school year ends, shhh.... *winks*

Grade 2 Sibika at Kultura: Mga Pambansang Sagisag

You are free to reprint it should you find it useful as long as the watermark is left unaltered. The contents of this reviewer should only be used for personal purposes. I would also appreciate link backs to my site. :)

Nilalaman:

• Mga Pambansang Sagisag
• Mga Sagisag ng Bawat Elemento ng Pambansang Watawat
• Mga Paraan ng Paggalang sa Pambansang Watawat

Reference: Kultura, Kasaysayan, at Kabuhayan by Agno, Balonso, Capiña, Mateo, and Tadena. Vibal Publishing House, Inc. 2007.

The worksheets I am posting here were either used by my son or the students in my tutorial center. As such, the course guides that were used in making these reviewers were only the ones issued by their respective schools. For worksheet requests or for sharing your kid's course guide, send me as message through mail [at] the24hourmommy [dot] com. I will try to furnish one but that will still depend on my available time and references. :)

Helping Kids Cope After A Disaster

Typhoon Ondoy did not only damage homes and furniture but the emotional state of people as well. This is what I learned from the recent calamity that hit our country. I am thankful that my home was miraculously spared from the flood did not damage our property but my relatives greatly suffered from it.

My nephew was with his maternal grandmother in Marikina when the waters rose. He spent the whole Saturday night drenched in rainwater on the roof with his nanny. You see, his mom works in Singapore and my brother works night shifts so he stays with my brother's in-laws on weekdays. My brother was supposed to get him that fateful Saturday morning but he ended up being stranded in Cainta. Father and son were finally reunited yesterday. When we tried to give my nephew a bath because his clothes were all muddy, he wailed and he did not want to get wet. That's when I knew that he is emotionally affected by the calamity.


Kids, especially the smaller ones, have difficulty in accurately expressing how they feel. My nephew is only four years old and it is very unusual for him to be clingy. I feel that it is because he knows he cannot protect himself just in case the waters rise again that he doesn't want to be separated from an adult or his dad.

I made a research on ways to help him cope with his feelings and these are just some points I have learned. I hope you can also use these to help your kids or other kids who have suffered from this calamity.

• Constant hugging and touching is advised. These kids are scared that the disaster will happen again and they need reassurance that they will be protected.
• Perform the usual daily routine at home. They need to slowly go back to the normal and this will make them comfortable and at peace.
• Keep the kids busy. I gave my nephew a special notebook and some pencil and crayons so he can keep scribbling and drawing. We don't let him watch TV yet as there are so many flash reports about the post-typhoon relief efforts.
• Be generous in giving praises and recognition. These will help them feel a little better each day.
• Understand that their unusual behavior is their way of coping with stress. My nephew cries a lot and he craves for attention. I cannot afford to get annoyed because I need to be understanding. Getting mad over his behavior will only add to his stress.

Kids are not like us, their young minds cannot process these complex and stressful thoughts yet. Let us care for them not only by giving what their bodies need but their feelings as well.