Children's Art Workshops in 18 Parts

                    Children's Art Workshops in 18 Parts

Make Your Pet Dog Happy, Love the Butterfly,  A Dive into the Coral Reef, Growing Up With Art, Earth Day Celebration, etc

                      1. Make Your Pet Dog Happy

“Loving pets is a measure of man’s rationality

as true guardian of creation.”  - avr

 Dr Abe V Rotor 

Lardy and Prince show their drawings – versions of their own pet dogs

“Love your pets and you will love the world of its wondrous gifts

of peace, harmony and compassion. And you will cease to be rue

and to feel alone.”  avr

 .....

Using pastel colors these kids re-create through drawing their

 own concept of loving a pet dog. Food, plaything, doghouse,

clean and comfortable surroundings, and a cheerful company

are essential needs, not different from those we humans need.

These are the precursors of love, peace and understanding.

* Living with Nature Art Workshop, November 10 2019

2.  LOVE THE BUTTERFLY

 Children's Favorite Art Subject

Dr Abe V Rotor

Eight kids and an elementary teacher among them came over 

at home one Saturday morning.

So with early butterflies fluttering among flowers in the garden, 

kissing the first rays of the sun.

What shall we draw? I asked, obvious of the beautiful subject around 

- the remarkable butterfly;

Hurrah! they chorused, anticipating the start of the session 

- to capture the butterfly on paper.

And they did in different versions, based on a pattern of the Monarch, 

the universal butterfly. 

 

A round table workshop, capturing the impressions of a butterfly, its perfect bilateral symmetry, multi-colored wings, dainty movement - and playful elusiveness. 

What is it in the mind of a child what a butterfly really is

 - more so, why a butterfly in the first place?

Does she have a mind of her own, intelligence for that matter, 

if you will, just like humans perhaps?

I can only surmise that the butterfly,

 as a member of the ecological system, 

gains from such interrelationship,

more than being independent, unattached; 

more than her beauty, or all the flowers in the garden.  

  

The child artist digs deeper about her subject: 

where did she come from, where is her home.

Does she have children?  What do they look like? 

They were once caterpillars, I answered.

What a dichotomy, and yet ugliness gave way to beauty, 

clumsiness to being dainty and pure.

So I told them the story of Paulus' Hope for the Flowers,

about two butterflies that lived in a troubled world,

and found happiness at the end.

\

 

This is our art gallery at home in San Vicente, Ilocos Sur: a floor-to-wall-to-ceiling  mural complex of Nature in different scenes. Kids from the neighborhood, pupils passing by after class, come for a visit, or sit for hour or two to learn something about art.  First I ask them.  Do you love the butterfly? ~

3. A DIVE INTO THE CORAL REEF  

"If you love to paint the sea, you will remain always young and free." avr

Dr Abe V Rotor

Travelogue into the Coral Reef  Painting by Lyn 9 and JP Reyes 7, 2018 

Get your paintbrush and dive into the coral reef, 

the great forest of the sea;

Re-create through colors on canvas nature's gift

of biodiversity;

Edge of land, where the blue sky and sea meet,  

and man with the  Almighty.

Play the tune of the mermaids in the deep

to wake them up from their deep sleep, 

that we may meet them and know their secret,

and tell other children before they sleep.

The books talk of evolution through competition

of survival of the fittest;

Move over Darwin and Wallace, it's cooperation

and unity the ultimate test.

Fish don't talk, perhaps they are dumb;

or we can't hear them and understand;

For our worlds are apart - sea and land

yet just across transparent pane of sand. 

Mirage - vision beyond any sense,

not to the eye or the range of a lens;

the sun peeps under a cloak of green,

something stirs seen and unseen.

Do fish ever sleep?

Yes, in their peaceful cove.
Oh, humans if we ever learn
where is that peace cove. ~

4. Growing Up With Art

Kids' World Away from Kids  

Dr Abe V Rotor

Take a break from computers and the mall,

confines of the small; 

break the wall of idleness, go for the ball

fast and make a goal.  

Solve the puzzle, some genius awaits you

for all you know;

left to right of the brain and back will show

a wider view of you.   

Take the road rough, look ahead, move on,

from the bandwagon;

it's your adventure, but follow the sun,   

sunrise to sundown.   

Markus 3, Laurence 5, and Mackie 5 in an art  workshop session 

                                                    Of football and decorative art 

5. Children's Integrated Art Workshop Graduates 

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Organizer and Instructor

Children need a break.  But not to indulge on TV and computer, and complacency.  In fact they don’t find relief and fulfilment from these gadgets.  Instead, they need to express themselves, and not to adjust to what the machine dictates. 

What better activity to offer kids on a Sunday afternoon,
but an on-the-spot painting session under the trees,
their shadow intermingling with them and their work,
urging them to just-do-it, you-can-do-it, and let-it-go ,
the creativity through the inner eye, from the inner self,
befriend “The Little Prince” when in doubt, when bored,
and discover you are not alone in this world.

 

  Hasnia P Datucunog 11, Sanisah A Pitiilan 12

 

  Haira P Datucunog 13, Sharina Rose Reyno 11

 

  Lucie Denise Reyno 9, Pauleen Nicole Reyno 6

 

  Francesca R Forges 9, Minjhin Viernes 8

 

  Mark Jefferson Ragca 11, Mark Lester Formoso 10

 

  Charla Cassandra R Borjal,10 Sabriya Lorin Ruelos 10

 

Adrianne Grace Ruelos 11, Frankyn R Pastor 8

Other Graduates

Kristel Lagasca

Dave Ong

Goldane Ruelos

Tyrone Nino Juanizo 

Gerizia Mae Estigoy 

Rizaldine Jade Estigoy

Yarcia, Kriz Laurenz 

 

You may take pride in having a state-of-the-art cell-phone, but not more than a painting you yourself made. A gadget can’t be part of you, but a piece of art you made – painting, melody, story, verse - is your own. It is part of you. It is a prize you give yourself and no one else can take it away. It is a lifetime achievement. In fact, it is your legacy.

Kids in the neighborhood and from afar come to experience the adventure of integrated art under a common denominator called talent.  Many ask - and doubt - if they have the talent at all.  I assure them they have. Each person has, in fact under a wide profile of eight realms. Many don’t realize this potential. Kids see the world “complete” and “instant” from food, toy, music, show - to instant relationship. Why bother when it’s there at fingertip? Perhaps we, grownups must tell them the truth.  Life is never designed this way. Good life is earned and it must be earned well.

   

Art evolved – and still is – through movements or schools, in this simplified order: primitive or ancient art (drawing in caves), realistic that is true to the subject, classical (perfection and timelessness is the essence), romantic (mainly for the elites), realism for the grassroots, impressionism and expressionism (gateway to modern art), and modern art is usually referred to as abstract, which blossomed into various and virtually free expressions.

 

Kids learn early in life the struggle for excellence, not in the classroom or street, but in themselves. The greatest struggle is with oneself – it is the biggest triumph, but it can be the biggest failure, too. Yet there is always the opportunity to conquer that opponent. This is the road to excellence. Each day you become a better person, ad infinitum.

Take time out with Nature from TV and computer,

from loafing around. Nature is your best teacher.

Kids learn early in life the struggle for excellence, not just in the classroom or street, but in themselves. The greatest struggle is with  oneself – it is the biggest triumph, but it can be the biggest failure, too. Yet there is always the opportunity to conquer that opponent. This is the road to excellence. Each day you become a better person, ad infinitum

6. Earth Day Celebration

Ecology in the Unifying Element of World Peace

 

 Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog (avrotor.blogspot.com)

Also visit Naturalism -the Eighth Sense

Over the past decades, over 193 countries have observed the Earth Day celebration—empowering local communities, students, and governments to create a positive change for the planet, charging forward with the popular slogan, think globally, act locally. Internet

Children-Pioneers of ECOLOGICAL ECUMINISM Movement

 

 

Ecological Ecumenism through Children's Art Workshop 

in expressing love and reverence in God and Nature.

