June School Holidays! Wednesday 30 May

Which school holiday would be complete without a trip to Changi Airport to take the Slide@T3? :) 

Slide@T3 is the world's tallest slide in an airport. Slide@T3 comprises 2 slides. The shorter one is free for anyone above 110cm in height. The taller one is 4 storeys tall and to ride this, one would need to spend $10 in a single receipt at Changi Airport to get one ticket. Of course, thanks to Grandma (who works in Changi and spends money in Changi Airport), the kids get many many tickets to ride to their hearts' content! :)

With good pal, R. Lunch before the fun!

Showing off their tickets

DD is still too short to take the slides, so she waits patiently at the bottom of the slide for the two boys to come down. While waiting, DD keeps herself occupied by looking at kids doing craft work at the Arts and Craft Corner. I think this stall was set up to entertain kids like DD who are too young for the slide.

June School Holidays! Monday, 28 May.

OK, I give up. I could not finish blogging about the March school holidays before the June holidays started. Oh, how I wish there were 72 hours in a day!!! Oh well, nevermind, we shall look ahead and blog about the ...drumroll please ... June school holidays! This being DS's first year in primary school, he was pleasantly surprised to find out 2 weeks ago that the June holidays would be 4 weeks long! Yay!

We celebrated the first day of the June school holidays by going to the Singapore Zoo. We have been to the zoo more than 10 times since DS was born, about 2-3 times a year in recent years and I think we've still not done all the activities nor seen all the animals. We would probably go more often if the Zoo was closer to our home!

One of the first few animals we saw was the White-faced Saki monkey. I'm always amazed at how these monkeys and some other animals do not need to be caged. Yet they stay in the trees and not jump on some human being trying to snap a picture of them! I didn't bring a camera to the Zoo this time and this shot was taken using my iPhone 4. The monkey was barely 1.5m away from me.

Another animal found near the entrance to the zoo is the otter. We usually don't go around the enclosure to see the otters underwater, but today, we did just that. Look at how cute the otters are swimming underwater!

The Singapore Zoo has 2 white tigers and every time we visit the tigers, one would be pacing back and forth, and another would be sleeping. I'm wondering if it's the same tiger pacing back and forth. It sure does look hungry as it eyes the visitors looking at it from the opposite side!

Animal feeding! DS's favorite activity at the zoo! Today, he got to feed the giraffes and the white rhinos for the first time. Look how long the tongue of the giraffe is! A giraffe's tongue is about 45-50cm long. Another interesting fact is that the number of bones in the neck of a giraffe is the same as that of a human being (7!), even though a giraffe has such a long neck.

Look at the giraffes curling the tip of their tongue to get the piece of carrot stick DS is holding. DS later told me that he enjoyed getting his hand covered in the giraffe's saliva while he was feeding them!

A picture taken from afar showing how tall the giraffes are. I think it's really ingenious that the platform was built to allow visitors to be able to feed the giraffes.

This is the first time we watched the Animal Friends Show at the zoo. The show goes on for half hour and the kids really enjoyed it! Guinea pigs, cats and dogs were featured and children get to pet the dogs at the end of the show.

Petting the dogs after the show. :)

Ah Meng memorial to remember our beloved Ah-Meng, the orang utan.

DS feeding the white rhinos. The white rhinos' nose and mouth were dripping wet with mucous. I was so worried that one might sneeze or snort and DS will be covered in mucous! Haha! DS later told me that he could feel the strong "suction" created by the rhinos' mouth as it was trying to suck the fruit from DS's hand.

And finally, this is actually a video of the back view of the pygmy hippos. I found it interesting to see the fish eating dead skin and other deposits off the back of the pygmy hippo.

School Holidays - Monday (12th March)!

DS has enjoyed visiting museums ever since DH started bringing him there a few years back. There would be times in the past when DS was home and I had to put DD down for her nap. DH had suggested that he brought DS to a museum (DH loves museums!) so that DD would not be distracted by her brother during naptime. I was skeptical the museum would keep DS entertained, but it did!

This time, we brought the kids to The National Museum of Singapore. The kids had a fun time identifying local fruits and animals from the pictures displayed at The William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings. DS also spent a very long time in the Singapore History Gallery, looking at the exhibits while listening intently to the audio guide provided. This was the first time he was actually listening to the audio guide while following the exhibits being explained. We think he is more interested now because he has learnt a bit about Singapore's history in school.

We ended the trip with lunch at Novus Cafe, situated in the museum. Our outings are getting longer because we do not need to rush home to put DD down for a noon nap anymore! The cafe served simple, but good, cafe food, and the ambience was great! I can foresee that we'll be back again during the next school holidays!

School Holidays - Sunday (11th March)!

This is the first term break school holidays for DS since he started Primary One this year. In Singapore, we have a 1-week break after 10 weeks of school term, then a 4-week break in June, another 1-week break in September, and finally, a 6-week break in November/December.

