Monthly Archives: July 2014

Adam at The Animal Resort

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I accompanied Adam on his school excursion to The Animal Resort and it was really interesting to see a different side of Singapore. There are many small animals and birds found at The Animal Resort and there’s a horse as well. The kids were given a briefing on the different types of animals there and how to feed them before being set loose on the hapless creatures.

The animals there generally looked well cared for and they were clearly used to being surrounded by noisy little children. Adam was initially afraid to get too close to the animals to feed them and would fling the food at the animals instead of feeding it to them, but he eventually warmed up to the idea. It’s a pretty fun way for kids to spend a few hours but insect repellent is a must!

being briefed

being briefed

looking for geese

looking for geese

feeding geese

feeding geese

checking out the peacocks

checking out the peacocks

white peacock

white peacock

beautiful colours

beautiful colours

crowned crane walking around

crowned crane walking around

small animals

small animals

guinea pig and skinny pig (I kid you not)

guinea pig and skinny pig (I kid you not)

feeding bunnies

feeding bunnies

Adam's funny fish-feeding pose

Adam’s funny fish-feeding pose

hello!

hello!

cassowary

cassowary

a closer look

a closer look

the biggest animal there

the biggest animal there

bye bye, horse!

bye bye, horse!

The Animal Resort
T81 Seletar West Farmway 5
Singapore 798061
Tel: 6338 7665
Fax: 6484 1813
Email:

Underwater Holiday Programme at KidStartNow

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In the last week of the June school holidays, Anya attended the ‘Underwater’ holiday programme at KidStartNow. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if she could survive a 4-day Chinese programme because we hardly speak any Chinese at home, but according to her teachers in school, Anya’s Chinese is pretty good so I decided to let her give it a go.

Anya took some time to warm up on the first day and was a little anxious because it was a new environment for her and she only knew one other person there. But by the end of that day, she was looking forward to the next day of the programme and very keen to go back.

The Underwater theme was enough to pique Anya’s interest because she likes to watch ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Finding Nemo’. She particularly enjoyed the role playing and storytelling segments and after each day’s programme, she would be very excited to tell me about the games and activities that she took part in. I really appreciated how they used so many interesting methods to make Chinese fun for Anya and the other children.

One of the features that Anya really liked about the holiday programme at KidStartNow was the digital rewards system. Kids are given ‘coins’ for good behaviour and for answering questions and can use these coins to ‘buy’ stickers and other rewards. Like many kids her age, Anya is quite competitive and very motivated by incentives, so this digital rewards system was right up her alley. At the end of each day, she would proudly show me the stickers she had accumulated in her notebook.

digital rewards system

digital rewards system

circle time

circle time

playing a game

playing a game

comparing stickers

comparing stickers

getting more stickers

getting more stickers

role playing

role playing

I’m glad she had such a great time during the camp and I see her making an effort to use more Chinese at home and trying to increase her vocabulary as well.

To learn more about the programmes offered by KidStartNow, check out their website for more information or to sign up for a trial class.

KidStartNow
CT Hub
2 Kallang Avenue #02-09
Singapore 339407
Tel: 6444 8280 / 6444 6310 / 9820 7272
E-mail:

 

Disclaimer: We were invited to attend the June holiday camp at KidStartNow for the review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Photo credits: mummybean and KidStartNow.

Non-stop Fun at KidsStop!

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Near the end of the June school holidays, I took the two older ones to KidsSTOP at Science Centre and they had so much fun that I had to drag them kicking and screaming from the place after our 3-hour session there. We didn’t even managed to explore the entire area because the kids had no socks and weren’t able to play in some parts.

There’s so much to do there that I’m not even going to attempt to write about the different activity areas and will just have a whole bunch of pictures to show what we did that day.

flying a plane

flying a plane

co-pilot too busy posing

co-pilot too busy posing

learning about wind energy

learning about wind energy

so excited to see their creations take flight in the wind tube

so excited to see their creations take flight in the wind tube

designing new constellations

designing new constellations

digging up dinosaurs

digging up dinosaurs

grocery shopping

grocery shopping

learning about food

learning about food

checking out purchases

checking out purchases

listening

listening

kidney transplant

kidney transplant

giving baby a check-up

giving baby a check-up

brushing teeth

brushing teeth

going nowhere

going nowhere

singing karaoke

singing karaoke

doubling up as cameraman

doubling up as cameraman

magnet fun

magnet fun

harassing virtual fish

harassing virtual fish

construction worker

construction worker

operating heavy machinery

operating heavy machinery

puppet show in the activity room

puppet show in the activity room

learning about gears

learning about gears

waiting to catch some balls

waiting to catch some balls

here they come!

here they come!

I really like the fact that they limit entry to 300 people at any time so it doesn’t feel overcrowded and you don’t have to wait ages for any particular activity. They also have a lot of facilitators around the place to give instructions and to put stuff back so that other children can play and they ensure that the place isn’t in a crazy mess.

I’m looking forward to going back with the kids again! Check out their FAQs for more information before you head down.

KidsSTOP, Science Centre Singapore
21 Jurong Town Hall Rd
Singapore 609433

One of My Favourite Things: The Sound of Music

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Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start! When I was a little kid, I loved watching the film version of The Sound of Music. I knew most of the songs by heart and would sing them all the time. So it was such a treat to be able to watch The Sound of Music on stage last night. From the moment the show started, I was tempted to sing along with the songs (but refrained for the sake of those around me.)