Living with Nature Center, San Vicente Ilocos Sur

Earth Day Activities and Ideas

• Clean Up Plastics in your community
• Go to a Park with your family.
• Plant a Tree!
• Use Wildflowers and Native Plants.
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle in the Garden.
• Stop Using Chemicals in the Garden.
• Conserve Water!
• Convert your home lot into a garden, Bahay Kubo style
• Organize, participate in watching birds and animals
• Organize, participate in festivals or events that attract tourists to see live natural activities, such as volcanoes, and astrological activities, including solar and lunar eclipses.
• Write, compose poems, songs, draw, paint - be an artist. ~

7. Children's Art Workshop in the Garden 

Children’s Interpretation of the theme through drawing: 

 “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

Dr Abe V Rotor

Instructor

 

Twenty school children from San Vicente Integrated School and

San Sebastian Integrated School joined in the contest.

8.  Children, Children!  Love the Children

“Children are our most valuable resource.”

 — Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States

 

“Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate.” — Anonymous

 

“Children need models rather than critics.” — Joseph Joubert, French moralist

 

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” 

— Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and statesman

  

“The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.”   — Billy Graham, evangelist

 

“Children are not things to be molded, but are people to be unfolded.”  — Jess Lair, author

 

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”  

— Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist

“Children make your life important.” — Erma Bombeck, American humorist

10. Ten things to see under a microscope 

(Basic Microscopy for Kids)

"You can't see miracles and great missions,

but their humble manifestations." avr

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Summer Workshop for kids conducted by the author. Lagro QC 2013]

You can't see what is inside a mega mall,
but things for granted and so small;

You can't see a movie or a telenobela,
but the living world of minutiae;

You can't see Superman and Godzilla,
but their minuscule Vorticella;

You can't see the beginning and end of time,
but in between, a moment divine.

You can't see where all the wealth and money
come from, but another story.

You can't see the winning number of a game,
but a narrow path to fame.

You can't see the source of love and devotion,
but the beginning of true union.

You can't see Pasteur, Koch and Fleming,
but their little disciple striving.

You can't see miracles and great missions,
but their humble manifestations.

You can't see God as you would at the Sistine,
but His image in every thing. ~

Oxygen bubbles cling on filamentous green alga, by-product of photosynthesis. Oxygen is either dissolved in water for fish, or released into the air for land animals, including man. Chlorophyll (green pigment of plants, algae and some monerans like BGA) catches the light energy of the sun, and with CO2, produces food and oxygen which are important to life. This process is known as photosynthesis.

Yeast cells actively divide in sugar substrate in fermentation resulting in the production of ethanol or wine, and CO2 as byproduct. When used in baking, the CO2 is trapped in the dough and causes it to rise and form leavened bread. Yeast (Saccharomyces) reproduces rapidly by vegetative means - budding. Note newly formed buds, and young buds still clinging on mother cells.

Protozoans are agents of decomposition, and live on organic debris. In the process they convert it into detritus or organic matter and ultimately to its elemental composition which the next generation of plants and other life forms utilize. Protozoans or protists are one-celled organisms, having organelles which function like organs of higher animals. Protozoans live in colonies and in association with other living things as symbionts, commensals, and for the pathogenic forms, parasites.

11.  Adventure with Nature through Drawing.

Living with Nature Center

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

Dr Abe V Rotor

Instructor

  

 

 

"Lolo, can you teach us how to paint and draw?"

That was the start of an adventure with nature;

So I led the children as a guardian would do,

but more on what to learn about life in store.

For once the children set their cellphone

aside one weekend, for the adventure.

With pastel colors, they went to the field,

entered the forest, helped the sun rise.

They climbed the mountains and hills,

followed the stream flow out to the sea.

They flew with the birds in the blue sky,

met white doves come down to rest.

They drew a scary scene and entered;

with black birds and strange creatures.

