Goodbye Kindy Days!

One week into the school holidays and I'm finally having some time to catch my breath.

Over the weekend, I took some time to upload some photos that had been sitting in my camera and came across some photos from the last day of school made me smile. The last day of school is traditionally a huge water play day for the whole school. Staff and helpers arrive early to fill over 10 pools, with one strategically placed under the playground slide, turning it into a water slide! It is one of the highlights of the kindy calendar. 

This year's edition was particularly poignant for us since it was Noey's last. The weather threatened and we woke to grey skies. I thought there was a chance that the whole event might have to be cancelled. But God heard our fervent prayers and the weather held out -- it was cloudy but fine. Perfect weather in fact outdoor water play. He truly provides.

Did the kids have a blast? You can bet they did! The teachers gamely got in the act too -- and got wet! 

There was a festive atmosphere about that morning as plenty of parents took time to hang out and help out. For most of us K2 parents, it was also a chance to catch some last photos and say our goodbyes. I braced myself, but I didn't feel as sad as I thought I would. Mostly because I knew I was still going to be coming to the school for another 3 more years for Mei, and I would still see a number of the mums whom I was fond of in the coming year. It was a morning to celebrate the end of school, and I think we all made the most of it.

It was only right at the end, when the kids had been dried, clothes changed and ice-creams eaten that it sank in for Noey. We were hanging around, ready to leave but not quite leaving yet when, in the midst of playing, he told his friend "I will miss you." His friend's mother couldn't help it -- she started tearing at the point. As for me, my heart ached for my little man, for friendships made, treasured, but which might have run their course. I am not the best at staying in touch with friends. Despite at times appearing gregarious, I can also be quite a recluse. I find it hard to ask people out, even people I know well. I just have a bad habit of over thinking everything -- whether it's the right day, whether the other person would enjoy the activity, whether it's too far away, too expensive, too cold, what the wet weather alternative should be, where we can eat… and then I become paralysed and I don't arrange anything. But for my kids, I know have tried, and must continue to try harder. 

The last day of school encapsulated what school has been for Noey these past four years. It has been a place for him to learn, grow and play (and enjoy little treats!). It has been a second family, a home away from home. Like all families, we don't always agree with everyone or all the decisions made, but I know that those in charge have the kids' interests at heart, and that their service is rendered unto God first then unto men. That is good enough for me.

And so, the first and last year EVER of my two kids being in the same school at the same time comes to a close. As Noey moves on, I can only place him in the Lord's hands and pray -- that he would find friends that he can love and trust and who have his back, be given teachers who care not only for his learning ability but his character and growth, just as he had here in kindy. Good bye kindy, you have been good to us and we will miss you.

Getting In The Act with Act 3!

Let the wild rumpus start!

Raaaar!

And so it did, on a Saturday morning a couple of weeks back when both Noey and I got to attend a drama workshop at Act 3 Drama Academy. Yes, you read that right. I rocked up with Noey on a Saturday morning expecting to be watching him have fun but instead found myself taken to a separate room with the other parents and given a short 30-minute session to allow us to experience first hand a taster of what a drama worship at Act 3 Drama Academy entails.

Frankly, I wasn't prepared do be participating in a drama workshop of my own -- it's been more than 20 years since I participated in an Act 3 workshop of my own! -- but I quickly warmed up to the idea as our instructor for the morning quickly put us at ease. We were put through a series of activities which the children would themselves be experiencing in their own group.

First, some Warm-Up Exercises to get us thinking, moving and using our voices.

Then we were encouraged to move around to develop our Spatial Awareness, not just of ourselves but also in relation to the use of space in the room. This saw us moving around creatively, alternately being led by different parts of our bodies like our noses, or our left leg!

Next, we were introduced to the concept of Tableau, where one uses one's body to create a still picture to represent a scene. First by ourselves, then in groups, we moved to music and froze in positions to represent a story. It was fun and funny too! 

