You May Graduate from UP, but You'll Keep Coming Back for Carless Oval

I believe that immersing children in nature is very nurturing. Now, where we presently live isn't one of those idyllic places for raising a family. The most nature my daughter can get is from the plants my mom and my grandmother planted decades ago, the visiting and mainstay birds, the few fruit-bearing trees, the stray butterfly or dragonfly (our kamias tree does have bees regularly buzzing around it), and a couple of flowering plants... Marguerite routinely says "hello" to them every morning, counts the fruits on the guava tree (she got the concept of big and small from carefully looking out for guavas to pick), and plays with a flower. That may seem like a lot, but I would really love for her to have someplace where she can run wild on the grass, her tiny steps crunching leaves that have fallen to the ground (she loves doing this), and where she can freely frolic in wide open spaces where the air quality is good. Thankfully, we have parks around here where we can bring our daughter for such nature sessions.

Among many families in this metropolis, the UP Diliman campus is a decided favorite for leisurely Sunday afternoon constitutionals (Sunday is when Carless Academic Oval happens), impromptu picnics, kite flying, frisbee throwing, etc.