Real and make-believe scenes mixed up,

where they have never been before.

Few creatures in the wild they encountered

on the field and forest - what are they really?

They missed the parrots, the eagle begging

for rescue, other endangered animals.

Aren't trees home of wildlife and ferns,

orchids, vines and other epiphytes?

Seasons are always open to meet nature,

what did they choose other than summer?

Have they found Nature's beauty and joy?

A gust of wind came passing, whispered:

"Living with Nature is a lifetime experience

every day, a most rewarding adventure."

Open the Book of Creation, I told the children

live BY, FOR, WITH Nature as you grow up.

"Lolo, can you teach us how to paint and draw?"

That was the start of an adventure with nature;

So I led the children as a guardian would do,

but more on what to learn about life in store. ~

Art enthusiasts from the neighborhood attend drawing 

session with the author as guide and instructor at the 

Living with Nature Center, San Vicente, Ilocos Sur. ~

12.  Painting: "Childhood is Forever"

“For in every adult there dwells the child that was, and in every child there lies the adult that will be.” –John Connolly

Early childhood experiences from birth to age eight affect the development of the brain's architecture, which provides the foundation for all future learning, behavior and health. A strong foundation helps children develop the skills they need to become well-functioning adults.  (Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Director Harvard Center on the Developing Child)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Art Instructor 

Childhood is Forever, in acrylic on canvas by Hannah Hediko P Laurente and Harish Hamiko P Laurente, in 3 sessions, under the tutorship of the author at the Living with Nature Center, San Vicente, Ilocos Sur.  August 2024,

Childhood is... 

• Childhood is a time in our life when everything seems perfect and wonderful. 
• Childhood is a world far away from the real world free from burdens and tensions.
• Childhood is a period to learn and master the essentials of life and living.
• Childhood is the full and harmonious development of personality in a family environment.
• Childhood is living in an atmosphere of happiness, understanding and love.
• Childhood is time to enjoy bedside stories, family anecdotes, and life updates. 
• Childhood is pure bliss, light moments, treasured memories, captured innocence.
• Childhood is wishing to be older, and when in old age wishing to be  younger.

Full view of the painting (20" x 28") with details shown in succeeding images.

                    Man - Child of Years Ago*

This is a beautiful world to the young:

     Faces clouds make, and kites fly high,

In kaleidoscopic colors of the sun. 

     While nests on trees sweetly cry.

If not for the fish and Siberian breeze. 

     The fields sleep, save a songbird;

But the clock doesn't stop in hammock's ease -

     A chime's urging to be heard.

Not enough is summer, transient is the game

     That starts with glee and ends with sigh

As the season ends; but it is not the aim

     Of the sky to make children cry.

Freud and Thoreau - these great minds before saw

     What  makes man, child of years ago,

Wading in a pond or climbing a bough, 

     His kite rising to heaven's glow. 

  

Details: A flock of white doves playfully takes care of their fledglings and chicks in their nests, among kites hanging in the trees.  Right, treetops serve as playground and home of many creatures like gecko lizard and wild bees, as well as foothold of ferns, lianas and orchids.  

"White doves are symbolic of new beginnings, peace, fidelity, 

love, luck and prosperity." (A Dove's Love)

 

 

Promenading is a pastime in a beautiful scenery, a happy moment communing with Nature.  Right, wild fowls, reptiles, amphibians, fish and other living things abound in a pristine and unspoiled environment.  They comprise the natural landscape and ecological system.   A pristine environment is synonymous with “untouched,” a place where human hands have not intruded into the natural progression of life, and not corrupted by civilization.

                                                Loafing

Oh, how we love the fields like farmers do,

But not our classmates in school though;

And Nature more than our teachers know

What the sun and rain in childhood sow.*

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”- Sir John Lubbock 

Fishing is but a hobby, a kind of sport friendly to nature.  Here a fisherboy is not a stranger to the wildlife* indigenous to the place, indeed a manifestation of a friendly and harmonious relationship bound by a primal treaty of man and nature. 

