Miguel got to experience his first educational tour earlier last month. I thought that it was quite a feat considering that we were anxious in the days leading up to his educational tour because of several reasons. First, the call time was too early at 4:30 AM (in the end, we were able to haggle at 5:00 AM though). If you are a special needs parent, you know that lack of sleep or disrupted sleep can lead to disaster (read: a whole day of tantrums). Second, we were unsure if Miguel will appreciate the tour; from the bus ride to the places that we were about to visit.

Surprisingly though, Miguel appreciated the bus ride. He was always curiously looking outside and marveling at the things that he saw along the road such as the buildings and cars. Furthermore, even if we had to wake up early, he was alert throughout the morning bus ride.

With that, Mommy Khris and I felt relieved that Miguel was having a great time. We relaxed a bit and just focused on the places that we were supposed to visit that day. 

We realized that the last time that we were on an educational tour was in high school, so why not take advantage of the opportunity to experience that childhood fun once again? In the end, we all had a wonderful time so here’s to share with you some of the interesting spots that we visited, in case you also want to do a DIY educational tour for your kids.

We were supposed to visit Gardenia Factory in Laguna. However, our tour guide informed us that Gardenia Factory wasn’t open on Saturdays. In place of that, we will now proceed to the Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine in San Juan City.

The Shrine was built to commemorate the Battle of Pinaglabanan led by Andres Bonifacio. The battle aimed to seize El Deposito, the underground water reservoir that supplied water to Intramuros and El Polvorin, the gunpowder depot.

Aside from its historical significance, the park is also a popular venue for leisurely walking and even jogging among the residents.

The Museo El Deposito houses items and artifacts related to the old waterways in the City of Manila (then known as the Carriedo water system). 

It was interesting to see old photographs as well as antique water hydrants but I think it was well-suited for older kids for them to appreciate those better.

The actual underground Spanish-era water reservoir opened its doors to the public on February 20, 2019. It used to house water that was pumped from the Marikina River and supplied the residents of Intramuros.

We got to experience going down the cavernous reservoir and, honestly, I found the dark corners of the old tunnel to be extremely creepy yet fascinating at the same time.

The Museo ng Katipunan houses photos as well as dioramas related to the Philippine Revolution. For parents who would like their kids to learn more about the Katipunan, then visiting the Museo ng Katipunan is a great way to do so. The eye-catching pictures and depictions will surely spark the curiosity of children.

Farm animals are always a hit with children so we were thrilled by the thought of going on a farm tour at the Fun Farm at Sta. Elena in Laguna. The moment that we arrived, we knew that we were going to enjoy our tour at the Fun Farm at Sta. Elena and we were right.

Right after the visitor briefing, Miguel was already running around a spacious and grassy patch near the farm’s entrance. There were lots of plants and trees as well as ducks, sheep, horses, and birds inside the Fun Farm at Sta. Elena. 

Miguel also got to experience his very first horseback ride and carabao cart rider here. All in all, The Fun Farm at Sta. Elena lives up to its name. In fact, Mommy Khris and I are planning to return here so that we can bring Rafa with us.

The last stop before heading home was Nuvali. At this point, we were already too tired so we decided to stay on the bus. However, we figured that Miguel might get hungry so we bought food at Chowking.

We arrived at Miguel’s school by around 8:30 PM. When we got home, we just had dinner and headed to bed right away because we were all tired.

Nonetheless, it was a day well spent and we were glad that Miguel’s first educational tour went smoothly.

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