Pru Life UK and Prudence Foundation introduce new financial literacy online game and health awareness program for kids.

Leading life insurer Pru Life UK and Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential Plc, have launched their newest financial literacy and health and safety awareness initiatives, Cha-Ching Money Adventures game and SAFE STEPS Kids Stress Busters with interactive on-ground activities for children in Alabang Town Center.

From July 10 until August 7, parents can bring their kids aged 7 to 12 to try out the newly launched web-based learning game, Cha-Ching Money Adventures, to experience fun learning about key money management concepts. They can also acquire important life-saving health and safety skills from the SAFE STEPS Kids Stress Busters interactive tasks, videos, and educational materials, which focus on first aid, disaster and road safety, and mental health.

“The Cha-Ching Money Adventures Game and SAFE STEPS Kids Stress Busters bring enjoyment and encourage participation. We aim to educate and protect as many Filipinos as we can and help them get the most out of life. Raising a generation of financially literate and health-conscious kids will help us achieve this goal in the long run. This is our We DO Commitment,” said Pru Life UK President and Chief Executive Officer Eng Teng Wong.

“Cha-Ching and SAFE STEPS Kids are two core programmes of Prudence Foundation that aim to bring safety and protection to communities across Asia and Africa, through sustainable, long-term initiatives focused on education, health and safety. Given the unprecedented changes brought by the global pandemic in the rise of e-learning as well as the challenges and stress faced by many families across the world, we hope to make a positive contribution to the lives of children and their families with the launch of Cha-Ching Money Adventures and SAFE STEPS Kids Stress Busters,” said Nicole Ngeow Director, Prudence Foundation.

Filipino kids get a chance to try the Cha-Ching Money Adventures game with the installed mobile devices in the playzone and are guided by booth facilitators for a better playing experience. This activity helps improve their money decision-making skills with the fundamental concepts of Earn, Save, Spend and Donate within a compelling narrative adventure. Along with the Cha-Ching band characters, they are able to better engage with the money activities in the booth.

SAFE STEPS Kids Stress Busters encourages kids to take part in its six Stress Busters setups on how to take care of their health, and features a mental health video clip. This also teaches kids essential life skills, such as first aid, disaster, and road safety.

Cha-Ching and SAFE STEPS are Prudence Foundation’s notable award-winning initiatives. Cha-Ching provides kids with the knowledge and tools to make informed financial decisions. Cha-Ching Money Adventures is the latest addition to the Cha-Ching ecosystem that was created in 2011, in cooperation with Cartoon Network, the leading children’s television channel in Asia Pacific. SAFE STEPS Kids, on the other hand, is a multi-platform educational and awareness building programme on life saving techniques for natural disasters, road safety and first aid. The programme partners with Cartoon Network and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The Cha-Ching Money Adventures online game will be made available on the official Cha-Ching website, www.cha-ching.com, and SAFE STEPS Kids Stress Busters mental health video can be viewed on the SAFE STEPS Kids website at www.safestepskids.com. To know more about Pru Life UK and Prudence Foundation, please visit www.prulifeuk.com.ph.

Sneak Peek | Missha x We Bare Bears Collection.

Looks like there's no stopping the popularity of Grizzly, Panda, and Ice Bear! The three bear brothers from the animated sitcom 'We Bare Bears' have teamed up with Korean beauty brand Missha, and now they're the stars - yet again - of a new collaboration collection.

Missha x We Bare Bears!

View the entire collection after the jump!

Sneak Peek | Miniso x We Bare Bears Collection.

I got hooked to We Bare Bears just recently, thanks to my cartoon-loving eight-year-old son. If you're a parent, you probably have an idea of what I'm talking about.

We Bare Bears!

We Bare Bears is an animated sitcom about three adoptive bear brothers, Grizzly, Panda, and Ice Bear. The bears awkwardly attempt to find their place in civilized society and try to do what everyone around them does - whether it's grocery shopping, going to the museum, or posting photos on social media. Created by Daniel Chong, the show first aired on Cartoon Network in 2015 and is currently on its third season.

I've been following Daniel Chong on Twitter for awhile now, and thanks to his tweets, I discovered this makeup collaboration between We Bare Bears and Chinese variety store chain Miniso. My jaw almost dropped as I marveled at this cuteness.

Miniso x We Bare Bears collection.

More of the bears after the jump! :)

Wordless Wednesday #58 | Adventure Time!

The little man's reward for getting good grades in his first trimester exam. :)

Wordless Wednesday #42 | Back to School!

On Yue:
Mickey Mouse tee from Marks & Spencer,
Indigo Collection shorts from Marks & Spencer,
Hi-cut sneakers from Lee Cooper,
Ben 10 bag from Cartoon Network collection

Hair styled with Bench Fix Strong Hold Hair Gel.

Back to my Alma Mater! :)

Spending and Saving, the Filipino (Kids') Way.

Summer is almost over here in the Philippines, which also means one thing - another academic year is about to start. The 2012-2013 school year officially begins on June 4th (for public schools, at least), and thousands upon thousands of students are expected to swarm to their respective schools on that day.

I know some kids aren't quite excited with the fact that summer break is over - no more fun and games, back to books and homework. But still there are some who are very, very eager to go back to school - mostly because they'll be receiving allowances again. I know, because I used to be one of those kids who are totally bummed with the 'no classes, no allowance' rule.

In this year's 'Cartoon Network New Generations' survey, research shows that 9 out of 10 Filipino children receive allowances from their parents on a daily basis. On the average, a typical Filipino child receives an allowance amounting to Php 206 per week. Not surprisingly, children from more affluent households receive more. For instance, kids from AB homes (ergo, the Upper Class) have allowances averaging to Php 366 per week; kids from C homes (aka, the Middle Class) receive an average of Php 268 per week.

Photo credit: Perceptions, Inc.

On top of these daily allowances, Filipino children also receive an average of Php 1,969 per annum in the form of gift money. Think birthdays, or 'aguinaldos' on Christmas Day. Studies show that kids in Manila receive more money than all other kids in the country. Their average weekly allowance of Php 214 plus a Php 2185 annual gift money is substantially more than what a child living in Cebu receives, which amounts to an average weekly allowance of Php 143 plus a Php 995 annual gift money only.

As for the spending habits, 57% of kids in the country spend all of the money they receive, while 87% claim to spend only half of their allowances.

When it comes to saving, 51% (that's more than half!) of Filipino children claim to be unable to save money. However, a good 34% have their savings stashed in their piggy banks (or coin banks, for that matter), while another 11% have turned over their savings to their parents for safekeeping.

Alarmingly, a whopping 61% of Filipino parents do not have bank accounts set up for their children, and only intend to do so (hopefully they will) within the next 12 months. Only 14% of Filipino parents have bank accounts under their child's name, and I'm proud to say that I belong to this very small proportion. I don't worry too much about my little man's spending habits because even at an early age, I've instilled in him the value of money. He'll be entering as Kindergarten this June, and at his age, kids usually bring snacks to school instead of receiving money from their parents.

Here's hoping that Cartoon Network New Generations survey for 2012 will serve as an eye-opener for Filipino kids, and most especially, their parents.

The Cartoon Network New Generations is a study that focuses on the lifestyles and preferences of kids in the Asia-Pacific Region. For 2012, the survey focused on the Philippines, where a total sample of 1000 kids across Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao participated.. The kids, aged 7-14, were interviewed face-to-face, in-house, together with their parents. This year's study was conducted by Ipsos Philippines.