Lastly we were given a taste of Improv, and yours truly was roped in to play an annoyed mother. Not something I'm unfamiliar with, thankfully! Together with Edmund (Edunloaded) as the Dad and Mark (Parenting with Purpose) as the rebellious teenage son, the scene involved us parents lecturing our son and we were free to come up with whatever we pleased. This was the trickiest segment since what do in your role is heavily dependent on your co-actors -- what they say and what they do.

I certainly learnt a lot from that short session!

Our improv scene.
(Thanks @olimomok for the pic!)

After we rounded up our session, we went to join the children in theirs. From the moment I walked in, I could tell that Noey had had a great time. They had been exploring the same elements of drama as we had, re-enacting Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are. We watched the children in some scenes and joined in for some others, and I could see that Noey was really in his element, eagerly volunteering for roles, contributing his ideas, and roaring his heart out. I loved watching how uninhibited he was and how much he got into it. 

I also loved how engaging and animated the instructors were, and how there were no right or wrong answers, or right or wrong ways to doing things. We were all free to express ourselves and boy, did we have a lot of fun doing that!

Max sending the wild things away.

Noey here is Max, waving goodbye to the wild things as he sails for home.

Let the wild rumpus start!

The instructor later told me that she found Noey really creative and that she really enjoyed having him in the class. I think I'd overlooked how much of a creative spirit my little man is till it came rushing out at me that morning. Perhaps that ability of his to turn on the tears at will would come in useful for something after all! I think drama is something we would be exploring more of in time to come.

If you're interested to in exploring drama with your kids too, Act 3 Drama Academy has a series of exciting Holiday Workshops this November and December for children from ages 2 years (with accompanying parent) right up to 15 years. These workshops are based on water-inspired classics such as The Snail and The Whale by Julia Donaldson (for 3 to 4 year olds), How The Whale Got His Throat by Rudyard Kipling (for 5 to 7 year olds). Promising to be highly interactive, these workshops seeks to encourage children to think creatively, verbalise their thoughts as well as discover and develop their sensory skills, as well as broaden their imagination. Do check out the following links for more details:

• Whale Of A Time! (for 2 to 7 year olds)
• Love Ooka (for 8 to 10 year olds)
• Moby Dick (for 11 to 15 year olds) 

Thanks for a wonderful morning of discovery, Act 3!

 

Act 3 Drama Academy
126 Cairnhill Road
ONE-TWO-SIX Cairnhill Arts Centre
Tel: +65 6735 9986
Web: www.act3international.com.sg 

The K2 Graduation and Year-End Concert Milestone

These past few weeks has been tough for my mummy heart. 

First there was this: 

Yes, folks, I've got a (kindy) graduate on my hands.

For the first time his school decided to have a separate graduation ceremony for the K2s, so instead of receiving their certificates at the annual school concert, the little graduands got to have their own ceremony. I really appreciated the effort made by the school to do this. It meant two events (this graduation and the school concert), an additional set of rehearsals and two weekends spent in school for the teachers, but it meant that there was more time to celebrate these children at this milestone in their lives.

The programme for the night was a surprise for the parents, something Noey was very gleeful about. But my son can't keep a secret for long, and by and by, I came to realise that the children had been working on art work and a little sharing about what they wanted to be when they grew up. So what was his ambition? I'll tell you in a moment!

Saturday evening rolled by and it was a huge crowd that had gathered to watch sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, grandsons and granddaughters graduate for the first time. I was bubbling with excitement for my little man. I was not going to cry, I told myself. I didn't, but when I watched the pre-ceremony slide show with pictures of the children as wee little 3 years olds in Pre-Nursery, I did start to feel a little emotional. Where have all the chubby little faces gone??

Thankfully when the ceremony started, I felt nothing but pride and gladness over how far my little man had come. The same emotional little boy who took four weeks to stop crying and who still makes the most interesting observations came home with the "Most Reflective" award. The teachers gave each and every child an award for the character trait they had most exemplified. I thought a lot of them were spot on, including Noey's. 

