Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Play, Learn and Save the Environment

My son recently has been fascinated by touch screen phones and online games.  As young as 2, he knows how to turn on the laptop, play online games, turn it off when he's done and even download a few games on my phone (probably because of sheer luck).  As a mom, it's important for me to know which games my kids are playing.  It should be educational as it is entertaining like the recently launched iOS application.


EnviroPop is the result of the collaboration of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWWF-Philippines) and AppLabs Digital Studios. The application aims to spread awareness on how to minimize threats to the marine life.  It's also a PLUS that it's got really adorable "CASTS."


1. Chi-Chi the Panda - Cute and cuddly, Chi-Chi the Giant Panda occupies a special place for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), symbolizing the global plight of endangered species plus the organization’s cutting-edge conservation work.

2. Gary the Grouper - With bright blue spots adorning his regal red body, Gary the Leopard Coral Grouper is a sure eye-catcher. Leopard Coral Groupers stocks are dwindling due to unsustainable fishing practices. WWF now attempts to manage the Live Reef Food Fish (LRFF) trade to ensure that Gary and his finned friends continue swimming in and around Philippine coral reefs.

3. Bobby the Butanding - Earth’s largest fish, Bobby the Butanding or Whale Shark exceeds the length of a typical passenger bus and weighs more than six adult elephants! His massive five-foot mouth helps him gulp down more than two-tonnes of plankton and krill daily. Despite his size, his teeth are only about 2mm long. Bobby the Butanding is completely harmless to humans and is one of the top species WWF conserves in Donsol and other parts of the Philippines.

4. Dolly the Dolphin - Acrobatic Dolly is a Spinner Dolphin, a species well-known for crazy jumps, spins and leaps. All dolphin species are protected under Philippine Law, prompting WWF to prioritize cetacean conservation.

5. Doogie the Dugong - Doogie the Dugong inhabits shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific, wherever seagrass is most abundant. Sizeable herds of Dugong – the source of popular mermaid lore – once plied the Philippine archipelago until hunting and habitat degradation reduced overall numbers.Thriving populations keep eagrass meadows cropped, healthy and productive.

6. Pattie the Pawikan - Found throughout the Philippines, the Pawikan or Green Sea Turtle is the only truly herbivorous marine turtle, feeding exclusively on higher algae and seagrass. The presence of sea turtles like Pattie preserves the sea’s natural processes: Green Sea Turtles continually browse on sea grass, which are naturally pruned to grow denser, allowing the plants to spread more rapidly amid the sea floor.

7. Clara the Clown Fish - Some 30 types of clownfish inhabit the warm waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans. These colorful striped fish form mutually-beneficial relationships with sea anemones. Protective mucous coatings give these fish immunity against the stinging tentacles of sea anemones. And just like the famous character Nemo, Clara the Ocellated Clownfish faces the risk of capture for the aquarium trade.

The application is currently available on iOS and on Android soon.  Download the Lite Version for FREE and the full version for only $0.99.  All profits go to WWF-Philippines marine conservation program.

To download iOS Lite go to - tinyurl.com/enviropoplite

For the full version go to - tinyurl.com/enviropopapp
Visit their website at  www.enviropopapp.com to learn more or their Facebook FanPage today.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Real Ultimate Summer Activity at ExpoKid Year 5

Last Saturday was no ordinary Saturday for me and my family as we headed off to catch ExpoKid Year 5.  My daughter had fun in the last year's event that we couldn't resist not going.

Aside from the usual booths that we frequent like Bug & Kelly and Cycles and Cradle, my daughter got interested in JakenPoy.com.

Ate who couldnt get enough of the jakenpoy website.


Jakenpoy.com is a Filipino owned and developed website that has several activities and games on a subject matter that is anchored in the curriculum of the Department of Education.  I thought it was interesting that my daughter was answering questions on Araling Panlipunan considering that it is one of her "challenging" subjects.

Mathemagis booth

Right beside Jakenpoy's booth was MatheMagis. It is an after-school enrichment program for Math where they use the bar-model approach in solving Math problems.  I'm not really sure if I ran into a bar model at least once in my life but if I did, I must have forgotten about it.   It was great to have met Teacher Luz who used to review students who are joining the MTAP Math Challenge.  My husband and I became more interested with their program when she mentioned that the Math problems on the Grade 6 MTAP reviewers are being taught to the MatheMagis students on Level 3.  Yup. You can start imagining my jaw dropping now.

Ate taking the Mathemagis assessment
Good thing that their center is near the function room where the ExpoKid is.  We asked our daughter to take the 30-minute assessment on that same day.  Quite pleased that she's on Level 4

My son writing a lot of letter I's on the wall. 
But before we went home, we left our mark at the ExpoKid wall.

Another great event by Mommy Mundo - Congratulations!!!

It was a great way of introducing several activities for the kids this summer.