My family doctor back home in Canada was from the Philippines, but I didn’t know a lot about his home country. I knew his daughter, Crystal danced in the Philippine Pavilion at Mosaic and Phil and I watched her during our honeymoon and the dancing was very interesting. Recently Tristan and Kallista have been learning All About The Philippines: Stories, Songs, Crafts and Games for Kids, thanks to Tuttle Publishing.
All About The Philippines is exactly what the title says it’s about. This 64 page hard cover book is packed full of fun and interesting facts about the Philippines! You can’t read this book in one sitting – well, you probably could, but you certainly wouldn’t be able to fully digest all of it.
This book introduces you to Mary, Jaime, and Ari. They are cousins whose mothers are sisters, but they are growing up on different islands. The Philippines is a diverse country and you’ll learn about how it was settled and thus why all three children look very different from each other and lead different lifestyles.
The book follows each of these children and you’ll learn about their lifestyles from local transportation, jobs, food, festivals, and much more. The children found it interesting to learn that the Philippines has more natural disasters than almost any other place on earth due to it’s unique location. This location also means it’s home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, many of which are unique to these islands.
It’s interesting to learn about how life differs so much for the cousins in their different locations, and what brings them together are their strong family ties.
We still have many games, songs and recipes to try from this informative book, but I thought I’d share what we have already completed.
Tristan and Kallista were interested in making the simple parol, the real version of which would be used to hang in windows or be used to light the way as folks went to church. This version doesn’t have a candle in it, so it’s just a fun craft. Well, mostly. The children needed a little help stapling the straws together as it was quite tricky, but they enjoyed the rest of the craft.
Last weekend we had a little celebration after we put away our Christmas decorations and I started to organise our attic. To commemorate this occasion, I made (with some help from Kallista) a recipe from the book; Pancit. Ours was slightly different as I couldn’t find rice noodles anywhere so I used egg noodles, but it was so delicious that the children are now requesting it for their birthdays!
I wanted to share a dance with my children. I wasn’t able to find footage of Crystal, but I was able to find this version of the Tinikling. It was originally used as punishment for workers who were too slow. I’m sure you can imagine how painful it would be to have the bamboo poles slam against your ankle. However, today this dance is beautiful and imitates the tikling (heron) which is thought to be a menace in the fields.
All About The Philippines is a fantastic introductory book for children, and there are so many ways that it can be used as a jumping-board into learning more about the Filipino culture. It’s certainly whetted my apatite to learn more about this colourful country.
If you’d like to know more or would like to follow Tuttle Publishing, you can connect with them through their website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest.
All About the Philippines won GOLD for ACTIVITY BOOK — EDUCATIONAL, SCIENCE, HISTORY
Corinne says
I am half Filipino but have never been to the Philippines and so my children know almost nothing about it and only a little about the culture and traditions. I’m definitely getting this book!
Crystal McClean says
I would definitely recommend this book as a fantastic introduction. After reading it, you could then choose to learn more about one (or more) facets of the country and go from there. If you get the chance to see the dancing in person, it’s mesmerizing witht he rhythm and costumes.
Anne Campbell says
What a fun unit study idea!
Crystal McClean says
I’m looking forward to delving further into the culture of the country. I’ll be looking for more books at the library tomorrow.
And of course my children want to try more recipes!
Cris says
Found this on Twitter this morning. So awesome! I’m glad you and the kids enjoyed the book and the information contained inside. The Philippines is definitely a unique and diverse country. With more than 7, 107 islands, there’s a LOT to explore! Thanks for the wonderful post!
Crystal McClean says
Thank you for stopping by 🙂
One could spend a lifetime exploring the Philippines, I’m sure!
Sharisse says
I really enjoyed reading this. I am part Filipino, and I need to get a copy of this book for when my son is older. What a great learning and cultural experience for your children! They did a great job making their parols, and I’m glad to see they liked the pancit (which looks delicious by the way)! My son is not even 2 yet, and he loves Filipino food! Pancit and lumpia are his favorite dishes 🙂
Crystal McClean says
I’d love if you’d share a recipe or two with us to try!
Keep Tuttle Publishing in mind as they are a wonderful resource for Asian cultural books for both kids and adults.
L. E. Mastilock says
Looks like a great resource to learn about the Philippines. And they sure had fun with the crafts and food. I love tasting food from other countries with my kids
Crystal McClean says
It can be fun trying new foods, and the more a child is introduced to, the more adventurous they’ll be. I know my children are much more open to trying new foods than I ever have been!
http://www.foreverjoyful.net says
Thanks for the review. I have several friends from the Philippines, and one of my favorite books is In The Presence of My Enemies, which took place there. Please link up with us at Literacy Musing Mondays #LMMLinkup @ Forever Joyful
Crystal McClean says
I’ll have to look into that book thank you.
You have a fabulous link up, I hope we’ll visit each other often.
Have a great week!
Andrea says
I love learning about new cultures, and having new experiences. I will definitely check this book out 🙂
Crystal McClean says
The world is made up of such interesting people and customs. One could easily spend a lifetime learning about them. Getting children interested young will help them understand the world when they’re older.
Enjoy the book!
Crystal Marcos says
My name is Crystal too. =) My dad is from the Philippines. I am always looking for books fiction and non-fiction to teach my children and myself about the culture and country. This book looks very interesting thanks for posting. =) Yum! And it includes recipes!
Crystal McClean says
Hi Crystal! I’d be interested to hear what your Dad thinks of this book, too.
And no, one can never go wrong when there are recipes included in a book, especially where children are concerned!
C. Lee Reed says
I was stationed in the Philippines so here’s some fun words to teach the kids about their Pancit. Tell them to say “ma sarap”. It means “it’s delicious” in Tagalog, a language used on the islands. Great book!
Crystal McClean says
Awesome! You must have some interesting stories for your children to hear 🙂
I’ll be passing on your language lesson to the kids at lunchtime tomorrow, thanks!
Tina at Mommynificent says
I continue to be impressed by Tuttle Publishing! I’ll need to hunt these down when we get to the Philippines later this year! Pinning your post so I remember. I’m so glad you shared this at Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com this week!
Tina
Crystal McClean says
Have a great trip over there! And in the meantime, enjoy your time and travels with your beautiful family.
Tuttle Publishing has something for all ages and genres. I could spend a year in their warehouse just enjoying their titles.