Vancouver, B.C. -- It was going to be not only “babies” but “families” as well at the Vancouver Public Library’s  Pinoy Baby Welcoming held at the Kensington branch.

It was a Pinoy Family Welcoming indeed and it was alright! It reaffirmed a reality that Filipinos come to most events with the whole family, with extended relatives and friends. The young mothers arrived at the branch with their babies in the strollers accompanied by the older siblings. Several came with their preschool and young school-aged children. Lola (grandmother) and Ninang (godmother) were not going to be left behind. And yes, the fathers came to drop off the moms and children, stayed behind to watch and just as discreetly, left and came back to pick up the family!
 

It was a joy for me to see a couple of the mothers and their children from the past Programang Nanay Gansa.  Also called the Filipino Parent-Child Mother Goose Program, Nanay Gansa is an early literacy program that focuses on the pleasure and power of using rhymes, songs and stories, all presented orally, and where parents and caregivers take part together with their infants and young children.
 
 
At the Pinoy Family Welcoming, the all-time favourites were the traditional songs which we sang in Tagalog and in Bisaya. There is the silly crab song called by its first line “Tong tong tong pakitong kitong” where  everyone sang and mimicked the walk of the elusive crab by bending the elbows and moving them up and down.  “Ako ay may lobo” is a Tagalog song about buying a balloon and the choices we make; this was made more beautiful with modified sign language. 
 

And everyone’s top hit was the frog song where adults and children stood up and danced with arms and hips swaying, while they croaked “O gak gak gak.”  And yes, the song reminded us that frogs do speak in multiple languages too, not just “ribbet, ribbet” but also “o gak gak gak” and “kokak, kokak, kokak.”
 
 
The Bisayan and Ilokano speaking moms delighted at the songs that brought them back to their childhood memories, to growing up in the different regions of the Philippines, to the languages of the heart, and the languages of the homes left behind:  “Bugsay, Bugsay”, “Si Tio Karabaw”, and “Pong Pong Ginapong.” And the children, infected with their moms’ giggles and silliness as they danced and did the motions, followed their moms with gusto.
 

It is important to reassure parents that using their home language (Tagalog, Ilokano or Bisaya, etc) is a source of comfort and joy to their children. Saroj Ghoting and Pamela Diaz in their book Early Literacy Storytimes @ Your Library also write that “Research tells us that children with a strong literacy base in their first language have an easier time learning to read in English” and that “Reading with their children in their native language will help, not hinder, their children’s ability to read in English when they go to school.”
 

 
The children loved the bi-lingual songs that were already familiar to them, having learned them from their mothers’ laps, from pre-school and kindergarten, library storytimes or local Strongstart programs. In English and in Tagalog, all joined the singing of the circletime rhymes and songs that included Twinkle, Twinkle/Kay Ningning Munting Bituin, Eensie, Weensie Spider/Maliit na Gagamba, Rain is Falling Down/Pumapatak ang Ulan, and Frere Jacques/Natutulog, the latter which Marilyn MacPherson, the branch children’s librarian, also sang in French, since several of the children were in French immersion.
 

Khristine Carino-Pablo, one of the first Nanay Gansa participants, mother of three and a long-time advocate for Filipino language programming in the community, commented that because of programs like Pinoy Family Welcoming, Filipino Storytime and Nanay Gansa, “Kaitlyn (her daughter) has developed an ear and an interest in learning the Filipino language.” She added, “We hope there will be more [programs].”

Brendan and his mom Karen who spoke Chinese and English came and stayed for the whole program. When asked if they knew it was a bilingual Filipino/English program, Karen said that they had come to a Filipino/ English program last summer at Kensington branch, enjoyed it and so were here again! 

Marilyn MacPherson, the brilliant children’s librarian at the Kensington branch and my program partner, welcomed the parents, introduced the children’s programs at her branch and the Filipino language collection of books and DVDs available for borrowing. Marilyn endeared herself to the group by singing and rhyming along in Tagalog, Bisaya ang Ilokano. Tagalog/English board books and picturebooks were given to each child after the program.

The Pinoy Family Welcoming Event at the Vancouver Public Library was one of many welcoming events organized by the Children’s Library for Vancouver's diverse communities in May and June. These included  the Aboriginal Family Welcoming and the Baby Welcoming events in French, Punjabi, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish and Korean.  Thank you, Vancouver Public Library

 

 

Munting Nayon News Magazine