Written by: Ate Charmain Tan, External Vice President
We were joined this afternoon by Kuya Chris and Ate Sarah. Kuya Chris volunteered with U! Happy Events when he lived in the Philippines a couple of years ago. He had since moved back to Floria and this year he came back to visit Philippines once again and wanted to share his blessings with the children of Gawad Kalinga Laura. GK Laura Drive is located in Taguig and the housing complex is home to numerous families. We have visited their home lots of times and these children are endeared to us. As they arrived at Active Fun they were all very excited to a fun filled afternoon. Active fun is an indoor play area catered to children. There are giant slides and ball pits and the play area is padded to ensure the kids’ safety.
We started the program by introducing Kuya Chris and Ate Sarah. We told the kids they could practice their english skills as Kuya Chris can only speak a little Tagalog. The couple are about to head back to the US and we appreciate them spending their last weekend with these adorable and energetic kids.
The first game we played as Paper Ring Relay. The kids were divided into two teams, Team Chris and Team Sarah. Teams formed a straight line and everyone was given straws. The first person in the line had to get a paper ring using the straw in their mouth. The person had to pass the ring to the next person without touching the straw or the ring. They kept passing to the next until they reached the last person who then would put the ring on the plates. The team that got the most number of rings won the game. It was so fun as both teams were very competitive. Kuya Chris and Ate Sarah were so tall they had to kneel all the time to reach the height of the kids.
The second game was Ball Relay. Teams formed a line but in pairs. We gave a ball to each them and at the start of each round we would specify where the ball was to be placed. The pair then had to go around the chair at the far end and back. All pairs had to finish and the first team that finished first got a point. For the first round the balls were to be put in between them on their sides. Then we asked them to put it in between their heads, then we did back to back, then between their legs. It was really funny as the kids tried to go around as fast as they could without dropping the ball. Some hopped so fast when they had the balls in between their legs. Ate Sarah was so strong she carried the kid she was paired with. For the last round the teams had to go by four. Four members of a team formed a straight line with 3 balls in between them. The line of four had to move at the same time and go around the chair. In the end it was Team Sarah who won the game.
After the activities the children got ready to go in the playground. They excitedly went to their groups as their names were called. One core team led one group. Once inside the playground the kids ran and laughed. We went all the way up to try the giant slide. It was so fun we tried it lots of times. There were ball pits where the kids jumped in. There were balls that flew up from the air pressure of a container and they tried catching the balls while mid air. There was an obstacle course inside where you had to go through padded columns to reach the other side. The kids kept calling Ate Sarah to climb to the top with them. They also kept asking Kuya Chris to go do the slides with them. As he was so tall he slid down the slide so fast. At the end of the hour all the kids were sweating and had to drink so much water. They had so much fun that they kept talking what they did inside. It was so hard to keep up with their energy.
The kids got to enjoy a great chicken barbecue lunch. There were huge servings of rice and the kids finished them all. For dessert we got to enjoy my favorite buko pandan. After the great meal Kuya Chris showed off his superb salsa skills by showing us his dance moves with the song Despacito. All the kids watched and sang as Despacito is a popular song. They all cheered for Kuya Chris for his excellent salsa skills.
Kuya Chris and Ate Sarah gave out gifts to the kids. They all got cupcakes, storybooks, and water bottles. We also gave out prizes to the winners of the games. Everyone had so much fun as they thanked Kuya Chris and Ate Sarah for giving them the opportunity to go back to Active Fun. We wish them both a safe trip back to Florida and we look forward to seeing them again when they come back and visit the Philippines.
