Kids Ahoy Adventure

I found Kids Ahoy through TV, I saw it in GMA, some cute kids learning photography, after that I looked it up in the internet and I found kids ahoy. When I saw their multiply site, I was pleased to see that their doing all kinds of things, nature treks, arts class, lots of beautiful happy faces on their site.
I left a comment on their site a few months ago, but when I learned that they are only offering the photography class for 5 years old and above, I lost interest because I'm really just after the photography class at that time and since I'll be enrolling Jea to Kiddo Academy already I didn't bother looking at kids ahoy again.
After a few months I checked Kids Ahoy's site again and saw more nature tripping pictures. That got me interested again, I would like my daughter to experience that. I would like her to see trees and insects and try to climb a tree. I like her to meet some more friends and for me to spend some more substantial bonding time with her.
I'm a single mom, so its double pressure for me to spend some quality time with my daughter since she doesn't have anybody else but me. I play with her, read her books and go to mall with her and eat all those happy meal. But after a while it becomes a routine, buying her more toys doesn't teach her good manners either. I don't like her to think that I love her because I bought her favorite doll. I want her to remember that we had so much fun doing, this and this and this. I don't like her to tell her friends that she knows that I love her because I buy her a lot of happy meal toys and we eat a lot of chicken nuggets. So I told myself, this will be fun. So I called up Kids Ahoy and registered for the open house. I thought its a really formal school that I have to reserve my attendance and all.
So we went there last Saturday, we are too early, in fact we had to stop by Dunkin Donuts first on our way just to kill time. We are already in Aurora Blvd. at 12:15 and the class is for 1pm. It wasn't hard for me to look for the location, I just looked for the street name and at end I saw this beautiful spanish era house with some banderitas. I knew this is the one since I saw it from their multiply site, but it was too quiet, it looks like just a house, no screaming kids yet so I knew I'm still too early. Teacher Aia welcomed us and tell us about Kids Ahoy, up to this point I'm still thinking that she will go on on telling us about the fees, school rules, guideline etc. The usual topics that I would hear in a school orientation, but this was different. She led us through the house and showed us the spaces and tells us about the children. By this introduction only, I already knew that the children is the most important part of the school. In my mind that is really good, you wouldn't hear the teacher tell about you that I'm a good teacher because I graduated here and took all this courses, (most preschools are like that.) This school is great because we have this and we offer that etc. Teacher Aia talked about the kids, how they love it here.

Then came in the mommies, they are so accommodating. They welcomed me and Jea as if we knew each other for a long time already. They acted as friends, and not the flashy mommies that I find in other schools. Although a little shy at first Jea likes being there. They we're allowed to run around, draw on floors and walls. A lot of freedom, freedom to have fun and just be kids. No pressure, just playing and having fun. In this school they are not limited on what they can do, on what they can learn. There is no big poster about rules, that tells kids on what not to do. In fact I didn't hear anybody say no.
When I heard teacher Aia said, let's play "Taguan base" my eyes sparkled, in my head wow, the kids can run, they can be kids. They can really play the way we used to. There is no Computers, PSP or other techie stuff that the kids nowadays have known as "play" in Kids Ahoy they can actually play.
On top of all this, when I got to talk to the wonderful mommies there, I learned that this is a community, that the parents and the kids are really friends, the teachers teach like its their own kids that they are teaching. Its more personal and more sincere. They did not organize this group to earn money, they have a vision of having a place where their kids can learn and have fun, together with their mommies. "Learning" that is a lot different from what other schools are offering. I don't know how to really explain it. For me I went there to look for a place to spend some bonding time with my daughter. To find a place where she can learn more stuff and have fun. Looks like I found more than that.
Its not just Jea that found new friends, me too. I'm glad to find Kids Ahoy. Looks like Jea and me will be spending a lot of our weekends with them.
In fact I got so into their vision, I understand their passion that as I drive home with Jea I kept on thinking what I can teach. I'd like to teach there too, even without pay.That way I dint not only got to spend some precious time with my daughter but I can also share it with her new friends and my new friends. Can't think of something yet, I think I can teach arts and craft too, but teacher Aia is already doing wonderful things with that. Hopefully I'll come up with something, hopefully they will allow me to teach too.

This are some excerpts on my conversation with Jea as we were driving home:

#1
Me: Did you had fun?
Jea: Ah, yes mommy, dun nalang ako school ha.

#2
Me: Next week we will join their nature trip, we will climb trees.
Jea: Pano yun? Pano tyo climb trees?
Me: I don't know baby, they will teach us.
Jea: Siguro, parang Monkey!