A BSI “AgriKid” puts the finishing touches to his illustration during the coloring activity. (photo by Clemente Gabion)
QUEZON CITY, Metro Manila—In response to the declining number of youth interested in farming, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) launched “AgriKids: Illustrate, Formulate, and Demonstrate.”
The project is made possible in partnership with the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. It aims to promote the importance of agriculture not only to children but also to every Filipino household.
“AgriKids” was piloted in two private institutions in Fairview, Quezon City, namely, the Blessed Scalabrini Institute (BSI) and Active Thinkers Child Development Center (ATCDC). This included simultaneous activities for three major levels of participants, which were all in line with the schools’ respective learning programs.
The “Illustrate” component gathered the youngest age groups in both schools, particularly the pre-school and Grades 1-2 students in BSI and pre-schoolers in ATCDC. Sessions here were coloring and drawing activities, as well as a puppet show led by the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute.
Meanwhile, Grades 3-6 students in BSI and Grades 1-4 students in ATCDC participated in the activities under the “Formulate” component. These included poem-writing and poster- and slogan-making contests, where the outputs were judged based on relevance to the theme, creativity, and originality.
For the “Demonstrate” component, the students’ parents learned some techniques on urban gardening from Emma Tolentino, owner of an ATI-assisted Learning Site in Tarlac. In her lecture, Tolentino talked about the process of making organic fertilizers and growing plants in recyclable containers.
To ensure the family’s nutrition, Tolentino emphasized the value of home food production. She also provided examples of innovative food products made out of healthy farm ingredients.
Information, education, and communication materials were also distributed during the event. These include agriculture-themed coloring books that contain illustrations of fruits, vegetables, and farm animals.
Organized by the ATI-Information Services Division, the AgriKids pilot activities were respectively held last August 30 and 31 at BSI, Fairview and the Rural Development Education Center, Diliman in this city. –With reports from Marianne Antonio