At BestStart Flatbush, Filipino Language Week was a vibrant celebration of culture and learning. Through music, stories, food, and play, tamariki and whānau experienced the richness of Filipino traditions while building respect and belonging.
At BestStart Flatbush, we value and respect multicultural diversity. As part of our commitment to embracing different cultures, we recently celebrated Filipino Language Week. This exciting and meaningful event gave our tamariki and whānau the opportunity to explore and learn the beauty of Filipino culture.
Day 1: Songs and Language
We began the week with joyful music as tamariki learned and sang Filipino children’s songs such as Paa, tuhod, balikat, ulo, Penpen De Sarapen, Bahay Kubo, Leron-Leron Sinta, and Tongtong Pakitong-Kitong. They were also introduced to Filipino words such as Kumusta? (How are you?), Salamat (Thank you), bata (child), tubig (water), and tinapay (bread).
Day 2: Art and Craft
Our tamariki enjoyed creating colourful artworks using their hands and paints, inspired by the Philippine flag.
Day 3: Storytelling
We shared the famous Filipino folktale Pagong and Matsing (The Story of the Turtle and the Monkey), highlighting the importance of sharing and caring for friends and others.
Day 4: Traditional Game
The children learned and played a Filipino game called Tumbang Preso, where players use jandals to knock over a can.
Day 5: Cultural Dress-Up and Salo-salo (Shared Kai)
We ended the week with a Cultural Dress-Up Day where Filipino kaiako and tamariki wore traditional costumes. Everyone enjoyed a delicious salo-salo with authentic Filipino food lovingly prepared by our Filipino whānau.
Celebrating cultural events like Filipino Language Week fosters cross-cultural understanding for our tamariki, helping them build connections to the wider world and laying the foundation of respect and appreciation for diverse backgrounds. We are proud to welcome you to BestStart Flatbush, where every culture is valued and every child belongs.