Fisherboy** 

By a stream on a rock ledge many a dream grew with the water flowing, the clouds rising, the breeze whispering in a nearby tree, its shade creating images of art and fantasy.

Hours lazily passed, but how short was a day fishing, from sunrise to noon and back again when the fish would return, the bamboo pole suddenly becoming heavy with a big catch.   

Other boys join the cheer, the louder the bigger the fish was, or fading with a whimper when it got away, and it was always "the big fish that got away," an adage of every fisher folk.

Away from town, away from school, away from home for a while - this freedom in innocence and adventure, the elders would call laziness, stubbornness and aimlessness in growing up.

Boys don't know the difference grownups want them to be, but wait for their own time, when childhood yields to the demands of the world, the world though big is "prison" to grownups. 

They too, were children before - the "man in the boy" comes later when there are no more big fish to catch, the tree has overgrown the rock ledge and other boys are longer around. 

Like birds migrating and returning, season after season in Vivaldi's refrain, and Mozart's lament, life goes on in rhythm, but time couldn't wait, while dreams sought for reality. 

There are many fish in the world, the biggest to catch always a dream - fame, ideas, wealth, sacrifice, honor, popularity - aiming at these to the end, in triumph, surrender or defeat. 

Years later a man in gray hair appeared, he saw a familiar boy fishing, his thoughts seemed far away, his fishing pole bending to his excitement, then snapped - it was the big fish that got away. ~

Wildlife is integral to the world's ecosystems, providing balance and stability to nature's processes. The goal of wildlife conservation is to ensure the survival of these species, and to educate people on living sustainably with other species. - National Geographic Society

 

Workshop attendees include parents of children participants, as well as older art enthusiasts who comprise a separate but similar art workshop sessions at the Center conducted regularly by the author upon requests from the community, organizations and schools, such as the University of Northern Philippines.  

 

Growing Up With Art**

Kids' World Apart from "Kids"  

Take a break from computers and the mall,

     confines of the small; 

break the wall of idleness, go for the ball

     fast and make a goal.  

Solve the puzzle, some genius await you

     for all you know;

left to right of the brain and back will show

     a wider view of you.   

Take the road rough, look ahead, move on,

     from the bandwagon;

it's your adventure, and follow the sun,   

     sunrise to sundown. ~   

             * AVRotor, Don't Cut the Trees, Don't UST 2010

         ** avrotor.blogspot.com Living with Nature

13. Dawn of Art in Children

- An Awakening

"Coming of age to see the world beyond childhood,

bright as the sun, azure as the sky.

Hills to mountains grow, adventure awaits, behold!

birds in spring to somewhere fly. "

                            Selected works of pre-school and primary school pupils 

in a summer art workshop. 

Dr Abe V Rotor 

 Summertime 

Weaning 

Coming of age to see the world beyond childhood, 

bright as the sun, azure as the sky; 

Hills to mountains grow, adventure awaits, behold!

birds in spring to somewhere fly. 

 
Kites
Kites whatever shape and make, 
fly high for the young one's sake
to dream in becoming great.    


Sailboats 
Rhyme and rhythm, 
music I hear,
waves and sky,
 serene and clear.


Freedom
Jump for joy at the setting sun,
into darkness away from man.


Emergence   
Shy and meek 
coy to speak;
hide and creep
or back to sleep.

Summertime 
Meadow in summer,
to autumn bound;
life in its fullest
for Nature's crown.

Where are the Children?
Wonder where the children are
at this time of the year?
playing on the hills, under the trees, 
Look! a flock of birds in the air
moving out of the chill.

Fruits
Half ripe, half done in the setting sun,
hurry up the colors before they're gone. ~

Respite from the Cellphone

"Have a respite from the cellphone, 

go for adventure and outdoor trip;

work on the basic skills in art alone,

    hone your mind, heart and spirit." avr

 

 

Revival of the classical Nipa Hut,

but where have all the trees gone?

Halos of the sun and moon combined

make an obelisk in the sky.

