Tag Archives: exercise

Walking The Southern Ridges

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We took a walk on The Southern Ridges a few weeks ago. It was a nice, cloudy day so the weather was quite lovely and cool. We parked at HortPark and started our walk there, crossed Alexandra Arch (80m), made our way through Forest Walk (1.3km), linked up to Hilltop Walk (1km), had a toilet break at Telok Blangah Hill Park, crossed Henderson Waves (300m), and then walked down to the bus stop and took a bus back to HortPark.

The route we took was stroller-friendly and we pushed the baby the entire way. We only had a bit of a problem getting the stroller down the steps to the bus stop. The kids whined a bit along the way (as kids are wont to do), but the 3km walk was not a problem for them and I think they had a good time!

Your Guide to Hort Park and the Southern Ridges by National Parks Board provides useful information on suggested routes, difficulty level, distance and time needed for each section of The Southern Ridges, and also some highlights for each portion.

crossing Alexandra Arch

mummy insists on a photo

Forest Walk

so much greenery

looking at some of the plants

rest shelter

touching hairy leaves

posing for yet another picture

lush vegetation

tangled trees at Telok Blangah Hill Park

dragging themselves to Henderson Waves

Henderson Waves

the view

tired children

Henderson Waves from below

back at Hort Park

Getting Along Swimmingly with The Swimming Room (Plus a Giveaway!)

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There are so many classes for children these days. You can pick from typical academic ones like Math, Chinese and Science, or sign your kid up for more exotic classes like circus arts, belly dancing, yoga or even mermaid school!

We are always keen to let the kids try new stuff if they are interested but the one enrichment class that is non-negotiable is swimming. The husband feels that water safety is the top priority and feels very strongly that the kids must know how to swim.

Anya started swimming with Eugene of The Swimming Room when she was 3 years old. At her first lesson, she kept crying and wanting me to get into the pool with her and she didn’t want to put her face in the water at all. Eugene was so patient with her, reassured her repeatedly and got her to go through all the activities. After a few lessons, she started looking forward to her weekly swimming class and it was hard to get her out of the pool after class! You can read more about Anya’s experiences with The Swimming Room here, here and here.

kicking

Of course, when it was Adam’s turn to start swimming, I immediately signed him up for classes with Eugene. Adam is not confident at all in the pool and would usually cling to me like a barnacle when we go swimming, so I thought I would have to wait a long time before he started to enjoy his swimming classes.

I was pleasantly surprised that he was keen to participate from the first lesson even though he was clearly nervous about being in the water. He’s so comfortable with Eugene and it’s clear that Adam trusts Eugene to take care of him in the pool. It’s been a few months since he started swimming and his water confidence level is so much higher than it used to be and he always looks forward to his swimming lessons.

straightening legs

swimming

heads in water

getting ready to blow bubbles

individual attention

leap of faith!

Back when I was trying to sign Anya up for swimming lessons, I was quite boggled by the number of options available and I had no way of knowing whether that particular swimming school or coach was good. Some of the swimming schools I tried contacting didn’t even bother getting back to me and it was all rather frustrating. So I’m really glad I managed to find Eugene and The Swimming Room!

Since the holidays are round the corner, you may be thinking of checking out some swim schools for your child but may not know where to start looking. Here’s your chance to cross that one item off your list!

GIVEAWAY! :)

I have a THREE session passes to be won by three lucky readers! Each session pass entitles you to 3 lessons. Do look at the table below to ensure that there is a session your child is able to attend.

To qualify, simply do the following by Tuesday, 2 June 2015, 2359H (Singapore time):
1. Like ‘Life in the Wee Hours’ Facebook page.
2. Like ‘The Swimming Room‘ Facebook page.
3. Like and share this post and tag two friends in your post.

available sessions

Terms & Conditions: This giveaway is open to Singapore residents only. Winners will be contacted through Facebook message and will have 24 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be drawn. All incomplete entries will be disqualified. All entries will be verified before the winners are announced. To be fair to our sponsors, please note that all fake Facebook accounts (e.g. accounts set up purely to take part in contests with no or very few real friends) will also be ineligible to win.

Adam’s 1st Swimming Class!

Zoom Park Singapore

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Last week, some friends and I checked out Zoom Park with our kids. It’s the largest indoor trampoline park in Singapore and includes 2 dodgeball courts, 3 basketball slam dunk lanes, a 17-metre lateral rock wall, and a foam pit. I didn’t take many photos because I was too busy having fun with the kids.

