Cookies, veggies good for you, kids learn at Read-along

IN TIME for Nutrition Month, nearly a hundred kids were treated to yummy snacks and exciting stories during Saturday afternoon’s INQUIRER ReadAlong session at the INQUIRER main office in Makati, which featured renowned cake decorator Penk Ching and Sophia School storytellers.

Ching, a returning Read-Along storyteller, read a short tale from Vicky Veloso-Barrera’s “From the Kitchen to the Heart.” She also taught the kids how to bake “Funny Fruity Cookies,” which was featured in the story “Excited about Cooking.”

“The kids were very active and par- ticipative. Seeing them enjoy the story brought out the kid in me,” said Ching.

During her baking demonstration, Ching asked for help from the audience, which included children from Laura Vicuña Foundation, St. Anthony of Makati Montessori and F. Benitez Elementary School.

Also in the audience were 30 students who comprised the newest batch of Hands On Manila’s “Galing Mo Kid” (GMK) program. The students were Grade 4 pupils from Nueve de Febrero Elementary School and Plainview Elementary School in Mandaluyong, and Pembo Elementary School in Makati.

Capping the session were Sophia School teachers Osang de la Vega, Doray Carable, Nerrie Denilla, Mhayflor Fernando, Elie Carable and Lorna Darilag, who acted out “Si Joey at ang Gulay Gang,” written by Beng Alba and published by OMF Literature. It is a story about a boy named Joey who learns about the benefits of vegetables the hard way.