Grade 5 pupils explore Ramon Obusan's Folkloric Center and Orchidarium
by Maria Lourdes F. De Castro
Grade 5 Head Teacher


Grade 5 pupils wearing native costumes of Cordillera		  

On September 6-7, 2004, the Grade 5 pupils of SSC visited Ramon Obusan’s Folkloric Center and Orchidarium.  As part of an enrichment endeavor in Hekasi and a culminating activity of Buwan ng Wika, the Grade 5 pupils were assigned to research on Cordillera culture.  Mr. Ramon Obusan, an anthropologist, served as the group’s resource person and tour guide during the trip.  Being an expert on Cordillera customs and traditions,
Mr. Obusan lectured on some burial, funeral, dances and courtship rituals practiced by Cordillera people.  The
visitors volunteered to wear the different Cordillera costumes.  The children were used as models to represent the different regional costumes.  Both teachers and parent chaperones participated and joined the natives of Ifugaos in the Baki dance, a ritual performed after harvest time.  The pupils learned the courtship dance and were given the chance to play the different Ifugao instruments.  Mr. Obusan also showed his rare collection of colorful and priceless hand-woven blankets.
 

The pupils’ next stop was the Orchidarium.  The tour guides oriented the children on the different plant species as they answered their activity sheet in Science.  The pupils were able to identify the common names of all the species of vines, vandal, dendrobium and hibiscus. 

The last place to visit was the Butterfly Garden.  The pupils were awed to see the actual metamorphosis of a butterfly.  During the last leg of the trip, the children enjoyed fishing in the man-made lagoon and fascinated to see and touch a friendly big python. 
 

  
Mr. Ramon Obusan explaining the symbolisms behind the hand-woven designs of the blankets

Truly, the trip to Ramon Obusan’s Folkloric Center and Orchidarium was an unforgettable learning experience to the Grade 5 pupils. n
 

 

Photo credits: M. L. De Castro

 





 

 


St. Scholastica's College, Manila. 
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Updated:
Wednesday, July 13, 2005