Suarez-Orendain: Circle this

Way back in 2000, searching for pokemons grabbed the attention of children, teenagers and even adults. These pokemon trainers explored city streets, museums and parks in hopes of capturing Arceus and Picachu using their PokeBalls.

Never mind if going around in circles in their hunting expedition left them empty-handed. Speaking of which, circles figure prominently in November.

An educational event is celebrated on Nov. 2, the Look for Circles Day. It is meant to be a fun day for adults and children alike as they look for circles in nature and in the modern world. The activity especially teaches the young ones to be more aware of their surroundings and to train their eyes to look for details.

Circles are valuable in art in the expression of ideas, symbols and messages. The shape revolutionized how mankind carried on in his daily living. A study published in Popular Science reports there is a new theory pointing to the miners in the Carpathian Mountains as the originators of the first wheel. Necessity truly is the mother of invention.

To enjoy this day, with a child in tow, go around your house, your village and city parks to list down all the circles you can find. Talk to young ones about simple science such as how the earth circles around the sun or show them photographs of galaxies that approximate circles.

Food preparation is a fun way of creating circular and spherical treats like doughnuts and bonbons. Play the classic children’s game called buwan-buwan. It is like biko-biko or hopscotch only it is drawn with a circle and a line that crosses this (diameter). It used to be played during full moons.

Organize an hour of art using circles to cultivate creativity. What can you add to this list?