Saturday, May 05, 2007 Life's a picnic! By Janette Huang-Teves Mom-About-Town
WANT to have an unforgettable outdoor activity with your family this summer? Try organizing a picnic! These days, picnics can be extremely fun especially when quality time with our family is quite limited. The outdoors can be a terrific venue to interact with each other. It is a fantastic break when life at home grows predictable and mundane.
Picnics may be a very traditional past time, but with the latest ideas and trends nowadays, there are a myriad of ways to plan your own family picnic.
Picnic presscon
During the recent press launch of Allegro Ice Cream, entrepreneur and marketing genius Gatchi Gatchalian held a delightful picnic for the media people and their kids.
Held at the sprawling garden of the Shrine of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague, the special guests sat on checkered red blankets spread out on the grass while savoring well-loved picnic fare like hotdogs, refreshing drinks and ice cream.
With the sweltering heat of summer, ice cream is such a welcome and comforting treat!
Allegro Ice Cream is now popping like mushroom in major malls and locations in Davao. It boasts of a world-class manufacturing plant supervised by a Dutch consultant and a certified food technologist to ensure production of quality frozen novelty items.
This proudly Davao-made ice cream has introduced its initial product line-up - the Allegro Creamy Cup (P11.50) in Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry flavors; and Allegro Creamy Cone (P15), with the most number of flavors in the market, Chocolate, Vanilla, Ube, Mango, Strawberry, Mocha and the first of its kind - Durian. More flavors are in the pipeline.
Family picnic
Occasionally, my family and I pitch our tent in my parents' backyard and make an impromptu picnic and "camping" with the kids. We grill hotdogs with marshmallows in sticks, pork barbeque and prepare a pitcher of iced tea.
Afterwards, we go inside the tent and take turns telling stories. I'm sure that simple but entertaining activities such as these will leave wonderful memories for the children.
You, too, can plan your own family picnic at the beach, park or even in your own backyard. Here are some excellent picnic ideas taken from the Internet:
1. Have a picnic with a theme.
The image of a picnic need not be limited only to bringing the food basket to the park or beach. One can jazz up a usual picnic day by holding picnics that have themes.
For instance, one can have a Hawaiian picnic by just dressing up in typical Luau attire and serving barbecue with pineapples, coconuts and other tropical foodstuff.
2. Be very well-prepared.
Careful planning is very essential for a successful family picnic. It is a splendid idea to have drinks frozen the night prior to the picnic so that they will stay chilled the next day, and they can also serve as chillers for the food.
To set a festive mood, colorful blankets and towels are handy -- extra blankets can even serve as pillows for napping or sunbathing.
You can also bring books for the kids if story-telling is part of the bonding process for your family. Board and electronic games like "Guesstures," "Catchphrase", "Bop It", "Twister", "Headbands", among others may likewise be prepared in advance.
3. Bring foods that are easy to eat outdoors.
A picnic would be a hassle if the food is a hassle to eat. Foods such as sandwiches, hotdogs, barbeques and chips are easy to handle outdoors. Foods that need utensils such as lechon, chicken adobo and noodles may be delicious to eat but are hard to prepare and harder to pack up and clean afterwards. You may also have to find water to wash off the oil and grime.
4. Have a picnic in an unusual time of the day.
Who said picnic should be limited only to lunch time? The day is filled with different times to have a memorable picnic.
Try having picnic for breakfast. Greeting the sunrise is a good way to catch the fresh morning breeze and this can also set the day right as more time can be devoted to other engaging activities afterwards.
In addition, late afternoon picnics can be exciting. Have snacks after playing Frisbee or badminton. The sun set can also be a soothing activity for a proper rest at night.
Finally, picnics at dinner time may add a romantic effect. A candlelit dinner under the stars can create a loving atmosphere not only for couples, but for the whole family as well. The night also sets the mood for stories as well as play-acting activities.
EFT picnic tables
If you and your family are picnic aficionados, check out these recycled picnic tables by Davao-based MAPI Industrial Manufacturing. The company has acquired an exclusive license to convert plastic wastes into timber-looking plastics or what they call as environment-friendly timbers (EFT)
In fact, EFT has the characteristics and properties far superior than ordinary lumber: waterproof, resistant to chemicals and termites, strong and durable. You may contact MAPI at telephone numbers (082) 238-0621 or (082) 238-0276 and e-mail address: metroaceplastic@yahoo.com.
Life's a picnic!
Outdoor activities during picnics are not only exhilarating but provide your family with healthy exercise, as well. You could go for a walk, a bike ride or if the weather is right, fly a kite.
This is also a great opportunity for you to play old-fashioned games like "sipa," "Chinese garter", hide and seek, treasure hunting, etc.
Creating a fabulous picnic does not have to be tedious, one just needs planning and cooperation from the whole family. The preparations for the picnic can be in itself a superb bonding experience for the family.
The important thing is to relax and enjoy!
For your comments and suggestions, you may e-mail me at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com.
