Months before this planned field trip, I already knew where we were going. I just didn’t have the time to plan the details. I just knew that we will go to the Museo ng Katipunan. I also knew that we need to review our books and learn new lessons about our hero Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan.

So, come September, which is when the yearly Manila International Book Fair is held, I made sure we got a new book on the life of Andres Bonifacio. This was our main History book for the month of November.

But October and November are busy months for me because these are the birthday months of my boys. Thus, I was not able to prepare much for this field trip. Nonetheless, I was grateful that it surpassed my expectations.

Let me share the 3 things I loved the most about our field trip on Bonifacio Day this year.

1. As usual, as in most of our field trips, we (parents) learned with our kids.

This is one of the reasons I love homeschooling. I also love that I or homeschool parents get to choose which places would be           included in our kids’ field trips and when these would happen.

The truth is, it was a first time for all of us to visit the museum. I didn’t visit this during my student days. My husband studied in the province so it was his first time there, too. It was a wonderful family bonding to visit a new place for the first time together. It was not just a field trip for the kids. Personally, I felt that it was also my field trip. I had fun reading the interesting facts about our history especially those related to the Katipunan. Some of them are quite lengthy. Not yet something that most young kids would appreciate. Thus, I plan to bring the kids here again when they are a bit older.

            2. We had fun bonding at the nearby Pinaglabanan Shrine.

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I initially didn’t know that the museum is also near the shrine and that it was also a park. It was a big open space with lots of grass. It was a great place for our kids to run around. Our kids not only ran. They also picked up some twigs and played with them. They used some of them as pretend swords. They also used them to dig and play fetch or catch. After getting tired playing and getting hungry, we were delighted to spot an ice cream vendor. We indulged ourselves in some ice cream treats. It was messy but we had fun eating. Too bad I didn’t know it was a good place for a picnic. Maybe next time on our next visit, we can have a picnic.

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I grew up going to the city of San Juan a lot to visit my maternal relatives. But we didn’t go to the Shrine or museum when I was small. It was indeed a treat for me!

3. The kids also learned about their family history.

When I found out that we were already in Pinaglabanan Shrine, I asked the ice cream vendor if the Pinaglabanan church was nearby. His response made me excited. He said that it was only walking distance from the park. The Pinaglabanan church or the St. John the Baptist church in San Juan is special to me and my parents. Why? Because that’s where my parents got married decades ago. It was also in this church where I first experienced being a flower girl in a wedding. It was during the wedding of one of my uncles, my mom’s first cousin. I shared stories with my husband and kids about our experiences int hat church and about our visits in this city when I was still a little girl. I have many fond memories in San Juan. I remember going there on Christmas day with my grandmother and younger brother a lot. We would usually go home with aguinaldo or cash gifts from our relatives.

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   My kids in front of Saint John the Baptist church or Pinaglabanan church in San Juan.

   

I felt nostalgic while on our way to the museum. I recognized some landmarks. I visited this city in my childhood countless times. Some old structures were still there. But there were already a lot that changed. I’m really happy that I got to share this piece of my personal history to my own family now.

How about you? Have you been to the Museo ng Katipunan? It’s very informative and it has no entrance fee.

Whether you are homeschooling or not, you can plan for family field trips, too. You don’t need to wait for your child’s school to organize field trips for you. It’s not just fun for the kids. You will have fun, too. Trust me!