Folk Wisdom for Growing Up Summer Workshop for Children (Lagro-Laha)

Folk Wisdom for Growing Up Summer Workshop for Children (Lagro-Laha)
Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog [avrotor.blogspot.com]

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid  People's School on Air)with Ms Melly C Tenorio, 738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday 

  Features of the Summer Workshop

April 17  – May 13, 2013

1. Summer workshop for children of school age - 7 to 12

2. Recommended and sponsored by officers of Lagro homeowners Association

3. Class size: 25 to 30, preferably of equal gender

4. Venue and facilities: Laha Conference Hall, with working tables, blackboard,
proper ventilation. (Multi media and sound system, optional)

5. Attendance: ten sessions, three hours each, thrice a week; in addition  field trip, exhibition of selected works, and graduation.

6. Class rules: same as in school, on grooming, attendance, performance

7. Recognition: Grading and ranking, citations, exhibit award.

8. Lessons in 6 parts or chapters (list below).

9. Teaching method: Lecture-demo, hands-on, team work, field lecture,
tutoring if needed.

10. Broadcast Link: 738 DZRB Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

11. Internet Link: avrotor.blogspot.com Living with Nature, School on Blog

12. Accreditation: Certificate of participation, UST Faculty of Arts & Letters faculty outreach program

13. Field lecture and on-the spot painting: La Mesa Eco Park

14. Special project: Exhibit of selected work, and graduation

15. Cooperating organizations: LAHA, LGU, UST, others

MWF 8 to11 AM, April 17 start of classes

  

 

 

Background

Children come every Sunday afternoon to the house in Lagro. At first there were six, then two dozens -  children ages 7 to 13 years from the neighborhood. They call me Lolo Abe, their mentor.

They are in the grades and in high school and they are intelligent. And they are a happy lot. They like to come and want to know what I am doing with the microscope, how I mix colors and paint on canvas, play the violin, feed the fish in the aquarium. Or visit an mongrel dog I gave a home.

We meet under a covered front yard and under the trees. It is sort of extension class. Lessons were compiled and became a source book.  It has six chapters with thirty  articles.

1.    Keeping Tradition Alive

2.    Appreciating Nature’s Beauty and Bounty

3.    Building Good Health and Lifestyle

4.    Developing Practical Skills and Self-Reliance

5.    Tapping Talents in the Humanities

6.    Emulating Models of Greatness

Some have attended as many as 12 sessions, three hours each.  They started talking about school projects, home remedies, and things about growing up – or at least, not cartoon characters, computer games, or frequenting the malls. But what happens after?  

The lessons are taken up on  Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid hosted by Ms Melly C Tenorio and myself as the instructor. The program is linked up with School on Blog [avrotor.blogspot.com], broadcast simultaneously every 8 to 9 in the evening, Monday to Friday on 738 DZRB AM.

The children simply open the Blog and read the lessons. They can download and print them. New lessons are posted regularly to keep the program going. They join the viewers on the Internet (500,000 pageviews to date), and the audience of  the radio program. On PBS and Bureau of Broadcast  network nationwide and on [www.pbs.gov.ph] worldwide

Learning can be simplified with today’s technology and vast networking. Education can be made available to everyone.  Lessons become practical, literacy functional with the least cost. Let us start with the kids in the neighborhood.  ~

The Singular Halo-halo

The Singular Halo-halo
Dr Abe V Rotor

It's a long, hot summer, and one way to beat it is to have a large glass or bowl of halo-halo (literally, mix-mix). Halo-halo is very popular in summer wherever you go in the Philippines.    

 Make halo-halo at home from a wide choice of ingredients. The most popular ingredients are kaong, nata, sago, gulaman or gelatin, cut boiled saba banana, evaporated milk, sugar - and a topping of leche plan. You can have other ingredients as substitute , or in addition to, like nangka (jackfruit). 

The enjoyment in eating actually is in digging out the ingredients while in leisurely (and haltingly) conversation with members of the family or with friends. There's a saying in Pilipino, "the deeper you get, the better it tastes." In Ilocano, "Umun-uneg, umim-imas."  Note: Halo-halo may cause indigestion because of its rich, varied ingredients, and when taken in large amount. It is not recommended for babies.~

Make one for me, a large, large glass,
Epicurean I am - Filipino;
halo-halo's the name and the brand,
that the world may know.

Make it potpourri-like, heap full flowing,
nectar sweet, white as snow; 
family, friends, and guests in company,
and special just for two.      

Make it loaded with native delights,
bounty of Ceres and Apollo,
pride of country and race and taste, 
oh! singular halo-halo. ~

Native Bibingka Goes to the City

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

 Native bibingka goes modern, retaining much its quaintness and countryside taste.

Queen of all pies to Filipinos
    with its come quick aroma;
oven fresh from wood-fed pugon,
    specialty of old grandma.

