When you read this, I shall probably be on my way to Boracay to watch the Dragon Boat Festival, which, over the years, has become the islands biggest international sporting event.

It's my first time to see a dragon boat race, so I'm excited. It's also going to be my first time on the island (yes, I'm one of the four people who have never ever been to Boracay in their entire lives).

Dragon Boat racing is a 2,500-year-old sport. Started in China, the sport relies on strength, discipline and above all, teamwork. Dragon boat racing is based on an ancient Chinese legend, where the beloved poet Qu Yuan protested against his government's corruption by jumping into the river. The townspeople tried to save him by jumping into boats, paddling furiously while beating drums to keep the evil spirits from getting to the poet. They weren't able to save Qu Yuan but the poet's memory survives to this day via the races.

I've always admired people in dragon boat teams. There's a lot of training involved, a lot of sweat, blood and tears. One of my good friends used to train regularly for the Taiwanese dragon boat team. If I remember correctly, she had to get up at the crack of dawn to practice. She was the drummer, you know the person at the head of the boat who made sure everyone rowed in sync. I used to think that being the drummer was the easiest job of all but according to my friend, it's probably one of the hardest posts to have. For one thing, continuously pounding a giant drum can get tiring. Also, the team puts their fate in the drummer's hands, since they follow the drum's rhythm.

Last year, there were over 1,000 rowers on the island as teams from the US, Australia, Germany, Hong Kong and Singapore participated in the event, with Germany's Wann Sea Dragons winning the final race.

Just in case you're in Boracay this Labor Day weekend, don't forget to check out the dragon boat race. The 500 meter men's women’s and mixed open races happen on Saturday with the 300 meter men's women’s and mixed open races the next day.

My friend doesn't drum for the Taiwanese team now, though she did gain a lot of fame when she was still on it. They had a competition in Taipei, in the equivalent of the Pasig Rover here and she fell head first into the dark, icky water. She got to be on the headlines of every Taiwanese newspaper but thankfully, no one got her name. And no, I'm not going to tell it to you either.

Next week: The results of the Boracay Dragon Boat Race.

In the first installment of “Kids are from Jupiter,” Dr. Grace S. Khoo, U.P. Diliman educational psychology professor, discussed the importance of asking questions and the reasons that drive children to do so. Now, we look at how kids get their information, and what we can do to encourage them to discern the right answers.

Most children gather answers to their questions outside the home. A lot of this comes from school (since we live in a country where even schoolbook facts tend to be wrong, this is not always a good thing), some of it from their peers (unless your kid runs with the smart crowd, this may also not be a good thing), and the media (lets hope it's the Discovery Channel that your kid is watching). It's sad that the least of our learning happens inside the school (I studied Chinese for 13 years and still can't speak a word of it, but that's just me), so the least parents can do is instill in their kids the wonder of learning new things outside of class. This can be done, Dr. Khoo suggests by visiting science museums, especially those geared toward children.

Kids should be encouraged to ask 4 kinds of questions:
 Information-gathering questions
 Bridging questions (those that determine the relationship between two subjects)
 Extension questions, for longer projects, questions that delve deeper into the subject
 Reflective questions (those that aim to criticize and evaluate)

You know the saying quality vs. quantity? It applies to questions as well. Quality questions help the child conclude that's nearest to, if no the correct answers. Quality questions include:
 Why questions ex. Why did you get sick?
 What happens if? ex. What happens if we cure the common cold?
 What is the purpose of? ex. What is the purpose of the earlobe?
 How

These questions, when encouraged in the classroom, will lead to more interesting and fruitful discussions.

Questions, paired with activities that pique the child's curiosity and involve hands-on, interactive work such as modeling and journal keeping, all – and this is important – in a non-threatening atmosphere.

Dr. Khoo concluded by saying that to get children interested in learning, we have to help them find what really excites them. Asking questions is a good way to start.

The talk was sponsored by Creative Challenge Inc. Read more about them at www.creativechallenge.ph