We started off the holidays by going over to R's home for a playdate. R attended kindergarten together with DS, and R's mum and I have been friends prior to that.

The kids always have a ball of a time playing together. :)

21 Creative Projects with Kids

I came across this great post! Wonderful ideas for things to do with kids at home, especially with the rainy weather that we've had recently!

21 Creative Projects with Kids

The Slide @ T3

We were at our usual hangout (Changi Airport!) over the weekend and chanced upon The Slide @ T3.

Singapore's tallest slide, and the world's tallest slide in an airport opened last week at Terminal 3, Changi Airport. The slide is 4 storeys tall (or 12m high) and one can reach a top speed of 6m/s while sliding down. Members of the public would have to spend $30 in a single receipt at Changi Airport to redeem 2 tokens to ride the slide.

Thankfully, there was a shorter slide, one-and-a-half storey tall, that one can ride for free. DS took DH and I by surprise when, after spending some time observing people whizzing down the slides, he indicated that he would like to have a go at the shorter slide. Now, this may not come as a surprise to parents of playground slide-loving preschoolers, but our DS didn't dare go down a regular-length, playground slide until he was about 2 years old! And our DS is also a generally cautious boy who didn't climb up and down the furniture in the house when he was a toddler.


We gave DS some time to consider if he really wanted to take the slide. After some deliberation, he said that he'll give it a go! Yay! Here's DS waiting in the queue with the entrance to the slide in the background. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and wanted to join the (long!) queue again immediately after the ride! Well, we told him that we'll bring him back on a weekday when there's no queue. :)


Picture showing the starting and ending of the shorter slide.


Picture showing part of the taller slide.

It looks like we'll be back at the airport again very soon, since DS wants to ride the slide again. This time, we might take the kids across to T2 to visit the Changi Aviation Gallery.

Visit to Ang Mo Kio Fire Station

DS' school organized a visit to the Ang Mo Kio Fire Station last weekend. DD and I tagged along. :) In Singapore, fire stations have a structured programme for groups of 10 or more people wanting to visit the fire station. It's free of charge, but an advanced booking two weeks prior to the scheduled visit is required. For groups of less than 10 persons, all fire stations except Jurong Island Fire Station have open houses every Saturday morning from 9am to 11am. During the open house, walk-in visitors are welcome with no registration required.

DS got to wear a real fireman jacket and helmet! These thick and heavy fire-resistant jackets protect the brave firemen when the fire is too close to them. However, as the jackets are not fireproof, the firemen have to spray water around themselves while walking through or near fire to prevent getting burnt.


DS got to sit in the driver's seat and pretended to drive the fire-engine!


DS also got to sit on a Fire Bike with his teacher, Ms Ida! The Fire Bike can quickly respond to small fires and is equipped with an Impulse Water Canon. An Impulse Water Canon is a hand-held fire-fighting equipment that can fire out small amounts of water at high velocity to put out small fires.


Here's a real fireman, all decked out in his full gear - helmet, fullface mask, BA (Breathing Apparatus, a cylinder which provides breathable air), fire-resistant jacket, pants and boots.


DS posing beside the Red Rhino, an all-terrain vehicle. The Red Rhino, also known as the Light Fire Attack Vehicle, is unique to Singapore and found nowhere else in the world! It is able to travel off roads and also maneuver within small spaces such as HDB* carparks and HDB void** decks! What a brilliant idea, proudly designed and conceptualised in Singapore, and even built by a local company, ComfortDelGro!


And finally, DS posing in front of a fire engine. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip to the fire station and the firemen were happy to answer any questions that the kids (and adults!) had. The firemen even demonstrated how they slid down the fireman's pole, "Singapore style". Apparently, the way our Singapore firemen slide down the firepole is somewhat different from how their American counterparts do it. I guess in many ways, we are really "uniquely Singapore"!


*HDB stands for Housing & Development Board, which is Singapore's public housing authority and in charge of all public housing in Singapore.
**Void decks are typically found under apartment blocks built by HDB. Void decks occupy the ground level and apartments usually start from the second level onwards.

Riverboat Ride

We brought the kids to take the riverboat ride over the weekend. The half hour ride brought us to Boat Quay, Clark Quay and out to where the Merlion is. DS was really excited especially since he could recognise key places of interest like the Merlion, the Singapore Flyer and the Esplanade. DD seemed stunned. I think she didn't know what to make out of the boat ride. Hehe.

Unfinished Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort. Should be completed some time next year.

Behind us, you can see the Merlion spouting water and also the Esplanade. Oh, and the tall building sticking out from above my head, that's Swissotel the Stanford, where DH and I got married 7 years ago. :)

DS giving one of those "I-don't-really-want-to-smile-cos-I'm-busy-but-Mummy-wants-to-take-a-picture" smile and DD looking stunned throughout the ride.

DD still not knowing what to make of the boat ride. No smile from her throughout the ride!

