Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - From
an adventure in Japan to an object lesson in Spain, from a fable set in the
African savannah to a tale based on arithmetic problems, their journey around
the world began with the flip of a page.
Hundreds of children trooped to the first-ever
Inquirer Read-Along Festival, a two-day marathon of storytelling and other
learning activities featuring an international lineup of celebrities, beauty
queens, diplomats, educators, and theater and literary enthusiasts.
The festival, which opened on Monday and ended
Tuesday night at GT-Toyota Asian Cultural Center inside the University of the
Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City, was by far the biggest, most
diverse gathering organized in a single venue by the Inquirer's award-winning
Read-Along team. The much-applauded project had come a long way since the first
sessions were held at the paper's Makati City office in 2007.
One of the storytellers, Miss Earth 2011
contestant Kerel Razil Pinder of The Bahamas, cited the importance of exposing
today's children to such activities: "With all that technology, all those
computers, video games and gadgets available now, there are not enough children
reading. I think an event like this encouraging reading and making it fun for
them and learning more about reading¿is essential."
With the theme "The Filipino Child and
the Stories of the World," the festival kicked off with three sessions on
Day One. Taking turns narrating kiddie stories from different countries were
actor-host Cesar Montano, Miss Earth delegates, representatives from the
Japanese, Spanish and South African embassies, and storytellers from Alitaptap
Storytellers Philippines, Adarna House and Sophia School.
Monday's program also saw the unveiling of the
special festival stage, led by Inquirer publisher Isagani Yambot; and the
"Living Museum of Well-Loved Storybook Characters" set up by Sophia
School students.
Also opened was a book fair featuring titles
from Anvil Publishing, Adarna and Vibal Publishing.
The affair drew children from various schools
and organizations: Laura Vicu?a Foundation, Al-Salaam Peace Community, Colegio
de San Lorenzo, St. Paul College-Pasig, Family Partner Child Learning House and
UP Integrated School.
The audience also included handicapped
children served by Resources for the Blind Inc. and students from Miriam
College-Southeast Asian Institute for the Deaf. For them, sessions were held
using Braille-based books and sign language.
From
embassy row
Maki Mizusawa, third secretary of the Japan
Information and Culture Center of the Embassy of Japan, read
"Momotaro," a famous folk tale from his homeland, using a Japanese
storytelling tool called the "kamishibai."
Antonio Garcia, first secretary of the Spanish
Embassy, read "La Lechera" (The Milkmaid), which told of a girl who
ended up spilling the milk she was supposed to sell¿all because she was
daydreaming about the things she could buy with the money.
Garcia also taught the kids to greet in
Spanish and read some parts of the story in his native language, occasionally
taking a pause to ask the children if they understood some of the words.
"The story is a classic, with a moral
lesson for kids to understand that one has to be patient," Garcia later
explained.
Hayden Mulaudzi, an official of the South
African Embassy, read "Horns Only," a story about a zebra and monkey
who cleverly found a way to gatecrash a party exclusive to horned animals.
"The experience was very humbling. The
children were so friendly yet intriguing because of the questions they
asked," Mulaudzi said.
Bookish
beauties
Miss Earth beauties¿Pinder of The Bahamas,
Cherry Liu of Chinese Taipei, Maria Gracia Figueroa of Peru, Veronica Doblas
Roldan of Spain, Agnes Benitez Santiago of Puerto Rico, Andrea Devivo of
Colombia, Driely Araujo of Brazil and Aleksandra Kovacevic of
Bosnia-Herzegovina¿took turns reading the creation story, "Iba't Ibang
Lahi (Different Races)."
Seeing her young audience, Brazil's Araujo was
moved to tears: "I have a project in my country where I help children with
cancer. So when I arrived here and saw these children I had (a rush of)
emotions."
"They are so adorable, they want to have
pictures with you, they look up to you. It's the greatest feeling in the world
to know that you can influence their lives in a positive way," said
Colombia's Devivo.
Rich Rodriguez and Dhea Cajape of Alitaptap
read "Mahiwagang Biyulin (Magic Violin)" as retold by Christine Belen
and published by Anvil.
From Adarna, returning storyteller Dyali Justo
read "Sampu Pataas, Sampu Pababa," a math-based storybook by Russel
Molina.
The actor Montano, an Inquirer Read-Along
veteran, read "Bertday Ko" by Cynthia Cruz-Paz. "Storytelling is
a regular activity in the house. I read to my kids always and whenever the
opportunity arises, I also love to tell stories to other children," he
said.
Sophia School teachers read "Si Isem sa
Bayan na Bawal Tumawa (Isem in the Town Where Laughter is Forbidden)" by
Eugene Evasco, while Adarna storyteller Justo read "Si Emang Engkantada at
ang Tatlong Haragan (Emang The Enchantress and the Three Naughty Kids)."
Day
Two
Day Two of the festival included a seminar for
preschool and day care teachers, a storytelling competition and three more
story sessions led by pop star Gary Valenciano, Trumpets Playshop members and
comedian Jon Santos.
Some 200 teachers from around Metro Manila
gathered tips on how to engage children more creatively.
"Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, down came
the rain," the adult "pupils" chanted at one point to the rhythm
set by a lecturer. On cue, they changed their voices to mimic a roaring giant
or to play scared.
"A story can be a springboard for letter
and word recognition using key words from the stories. Teaching children to
read is easier once you have developed their love for reading," said
Felicitas Pado, one of the seminar instructors from the UP Integrated School.
Ann Abacan, the principal and pioneering
storyteller at Sophia School in Meycauayan, Bulacan province, emphasized the
role of a creative teacher and how he or she could let go of inhibitions to
make a story more memorable to students.
Body
as tool
"Use facial expressions, body language,
gestures. Your body, yourself is the most important tool as a
storyteller," Abacan told the teachers.
"For me you should be childlike. It's
like going back to your childhood. I think that's the most important," she
later told the Inquirer in an interview.
"I always tell the teachers in the early
grades that in presenting concepts, skills in other areas, the children will
enjoy it if it is done through a story," Pado added.
As storytellers, teachers should come up with
methods that are "unexpected" yet "systematic,"
well-planned but peppered with surprises,
Abacan said. "The more senses you use,
the better."
The children had snacks and meals courtesy of
McDonald's, while winners in the question-and-answer portions received books
from Adarna House as prizes. They also received giveaways from the Rotary Club
of Makati and the United States Agency for International Development.
The festival sessions were hosted by Inquirer
Libre editor in chief Chito dela Vega and Junior Inquirer's Ruth Navarra.
With
reports from Ana Roa, Schatzi Quodala, Rissa Camongol
Tarra Quismundo in Manila/Philippine Daily
Inquirer | ANN
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