From the countryside trails
    to the city its magic wand,
onto the highway and the mall,
    to a li'l bibingka stand.

A bit of culture and history,
    culinary and folklore, too;
and old memories shall follow
    to where the bibingka could go. ~

Beware of Mad Dog! Folk Wisdom for Growing Up (Lagro Laha Workshop No 4A , April 26 2013)

Dr. Abe V Rotor

Living with Natue School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday 

(Note: This is scripted for this lesson.  Photograph of the author's pet, Niko, a Doberman, behind torn cage. Now past his 15th year (centenarian if he were a human) he is suffering of cataract and arthritis. An old dog may be mistaken by some people to be manifesting signs of a mad dog - which is, of course, not true.)

Mad dog!  Get out of its way.  Away from its reach. Take the children out of harm's way.

Here are signs to forewarn us. 

• The dog's tail is tucked underneath
• The animal is restless, biting at anything within its reach
• Froth is coming from its mouth
• It is unkempt
• Its breathing is heavy and rapid, showing signs of distress
• Its eyes are blank and threatening   
• It stealthily moves about without any apparent direction
• It dreads the presence of water (hydrophobia)

The season of mad dogs is during hot days - summer, though they occur any season. 

Be keen; keep distance; notify others of danger; get help. And if someone is bitten by a dog - even if its a healthy dog, maybe our own pet - don't take chances.  Take the victim to the nearest doctor or hospital without delay.~

Tapestry of Life

Dr Abe V Rotor

Tapestry of Life in acrylic (22”x 22”), April 21, 2013

A wise old man, who had lived buoyantly through four score years, was asked, “Which is the happiest season of life?” He replied thoughtfully.

“When spring comes, and in the soft air the buds break on the trees, and they are covered with blossoms. I think, how beautiful is Spring!

When summer comes, and covers the trees and bushes with heavy foliage, and singing birds mingle with branches, I think, how beautiful is Summer!

When autumn loads them with golden fruit, and their leaves bear the gorgeous tint of frost, I think, how beautiful is Autumn!

When it is sore winter, and there is neither foliage nor fruit, then when I look up through the leafless branches and see, as I can see in no other season, the shining stars of heaven, I think, how beautiful is the Winter of life!

And when the four seasons come in the music of Antonio Vivaldi, in the Song of Praise, painted on a single canvas, and all of them woven into a beautiful tapestry, how wonderful is Life!”

Reading Nature's Signs (Lagro-Laha Summer Workshop lesson No 3, April 22, 2013)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) 
with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 Evening Class, Monday to Friday

"Children learn to read nature, such as the coming of flood or storm." 

1. Ants on the move signal the coming of a heavy rain, if not a typhoon.  
The biological clock of these creatures responds to invisible signals, which comprise decreased atmospheric pressure, high relative humidity and air temperature. Their sensitive antennae and tactile hairs covering their body pick these up these changes of the environment. Thus we find ants in exodus, they move as a colony carrying their eggs and young indoors. Cockroaches become unusually active, flying about in frenzy, in search for a new place. There is a common message, that is, to escape to safer ground, an archetype engrained in their genes passed on to them by their ancestors through evolution.

2. Red and gray sunset is sign it’s going to rain - or a storm is coming.

Here is a verse about this belief.

“If the sun in red should set,

The next day surely will be wet;

If the sun should set in gray,

The next will be a rainy day.”

High relative humidity builds clouds.  Suspended water vapors reflect the rays of the setting sun red, orange and crimson in many shades and hues, while the thick clouds form a gray overcast.

3. Ring (halo) around the moon means a storm is coming.

High humidity in the air causes an optical illusion of a halo around the moon.  It is also observed around bright stars. This means the air is heavily laden with water vapors, which is potential rain. Everything is still, not a breeze is felt. There’s an uneasy feeling.  Take heed if the barometer reading drops. 

4. Animals are uneasy before an impending earthquake.

It is because they are sensitive to the vibrations preceding an earthquake. They perceive the small numerous crackling of the earth before the final break (tectonic), which is the earthquake. As a means of self-preservation they try to escape from stables and pens, seek shelter, run to higher grounds, or simply escape to areas far from the impending earthquake. Rodents come out of their abode, reptiles move away from the water, horses neigh and kick around.   During the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, elephants defied their masters, in effect saving them from the disaster. We humans can only detect such minute movements through our inventions such as the Richter Scale. 

Hito or catfish are uneasy before an earthquake strikes.

5. When earthworms crawl out of their holes, a flood is coming.

This subterranean annelid has built-in sensors, a biblical Noah’s sense of a coming flood, so to speak.  Its small brain is connected to nerve clusters, called ganglia, running down the whole body length.  These in turn are connected to numerous hair-like protrusions on the cuticle, which serve as receptor. When rain saturates the soil, ground water rises and before it reaches their burrows, they crawl out to higher grounds where they seek refuge until the flood or the rainy season is over. The more earthworms abandoning their burrows, the more we should take precaution.

