ANAHEIM : Pupils Learn About Culture of Philippines

Pupils at Crescent Elementary School are getting to know the Philippine culture this week by sampling the nation’s food, playing its native games and learning about its geography.

“Tastes good,” said Sarah Haak, 6, after reluctantly taking a bite of a cracker topped with coca spread--a Philippine sweet topping of coconut, sugar and milk.

The topping was deemed “yummy” by the dozen other first-graders in her group, who munched down their crackers before moving on to the geography table.

Learning about the Philippines was the focus of an annual weeklong event at the K-3 school to help the youngsters understand the various ethnic groups living around them.

“Every year we pick a country with a cultural background of people from around our area,” said Barbara Howe, president of the PTA, which organizes the annual event.

Last year, the pupils studied Mexico, and the year before, China. This week’s events will culminate Friday in an assembly where traditional ethnic music and dancing will be performed.

“Sometimes we’re a little isolated out here,” Principal Anne Schrader said. “We hear about different parts of the world, of things going on in places like the Philippines, but this really brings it closer to home.”

The children seemed to enjoy what they were learning. “What’s a typhoon?” asked Joshua De Piano, 6, when parent Carol Barnes explained the topography and geography of the region.

When she told him a typhoon is a windstorm that causes big waves off the island’s shores, his eyes widened. “Big enough for surfing?” he asked.

Others liked the numbers game, in which players move shells from one end of a board to another.

But in the end, the pupils were most enthusiastic about tasting Philippine food.

“That was the best,” first-grader Joshua said about the coca spread. “It tastes so good, better than candy.”