Sunset on the hills, sans trees,

and its reflection on the lake 

Crucifix, symbol of nature lost,

save a living waterfall and trees.

Rainbow fish took the colors away

to make for its home a confetti. 

Either nature, in summer, is in bloom,

or a reminder of the dreadful mushroom.

14- Summer Art Workshop in QC

Take time out from the Television and the Computer. Tap your creativity. Maintain a balanced left and right brain.   

Of Brush and Colors

I am what my brush and colors take me, 

to where the boundless world that be;\

beyond the sky or in the depth of me 

beyond the boundaries of what I see.   

Art Workshop 

To each his or her own now, and time to waste,

if idleness in art means any less;

and growing up a matter of chase and haste,

heed not, for the clay is still fresh.

Children's Art Exhibit

It's open house to view our children's art;

Amazing!  And who wouldn't agree?

For the young fills something on our part,  

We who were once talented and free.

Ribbon Cutting on Exhibit Day

Ritual we may say, or just ceremony,

Cheap on today's print or TV;

It's all about money and personality.

Save the young while still early.

Early Masterpieces 

When is pride humility?

Showing to the world beauty,

Handmade, and telling it good

As a good child really should.

Deities of Nature - A Drama Skit

Good spirits - they are deities of Nature,

living in forests, rivers, lakes and seas,

keepers of our land, air and water pure,

working night and day, at ease and peace.  

Best Artist Award

Single out the best, make them meek,

with medals to wear and to keep;

that others may also strive to seek,

what they may have failed to reap.

Art Instructor

 (Author as organizer and art instructor)

Give me your children's gifted hands

to hold the brush this summer;

and paint the glowing rainbow's bands

that bring in a sudden shower;

make the canvas come alive from the sands

of time, to a beautiful flower.

(Children's Summer Art Workshop, Filinvest Homes QC, 1996)

Workshop Graduation 

It's not an end, but a beginning,

From one chapter after another;

For life has no end nor beginning,

In one's own lifetime to another.~

15.  The World in his Paint Brush

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Markus 2 author's grandson paints a mural 2015, QC

"Freedom in imagination, young as he is, while grownups yearn for expression outside the confines of art; who is the master then? Yet, the path that he takes is rough and uncertain, sans model and determination he'll miss his aim." - A V Rotor

"Nothing, indeed, is more dangerous to the young artist than any conception of ideal beauty: he is constantly led by it either into weak prettiness or lifeless abstraction: whereas to touch the ideal at all, you must not strip it of vitality." - Oscar Wilde

"It is only after years of preparation that the young artist should touch color - not color used descriptively, that is, but as a means of personal expression." - Henri Matisse

16. Animation and Transition

Drawings by Mackie, 12*

 Transforms a lady at twelve,

goodbye to fantasy;

 toys away, dolls in shelve,

 things in virtual reality.  

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

You're in company, 

cool, refreshing, 

 down your tummy.

Sandwich from toast,

self service, no host  

Animation art, 

with cake decor, 

familiar figure

soon to bark.

 

Pet and master

in comfort and adventure.

Superwoman to the rescue,

cyberspace view. 

Dude - 

teeners' lingo,

like sis, bro.

 

 

Teenage blues,

transition hues.

* Mackie Rotor Sta. Maria is author's granddaughter, lives in Brisbane, Australia.

** Animation is the art of making inanimate objects appear to have life and move.  It is a form of art, education, and entertainment. In Greek and Roman mythology Pygmalion fell in love with a statue he had carved which transformed into a woman who became his wife.  Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation)  was the dominant form of animation prior to computer animation.

17. NATURE AND PEACE
Bantaoay Children’s Integrated Art Workshop
San Vicente, Ilocos Sur, May 16 to 18, 2018

Selected Works 

Dr Abe V Rotor
Workshop Instructor

 Ashley Dianne Rios, 10

Birds flying low over the field and tall grass
meet the morning sun, but never in a rush.

Neil, 8

Flying kite is a wholesome pastime for kids,

away from computers, loafing and misdeeds.

