Fidgets Friday

Art Garden 2012 at the Singapore Art Museum

Children’s Season | Sat & Sun, 26 & 27 May | From 10am    

Celebrate International Museum Day and Children’s Season at SAM with free entry to all galleries and a series of fun, hands-on activities for everyone in the family. SAM and SAM at 8Q are open from 10am. Activities will be held from 11am to 6pm.

Join the under-12 prodigies from the Singapore Table Tennis Association in a game of ping pong with a twist at Lee Wen’s Ping Pong Go-Round! Visitors of all ages are welcomed to play.
Sat, 19 May | 5pm - 7pm | SAM at 8Q Plaza 

Kampong Days with SAFRA

Put Down the Pacifier: Bye Bye Binky Song

From 13 – 20 November, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre transforms into a lush landscape of orchids, from contemporary exotic hybrids to the most beautiful of traditional orchid breeds. Covering an estimated 12,000 sqm and featuring 68 exhibits from 23 countries spread over 6 continents, the World Orchid Show promises to be a feast for the senses with exhibitors competing for the coveted 20th WOC awards. World Orchid Show ticket holders will also have the privilege of an exclusive sneak preview of the brand new Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay, ahead of its official opening in June 2012.

top 10 children’s books writers

As kids, we all loved reading books. Books are the medium through which the thoughts of a child and his character can be molded. Therefore reading the correct kids’ books becomes very important. There are thousands and thousands of children’s books available in book stores and in libraries. It is a big task for parents to find the best book that can be a value addition for the child and can interest him as well. To make your task easier given below is a list of the top 10 children’s books writers. Be sure that your child will love reading their books.

1. Kevin Henkes:
is a successful illustrator and author of children’s books who has won the Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Honor in these two fields. ‘Kitten’s First Full Moon’ was one of his most famous books ever written. He also writes for young – adult fiction and many of his stories are based on his own life experiences.

2. Patricia Polacco:
too is an illustrator and author of children’s books. The books contain beautiful culture, simple language and great illustrations making her books a must read for children and young kids. Some of her works are Chicken Sunday, Thank You, Mr. Falker and My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother; to name just a few.

3. Eric Carle:
most famous children’s book has been ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ which has been translated into almost 48 languages. His first story illustration was ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?’ which was a huge bestseller. The illustrations used by him were very different, normally made of hand – painted papers and converted into beautiful images. His books bring out his love of nature. His books are not only entertaining but also full of knowledge and learning.

4. Beatrix Potter:
created the famous Peter Rabbit character from the book ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’. She had to stay at home and learn music and fine art, while her brother was sent to school. Her collection of books includes  The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher, The Tale of Two Bad Mice and The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle.

5. E.B. White:
author of children’s books was born in New York. He has written many novels for children which include some famous names as Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan. As guessed correctly many of his novels have been turned into big animation flicks that have done exceedingly well at the box – office.

6. Margaret Wise Brown:
was an American author of children’s books. She was born in New York and did her schooling in Connecticut. Her first book was ‘When the Wind Blew’. After came a series of books like ‘The Runaway Bunny’, ‘Little Island’, ‘Goodnight Moon’, etc. By the time she died she had written almost a hundred books. Many of them were printed after her death.

7. Maurice Sendak:
is an American writer and illustrator of children’s books. His famous book is ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ which was published in the year 1963. It was a book based on children’s fantasy. His other famous books are ‘In the Night Kitchen’ and ‘Outside, Over There’.

8. Shel Silverstein:
was not only an author of children’s books but was also a poet, song writer, musician, composer, cartoonist and screenwriter. His books have been translated into 20 languages and have been sold worldwide. He began by writing children’s poems. His most famous children’s book was ‘The Giving Tree’. He had his own quirky and laid back style of writing books for children. Some of his own favorites were ‘Uncle Shelby’s ABZ’ and ‘A Giraffe and a Half’ and ‘The Lion who Shot Back’.

