Last Friday, October 9, my daughter’s preschool had a walking trip around the mall. Since the second quarter is about community helpers, the purpose of the walking trip is to get to know and see firsthand what community helpers do such as dentists, bakers, barbers, etc. At the same time, it is a good opportunity to apply what they learned in school.
First Stop: Grocery
A and her classmates waiting outside the supermarket
The kids went around the Landmark Supermarket and introduced the concept of grocery, cashier, and security guards among others. They toured around the grocery and the teachers allowed the kids to identify the fruits, veggies, chicken, meat, and anything else they could see inside. 
To extend learning, Teacher D gave a checklist to find food or things that starts with T, D, G, E, N, and I. 
My daughter had fun going around the grocery, looking for food that starts with the assigned letter and getting everything on the checklist. We were also instructed to have a budget of P100.00 to teach the kids the concept of budgeting and saving at an early age. 
Sadly, we went beyond the budget because my daughter insisted on getting the grapes, which costs P80.00 so we failed on this mission. Oops.
Grocery š
Next Stop: David’s Salon
The next community helper the students met was the barber. The kids went around David’s Salon and observed what barbers do. Some of them were amazed with the barber cutting a customer’s hair and even kept on asking what the shampoo area is for.
Inside the David’s Salon
My preschooler didn’t like this part because she’s scared of cutting her hair. She thought that going inside David’s means she has a scheduled haircut and made her apprehensive the entire time.
Kudos to David’s Salon for accommodating 25 kids and for being patient while they are inside.
Next Destination: Green Apple Dental Clinic
It’s time to meet another community helper: the dentist. The kids toured the Green Apple Dental Clinic, got acquainted with the dental tools, and listened to the dentist’s talk about proper oral care and how to take care of a child’s teeth at an early age. The staff also asked each student to sit on the dental chair, although most students freaked out. 
We were not able to listen entirely to the dentist’s talk because my daughter doesn’t want to stay inside. Sayang. One of the things that struck me was that she reminded every parent in the room to encourage the use of glass instead of bottle for drinking milk, especially at night.
Last Stop: Bigoli 
This is my daughter’s most favorite activity. She loves pizza more than anything. She and her schoolmates had a pizza-making activity using the following ingredients, which are all provided by Bigoli:
Dough and white sauce
Mozzarella cheese 
Bacon 
After wearing their plastic gloves, the students had fun making their own pizza (and just imagine how noisy they were back there). After such, Bigoli baked their pizzas, which took about 10 to 15 minutes.
Finished product
Of course, our lunch was pizza courtesy of my daughter. 
What I Like About the Walking Trip
As parents, we are primarily responsible for educating our kids and applying what they learned in real life. However, there are various factors such as work, which could prevent us from bringing our kids in different places and introduce them the things they need to learn as they grow up.
The walking trip gave the students an opportunity to see (and perhaps experience) firsthand what community helpers do. I also appreciate how the teachers gave exercises such as the grocery activity, which allows students to practice what they learned inside the classroom. Aside from the field trip, the walking trip is also a good activity for the students since learning is not limited inside the four corners of the classroom.
Of course, there are boo-boos and instances where kids, especially my daughter won’t cooperate. That’s part of it. After all, kids will always be kids.
Overall, I enjoyed the walking trip as much as my daughter did. There were lots of walking in between, hence the name, but I’m glad her school had activities such as this. I hope they will have another one within the school year.
Ayi is a stay-at-home mom of two. When her kids are in their best state, she keeps up with chores, work, and ensuring that her sanity is intact. Join her as she navigates through this rollercoaster ride called motherhood.
It looks like your daughter did have a great time. I wish my son’s school would have activities like these too!
Awwww!!! This is so cute! I bet everyone had a lot of fun! š thanks for sharing! š
The kids are pretty cute š I imagine them walking in groceries and walking in the mall, so cucute nila hehe. This is a great experience and exploring with new environment.
WOW! I want this too. š My kids will enjoy this.
Looks like fun! My daughter’s preschool also has these trips and interactions with community helpers (my husband, a fire fighter is one, and a favorite each year LOL). They don’t do it in malls though but within the school grounds.
They invite community helpers? That’s fun din š
They’re so cute pushing they’re own shopping cart. That’s a great educational trip.
Ah yes, I’m becoming more and more aware that the stuff we naturally learned growing up should be intentional now. Pano kasi yang mga kidnappers and holduppers na yan eh, nakakawindang! I used to be able to walk to the neighborhood stores and stroll around our huge village and all and play in the streets na walang matandang kailangan nakabantay. Now iba na!
That’s true. Iba na panahon ngayon. Yung walking trip lang ng kids, some of my daughter’s schoolmates have bodyguards pa! Nakaka-praning talaga.
So fun! We’ve initially decided to homeschool but there’s no preschool homeschool community here in Davao so it’d be hard to attend these kinds of events. Looking forward to preschool next year!
Are you scouting for preschool na? You should consider Gymboree. Okay talaga š
Ang saya naman! Parang I wanna join the kids na rin. Ang saya talaga nang mga field trips. š
This looks so much fun. I love the pizza session nagcrave tuloy ako hehehe.
Looks like a lot of fun. I would love to experience something like this with my kids. It a great bonding time and learning time for them.
What a nice learning experience! The kids really learn a lot from real life and hands on experiences like this.
How cute, they’re being taught how to shop in a supermarket this early lol.
Ang cute naman. Very ice idea. š I love that they get to do stuff outside school.
Our students also love walking trips. Our consultant says “realia” ingrains ideas into toddlers’ brain much much better than worksheets! š
I agree š I was surprised to hear my daughter talk about the things they do in school. Nakakagulat din na she remembers since learning is incorporated with play :))
I’ve heard so many good things about this Gymboree Preschool. In fact, one blogger friend enrolled her daughter there and great feedback!
Yes, it’s a perfect choice for me. Hassle lang since it’s in the mall and mapapagastos talaga :))
awwww, ang cute naman. It’s nice that Gymboree has programs like this.
awww…ang saya! and the kids are super cute…I love gymboree…and im glad they have activities like this!