After they received their certificates, the children stood on stage and proudly declared their ambitions for the future. Lots of them brought smiles to the faces of those watching. There was a little boy who wanted to be the President of Singapore, and another wanted to be "a boss like my father because I want to tell people what to do". A little girl wanted to be a teacher and come back to their kindy "so that I can teach children like me!". There was one little girl who wanted to be a Mummy because she loves children. I liked that. Her mummy is a SAHM and I think it's a testament to her time spent with her kids that her daughter wants to be a mummy too.

As for Noey, this is what he told everyone: "When I grow up, I want to be a doctor because I want to find a cure for the Ebola virus!" There was quite a roar of approval and amusement after he said that! Well, I hope that the cure for the Ebola virus is found way before then, but I love my little man's big dream and how it's really so him -- to pick up on a current issue, to be worried about a natural calamity and to want to do research! "I want to be a doctor-scientist," he has told me, and was delighted to find out that there was indeed such a thing. I'm sure his grandparents would be totally chuffed if he did decide to become a doctor! Perhaps he can fulfil their dreams in this respect the way I never did.

 

No sooner had I caught my breath after the graduation ceremony, then this and this happened:

The annual concert, and with two to watch this time! Mei performing in her first-ever performance, and Noey in his last. That day, I really felt it -- that ache as you watch your babies step out into their own. Still your babies but in so many ways, babies no longer. I was a bundle of emo-ness, I tell you.

The concert, it was great. The sessions take turns to perform their plays in English and Chinese, so Noey and Mei's play was in Chinese this year. Entitled "大微的故事", it told the tale of David and his anointing by Samuel. The second session performed the story of David and Goliath. Each year, the performances by each of the classes is cleverly woven into the story. The Pre-Nursery and Nursery children will perform group dance items and join in the group singing while the K1 and K2 children will be given roles and speaking parts in addition to group performances. In getting this to stage, the children have a lot to learn, from lines to songs, especially when it's in Chinese!

Mei and her classmates were little sheep dancing to 耶和华是我的牧者 and it was, as it always is with the youngest class, endearingly chaotic. I've seen her rehearse this dance a million times at home but on stage, Mei was excited but shy, hesitant to really get into it. Watching her reminded me that she is a wee one yet. More self-conscious than her brother, she isn't as comfortable on stage but I know she will come into her own in time to come. I loved seeing her up there. And in that adorable costume! Better yet that it was handmade by the teacher and children themselves. The headgear is made from an old white t-shirt with the front cut open and the sleeves tied to create ears. The kids then worked on sticking cotton wool on a piece of paper that was stuck to the top of their heads. It was so creative and the kids all looked so cute in it.

Noey's role was that of one David's brothers (Ozem) and while he only had a couple of lines, I thought he pulled them off flawlessly. No credit to me -- his teacher taught him! My offers to help him learn his lines were waved away impatiently. The most impressive part is that his teacher managed to teach the entire K2 class to recite Psalm 23, yes the whole Psalm, in Chinese! "So that they will carry the Word with them," said his principal when I commented on this while speaking to her after the concert.

Her words really reminded me of what we had prayed for when we chose to place Noey in this kindergarten -- that he (and now his sister too) would learn not just how to read and write, but also the word of God. To not just be prepared for Primary One but to be prepared for life with the proper grounding in Christian values, the school complementing what we teach at home. As I look back on how he's grown over the past four years, not just in stature but in maturity and understanding, I know he has been blessed by being here.

In a few days it will be the last day of kindy and after that, P1 orientation. Dear Lord, let my mummy heart hold out!

Being There To Listen

I must admit that on most days, by the time bedtime rolls round, I am eager to pack the kids off to sleep. Already my kids sleep way later than they should -- so late that I'm embarrassed to tell you what time that is! So by the time they get in bed after the reading is done, I'm usually in a hurry for them to just go to sleep already. It's lights out, prayers, and no more talking, thank you very much. I get annoyed when they roll around, ask for water again, and try to prattle on about something.