9. Dr. Seuss:
complete name is Theodor Seuss Geisel. His wife encouraged him to write books for children. His most popular books include The Cat in the Hat and the book Horton Hears a Who. The second book has also been converted into an animated movie which received great reviews.

10. Chris Van Allsburg:
Van Allsburg is an American author and illustrator of books for children. His books are not the typical children books types. In fact through his books he tries to capture the negative aspects of human life. For example, in his book ‘The Wretched Stone’ he has tried to explain about the negative impact of watching television. Some of his other books based on similar ideas were ‘The Sweetest Fig’ and ‘The Mysteries of Harris Burdick’. Some of the other concepts that he uses in writing are dreams, environment and things with lives of their own as brought about in his book ‘Jumanji’. He also won a Caldecott Medal for this book. He won the same medal for yet another of his beautiful works ‘The Polar Express’. Both these books were converted into movies and both received great appreciation from their audiences.

These are some of the best authors for children’s books. Each author has his own style of writing and visualizing. These books cover a range of topics, from nature to animals to life and even dreams. The stories can be used a great deal of learning and can act as guides for your kids. As a parent you can always help your child learn a lot through reading books of such great writers rather than watching television all the time.

Adapted from http://top-10-list.org/2011/07/15/top-10-children%E2%80%99s-books-writers/

OKTO: Scent of the Night

Event: OKTO: Scent of the Night

Date: 30th July 2011 (Sat)

Time: 5pm to 7.30pm

Venue: Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage (@ Singapore Botanic Gardens)
A showcase of different cultures and performances that includes dance, songs, instrumentation and even martial arts from different parts of the world.

More info on http://www.sbg.org.sg/

Teaching Children About Art

I love the idea that there are no fix rules towards teaching children art. There is flexibility in its learning approaches. Through my eight years, I have noticed that children fall into five basic categories. This does not imply that the children express their view through one vessel. They don’t. They are simply stronger in their preferred vessel. The corresponding learning approaches can be used to play out their strength.

Those who love to draw, they tend to lean towards comics and manga etc. Their minds are filled with endless stories they are waiting to share.

Those who love to color, they tend to lean towards still-life composition better and water-colour paintings.

Those who love to paint, they tend to lean towards strong strokes and vibrant colours. Most time, they prefer not to draw rather they paint with a lot of improvisation for they pick forms and details through light and shadow.

Those who love to work with their hands, they create three-dimensional pieces from clay, wire, fabric and paper. Examples of end products would be a pot, a free from sculpture, a doll or an origami ornament.

Those who love to snap images, they tend to have a stronger eye for details and they pick up little things we (including myself) often miss.

For any child who is learning art, I strongly encourage him or her to learn to how paint first. The reasons are simple, besides being the easiest / fun medium to acquire a skill, painting improves
Hand-eye coordination: filling in shapes or direction of strokes.
Dexterity: application of weight and pressure to paint brush.
Judgement: paint and water ration at the tip of the brush.

Accepting and overcoming mistakes made on top of problem-solving are two plus points that are critical in art. Painting greatly reduces the need to erase, and this in turn, increases the child’s confidence and the I-can-do-it spirit. When a child realises his mistake, he could paint over the area after the surface of the paper is dried.

Case Study: Using Paint to Create a Composition
Philip, aged 6, loves anything and everything about the ocean. He has a wealth of ideas and has a great eye for colour. His drawing was done fairly well for he was able to capture the shape and essence of the story he wants to convey. Each time he starts to fill in his colours, the composition would end up with dots, splashes or strokes of colours. There were two reasons why his works often turned out the way it did.

The scale of his drawings were small. It did not provide enough surface area for colours.
The lines within his drawing were not connected well. This mean that when he started to fill in the colours, he was not always able to associate to the subject.

To improve his pieces, we started to have him create his art on a larger piece of paper. We taped two sheets of drawing paper together. The fun part was when we taped the shorter sides together, we created a long or tall composition. This fueled his ideas even more!

Next, we provided him with a range of colours, always keeping black as the last shade to apply. We gave him a size ‘2′ round-tip paint brush and a size ‘4′ flat-tip paint brush. He would fill or stack shapes of colours. There will also be prompts, reminding him to connect the lines drawn. This proved to be helpful as slowly but surely, he began to understand the concept of time management and the nature of paint. He would wait for the surface to dry before applying another shade or he will consecutively paint two-three colours to create some form of texture.
To ensure the skill set will be applied throughout, we alternate two-three paintings or colouring project with one drawing project. A timeframe was set for each project. This meant he was able to return to work on the project for up to three sessions.

Contributed by Teacher Ranae’s Art Workshop

Celebrating Chinese New Year In A Special Way

How to Make Chinese Lantern : Red Packet Fish Lantern

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

As the name tells it, Chinese New Year marks the beginning of a new year for the Chinese. However, do we know and appreciate the significance behind the culture and traditions?
As we prepare for the celebrations, let us take the opportunity to have fun making “red packet” chinese lanterns!

Spend time to learn how to make a chinese lantern for your kids.

There are many stories behind the beliefs that we know today.
Why are the twelve Zodiac animals arranged as they are today?

Legend says that in the past, the animals had a race. The first twelve animals who reached would have the chance to be part of the Zodiac.

When Cat heard about it, she was very excited. Cat shared the good news about the race with mouse. However, Mouse was afraid that he would not be able to be part of the first twelve animals to complete the race, so he tricked Cat into sleeping late.

The next day, Mouse woke up long before sunrise, and hurried to run the race. He was the first animal to reach, and is thus the first in the Zodiac. Animal by animal came. Even Pig managed to wake up early and reached in time to be the twelfth animal in the Zodiac.
When Cat awoke and realised that she did not have an opportunity to be part of the Zodiac, she was very angry with Mouse. And that’s why cats are always chasing mice.

And that’s how legend says the Chinese Zodiac was created.

During Chinese New Year, children wish their elders blessings, and offer them mandarin oranges (橙). This is an act of sincerity (诚心诚意).

Blessings are exchanged as the younger generation (children and unmarried adults) bless their married siblings and relatives 恭喜发财, 万事如意, 年年有余, 身体健康 and many more.
Parents, relatives and married couples exchange oranges and return the blessing with 快高长大, 读书聪明 etc.

The year 2011 is the year of the Rabbit. There are still many Chinese traditions that build up positive values in children. Apart from the visiting of relatives and friends, and spending time together, Chinese New Year also signifies a new beginning.

A family often spring cleans the house to prepare for new wealth. During the first few days of Chinese New Year, some families do not sweep the floor or dispose of their trash as they don’t want to sweep away the luck and throw away good fortune.

I believe that the most important part of welcoming the New Year is the evening before. Often, my grandparents will come home with bags of good things to cook for steamboat dinner. This is a time when the whole family makes time to have dinner together, in the midst of busy schedules.
After steamboat, we will “捞鱼生” and speak of our hopes in the New Year. The elders say that the higher we lift our chopsticks as we “捞鱼生”, the more successful we will be. We just have lots of fun eating, and laughing together.

Tradition says that to wish their parents longevity, children can stay up past midnight on the eve of Chinese New Year. In the name of fun, we do it. What traditions do your family share during Chinese New Year?

taken from http://www.todaysmotherhood.com/2011/01/how-to-make-a-chinese-lantern/

An Introduction to Infant Stimulation

So what is Infant Stimulation?

The definition is plain and simple: they are activities that arouse or stimulate your baby's sense of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Infant stimulation can help improve your baby's attention span, memory, curiosity, and nervous system development. In addition, stimulating your baby's senses will enable him to reach developmental milestones faster, as well as aid in the development of motor skills. Here are some things to keep in mind before embarking on the road to teaching your baby:

Your baby's immediate surroundings will have the greatest impact on his development.
Each and every thing your baby is exposed to is a wondrous thing to be explored fully with their eyes, ears, mouths, noses, and fingers. Simple items that you may take for granted represent a world of wonder for your curious child, as everything is something to new to investigate. Ensure that your child receives the appropriate stimulation during his first year of life, because this is the time when your baby's brain is growing the fastest that it ever will!

Interaction is better than observation.
Medical practitioners advocate parental interaction with children, as do we - the best way for your child to learn is not to leave him in the playpen; it's to hold him and play with him!
Instead of leaving your child in the crib with his toys, you can make his toys come alive for him - give it a voice and make it move. Your child will develop his capability for imagination as he takes his cues from youyou’re your experiences playing with him.

Your childs attentiveness is important.
In order for your baby to benefit from your stimulating interaction, he needs to be in themood for it your babys attentiveness is vital to successful stimulation. If your baby is sleepy perhaps from boredom, overstimulation, or just sheer exhaustion simply let your child rest and resume your activities when he is more receptive. Understand that when your baby is attentive, he makes a conscious effort to learn more about the world around him. Your baby devotes all of his energies to what you have to show him only when you have his full attention, so you must learn to maximize this limited time.

Aim for repetition, not habituation.
Again, again! Theres a reason children drive us crazy with their requests to do or hear the same thing over and over: children learn best through repetition.
With very young children, repetition is important because that's the way they learn best. Hearing something many times helps your child remember information for increasing periods of time. Young children (4 to 18 months) particularly need repetition more so than a 2 1/2-year-old, say to learn and remember new information.

Once your child has learned something, enjoy the repetitive process because he can anticipate what comes next. After many readings of a familiar book, your child may even remember it well enough to add the endings to most of the sentences. This accomplishment means that she can participate more actively in story time.

However, it is also important to stop the repetitive stimulation when your child begins to develop habituation. When your child gets habituated through repetition, your childs intellect is no longer excited by your stimulation, making your efforts to teach him useless. When you notice this happening, take this as a cue to make changes in your teaching style, perhaps by changing a toy or pausing your teaching schedule for a while.

Satisfying your babys curiosity will keep her wanting more.
Have you eaten a piece of candy and end up wanting another one? If so, then you are not unlike your baby - once he experiences something that he finds pleasure in, he will strive to learn more and more about it! You, as parents, can play a helpful part in feeding their thirst for knowledge, and you can do this by providing your baby with the opportunities to experience different stimuli to further pique his curiosity and make him want to learn more.

Till next time, happy teaching!

adapated from BrillKids Early Learning

Children’s Reading

The Importance of Reading to Young Children

Children of all ages benefit when parents read to them. Reading aloud stimulates the growth of a child’s brain and equipped them with the ability to acquire language skills. In fact, it is the fundamental way of teaching your child how to read. Exposing children to reading opportunities at an early age develop fluent readers than other children who are not read to.

A baby enjoys hearing the parent’s voice even when they do not understand the word. Books with lot of rhyming words are comforting and interesting to them.

A toddler learns how to hold the book and flip pages. They also begin to notice details in the books and relate experience similar to theirs.

A preschooler listens to books with more words. They enjoy following through the sequence of events that happen in the story and enjoys funny stories.

A kindergartner memorize the story before they begin to read. They enjoy retelling or enacting the story to others.

Reading should be a pleasurable activity to children. Reading to your child daily when he or she is in a good mood, is one of the best ways to cultivate your child’s love for reading. When more reading opportunities are provided for your child, you are on your way to cultivating a fluent reader.

Some strategies that parents can adopt:
1. When reading a book with large print, point at each word as you read it. Your child will understand that the word being spoken is the word she sees.
2. Read a favorite book over and over again.
3. Read stories with rhyming words and lines that repeat, and have your child join in.
4. Read from a variety of children’s books, including fairy tales, poems, and non-fiction.
5. Creating a quiet, special place in your home for your child to read, write, and draw.
6. Keeping books and other reading materials where your child can easily reach them. Having her own bookshelf or small bookcase will not only make her feel special, but will also communicate to her that reading is special.
7. Reading books, newspapers and magazines yourself, so that your child can see that reading is important.
8. Limiting the amount and type of television you and your child watch.
(Adapted from Brainy Child)

Choosing a good book can inspire children’s reading; widen children’s knowledge and creativity; and aid them in becoming lifelong readers and writers. Furthermore, reading together is a fantastic bonding activity for families.

Why wait, start reading to your child today and enrich their life!

Nurturing Your Child’s Creativity

Creativity is in every one of us, it needs to be nurtured and developed to their full potential so that we can become productive individuals in life.

In this new age of living, creativity is important for one to survive in the society as one needs to be able to generate new ideas and respond creatively to a wide range of circumstances.

It can strengthen the child’s ego, allow for independence, and help the child confront and cope with many things in life.

However, children nowadays are facing with great demands from adults and they grew up being told what to do by adults. Being creative is not about what children knows; it’s more about their ability to process, innovate and transform the knowledge gained into something positive, new and better.

So how can we help to nurture creativity in child?

• Valued the process more than the product. Encourage children to play with ideas and explore solutions rather than pressure them to do what you want. Value and validate your child’s ideas without trying to fit them to yours.
• Discuss ideas with a spirit of fun and laughter to make the experience pleasant for your child.
• Respect and listen your child’s voice. This helps to build your child’s confidence of taking risks and being original.
• Encourage creative thought and artistic expression. Establish a free, open atmosphere where self expression is encouraged and valued. And provide a variety of materials and keep activities open-ended, it encourages them to explore and express themselves without rules.
• Support physical creativity with role playing and movement. Be the role model for your child, join in the fun and have imaginary play or music and movement activities with them.
• Ask your child open ended questions or give comments that will stimulate them to think and nurture the creative atmosphere. Examples, “It’s fun to try it different ways”, “Tell me more about it”, “Let’s try it anyway”, “Have you thought of any ways?”, “I see you are having lots of fun”, “What do you think is going to happen?” etc.
• Always create a positive environment. Sometimes you may be surprised by your child’s ideas and think that it is not possible or he/she is wrong but do not put their ideas down. Tell them “Wow what an unique idea, I did not think of it before. Let’s try it out or let’s think if there are other ways to do it.”

Ideas to boost your child’s creative juices

• Invite your child to invent his/her games and play with them.
• Bring your child outdoors and have cloud watching together. Ask your child what he sees. Example “The long and curvy one looks like a snake”. Create a simple story with the ‘things’ he sees.
• Provide a tape or audio recorder and have him create his own commercials, songs, or stories. Playback and listen together.
• Give a blank journal that your child can write in everyday and design the cover page of the journal.
• Dig your closet and play dress up with your child. Encourage a world of make-believe and pretend.
• Tell a story and stop before the ending. Encourage your child to change the ending to his own.
• Kitchen stomp! Bring out your pots and pans for your child to create music and different ways of playing.
• Have your child put his hands and ideas to create a kite together with you and watch the creativity soar up high in the sky.

U Family Baby Loves Disco!

Date: 19 Dec 2010, Sunday

Time: 02:00 PM - 05:00 PM

Venue: Zouk, Velvet Underground, 17 Jiak Kim Street, Singapore 169420

Parents, remember those good old days when you could go out, dance the night away, and have a good time? If you thought those days were long gone, think again! There's a new reason to go to the club, and now even your kids can get in on the act!

Come and join U Family’s FIRST Hippest child proof disco party! Make no mistake, this is NOT the Mickey Mouse club, and Barney is Banned! This event is a Christmas Party theme afternoon dance featuring music spun and mixed by DJs blending classic disco tunes on Mambo, R&B and Top 40s, guaranteed to get those little booties moving and grooving!
What’s more, U Family Baby Loves Disco is a community event that brings kids and parents together with other families, offering you the best time you will ever experience at a kids’ event!

The fun spills from all corners:
Bubble machines
Baskets of instruments
A chill-out place (with tents, books and puzzles)
A full spread of healthy snacks and drinks (no pork/ lard) with LOTS of dancing
Entertainers will be around to keep your toddlers very busy
Areas for stroller parking, bag drop off and diaper changing will be provided

Event Theme: Christmas Party
Fees:
Adult (NTUC Members): $27 per pax
Adult (Public): $30 per pax
Child (NTUC Members): $9 per pax
Child (Public): $10 per pax
* Children aged above 7 years old will be charged Adult Fee* Admission is free for non-walkers (children aged below 1 year old)
*NTUC member must register under your own name to enjoy NTUC member rates. (Please refer to below NTUC Member Card Faces).

Top 5 Places for Outdoor Learning in Singapore

Children are keen learners and naturally curious about everything around them. Our natural environment has so much for children to explore but in this era of high technology entertainment, opportunities for outdoor activities are greatly reduced. Here are 5 outdoor play areas for kids to allow them to interact with and appreciate our natural environment.

#1 Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden
Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden, situated at the Bukit Timah Core of the Singapore Botanic Garden, is designed specially for children. Interesting features include Tree House with slides and ladders; Floating Platform; Trunk of a 100-year-old Pometia Pinnata; Sensory Garden; Waterplay Area and a Changeable Maze.

Take your time to observe the butterflies, birds and millipedes which are part of the natural environment. Monthly scheduled nature guided walks and workshops are available for children above 5 years old. For more information, please go to the website provided.

Address: Cluny Road Singapore 259569
Opening Hours: 8.00am – 7.00pm (last admission at 6.30pm)
Closed on Mondays (except on PH)
Admission: Free. The Children Garden is open to children up to 12 years old and have to be accompanied by an adult
Tel: +65 64719961
Website : http://www.sbg.org.sg/

#2 Hort Park
A one-stop gardening hub catering to the needs of gardening enthusiasts, amateur gardeners and even people who simply want to enjoy the flora and fauna. Children love the Recycling Garden where they spot household equipment that is now used to house the plants.
Learn more about common herbs and spices using your five senses at the Herb and Spice Garden. End your trip at the HortMart by buying gardening-related products home.

Address: 33 Hyderabad Road, Off Alexandra Road
Opening Hours:6am – 10pm daily
Admission: Free
Tel: +65 64715601
Website : http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

#3 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
A 500m long boardwalk provides visitors with an insight of the mangroves and the array of creatures that live within. Three other routes, ranging from 3km – 7km, provide opportunities to observe aquatic pond plants, traditional prawn pond, freshwater ponds and also migratory shorebirds/waders which are usually spotted between September to March.

Free guided tours are also available on Saturday at two timeslots, 9.30am and 3.30pm, on a first come first serve basis.

Refresh yourself after a walk in the reserve at the café near the entrance.

Address: 301 Neo Tiew Crescent Singapore 718925
Opening Hours:7.30am – 7.00pm (Monday to Saturday)7.00am – 7.00pm (Sunday & PH)
Admission: Free entry except on Saturdays, Sundays, PH and School Holidays$1.00 per adult, $0.50 per child/student/senior citizen
Tel: +65 67941401
Website : http://www.sbwr.org.sg/

#4 Chek Jawa @ Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin, a small island at the north east of Singapore, houses a popular tourist attraction, Chek Jawa. With a wide variety of wildlife marine creatures, you will continually be awed.
Children love spotting the fiddle crabs and mudskippers that are common in the mangrove. It is recommended to check timing for low tide to avoid disappointment. Guided tours are available at $60 (maximum 15 people per group). Bumboat ride from Changi Village jetty to Pulau Ubin costs $2.50 per passenger.

Opening Hours: 8.30am – 6.00pm daily
Admission: Free
Website : http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

#5 Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
The nature reserve, with walking trails of varying difficulties, contains more than 840 flowering plants and over 500 species of animals. The reserve’s playground, surrounded by these flora and fauna, is a lovely place for children. Free guided walks are available every 1st Sunday of the month at 4pm.

Opening Hours: 6.00am – 7.00pm daily
Admission: Free
Website : http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

Note: Due to the relative natural environment, do apply insect repellent beforehand to prevent mosquito bites.

Alternatively, walks in the neighborhood can be made more interesting by making occasional stops to look at the plants, flowers, even the insects and talking about them. Equip yourself with magnifying glasses to take a closer look at these lovely living things. Just simply allocate 5 minutes daily and you will be amazed by how much you can discover with your child at these outdoor play areas for kids.

Cheap & Exciting Activities to do with your Kids during the Holidays!

Holidays are COMING!....

Clueless what to do with your kids?

Don't have NEW ideas to engage your kids?

Want to try something NEW & EXCITING, but on a shoe-string budget?

What are some fun but also educational activities for your kids? The good news is that kids are fairly easy to entertain so there’s no need to go out and spend a fortune or turn your house into an amusement park.

Here are a few fun & easy ideas!

Go for a nature walk – Educational yet lots of fun. Your kids will love exploring and collecting different treasures to bring home. Point out big leaves to him or different colored plants or flowers. Collect opposites such as a small leaf and a big leaf or a small stick and a big stick.

Take your time and have fun. Don’t worry if you don’t live near a nature reserve or park. A simple walk around your neighborhood will be sufficient. Your kid won’t mind and there will still be lots for him to see.

Have Fun With Water – Fill a small tub with water and give your kids several containers of different sizes. Let her pour water from one container to the other and you can even add some bubbles for extra fun. This is a fun activity that also helps build hand eye coordination. You can also place different objects in a tub and show your kid how some of them float and others sink.

Start a Photo Album – Make a photo album and fill it with pictures of your kids, your family and extended family as well. This is especially good if your kids has relatives that live far away. Talk about who each person is and where they come from or where they live.

Paper Tearing or Cutting – Find a couple of old magazines or catalogues and let your kids tear pages out, try to get her to tear small shapes or just let her have fun. If your kid is a little older you can teach her how to use child-sized scissors to cut out shapes.

Toddlers are constantly learning. This is the perfect age for you to have fun with your child while helping them learn. And don’t think you have to do something too elaborate. Toddlers are easily pleased and will find wonder and amazement in even the smallest of things. Enjoy these years.

Bake Cookies – The bad news first, things will get messy. The good news, cooking is both fun and educational and even children as young as 2 can get involved. Depending on your kid’s age let her help and don’t worry too much about how the final product will look or even taste, concentrate on the actual putting it together part.

http://on.fb.me/royal-cookie-party

As you’re mixing the ingredients tell your kids what you’re doing. Name out each ingredient and measurement out loud and once you finish enjoy your delicious homemade treats.

Baking with kids can be one of the most joyful quality time with your lovely kids. You will enjoy great conversation, wonderful learning, and some precious memories too. Even though you're not a master baker yourself, I'm sure your cookies will turn out pretty good ~ come on, it's baked with love!

http://on.fb.me/royal-cookie-party

So this holiday season, why not bake with your kids and do something together that can make your holiday extra merrier? Hari Raya Haji, School Holidays, Christmas, New Year - so many opportunities to make this festivals extra SPECIAL!

p/s The Royal Baking Queen is looking for Royal Families to teach her Royal Baking Secrets. Find out how you can be part of the Royal Kingdom. Royal Seats are LIMITED, so you better HURRY!! ~ http://on.fb.me/royal-cookie-party

A paradise of lights

WALK through an enchanted garden filled with colourful giant-sized plants and flowers, or reach out and grab one of the glowing jellyfish floating in the night sky.

More than 20 light art installations will illuminate the city skyline at 'i Light Marina Bay'- Asia's first sustainable light art festival.

Made from recycled materials like plastic cups and paper umbrellas, the light works were designed by local and international artists from countries like France, Australia and Switzerland.Some of the sculptures are even powered with bio-fuels from used cooking oil.

The event was launched by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Friday, Oct 15.

Organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and Smart Light Singapore, the aim is to raise awareness of energy-saving lighting technology.

The 'i Light Marina Bay' festival runs from now till Nov 7. Opening hours are from 7.30pm to midnight, admission is free.

By Amanda Wong (ST)

http://razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/55534.html

A Recipe for Success

If you thought teaching your child meant simply giving lessons - think again!
In fact, there are several special ingredients that you will need even more than teaching materials, programs or a lesson plan.

Method
Mix all the ingredients together. The great thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t matter what order you add the ingredients. You can even be a bit loose with the quantities – just so long as you make sure everything’s included!

Before you know it, you and your children will be having the time of your lives playing the wonderful game of learning.

Awareness of Toes

This activity develops

• more awareness of the toes and other body parts
• listening
• enhancing of the sense of touch

Touch the baby's bare right foot. Use good voice inflection to maintain the baby's attention. Even though you will be using the right foot, the progression will be from left to right. Begin with the big toe and move to the little toe and say the following rhyme.

This little piggy went to the market. (Touch the big toe)

This little piggy stayed at home. (Touch the second toe)

This little piggy had roast beef. (Touch the third toe)

And this little piggy had none. (Touch the fourth toe)

This little piggy cried, "Wee, wee, wee," all the way home. (Touch the little toe)

Say the rhyme several times and repeat it many times in the future. The baby will soon begin to play with her hands, feet, fingers and toes. The tactile sensation of touching each of the body parts will assist the baby in associating the body movement with the body parts. The baby will delight in watching the different body parts move, and will soon realize that she can initiate and control the movement of her body parts.

Awareness of Fingers

This activity develops

• listening skills
• observational skills
• an awareness of associating finger movement with the words of the finger play song
• a further awareness of fingers
• more awareness of left and right

Hold the baby's left hand and touch her thumb. Say, "This is Thumbkin". Touch the forefinger and say, "This is Pointer." Touch the middle finger and say, "This is Middleman." Touch the ring finger and say, "This is Ringman." Touch the little finger and say, "This Pinky."

Use both hands to carry on the conversation with the left and right fingers as you sing the song below. Start the finger play song with the left and right hands in the fist position. Each finger should appear and disappear to correspond to the words. (L) represents the left hand fingers. (R) represents the right hand fingers. The words are:

Where is Thumbkin? Where is Thumbkin?

(L) Here I am. (R) Here I am.

(L) How are you today, sir?

(R) Very well I thank you.

(L) Run away.

(R) Run away.

Repeat the song for each finger and substitute the correct finger for the word... "Pointer", "Middleman", "Ringman" & "Pinky". Repeat this several times. Then place your hands behind you and sing the words as you move the correct fingers forward to correspond to the song. This activity will serve to interest the baby and at the same time enrich her learning.

More Awareness of Hands

This activity develops

• more awareness of hands
• listening skills
• an awareness of rhythm and rhyme
• observational skills

Hold the baby in your lap and encourage him to watch as you place your hands together. Move your hands apart and then together again. Repeat this several times so that baby is aware of what you are doing. Continue to do this as you say...

"Pat-a-cak, pat-a-cake, baker's man.

Bake me a cake as fast as you can.

Roll it and put it and mark it with B,

and out it in the oven for Baby and me."

Repeat this several times and observe the baby. Does he appear to be interested? Does he attempt to clap his hands to play Pat-a-cake? If not, encourage the baby to copy the pat-a-cake hand movement. If you substitute the initial letter of the baby's name and use the baby's name in the rhyme, he may listen more attentively.

You may need to gently hold the baby's wrists and assist him. With practice the baby will play Pat-a-cake spontaneously.

Remember that babies enjoy and need much repetition.