Shaun Michael R Remular, 11

Fluffy clouds hang free above the trees,

while the wind blows gentle into breeze.

Migi, 7

A hut among the trees, my home,

I shall never want and feel alone.

Jamiela Marie Almachar, 8

A world of a kind: three trees, three birds, three kids,

from the bigger world, peace and freedom never at siege.  

Jedd, 11

Fantasy land, romanticism its uniqueness;

somewhere carved out of our loneliness.

Tristan, 11

Blue pond, reflection of a clear sky and peace around,

wonder where these three passersby are bound.

                                                                                                 

                                                               William Kelly, 8

Field scorched in hot dry summer,

takes a break with the first shower.

Jeod, 11

Rebirth comes in many ways, yet all the same;

life coming back is our Creator’s lovely game.

Vitrish Anne Arguelles, 6

Like a  jIgsaw puzzle, the cracks of the soil mend with rain,

save the wastelands, often cursed, yet life’s last domain. 

Sandra Valencia, 10

Life peeping through, shy and afraid;

says the sun, “Get up and be brave.”

Christian Delle Garcia, 12

After the first rain in May,

creep the lowly algae;

living things soon aplenty

arrive here and stay. 

Jedd, 11

Ahoy, there! Keep off the rocky shore!

Join the race in the deep blue azure.

 

Jamie Althen Florendo, 12

Dark clouds at sunset tell of a coming storm.

Hurry up for home before high waves form.

Frea Billedo, 12

The sun is biggest on the western horizon,

smallest on the east just when it is born.

Jamiela Marie Almachar, 6

Savage fangs spare no one at sea,

even the bold ones crying for plea.

Tristan, 11

Join the regatta and vie for the trophy;

romantic, but the danger is another story.

Shaun Michael Remular

Sea gypsies for want of settling down,

travel on boats to nowhere bound.

Denise Kaye R Ancheta

Wind blowing hard like giant arms at sea,

warns of misery and death without mercy.

Christian Delle Garcia, 13

If all fruits were yellow, orange, and red,

I would pick the green for ripening;

If all fruits come in the summer season

I would sorely miss those in spring.

Franceska Billedo, 10

Coy and shy fuits may appear to some one,

wait until they are ripened by the sun.

  

Frea Billedo, 12

A basket full of fruits and flowers,

the best the fairest maid showers.

Jamie Althea Florendo, 12

Fruits are full of energy,

stored by the sun and Thee.

Jamiela Marie Almachar, 8

All fruits a work of the bee,

if we review our ecology.

Wacky B, 10

Move over fancy culinary;

give way to Ceres’ bounty.

Lance Adam, 5

Where goddess Ceres descends,

Epicurus joins the feast,

and man contends -

else the banquet be missed. ~

18. Poetry in Children's Drawings 

"Yellow Spot into Sun"

"Picasso once said that a real artist has a unique talent to transform a yellow spot into sun... a sun shining into the heart, giving warmth and comfort that go with enlightenment, wisdom, faith and hope - for the young generation." -  avr

Dr Abe V Rotor

Rainbow on a Tree by Mishane Chura, 9

"I used to be of the dark

I still am...

But I have come to terms with this fear.

I now leave the light off when I sleep

For I have come to terms with darkness

And my fear of it... "

Nail on Cross - Unknown

"When we die, we hopefully will be remembered for the joy

Truth and love we have given to those we have left behind..."

The World Inside Us - Unknown

Tower of Babel by Leo Carlo R Rotor, 8

"I end my term (as chair of CSC). I know what else I want to do;

I know where else I want to go... for I continue to have

the will to win." 

A lovely pair - unknown

"A caring couple for and with each other..."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: These are selected drawings of children who participated in a Summer Art Workshop conducted by the author, c. 1998, published in Heart and Soul: Reflections in Geneva by Corazon Alma G de Leon by Megabooks 1999. Quotations are excerpts of poems accompanying the drawings by then Chair of the Civil Service Commission, CA de Leon.