How To Get Kids Excited About Exploring The Outdoors l PopRica l Smart Parenting
In this episode of PopRica, join us at Sojourn Campsite and Villas for some outdoor family bonding! Watch as Smart Parenting Editor-at-Large Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio and her second-born, Manu, enjoy fun activities like swimming and roasting marshmallows, while sharing tips on making the outdoors enjoyable for kids. Learn how to balance comfort with adventure, embrace a little mess, and create lasting core memories with your family! #OFFKids #OFFKidsSpritz
In this episode of PopRica, join us at Sojourn Campsite and Villas for some outdoor family bonding! Watch as Smart Parenting Editor-at-Large Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio and her second-born, Manu, enjoy fun activities like swimming and roasting marshmallows, while sharing tips on making the outdoors enjoyable for kids. Learn how to balance comfort with adventure, embrace a little mess, and create lasting core memories with your family! #OFFKids #OFFKidsSpritz
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hi Smart Parenting fans!
00:13Welcome to another episode of POP Rika and today as you can see I am in the middle of
00:17nature.
00:18I'm not in the city where it's hustling and bustling all the time and that's because I'm
00:22here at the Sojourn campsite and villa for a reason.
00:26Well one is, I'm going to date my second born because my dad and brother left.
00:30So today it's going to be my me and Manu time and aside from that I also want to include
00:36you all because I know you're always on the lookout for core memory things like bonding
00:41activities that you could do with your family and one of the things that I advocate a lot
00:45is exploring the outdoors.
00:47So if you want to know the first step, this is the right vlog to watch.
00:56Alright everyone, so for this episode of POP Rika, I will be joined by my second born
01:14Manu.
01:15Say hi to everyone.
01:16Hi!
01:17What are you excited to do today?
01:18I'm excited to swim, excited to roast marshmallows.
01:26Let's see if we get to that part but you're excited to do stuff that you really like to
01:31do, right?
01:32It's mama and Manu time, yeah?
01:34Yes.
01:35Okay, so today I also will share with everyone because in the age of internet, there are
01:41a lot of kids who just want to be indoors and in an aircon and honestly my kids also
01:47sometimes prefer that more because who doesn't like comfortable things, right?
01:53So how do you encourage your kids about going outdoors?
01:56I have a few things that I could share with you in no particular order.
02:01Number one is, and I think this is the most important, monkey see, monkey do.
02:05So we already know that as parents that whatever we do, our children will copy and so if they
02:12see even a little bit of discomfort in you in going outdoors, they will also inherit
02:19that.
02:20I think a huge part of why my kids are game na game pag nasa labas kami is because yung
02:25nanay at tatay nila ang nangunguna sa pagiging masaya when we are outdoors.
02:30And I usually see this as the main problem as well because a lot of parents are afraid
02:36of discomfort and I think it's because lalo na tayo, we're the generation of yung aircon
02:42kids, yung nasanay tayo na pinapa aircon tayo ng mga nanay natin, di tayo nagagalusan.
02:47Why do I get so many sugats?
02:50You get many sugats because you're so malikot.
02:54So we have to get over that hump first before we actually expect our children to like it.
03:02Next, go with a group that your family is comfortable with, preferably if they have
03:08friends.
03:09You know always, if they have friends, if they have playmates, yan ay isa sa mga pinaka
03:14laking factor kung bakit na-excite ang bata sa pupuntahan nila whether it is outdoors
03:19or not, diba?
03:21Number three, give them a good mix of comfort and challenges.
03:25Kasi syempre when you go outdoors, agad-agad challenging na yun, alam natin yun.
03:30So bring things that will make it comfortable for them, so if they have a favorite.
03:35Blankie food is always, di ba kaya may comfort food, di ba?
03:38The number one syempre is the parents, no?
03:41If they have things that make it feel like home to them, that helps him regulate, especially
03:46in newer environments when it feels.
03:49And your books.
03:50Yes, books also.
03:51Also when we do activities, we make sure that it is age appropriate.
03:56So Manu, di ba, when we were hiking in Indonesia, it was what, I think it was worth five kilometers
04:03of walking.
04:04Of course, he is only five, and five kilometers of walking is a little bit much for him.
04:09So we said, just go for two and after that we'll carry you.
04:13So it's like a good mix, di ba, of comfort and challenge.
04:16So makakomfort siya in like two kilometers, pero may challenge din siya.
04:21Hindi namin siya ni-rob of the opportunity to have that challenge in his body.
04:26Number four, boring time, bored time is a good time for kids because, I will never forget
04:32this, when we were in Catanduanes, talaga kaming dalang mga, may mga toys, and then
04:37what he did was, he got like this little parang pail na meron ako for camping, and then sticks,
04:44and then grass, and then he pretended to like blend them all and cook.
04:48And tuwang-tuwa akong panoorin siya kasi, yung imagination niya na go work with the
04:52natural environment.
04:53Di ko alam kung ano yung iniisip niya nun, but trust that kids will be able to find something
04:57to do, even in their boredom.
04:59So that's what we do for the kids, and what we have discovered is that they like it so
05:04much because it's a big yes space.
05:07What do I mean by that?
05:08In the house kasi, di ba, we're always saying no, no to this, no climbing, no dirty stuff,
05:13no whatever, ganyan.
05:14Kasi nga, kailangan malinis, di ba?
05:16Eh pag nasa outdoors ka, kebs!
05:18Di ba?
