Adventures with Ms. Maureen is an important activity at the Tropical Christmas Wonderland in Eko Hotels. In this interview, Maureen Alasa Aniakor talks about her passion for working with children and what parents can expect in December at the Tropical Christmas Wonderland.
Can you tell us about your journey into children’s education and entertainment?
I would say it is more than a job for me; it is a calling, a step in fulfilling my God-given purpose and destiny.
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved children. I’m talking about how I would still look after younger kids who weren’t even my siblings when I was a child. I was in the children’s department of my church; I also, at some point, tutored kids for free every Saturday morning before heading off to work.
So I was that young lady always buying gifts for kids at the slightest opportunity.
Fast forward to 2019, when I doubled as an Advert Executive and an Independent Radio presenter. The station needed someone to curate and host a kids’ radio show, and I was the only one approached with the offer. At the time, I was the only one leaving her desk to attend to kids who came in on a courtesy visit or excursion, so the station felt it was a no-brainer.
The ‘Bubbly Bop With Ms Maureen’ radio show at 8.30 am every Saturday on Lagostalks 91.3 FM finally did it for me. Hearing kids call in weekly, learning life values and virtues, contributing actively, and also having parents share online and off-line testimonials of the impact I was having on their kids and wards made me realise I needed to do more, and the quest to do more birthed so many opportunities for me to create more kids-related products and services, and I would later go on to own the brand we know today as Bubbly Bop Kids Arena, a kids-focused company aimed solely on impacting the right values, virtues, and creative skills to help kids be bold, confident in themselves and their abilities, and to help groom outspoken kids who realise that their voices are important and should not be stifled.
What unique approaches do you take when working with children?
I am a Montessori baby, so my formative years were filled with Montessori-style learning at school and at home. Seeing how this impacted my life, I knew if I was going to teach kids life values and lessons, I wouldn’t be using a cram-and-write or military-style approach. Already, learning kids’ life values and virtues as well as harnessing their creativity through public speaking and creative writing is in itself a unique learning experience, and this requires adopting a unique child-led learning style and technique using tools like interactions/conversations, storytelling, sing-alongs, poetry, creative games, etc.
So, my inspiration comes from the fact that I wanted kids to learn less consciously, as many of them do this daily. I wanted them to learn life skills unconsciously, without any conscious effort, as I realised that this is the best way to make these lessons easily become a part of their lives as they transition to teenagers and young adults. The Bible says to train a child in how he should grow so that when he is old, he will not depart from it.
How do you prepare for each segment, and what are some of your favourite activities?
The first thing I do is pray. I pray and commit each session to God. Then, of course, I get my notes, and then I practice my notes with my toddler, and whether he understands me or not, I take cues from him, and if he seems interested and gives me a few minutes of his time or if he tries to sing and dance along then I know I’ve got this. I also read materials, and I constantly interact with kids. I have become used to their thought process to a large extent.
My favorite activities… Hmmm, I love my interactive sessions the most. Every session is because I constantly interact with my Bubbly Bop kids. Then I also like moments when I get to ask them to share the best part of the day’s session with me; this always makes me happy because I get to hear from them in real-time, and their feedback means the world to me.
Can you share a memorable moment from one of your sessions at the Tropical Christmas Wonderland last year?
Oh wow! This is a tough one. I have so many. A child once said I couldn’t end my session because he was meeting me for the first time, and he was not ready to let me go. What did I do? I extended my session for a couple more minutes, which was completely unplanned.
I also once had a child meet me in person, and he had to take me to his mum to make introductions; he had recognised my voice from the radio show and thought to share the secret with his mum.
I have so many memorable moments.
What can children and parents expect from your segment at this year’s ‘Tropical Christmas Wonderland-themed ‘Theatre of Lights’?
Oh, kids should expect a lot of fun-filled moments, as it will be a magical experience. As always, it will be packed with segments and games they have yet to hear about. Yep!
Parents should expect the kids to have so much fun that they would need to prepare to keep up with their demands of not wanting to leave.
How do you see your role impacting the overall success of this year’s Tropical Christmas Wonderland-themed ‘Theatre of Lights’?
My sessions provide a safe space for kids to learn, interact, and be heard, and this is the perfect antidote for kids to be on their best behaviour because they know that they matter.
This sets the right tone for parents and kids to have pure, undiluted fun and magical moments.
READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then