The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music tells the uplifting true story of Maria, the fun-loving governess who changes the lives of the widowed Captain von Trapp and his seven children by re-introducing them to music, culminating in the family’s flight across the Austrian mountains. The heartwarming story and the unforgettable songs make The Sound of Music the best loved musical of all time, delighting both young and old.

Six of the seven Von Trapp children are played by 18 Singapore kids picked from over 400 applicants. The children were energetic and adorable and it’s lovely to know that we have such talented little ones in Singapore. The scenes with the children were my favourite because they brought so much enthusiasm to their roles and there was obvious chemistry between them.

The Sound of Music The Sound of Music

I was especially moved by the scene where Captain von Trapp sang Edelweiss with such emotion to subtly declare his loyalty to Austria and say goodbye before escaping over the mountains with the entire Von Trapp family. To be honest, when I watched The Sound of Music as a child, the significance of the song, and the other scenes involving the union of Austria with Germany, completely escaped me.The Sound of Music The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music is a must-watch and is a show the whole family can enjoy. Catch The Sound of Music at Grand Theatre, MBS from now until 10 August 2014 before they say ‘So Long, Farewell’!

TICKETING AND SHOW INFORMATION

SEASON: 11 July – 10 August 2014
PERFORMANCE TIMES: Tuesday – Friday 8pm; Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 12pm & 6pm
TICKET PRICE: From $65 (Excludes the booking fee of $3 per ticket)
THROUGH INTERNET: BASE Entertainment, Marina Bay Sands Ticketing or SISTIC
BY PHONE: 6688 8826
IN PERSON AT: Marina Bay Sands Box Offices (Museum, Theatres, SkyPark, Retail Mall and Hotel Tower 1 Lobby)

Human Body Experience at Science Centre

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Sometime during the school holidays, I wanted to take Anya to Kids Stop at Science Centre but the 12pm session was sold out for that day so we ended up at the Human Body Experience. I thought she would enjoy it since she really likes fiddling around with the Human Body app we have on the iPad and loves watching episodes of Once Upon A Time… Life. I was wrong.

She didn’t like the darkness inside and the glowing lights. She didn’t like crawling in through the mouth and didn’t like the lungs pressing down on her. And she especially didn’t like squeezing through the various sections of the intestines and emerging from the butt. She actually burst into tears when we were near the end! I thought the Human Body Experience was interesting enough, and I know of kids both older and younger than Anya who enjoyed it tremendously so I guess it just wasn’t her thing.

still looking okay

still looking okay

in the throat

in the throat

the lungs

the lungs

starting to get upset

starting to get upset

lub dub lub dub

lub dub lub dub

contemplating the brain

contemplating the brain

didn't like this bit very much either

didn’t like this bit very much either

she hated this bit!

she hated this bit!

Huggies Ultra Pants in Action!

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We’ve been using Huggies Ultra Pants on the two boys for a few months now and it’s working out very well for us. You can read more about David’s experience with Huggies Ultra Pants here. I love that it fits so well and is really absorbent so we never have to worry about any leakage. The key here is to buy the recommended size according to baby’s weight and not a bigger size which may result in the diaper not fitting as well and leaking.

Last month, we took the kids to Polliwogs at Vivocity for the Huggies Ultra Pants media event. The boys stayed dry and comfortable the entire time in their Huggies Ultra Pants. Adam was unstoppable and he was busy climbing up and down and in and out of the play area but I didn’t have to worry about his diaper at all. He was moving so quickly that it was hard for me to take photos of him!

Huggies1

David posed for a few fun pictures and showed off his Huggies Ultra Pants. He’s not quite crawling yet but is rolling all over the place and can cover quite a distance when he’s lying down on the bed just by scooting around as if he’s doing the backstroke in a pool. He is getting more mobile every day so I’m glad his Huggies Ultra Pants can keep up with him. When he does start crawling, I’ll be more than prepared!

Huggies2

During the event, we learnt more about the technology that goes into making Huggies Ultra Pants from a Kimberly Clark innovation expert. In a nutshell, Huggies Ultra Pants are a dream come true because of the following:

  • Easy open sides – no fumbling when you’re trying to change a wriggly child’s diaper in a tiny parents’ room!
  • New slim absorbent core technology – if the baby decides to sleep through the night, you can do a happy dance without sneaking in a diaper change.
  • Specially designed leakage protection band – no need to worry about diaper leaking at the most inconvenient moment
  • Wetness indicator – know if the diaper needs changing without having to peer into the diaper or playing a guessing game
  • Underwear-like design – perfect for kids like Adam who are transitioning to big boy underpants

If you still haven’t tried Huggies Ultra Pants, what are you waiting for? Go to Huggies and sign up for your free Huggies Pack today. Remember to get the correct size!

Huggies3

Ice-cream for Petite Travellers

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Some friends and I are collaborating on a travel blog Petite Travellers and it’s perfect for those with little ones. Travelling with kids is something we love to do and we hope this blog will be a useful resource for other parents. Recently, I blogged about 5 things to do in Georgetown, Penang over at Petite Travellers and also shared some photos on the Instagram account.

I’m happy to share that we are one of the blogs shortlisted for Best New Blog for Singapore Blog Awards 2014. We decided to celebrate with some ice-cream! Do check out Petite Travellers and if you like what you see, vote for us, like our Facebook page to be kept updated, and join our ice-cream celebration by adding the hashtags #icecreamforpetitetravellers and #omysba2014 to your ice-cream pictures!