05:19Kahit madumihan sila, kahit na maputikan, kahit na, iyan, kahit na laro lang sila ng
05:27laro, it's a big yes space.
05:29You don't really need to control as much, and they like that.
05:32And it's very good for everyone including the parents.
05:36And last but not the least, I would suggest that you also include them in the planning.
05:41They love it when they know where they're going.
05:44Kids love plans eh.
05:45I know that it's good to be spontaneous, I know it's good to train them also to like
05:50unpredictable things, but a certain amount of knowledge of planning is very reassuring
05:56to your kids na this is where we're going, these are the activities that we want to do,
06:00kayo ano yung priority ninyo pag nandun tayo.
06:03Pag kasi piniprep natin sila ng gano'n, mas ready yung mind nila to, and their bodies
06:09also, to accept the newer environment.
06:16Exploring the outdoors is really character building and one of the things that you will
06:20build when you are in unpredictable situations is resilience.
06:24Di ba?
06:25Paano ka mag-aact kung hindi mo talaga na-predict o na-foresee ang lahat.
06:29But, you know, we don't leave everything to chance, so whatever we can cover, we cover
06:34for our protection and our safety.
06:36So, I have here a few of our essentials whenever we go out, so whether that's like overnight
06:41or not, basa nandiyo lang yun sa bag ko.
06:43So always be ready for whatever kind of weather.
06:46So this is a raincoat, this is a sun hat, so protect yourself from the elements outside
06:52that could actually make it a very bad experience for you.
06:56Aside from that, of course, we've got toiletries, the basic ones, especially soap.
07:01Kasi kung magkasugat man yung mga anak mo sa nandito yan, no?
07:04Kasugat sila.
07:05Importante, mahugasan mo.
07:07Importante, may tubig.
07:09Aside from that, of course, you've got your first aid kit, which is everything that I've
07:13got in here.
07:14Okay, medical tape.
07:16Medical tape of different sizes.
07:18So nakita nyo, di ba?
07:19Ito malaki, meron din akong maliit.
07:21Usually, pag maliit, sa totoo lang, di naman talaga kailangan ng medical tape na mga bata,
07:25pero pagka namunang mental yung effect sa kanila na, oh, sige, sige, lalagyan natin
07:31ng solution yan.
07:32They kind of feel more comforted and safer.
07:35For the sun factor, of course, we never forget.
07:38So this is an entire bag of different kinds of kung anong level ng SPF ng sunblock ko.
07:44And of course, ito, lalo na para sa mga Pilipino, no?
07:48Lalo na pag dumadating ang 6pm.
07:50Lamok is so real.
07:52Their lamok struggle is so real.
07:54As somebody who has been through dengue twice, I'm afraid for my children to get it.
07:59Ayoko nang ma-feel nila yun, yung bumababa yung platelets nila and all.
08:03So I always bring this.
08:06Actually, kahit di outdoors.
08:08Dahil Pilipino tayo, laging nasa bag ito, di ba?
08:11So meron na akong two kinds.
08:13Yung spray, tsaka yung lotion.
08:15I particularly like this newer product of OFF.
08:20OFF Kids Spritz.
08:21Sobrang gusto namin to, coz it's so easy to apply.
08:25As parents, it serves as an extra layer of protection for our kids, wherever we may find ourselves in.
08:35Ang maganda sa ilog dito sa Camp Sojourn, pwedeng pwede siya sa mga bata.
08:40Hindi masyadong malakas yung agos, at least sa panahon na to.
08:43Kayang-kaya pa ng bata.
08:44Tsaka mababaw lang, hindi siya malalim.
08:46So it's very safe.
08:48But you have to ask, of course, if it ever goes up, if it ever gets strong, or when it swirls.
08:53Just to be safe.
09:13So Manu, tell me, have you had fun?
09:16Yes.
09:17What was the funnest part?
09:19Swimming.
09:20You mean in the river? Or in the pool?
09:23Pool.
09:24Oh, really?
09:25How about the marshmallow? Is it more than the pool?
09:28Yes.
09:30Anyway, parents, syempre no, it's not always going to be like this.
09:35Today seems like a perfect day.
09:37But honestly, when we go out outdoors, there are times when we feel like, ay, namin to ulitin ulit.
09:43Let's be real, I'm not going to keep that from you.
09:46And say na, parang everything is always going smooth.
09:49There will always be challenges, especially to the parents, because you are the ones who carry the weight the most.
09:55Pero siguro, for starters, if you're just beginning this adventure in your life, like an adventure-driven life,
10:02go for the easier locations and destinations, which we have a lot of here in the Philippines.
10:07And even within, you know, Luzon or like malapit sa Metro Manila, search for campsites that are like this.
10:15Diba? Yung parang everything is here already.
10:18Para minimize nyo lang yung trouble sa beginning, para ma-encourage din kayo.
10:23And also the kids would have a lesser time adjusting and a lesser time of discomfort.
10:29Build nyo yan. Parang sa school lang yan. Pahirap ng pahirap.
10:32So start easy first, and then you can get harder next time, harder and harder,
10:36until you find yourselves able to do anything that is thrown your way.
10:42And that's it for today's episode of PopRika.
10:45Sana naman kahit papano, I na-encourage kayo to go outdoor.
10:48So do tag us if you finally make your first adventure.
10:51And until next time, Smart Parenting fans, do like and subscribe!
11:02PopRika.com