Statue of the boys jumping into the water. I really like this! :)

We Went Bowling!

I think our kids are sort of old enough to participate in some activities with us, so we decided to go bowling recently. We had a ball of a time (no pun intended!), the kids had a blast and we'll definitely be going bowling again in the near future! A few bowling alleys in Singapore have kids' lanes - i.e. lanes that have side "bumpers". These "bumpers" prevent the bowling ball from going into the "drains". So no matter how the kids rolled the ball, it will always end up knocking down some pins. Hehe. Of course, DH and I also benefitted from these side "bumpers". Not surprising, we scored more points than we normally do. :P

Although DS had a special lightweight ball weighing only 4 lbs (specially for kids!), he still had difficulty rolling the ball down the lane, given that he's only 4 years old. :) DH had to help him along.

We hadn't intended to include DD in the game, but she was quite insistent that she participated. She was very determined to pick out a ball too. But she was quite puzzled as to why she couldn't lift any of the balls!

Here she is again, trying very hard to lift a 14 lb ball. Hehe.

OK, so DD gets a go too. Needless to say, she was very excited to be able to bowl like her big brother!

DH helping her along. :)

Interesting Holiday Crafts

I came across some wonderful holiday craft ideas using junk mail, so I thought I'll share it here. Definitely something that I can with my 3 year old, who's crazy about using the scissors to cut up paper recently.

http://www.thetranquilparent.com/detail/holiday-crafts-from-junk-mail/

"Play dough to go"

I just read this from Z Recommends and had to share. It's basically a do-it-yourself play dough recipe that you can pack away with your kid to Grandma's house. Sounds easy enough to do.

See here: http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/play-dough-to-go/

DS and Boxes

DS loves boxes. He can spend the entire day transfering his toys in piecemeal from one box to another. But just the other day, he found another way to entertain himself with a box.

Activites for Toddlers

I am so sorry for not posting for so long! We have been busy settling into our new apartment and I have been trying to get organised so that I will survive after my parents leave tomorrow. Anyhow, I have compiled a list of activities to do with DS, who is 32 months old. As you all know, I am not the most hardworking SAHM around. So, I guarantee that these activities need minimal preparation and materials. No going to the library or having to buy 10 craft supplies to keep my toddler entertained. Yay! Hope these will help someone. As you can see, my indoor activities are far more than my outdoor activities. Yes, I'm too lazy to go out all the time with a slow toddler and a hungry 10 week-old. So here goes:

Indoor Activities

1. Bath Paints – use food colouring mixed into shaving cream to make “paints”. Paint using a brush or hands onto walls or bathtub.
2. Clean coins – use old toothbrush, some soap and water. Brush coins to make them shiny. Can add some salt and vinegar to water. But supervise to make sure vinegar doesn’t get into child’s eyes.
3. Keep away dishes from dishwasher
4. Setting the table
5. Sort the laundry before washing
6. Fold laundry (toddler may manage easy ones like small towels)
7. Washing windows and tables – give child a spray bottle (mixture of a little white vinegar with lots of water) and cloth.
8. Make small fabric bean bags to play tossing into laundry basket. Put beans into Ziploc bags first, before putting into cloth “pouch” (made by sewing 2 small pieces of fabric together).
9. A guess box using empty cereal box with small hole cut into it. Place items in it for child to guess what it is.
10. Hide and seek using kitchen timer. Hide kitchen timer which is turned on so that child looks for ticking sound.
11. Treasure hunt using special small toys/ snacks.
12. Do a family photo collage
13. Colouring – book or print out special colouring pages from the internet.
14. Make frozen fruit. Cut up bananas, grapes and berries. Lay out on plate and put in freezer. When frozen, can eat straightaway or place in plastic bag.
15. Indoor tent. Place sheet over table. Put special snack or even toddler’s pillow/blanket in tent.
16. Picnic in living room. Spread tablecloth on floor. Place food/snacks there to eat.
17. Make playdough – 1 cup flour, ½ cup salt, 6-7 tbsps water and 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Store in airtight container in fridge.
18. Play with playdough.
19. Indoor camping. Large sheet over chairs.
20. Making applesauce- place quartered up 3-4 sweet apples (remove core), ½ cup water, ½ tsp cinnamon in covered saucepan, simmer for 10 minutes and then mash with potato masher when cool.
21. Match the bones. Print bones from here: http://tinyurl.com/22fj2y
22. No-dye coloured eggs. Decorate the shells of hard-boiled eggs with non-toxic crayons.
23. Read books.
24. Sprout seeds (e.g. beans)
25. Songs – sing along, dance or march
26. Blow bubbles
27. Finger painting
28. Set up store with play money, play food (e.g. use empty milk carton, etc)
29. Play with boxes of different sizes to make “blocks”
30. Simply play with a box
31. Writing and drawing

Outdoor Activities

1. Collect leaves, paint them and make prints on paper
2. Blow bubbles
3. Take walks