We were invited to join Smart Parenting, SM Cinema, and Snack Time’s Express Yourself Workshop held over the weekend at the Atrium Activity Center of SM Aura Premier. Mums, dads, and kiddos were treated to an afternoon of fun, learning, freebies, plus a free advanced-screening of the latest Disney Pixar film, Inside Out. Read on for my review of this latest animation flick later.
3 Things I Love About The Express Yourself Workshop
It is always a joy to be in the company of mums and children having a wonderful afternoon together. Smart Parenting and SM Cinema prepared wonderful treats for all the participants to enjoy, including an overflowing supply of popcorn and colorful refreshments from Snack Time!
So what do I love about the workshop?
- The Bento-Making talk by Chef Roselle Miranda. She shared numerous tricks on how to start creating those beautiful bento snack boxes for the little ones. I am a big fan of bento and it is something that I really enjoy doing for my little man, even when I can only make simple and easy bento snacks. Chef Roselle also mentioned a numeber of nifty tips that mums, especially those starting out with bento-making, can definitely put to good use. Among these tips are: {1} planning ahead, {2} investing in proper containers, and {3} including a good variety of healthy food items in your bento box.
- The Express Yourself With Colors talk by Mark Dean Lim. Coloring, as well as adult coloring pages, is growing in popularity these days and this talk cannot have been more timely. Mark, who is the creative mind behind Color Me Doodle in Instagram, shared a few tips on how to de-stress, relax, and express ourselves through coloring. 2 helpful tips he shared about coloring is to {1} think about contrast, and {2} limit the palette and select just a few colors to easily unify a page you are finishing to color. I have also rediscovered coloring lately and I will make a separate post featuring the pages I have colored using the app Colorfy, as well as share some online resources where you can download adult coloring pages for free! 😉
- The many interesting booths. Apart from the short talks for everyone to enjoy and learn from, there are also a number of booths in the event venue where the mums and kiddos can avail of exciting freebies and cool services. Among my favorites are the Inside Out Photo Booth, where you can choose from different emotions as your background ~ Joy, Sadness, Fear, or Disgust; the Bioessence booth where there is a long queue of mums and dads waiting for their turn to have a go at hand paraffin or the relaxing back massage; the Herbal Life booth where you can try their tasty and healthy shake as well as get a free analysis of your weight and overall health. Apart from those, there is also a Krispy Kreme booth where everyone can get a free donut, and a lovely dessert buffet, where the children feasted on candies and other sweet treats.
It was surely one awesome afternoon, the kids enjoyed finishing their Inside Out coloring pages and playing with other children at the kiddie corner, some lucky mums even went home with prizes from a number of sponsors. I even got to catch up with a mum friend I have not seen for a long time, Daryl and her daughter, Drei!
But the highlight of the day was the advanced-screening of the new Disney release, Inside Out, which the little man cannot wait to see.
Why You’d Love To See Inside Out
In a nutshell, Inside Out introduces the mind of a young girl, Riley, with 5 personified emotions ~ namely Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger. These five emotions lead her through life as she encounters new and uncomfortable changes in the new city where their family moved. Things went haywire when Joy, who is almost always in charge of the operation, disappeared along with Sadness, and Fear, Anger, and Disgust were left in charge. The film is brought to us by the same team who made another Disney classic, “Up,” and is directed by Pete Docter. This is also co-produced by Filipino, Ronaldo del Carmen, who visited the country recently to promote the movie.
It is a heartwarming film that teaches about the complexities of our emotions in the simplest and most understandable way possible. I thought it was the perfect way to introduce the little one to the many different emotions we are bound to feel in this lifetime, and show him how it all works. The beautiful and colorful animation also helps him to have a clear picture of how things work out in our brains.
Why you’d love to see the film you ask? I have a few reasons:
- You will love the colorful animation, as expected of any Disney animated films. The little one will love the characters and the way they work together so that Riley will have a lovely day
- It is a great way to introduce the different types of emotions to small children, with wonderful animation, to boot!
- It will make you realize that each emotion is as valid and as important as Joy.
There might be some boring or dragging parts, especially in the eyes of very little children, but we enjoyed the film nevertheless. I am sure most mums, dads, and kiddos will, too. The little man was so drawn to the characters that he was excited to see them and was attentively watching the film, albeit too loud at times. I give Inside Out :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:. Just a tip, make sure you arrive to the cinema on time so you can also catch the short film before the main presentation. I am sure you are going to lav-a it! 😉
Inside Out will be out in theaters on 19 August, 2015 and to avoid the long queues, go buy your movie tickets at SM Cinema ticket booths. You can also log on to www.smcinema.com for inquiries.
Thank you Summit Media and SM Cinema for having us. We did have a wonderful time! :heart: :laugh: