Wikalympics

The latest BarkadahaNZ activity was a celebration of the Filipino language as it coincided with Buwan ng Wika (which falls in August), with the rather witty event name by Tita Cory in conjunction with the  recent Olympics and Paralympics in London.

The kids were divided into two groups for an afternoon of fun competition.  The games were composed of:

• Tula (poem) - an individual event. The Unders 8s were given a simpler poem to read, while the older kids were given a more challenging piece.
• Kanta (song) - group event, with two songs involved ("Kung Ikaw ay Masaya" and "Leron Leron Sinta")
• Tongue Twister - The Under 8's were given a simpler tongue twister, and the older kids tackled a more difficult rhyme.

The pieces were given to the parents ahead of time so the kids can learn it from home.  Then, half an hour was allotted for everyone to rehearse.  Three judges scored the performances.

We initially thought that there will be awkward moments as the kids might struggle with interacting with one another (there were new kids as well, which was really great) while they contend with a language they hear at home most of the time, but they may not practice using as much.  But we were delightfully mistaken as there was fun and laughter all round.

All the kids brought home some treats of their choosing, but not before everyone shared a late afternoon snack and chat.  We hope that this activity has given the kids a boost towards trying to learn the Filipino language, and that the parents were able to pick up an idea or two on how to motivate use of our language with the kids.

The positive response we garnered from this activity is very encouraging, and we look forward to making it a yearly event (and perhaps do it in August the next time around!)



(We would also like to take this opportunity to send our condolence to one of the families who lost a loved one back in the Philippines, we pray that God will help them through this time of grievance).