Parents urged to bring kids to museums

CEBU, Philippines - It is better for parents to take their children to museums instead of the malls.

This was the message of Dr. Jocelyn Gerra, executive director of the Cultural Heritage Program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. during the culmination of this year’s “Kids at the Museum” program.

“In the museum, the information is always being processed because there is someone who will explain the things children see while malls will only teach your children about expenditures unless there are exhibits,” Gerra said.

“Some children learn by touching it and not only by seeing it. They want something tangible,” Gerra said.

The “Kids at the Museum” was created in 2007 in celebration of Children’s Month and Museums and Galleries Month every October. It is a joint venture of RAFI and the Cebu City Government to promote museums as a venue for learning to supplement the knowledge on history and culture children get from reading books.

The program also aims to teach children how to appreciate museums as a venue of cultural understanding.

Some 300 children from Barangays San Roque, Sto. Niño, Tinago, T. Padilla, Day-as, and Tejero of Cebu City and Barangay Tingo in Lapu-Lapu City participated in the program this year. There were 150 beneficiaries of the program last year.

During every Saturday of this month, the children engaged in various activities such as Pinoy games, drawing and painting, performing arts, literature particularly writing poems and short stories and film showing.

They also visited the Rizal Museum at the University of Southern Philippines Foundation, Fort San Pedro Museum and Casa Gorordo.

“What we really want to happen is to uncover the child and her potentials. If you want to have a well rounded person, you have to train her in the field of arts. In this way, we are teaching young kids to be leaders in the process,” Gerra said.

Dr. Librado Macaraya, chairman of the city’s Parks and Playground Commission and acting manager of Plaza Independencia and Fort San Pedro, said it is about time that the view about museums changes. (THE FREEMAN)