Sparklelab's YULEanda

We've been huge fans of the Sparklelab Toy and Game-making club since it opened its doors to all creative kids out there.
But yesterday, that fan factor went up another notch. The kids were making toys to be given as Christmas presents to the young survivors of Yolanda. What a brilliant idea!

Thrilled with the concept of creating and giving, my boys set off to complete the task at hand.

Kenji was making a school bus.

Miro was making a rocket. No, a robot. Wait... a ray gun! Or, or a telescope! Miro was having an idea overload. lol!

2 hours later... just WHOA...
It's cool how with a whole lot of imagination in that packed room, simple household materials transformed into these.

Kenji's bus had a drawable surface, "So the kids can draw passengers!", Kenji excitedly said. But... he ended up drawing the passengers himself. Haha!

Out of his gazillion ideas, Miro chose to make two toys. A toss-and-catcher, and a pair of goggles. The lenses of the goggles turn. "So the kids can choose if they want to see in focus or to add shine, like when they're watching stars.", he says.

Cue proud mimi moment here. :)

I call this a successful event!
Thanks, Sparklelab for giving us a well-spent Saturday.
And to the young Yolanda survivors ...A HAPPY, PLAYFUL CHRISTMAS FROM ALL OF US!

#YolandaPH: How can your kids help

Us parents will always have the tendency to shelter our children from the ills of the world. That's natural. But at some point, you will have to allow them to realize that life is not all unicorns and rainbows. You will have to open their eyes (in a PG kind of way) to real issues that happen around them. Specially those where they can actually make a difference.

We showed photos of the Yolanda disaster that befell Tacloban, Philippines to our boys. And told them that they can help the little kids who have lost their homes. And their toys. They were more than willing. These are simple ways, but they do go a long way --for the kids in Tacloban and for your kids as well.

1. Your kids can help by deciding for themselves which of their old toys they're willing to donate.

2. Your kids can do the sorting. One box for baby toys, another box for older kids' toys, and so on.

3. They can personalize, like the photo above. This is just a touch that my boys wanted to do and I think it adds a ton of heart to the effort.

4. If your kids are big enough, they can join their school's donation repacking drive for Yolanda victims. This usually happens in school after classes or over the weekend.

These may look like little things, but they're huge for your children. That sense of responsibility and compassion to help others in need is just bigger than anything else.  Plus, you've made a bunch of other children smile.