Then recently, while sorting through my iPhoto library, I stumbled across something I had just about forgotten. It was a recording of a conversation I had with Noey when he was 2, nearly 3 years old. It was actually a video, but there was no picture as it was pitch dark: I had recorded it while chatting with him after lights out at bedtime. And, my goodness, it was the cutest thing. I had forgotten his baby voice, and how he used to refer to himself in third person all the time. I burst out laughing at the sound of his voice gleefully telling me that "Noey wants to beat Lincoln because he is a naughty boy". It was in fact one of the night chats that I used to enjoy so much with him in times past.

It made me stop and wonder how that slowly evolved into today's hurry-hurry-be-quiet routine. Was I missing out on something valuable by not allowing my kids to talk to me at night?

I know I have to make some changes, I must. Before they stop talking to me altogether. I would loathe the day when I would miss out on silly conversations like this:

Me: Noey, did you know that when I was younger I thought I would name my son Ethan?

Noey: Why?

Me: Because I liked the name Ethan! Though not so much now.

Noey: Did you think you of naming Meimei Weethan?

Me: Weethan?

Noey: Yes, because she needs to go to the toilet all the time!

My son. He's growing up to be quite the comedian. And I want him to be having such funny conversations with me as he does just that.

A Date with a Very Hungry Caterpillar and Friends

Eric Carle's books are staples in our home library and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Mixed-Up Chameleon and Little Cloud are among our favourites. So you can imagine how delighted the children were to get up close and personal with some of their favourite characters as they leapt off the pages of the books onto the stage in the stunning production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites by the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia.

I'd watched this production with Noey on a school excursion two (or maybe three) years ago and was fascinated by the magic of black light theatre. This year, thanks to Act 3 International, the kids and I were in for a treat as we were invited to step backstage, turn up the lights and learn a bit about how the puppets come to life. I was definitely as excited as the kids were.
If you are not familiar with black light theatre, it involves the use of UV lighting, a dark stage, black curtains, and fluorescent costumes to create a magical effect where the puppeteers disappear into the background, with the puppets and props appearing as if they are animated on their own.

Lights on...

… and lights off!

It is in theory a very simple concept, but we were soon to learn that it wasn't that simple at all to pull off! For one, the puppeteers work in complete darkness, dressed in black with black gloves and black hoods over their heads and faces. I was also surprised to realise that there were only three of them (two puppeteers and one stage manager) working all the puppets and shifting all the sets around. In perfect synchronisation too!

We were given the opportunity to try to manipulate the puppets ourselves and found that it was not that easy to make the puppets move in the same life-like fashion as they do in the hands of the professionals. The caterpillars (there are actually three used in the show) are actually made out of a thick cushion-like material, with the individual donut rings threaded together. Like all the props, they were all handmade in-house. I was personally wowed by how much the puppets resembled the original artwork.

Getting the caterpillars to "crawl" forward. The longer caterpillar has two poles which you can manipulate while for the smaller caterpillar, you simply pinch a segment in each hand to move it.

On Monday he ate through one apple, but he was still hungry.
You can see the flaps on the apple which the puppeteers would fold over as the caterpillar "eats".

We moved on to give the chameleon a go and the kids had fun re-enacting the scene where the chameleon shoots out its tongue to catch the fly. In the process we learnt that the flickering fly is created simply from twisting a two-sided painted fly-on-a-stick between your hands, and flying it around of course. The long tongue on the other hand actually affixed on a conveyor belt adjusted at an appropriate angle, which the puppeteer can pull in and retract easily. The kids tried their hands at this and hmm, maybe it didn't quite come out right, but they sure had fun!

The chameleon trying to catch the fly!

I thought Little Cloud might be easier to manipulate but was quickly disabused of the notion when we were taught how to move like clouds. You don't see clouds bouncing around do you? We were shown how to move smoothly and the kids eagerly volunteered to try out for the part. You can see that they took it very seriously, especially Mei, who I think did a great job with her footwork!