What I liked: It’s in the West and pretty easy to get to from my place or my mum’s place. It’s more interesting than the other trampoline parks because you can do a lot more than just bounce around. Anya likes rock-climbing so she spent some time on the rock wall and the kids also had fun playing dodgeball and dunking basketballs. My favourite part is the Slam Dunk because it’s probably the only time I can get a basketball through the hoop.

foam pit and rock wall

climbing up

the main jumping area

having a race

playing dodgeball

slam dunk

with my friends (and 2 of the 10 kids we had with us)

What could be improved: I think some signs indicating where the main entrance is would be helpful. The trampoline park is located inside a huge tent and we walked 3/4 of the perimeter before finding the entrance. FYI, it’s on the side that faces Cycle & Carriage. They are also very particular about you wearing socks with extra grip, so if you brought along normal socks, you have to buy theirs. Another thing that bugged me was that when I was filling in my details for the waiver on their computer, I could see all the data (IC numbers, phone numbers, names, etc.) that other people had keyed in! I think they need to adjust their computer settings. Finally, I think they have some issues with their air-conditioning because it was HOT in there! The kids had to stop and rest in front of the air cooling units very often.

I think these are all teething problems that can be resolved quickly so let’s hope that things are better the next time we decide to drop by!

Zoom Park Singapore
200 Pandan Gardens #01-14
Singapore 609336
Tel: 63344615
Email: [email protected]

Check out their website for more information about opening hours and pricing.

Last Swimming Lesson

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It’s been 2 years and 10 months since the cousins started swimming together and how far they have come since! But the boys are off to primary school soon and their schedule is uncertain so we have decided to stop their swimming lessons. Anya wants to try other activities. Will definitely miss being able to meet up and hang out every single week. I’m glad that they swim so confidently now and that they truly enjoy swimming.

with Uncle Eugene

posing while swimming

they’ve grown so much since their first class

posing with paddles

circus class

whee!

jumping off

levitating

we’ll miss you, Uncle Eugene!

The Rock School: The Rock Challenge & Carnival 2014

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Anya really enjoys rock-climbing and we have tried a few places but our favourite is The Rock School! We were there in July this year and again very recently and both times, we were immensely impressed by the patience, dedication and skill of the instructors.

Their 2-hour Fun Climb programme for kids is perfect as an introduction to climbing for the little ones. The kids warm up with some games inside a room and learn basic climbing techniques. Under the instructors’ guidance and assuring hands, they become familiar with the climbing holds and gain confidence before attempting the wall outside.

getting to know the kids

warming up with some games

a briefing before climbing

guiding the littlest one

put your foot here

steady there

an assuring hand

At the rock wall, the instructors put on the harness for the kids and brief them on safety and demonstrate how to climb the walls before allowing the kids to try it for themselves. To motivate them, the kids are given stickers for each section they manage to climb.

Unlike other climbing schools where kids are left to fumble around and find their own way up the wall, the instructors are completely focused on each child they are belaying at that moment and providing guidance and encouragement each step of the way.

time for the actual rock wall

starting at the simple one

all the way up

gave the red wall a go as well

After the climb, the kids are presented with their card with the stickers they have managed to attained. Adam was too young to climb on the rock wall outside but they did not forget him and gave him a card as well and he was so pleased.

The kids had so much fun at their Fun Climb session and it really is the perfect introduction to rock-climbing for first-timers.

his efforts get acknowledged

look how happy she is

so much fun!

An exciting upcoming event organised by The Rock School is The Rock Challenge and The Rock Carnival. Click here for instructions on how to register!

Date: 22 & 23 November 2014 (Sat & Sun)
Timing: 10am – 4pm
About: The Carnival is a 2-day event (purchase a 1-day pass) with climbing as the highlight and side events like face painting, balloon sculpting, flea market and more. On top of a specially constructed bouldering wall with routes of varying difficulties, the highwall will be open for parent-child climbs. Climbers may stay and play for as long as they like, even throughout the whole 6 hours from 10am-4pm!

The Rock School Rocks!

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Anya attended a Fun Climb session at The Rock School at Bedok Community Centre during the June holidays and had a blast! I was impressed by how warm, enthusiastic and engaging the instructors were. They guided the kids very patiently, explained things to them at their level, and, most importantly, added in the element of fun.

Anya has quite a competitive nature and she wanted stickers on the achievement card that was issued to all the kids. She made it to the top of the yellow and blue walls and wanted to attempt the red one but we didn’t have enough time. I’m so proud of her for being so determined and making it to the top. Hoping to organise session for her and her friends from school during the next school holidays!