Hari Cinta Keluarga

The final day of the Balispirit Festival has traditionally been a day to ‘give back’ to Bali & celebrate unity in diversity. In the spirit of this special day, most of the workshops and all of the children’s events were free to the public.

There were so many wonderful activities going on, that my youngest son was literally jumping up and down with excitement. He chose to go on a bug hunt which was being led by Ben. The children eagerly followed their leader down the stairs which lead to a lovely green patch nearby the river. Of course there were zillions of bugs down there! The kids got a closer look through a field microscope and magnifying glasses at a golden spider, a wood wasp, butterfly, and other creepy crawlies.

After the bug hunt we headed for the kid’s drumming which was fantastic. Sarah created a fun and creative program that included simple drum beats and drumming to the beat of her slow and rapid footsteps. The kids had to keep in time to whatever beat she was stomping with her feet. Then several of the children got a turn, including my precocious 4 year old son. He did some crazy foot work and the kids all kept time on their drums.

Later they transformed into butterflies fluttering their glittery wings as they ran around in a big circle. Jeevan’s gorgeous smile never left his face.

After drumming we took a short lunch break and I grabbed a delicious falafel from ‘Down to Earth’s food stall and watched the kids doing hula hoop at the lawn pavilion.

Next, we went to see Susan Allen and Susiwan perform interactive storytelling at the Bale. The kid’s were all mesmerized as they watched Susan bring the puppets to life with her lively storytelling and colorful sets.

It was a glorious day for many children at the festival. We can’t wait to return next year. It just keeps getting better with each passing year.

Written by : Michele Cempaka