6. The kingfisher (salaksak) is an emissary of death.

The kingfisher’s throaty voice is a call of death, so the old folks say.  Well, when ponds and rivers dry up because of drought, this fish eater will scour for alternative food outside its niche, poaching around farms and homes.    

One explanation of this belief is that the fire tree blooms to its fullest in the face of extreme drought, most likely due to El Niño, a condition that causes untold death and misery. It is the upland dwellers that are worse affected, forcing them to go to the lowlands in search for food or seek refuge, inevitably causing trouble.     

7. When the leaves of acacia fold it’s time to go home. 

It is time to fetch the carabao from the pasture and to start walking home before it gets dark. The fowls prepare to roast in their tree abode. The stew leaves a trail, as the western sky dims in the setting sun. By now the leaves of acacia (Samanea saman) have completely folded toward each other at the midrib, and the base of the midrib itself is bent on its attachment. This is also true with the leaves of sampaloc, ipil-ipil, kakawate - and more so with makahiya.  

These plants, among others, belong to the legume family and are equipped with a special organ – pulvinus – that controls the erection and folding of the leaves. The principle is like a balloon.  When turgid the leaves are erect; when flaccid, the leaves fold.  The pulvinus is controlled by osmosis, that is, the intake and release of water in the cells.

Reference of time among old folks is built through observation of the natural environment and a lifestyle where the amenities of modern living are absent. This triggers our biological clock, and while it may not be accurate, brings people to a natural sense of time and quaint living.  

   

8. When you hear the shrill of the cicada, you are certain the rainy season has started. Rain softens the ground and the cicada nymph turns into winged adult. Only the male sings to attract his mute bride. Another insect that heralds the coming of habagat is the salagubang or June (or May) beetle, Leucopholis irrorata. 

Photography-at-large: Point-and-shoot. That's how easy photography is today!

Photography-at-large

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Living with Nature School on Blog 

                                             

Hasselblad - state-of-the art camera

Point-and-shoot. That's how easy photography is today! 

And anyone can have access to this once exclusive instrument that captures scenes and actions. Because of easy manipulation and readiness to shoot, the digital camera is perhaps becoming abused. 

It is used indiscriminately. Sometimes it crosses the boundary of privacy. There is little analysis, if at all, before shooting a subject.  For what purpose or reason? Does it follow some basic rules like balance, contrast, lighting, distance?

The technology is in fact a total deviation from that of the conventional technology. Today it comes with the cell phone, tablet, digital notebook.  There are surveillance cameras, monitoring, miniaturized, space probe, UV, and thermal, cameras - name it and technology will find a way. Social media relies on digital camera and because it is linked with the computer, photographs can be freely edited, they can be made into e-book, they are materials for artists like painters and architects, they can be sent, millions and millions everyday, to all parts of the world. 

Even if I belong to the old school, I found myself joining the countless ardent photographers and enthusiasts. I'll try to link photography - the art and media tool, the  serious and leisurely, conventional and modern, ideal and down-to-earth.  Perhaps, professional and amateur, modern and abstract. To think of photography's 101 functions today, its seems there is no place on earth where the lens is not watching us. In fact, it is us who wish to picture the whole world.

Typical palm size digital camera, easy to 

operate and convenient to carry. 

Here are photographs I wish to share as lesson to our pageviewers, and participants to Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid. 
   

 

Light up your life, Matabungkay, Batagas: flowers girls, stag man, Fuerte, Vigan City 

Dimorphism, a rare find of 4- and 5-arm starfish, Matabungkay, Batangas

Who is afraid to enter a man-made cave? International Exhibit Center, MM

Leaning fire tree, 45 degrees. Regalado Ave., Fairview, QC (The tree was cut down to give way to drainage construction)

  

Agro-tourism. Try yur hands in picking cowpea pods. San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur.

  

Goat bear the long summer, nibbling on dry bark, Fuerte, Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Golden Kuhol (Pomacea caniculata), No. 1 pest of rice on the field. San Vicente, I. Sur

       

 Lazy man's crop so-called "plant-forget-harvest" - okra (Abelmoschos esculentus), gabi (Colocasia esculenta)

Sargassum (S. crispifolium), brown seaweed - most 

plentiful of all seaweeds in tropical reefs.  Vigan I. Sur

  

Bark of siniguelas (Spongias purporea) for minor wounds.

 San Ildefonso, Ilocos.Sur.

Balimbing (Averrhoa balimbi), Family Oxylidaceae (contain oxalic acid, 

which when taken frequently in large amount may cause osteoporosis) ~

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* Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio  738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday