Archive for the ‘Kids: Outdoor Fun & Event’ Category

Singapore may be small.  However, I love the easy access to the beaches and also the large number of parks.

Nature never fails to give me the serenity that I need and keep my young ones “well and healthily” occupied too.

[instead of following mommy uninterestingly in a shopping complex.]

There are a number of beaches cum parks here eg. East Coast Park, Pasir Ris Park and Labrador Park. 

Labrador Park, besides its beach, diversity of flora and fauna, is an educational site too - rich with historcial relics (click to read our previous post on Labrador Nature Reserve).

In the photos above, the boys were standing before a symbolic replica of the Dragon’s Teeth Gate (Long Ya Men).

The Dragon’s Teeth Gate used to be located at the gateway to Keppel Harbour in Singapore, to provide navigational aids. It was useful as navigational aids to Ming Dynasty’s Admiral Zheng He during his maritime voyages to the west.  Read more about its history HERE.  

More photos of historical relics here.

Children being children. What interests them most are still …..

The BEACH…..

where people are fishing, enjoying that cool breeze and where Brendan gazed at the sea “wordless” (obviously in deep thoughts).

The PARK……

where they can stroll, jog, run, cycle and basically “HAVE FUN”.

A park will not be complete without its flora and fauna.

I am a plant lover and colourful blooms are always an attraction.

 [Photo courtesy by Papa Ed as I got too distracted by the pair of lover butterflies to capture any shots....haha.]

Bring your kids to the park and open their world to the habitat of the flora and fauna.

If we are paying enough attention, we might have a close encounter with the insects and fauna.

Darren, sometimes enjoys spotting them. Other times, he will flee off after his brother with their chasing games *Smile*.

And….

My boys always finds extra fun, playing with the puppies of other park lovers.

THE PLAYGROUND….

Kids love playground. Seriously, adults play at the playground here too….. One of them is ME…haha.

This is the place where I mentioned in a recent post about the MAZE and hide-and-seek where I had fun with my boys.

So, do expose your kids to more Greenery and Healthy Lifestyle while they still care to tag along with the parents.

There is a whole Green Environment out there!

It is certainly more comfortable to stay in air-conditioned complex with the kids.

But

the sweats and the walk at the Green Outdoor is definitely more WORTH IT!

Once in a while, we immerse ourselves in our kids’ world.

We play PS3, arcade and ball games together. We play hide-and-seek and chasing. We engage in water splashing challenge in the pool. We allow the kids to win us in board games. He crawls/climbs with the kids at the playground.  I let my hair down and sing/dance with the kids. He challenges the kids to games of arm wrestling. Many more…

These are our childish moments together *hee*.

[I find these moments easier to treasure and remember instead of those shopping and movie watching moments together.]

It is FUN!

It enables us to relive our childhood life and  experience the joy that we have never had before.

It allows our Papa Ed, who usually plays the firm father role, to show his fun-loving side to the kids.

It makes us feel YOUNGER although not as energetic as before.

It allows our kids to feel a sense of pride because these are some moments that they can outshine their parents *haha*.

Most importantly, these are one of those QUALITY TIME that we engage ourselves with our kids. All enjoy it!

And…I would very much like our kids to carry these memories with them even as they grow - the PARENT TIMES that we have much FUN, LAUGHTER and ENJOYMENT together as a family.

Yay!

See what I mean when I say that it is FUN….we  find true meanings in this fun way of bonding *smile*.

The kids hiding from mommy

Mommy giving chase

Darren claiming victory because mommy was slower to find her way out of the maze

I love the bright smiles on the kids’ faces

Never too old to be sporty..hee.. not that we are that old now.

Not as agile as before but never a constrain to be part of our kids’ play

Imagine living in a house that is filled with better air quality and beautified by the GREEN…it feels healthy and soothing *grin*.

All this while, we have been keeping a number of plants at home.  Some have grown quite big and tall and they have taken up space.

A visit to Hort Park, Singapore, gives us ideas on ways to maintain a varieties of indoor plants at home and YET saving space and keeping the space neat and attractive.

Take a look at some of these miniature plants and other plants landscaped as wall features -  displayed at the Hort Park.

If you are thinking of keeping plants but constrained by space, these ideas might suit your needs. And yes, they serve as good gifts too if the receipient is a plant lover:)

A frame of different plant types mounted on the wall …..

A centre piece of wall mounted plants…

A wall-mounted tank of fish and water plants…

This is a frame filled with a special design of red, green and yellow beans….

A dining table landscaped with plants…

Different plants within a vase…

I used to attempt different plant arrangements in a pot or tray, especially with cactus. So this miniature display is not new to us…

These plants add life and colours to the otherwise boring mirror cum cane partition….

These leaves have been stained, laminated and made into bookmarks….

An otherwise dull coasters, now with leaves…

If you have children at home, teach them to start by keeping small plants and get them to be responsible in taking care of them.

Let them be creative and they can possibly design interesting plant arrangement.

While keeping pots of plants, do not forget to clear stagnant water to prevent mosquito breeding.

It was breathtaking!

It was loud and bursting with colourful flames and sparks!

Series of fireworks were set off just right before our eyes, at a real close distance!

This year, like any other years, we were there to view the fireworks display for Singapore National Day rehearsals.

Hmm…for a change, our new chosen destination at Marina Bay Sands offers a better view than before *thumbs up*.

[First, we didn't have to squeeze like we used to when we previously watched the fireworks display from the other side of the river, the space is wider, the night view even before the fireworks display is beautiful, washroom is accessible just within the building and the only disadvantage is the costly carpark charges.]

As a double bonus, we were welcomed by pleasant surprise that the National Day Parade contingents “migrated” from the official NDP venue at Padang to Marina Bay Sands during the ceremony.

This certainly heightened the Pre-National Day celebration atmosphere at the Marina Bay Sands - synchronsing the singing of National Day Anthem and reading of National Pledge with the official ceremony at the Padang *another thumbs up*.

I read that fireworks were invented in ancient China to ward off the evil spirits. Now, in Singapore, we view it as a form of celebration and where people get together, exclaim together, laugh together, to enjoy the beautiful sight and moment- not forgetting to capture the candid sight of the moment into videos or photos.

[I like it how our family is uniformly reacting now when the fireworks start. Papa will shoot video and Mommy will shoot with one camera while Brendan with another. Little Darren, who has always loves to play with camera, will never lose out by also capturing some pretty shots with my handphone.]

 Yah, I talked about how it has become a “date” for our small family to enjoy the spectacular display together annually.

Fortunately for us, the boys are not fearful of the close-distance colourful and gigantic fireworks display.

I certainly hope this “family date” will continue for many years to come. At least,  for the last few years, it has been a common event that the family looks forward to “together”.

Anyway, good things are for sharing. We hope you enjoy this breathtaking fireworks display as much as we do *smile*.

[The video was taken by Papa Ed. See what I mean when I say it is just "right before our eyes" and the last part of continuous fireworks is what we like best!]

The boys were so EXCITED and we would have visited it earlier if not for the ‘”often sold out admission tickets”.

Recently in June, we bought the FUN PASS to enjoy unlimited admission to Universal Studios Singapore 312 days annually, anytime as long as it is not black-out dates. In addition, we enjoy 5% discount off selected F&B and retail stores in Universal Studios Singapore and Resort World!  

Now, no more worries about us missing any activity within the Theme Park due to long queues because we can always re-visit again:)

[Surprisingly, our little one, Darren, is not afraid of the scary and huge characters.  Mostly, we had to queue to take photos with these "STARS" but for some, Darren somehow managed to attract them to snatch him away..haha.]

 In Ancient Egypt 

In Battle Star Galatica

 In The Land of Far Far Away

One of our personal favourite.

With Gungfu Panda

In Madagascar

With Beetle Juice

Will be sharing more in future post.

To find out more, you may also wish to check out the Universal Studios Singapore Website.

Meanwhile, wishing you a wonderful weekend:)

We love the greenery and beautiful flowers at the HortPark - the knowledge hub for plants and gardening in Singapore.

The large pond near the entrance of the park, with its abundance of fishes, is certainly welcoming:)

Needless to say, the Park is surrounded by greenery.

The varieties of brightly coloured flowers and plants attracted me.

I love to keep plants at home.  If these plants and flowers were kept at our home, they would definitely bring much colours and fresh air into our lives.

Ooeee….Orchids at HortPark. I used to keep different varieties of them at home. Each time they bloom, I am excited.

Aren’t they elegant and beautiful?

These small plants do not take up much space and make good display.

Well, this is not the end.

We will share more about what we learnt at HortPark in future post.

OUR PASSION FOR ANIMATED MOVIES,

Papa Ed has always loved good movies.  So we spent a part of our time before marriage and now with our kids on movies.  A personal favourite for our kids are animated movies and these very much include many of the PIXAR movies which Brendan fondly recalls.

So, to name a list : PIXAR movies like Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc, Cars, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Wall-E and UP - bring back fond memories. 

It is EASY to enjoy the impressive animations appearing on the BIG SCREEN and also the fantastic sound effect in the cinema.  However, what exactly happened behind the scene to make such award winning movies possible?  That was what we wished to find out and wanted our kids to know as well. So, when the PIXAR animation exhibition is on - HERE IN SINGAPORE@ Singapore Science Centre,  we wouldn’t give it a miss!

……..

AT THE EXHIBITION (20 Years of Animation),

We got to learn about what happened behind the scene and the transformation in art and technology that enable these captivating movies. Surely not to be missed are the exclusive sketches, sculptures and paintings.

What makes the exhibition complete are the the high-tech and interactive experiences. This is the part that Darren enjoyed even though he might not have appreciated the sketches of the early movie characters.

[We did not manage to take photographs of these exhibits as "NO photography is allowed".]

Then, we caught the 3D movie “Toy Story 2″ in the comfort of the Singapore Science Centre - a good opportunity to refresh our memories before we watch the much awaited “Toy Story 3″ very soon.

Kids being kids - the next thing that got Darren most excited was the toys on sale. He managed to get a Toy Story 3 edition of Buzz Lightyear. The early “Woody” that we have got for him years ago is no longer lonely now with company from Buzz Lightyear *smile*.

……..

AFTER THE EXHIBITION,

It gave us a higher level of appreciation for the extreme efforts and details that went into the production of each of these animated movies.  The next time, we watch a PIXAR movie (yup, yup “Toy Story 3″ is the earliest), we will be sure not only to enjoy the movie but also appreciating the efforts behind it.

Hmm…a movie emcompassing the beauty of art and technology.

With the tribute to the studio and production crew, that is why “PIRACY” should be stamped out. 

If you are keen to view the exhibition, it will be on at Singapore Science Centre till 27 June 2010 (Closed on Mondays except school and public holidays). Ticket costs apply. Check out details here.

Also, here is a movie trailer of Toy Story 3. Enjoy!

We read about the Bottle Tree Park and paid a visit to the Park two weeks ago. 

The  name is not deceiving because true enough, there are “bottle shape” trees in the park!

 If you are residing in Singapore, have you visited the Bottle Tree Park before?

Then, how many Bottle Trees have you spotted?

Despite its remote location, the park turns out to be an ideal place to hang out for our family, especially with the kids.

First, there are the fishing activities for both adults and kids. Children can have great fun dipping their legs into water and have a good time with their nets, not forgetting their rewarding catch (those colourful small fish)!  Adults are also occupied with their rods, catching fish and prawns. The end result is often fulfilling, with patience *smile*.

Hmm..we can see how popular the fishing activity is by looking at the crowd.

Have enough fishing? It is time to explore the “dinos”….the dino bones and footprints….

With the serenity and big compound around the lake, the park is also ideal for cycling  and jogging in the morning and evening.

The young ones can also enjoy themselves at the little playground.  Unfortunately, the boys did not have a chance to play at the playground due to the scotching noon sun that day.

And also there is the boat ride….

The best thing is that there are restaurants within the park to fill the empty stomachs after all the fun…especially if you crave for seafood and Japanese food, just like me *smile*.

The cheerful smile on Darren’s face is evident that our young one has enjoyed the place *Grin*

The trip was worth it and I know we will be back to really do some fishing, jogging and also eating of course!

If you are interested to visit the Bottle Tree Park, it is located at 81 Lorong Chencharu, #01-01 Bottle Tree Park, Singapore.

Have fun with your family and remember to bring extra clothes just in case the kids get wet while fishing.

Find out more at http://www.bottletree.com.sg/

Wow! I can’t believe that we were cheering on for the little chick, while it struggled with anxiety and determination despite that little strength to break through that egg shell and come into this world- all without any help.

That moment of awaiting was filled with feelings of excitement, joy and warmth for us.  I have hardly seen my two boys so patiently rooted to a spot before and that was one MOMENT that was worth waiting for. Hmm….it was indeed a happy sight *smile*.

Here is a photo of the boys, and others, with their full attention on the chick before it took a first peep at this world.  Aren’t they totally focused and attracted?

So, I shared a little story with the boys on how they were delivered - being tiny and unfamiliar with their new environment, and how they were fortunate to have the help of mommy to lend a helping “PUSH” in bringing them into this world and parents to take good care of them. 

Indeed, that moment of a new life is always so joyous, beyond what a few words can describe.

By the way, if you are keen to share some educational insights with your children on how eggs hatch and the origin of a chicken, you can check out the Singapore Science Centre. If you are lucky, you could chance upon the egg hatching process within the incubator and view how the new life transforms after one day. I am sure it will be a rare sight for our children in this modern Singapore.

Anyway, here are some photos to share…

So many children waiting for the SPECIAL MOMENT.  It is rare opportunity for the children to view the hatching process and it is certainly rare to see the children waiting so patiently and quietly.

This looked like a small little crack on the egg shell. However, it was no easy efforts for the little chick to struggle to this stage.

Push! push! A little claw was in sight….

Now, both claws!

Look at this little head!  The little one was shivering as it took a first peep at this world….

It was Day 21 when our little chick hatched in the incubator. Beautiful isn’t it?

That special moment when the chick stood upright. The struggle was all worth it Well done!

Finally, these are the chicks after ONE DAY - plumb and full of fine feathers. They are so lovely…oooeeee.

One weekend, at Singapore River, our boys had an encounter with the pigeons.

A breezy morning at the river bank, with the sun rays falling softly on our faces *SMILE*.

It was nice strolling along the river bank, finally on a Sunday when the bank was not filled with the usual office crowd.

As an added delight, we never imagine that our boys would have so much fun imitating, chasing and hopping around the pigeons.

Having JOY and FUN are so SIMPLE for the young ones, isn’t it?

Doggie food seems to be so common as that of human’s food nowadays. 

We were on our usual “pet-lovers” trip (this time we were at Pet Safari at Vivo City, Singapore) when we came across these yummy and what would seem to be colourful and delightful tarts, donuts, pizzas, buns, meat balls, pies, eclairs and muffins for doggies. 

Hmmm….my pet dog will be happiest if I own one *thumbs up*.   Especially when the food is so healthy as it contains no salt, no sugar, no preservatives and no chemicals. 

According to the shop assistant, these food can be sold as food for humans too if we want to try them.  Except for their mini-sizes, I actually thought that the food is meant for us at first. 

If you are a pet owner, would you be competing for these delicious looking food with your doggie? *SMILE*  

As for me, I won’t have a chance now because  till now, we are not confident that the boys are responsible enough to take good care of their doggie companion if we were to get them a dog now. Then there will be this “your dog” and “my dog” argument if we were to get only one now. So till then…..

Back to the food… Doggies who have doting owners will be delighted to enjoy these gourmet treats too, ranging from Festive packages, Tingkat dinners, birthday treats, cakes and bakes, and parties!  Perhaps, we are really from dinosaur age but these ideas are interesting to us especially the TINGKAT/CATERING FOR DOG DINNERS.  These are besides the usual dog groomings….

If you are a dog owner, would you or have you already arranged for these treats for your doggies before?