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| Papa carrying his grandchildren. These kids got tired hiking in the forest . But they had fun! |
My family traveled to UP Los Banos for Papa’s PhD graduation and we took the opportunity to bring the kids back to nature. Our weekend was spent visiting the rice farms at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), hiking at the Botanical Garden and enjoying the view of Mt. Makiling. The tale of Maria Makiling was also introduced to the kids, with a hope to ignite their love for nature.
We stayed at TREES, a hostel at UPLB College of Forestry. I’m glad we were booked there because it gave us this close-to-nature feel. We could here the sound of the forest while sleeping (I am not exaggerating– you’ll see a forest when you open the door to the terrace; allowing you to hear the chirping of the birds and the tukoo sound of the tockay gecko aka “tuko” ).
Here then, are the pictures of our back-to-nature trip.
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| The kids enjoying the rice farm. |
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| This view at the International Research Institute is a breather from our busy city life. |
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| Kyle and Aaliya looking at the map of the place they are about to discover: The Botanical Garden. |
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| This marks their first forest encounter. I still remember that moment their lolo asked them to close their eyes to hear and feel nature. Their lolo, my dad, is a forester and an environmentalist who has worked with NGO’s to protect the environment . |
Bringing Kids and Nature Together
They say that having kids see nature brings positive impacts on their development. I also have a few reasons why I feel the need of having them see the greens: To appreciate nature’s beauty; To be responsible in doing their little ways to protect it; and To just relax and spend time with us, outdoors.
I hope we could do this nature-inspired activity again. I would also love to introduce some outdoor activities such as “Finding Animals in the Clouds” and “Tree Planting” next time. =)
Let’s have a happy Wednesday! =)
My family plans to go to UPLB and stay at TREES. I hope we get to have a wonderful experience and get closer to nature as well. Any tips before we go there? WIll be there MAy 28- 31.Best,