After the wonderful opportunity learning about what goes on behind the scenes, the three of us settled down to watch the show. And I was glad to note that it was as good as I remembered. Better, in fact, given the additional knowledge that we now had. Mei who has never seen the production before was utterly captivated, and got really excited when her favourite very hungry caterpillar came on stage. As for Noey, he was busy explaining to be the whole time how things were done. A little knowledge can be dangerous in his hands. It was a good thing that the whole show was very child-friendly no one batted an eyelid at the excited comments made by the young audience.

I was reminded that I was watching the show with an honest-to-goodness 6-year old though when Noey started protesting about the caterpillar making a cocoon. "It's not a cocoon, it's a chrysalis!" he said indignantly. "Only a moth makes cocoon, a butterfly makes a chrysalis! And it is not a hairy caterpillar! Moth caterpillars are hairy! Tell Eric Carle!" he ended rather huffily.

Cocoon or chrysalis notwithstanding, it was a very enjoyable show. The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites has just ended its run here but I wouldn't be surprised if it or its other companion production A Brown Bear, a Moon and a Caterpillar: Treasured Stories by Eric Carle (which we have also watched) return again in a couple of years! Do also check out Act 3 International and join their mailing list to be first to know about other upcoming workshops and productions.

*We thank Act 3 International for the media invite to the workshop and show. All opinions are, as always, our own.

6 Today

He's 6 today, something he's been waiting for for a while now.

"My birthday is coming soon!" he used to shout in April, May, June. No matter how often I told him that October was a pretty long time away, it never put a dent in his enthusiasm.

Well, today was D-Day and he woke up with a big smile, ready to savour it.

I spent some time looking through his old pictures last night and got a bit teary eyed seeing how much he has grown over the past 6 years. It's that eternal mummy-struggle -- wishing your kids would grow quickly to be more independent and yet wishing that they'd stay your little babies at the same time.

He's no longer a baby really, all lanky and stretched out, full of interesting observations and randomly astute remarks. I knew it that day a couple of months back when, at the Botanic Gardens, he asked to go read some displays some distance away and I let him. As he walked away it hit me with a pang that he had grown up. I didn't need to go with him to read him the charts, or make sure he didn't go the wrong way or wander into the path of some cars, and most tellingly, I didn't need to go with him because he wasn't scared. For my somewhat clingy boy, it was a significant thing.

Today, I'm staring at time slipping by and really feeling it. Today I want to say stop. Tarry a while, and be my baby for just a bit longer.



My dear boy, how ever did you grow up so fast?

Teachers' Day 2014

I was in the process of preparing cards for the kids for Teacher's Day when Mei came by to see what I was doing. Looking over my shoulder, she pointed at the words on the card. To my enormous surprise, she read, "THANK YOU".

Her being able to read those words was one of those instances of the many things I have to thank her teachers for teaching her over this past year. Both children have been very blessed this year with good teachers who have helped nurture them, and who have seen them grow and mature in different ways. They have really enjoyed this term, which had a Lego theme that they could both relate to very well! We attended Noey's project day and saw the video that Mei came back with showing her learning activities over this term and were just bowled over by all that they had done with their teachers these past few months.

So when it came to their Teachers' Day gifts this year, I thought it was only apt that we gave them… Lego! We gave their principal this Lego calendar and customised a few minifies to go along with it. I also "dressed" the Lego kids in their kindy PE kit, which I thought she might appreciate.

The teachers got photo frames, and I slotted in a card from the kids into each of them. Noey helped me with some of the Lego building as the effort part of his gift while Mei just kept running away with my minifigs! But we got everything together in the end.

The parents were tasked to put together food and activities for the teachers for individual class celebrations in school. I think we did well with the food -- there was a veritable feast, especially for Noey's class! Some classes also put up song items which were very cute. But after all the eating, when parents were scratching their heads over what to do with all the children, it was still up to the teachers who organised games on the spot and kept the children happy and entertained. 

It takes someone with a certain gift and heart for children to be a teacher. Thank you to all the wonderful teachers out there -- thank you for loving our children. 

