Kumusta! While we have been learning all about fruits and vegetables with Marianne, I remembered something from when I was a little girl. Every week, I would go to the village market to help pick up my family’s groceries. It wasn’t like the supermarkets you have today; it was an open‑air market filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats, all grown by families living on the farms around our village. Because the Philippines is such a tropical country, it often rained, so I always wore a little bandana tied around my head like a bonnet, and I carried an umbrella everywhere I went.
That memory inspired me to create a special “village market” game for you outside. I set up tents and tunnels to form our little village, and you helped me so lovingly with arranging the rows of chairs for you all to sit and wait for your turn. In the middle of the village, I placed a big tub filled with all sorts of pretend fruits and vegetables. Instead of walking around to different stalls, your special job was to search through the tub and sort out exactly what you needed to buy.
Before each turn, I tied a bandana around your head, just like the one I used to wear. Then you took your shopping basket and the grocery list I prepared for you. Your list had a mix of fruits and vegetables to find, and you ticked them off one by one as you sorted through the tub, making sure you gathered everything needed for the week ahead.
You absolutely loved this game. You helped each other look for the right items, popping up from tunnels, weaving through the village, and proudly showing me your full baskets. Watching you explore, sort, and work together made the whole village come alive.
Lots of Love, Genna xx