Happy Teachers' Day!

Jamming at His First Piano Recital

My little man recently hit a new milestone in his musical journey when he had his first piano recital.

I realise I've never written about Noey's music lessons though it's been nearly two years since he first started. I started Noey on piano lessons when he turned four because I thought knowing music - being able to read the notes, appreciate nuances in music and just translate music that you hear into tunes on the piano - is one of life's pleasures. That said, I did approach music lessons with some trepidation, because I played for many years and I didn't always enjoy it. I frequently felt like I was spending too much of my time playing exam pieces and not being very good at them! When I was finally done with piano lessons, I didn't touch the piano for a long time. During that period, I didn't miss it.

But by and by, I started playing again, listening to tunes and translating them onto the keyboard, flipping through song books and playing for enjoyment. Believe me, there was a time when I would never have put playing with enjoyment in the same sentence! And I was grateful. That I had the skill to play to entertain myself, and spend some time in private worship. When the kids came along, I was glad I was able to entertain them too. Noey loves to sing and Mei loves to dance, and I enjoy being able to accompany them.

I decided it was worth the hard work and so when Noey turned four, I started looking around for a piano course for him to join. I had intended to enrol him at Yamaha to learn the way I was taught, but was put off by the bad class timings -- either after 7pm on weekdays or smack in the afternoon on Sat. Just as I was scratching my head about it, a friend providentially blogged about her daughter's piano classes. And when I contacted the teacher, I was told - amazingly - that she was going to start a new class that very next week. That's how Noey's come to be with MYC (Music for Young Children). 

Having been at it for a while, I must say that I do like the curriculum. It's fun, rounded, fairly comprehensive as kids music classes go. Noey does enjoy class and because it is parent accompanied, I've been able to learn along with him. It's a group class and he's enjoys the company of his classmates. The mummies have become friends too!

But piano practice, well, that's another matter altogether. I know my Mum totally thinks it's karma as I struggle to get him to practice, considering how she struggled with me too. But seeing how I now do appreciate having the ability to play fuels my motivation to let Noey continue learning and make him practice. Honestly, he isn't bad. He has a certain gift for music. Over the past couple of years he has developed perfect pitch that makes listening and singing tunes in notation effortless for him. I often catch him singing along to tunes, sounding out the notes while playing with Lego, and he's almost never wrong. He also loves transposition and can play songs in a variety of keys by ear. BUT! Only when they are not on the practice list. He could certainly do with more piano practice since his playing is rather average (no beautifully curved hands and weak fingers) and his sight-reading is rather poor. It is really like staring at myself (horror of horrors!). My mother is definitely laughing!

Anyway, back to the recital.

His teacher decided to hold a recital for all her students, which was both exciting and a bit nerve-wrecking at the same time. Well, probably more nerve-wrecking for me than for Noey! Still, I thought it was a great opportunity for all the children to learn a piece that was above their level and to perform before an audience.

The children each learnt a different piece, some solos (like Noey) and some playing duets with their mums. I thought his teacher did a great job picking a variety of different pieces, which were all rather different and interesting. Noey's was Traffic Jam by Kevin Olson, which is a modern piece I initially found rather jarring, since it was supposed to sound like a traffic jam after all! But it grows on you - or me at least!  

Getting dressed up for the occasion was half the fun, though I admittedly didn't think about it and would have sent him up in t-shirt and jeans if his teacher hadn't queried about his outfit a week before the actual event. I had to scramble and send out an SOS to friends asking if anyone had a long-sleeved shirt and long pants which Noey could borrow! Fortunately I have very helpful friends (thanks Jas!) and with a new pair of shoes and a borrowed bow tie from his classmate, he was set.

I felt nervous for him, but if Noey was nervous, he didn't show it. He was fairly calm and when it was his turn to go up, well, he just went up and played his piece! Two actually, since he was also asked to play his piano composition for the MYC annual composition festival. He didn't make any obvious errors and probably only I (and his teacher) could tell when certain parts were not as smooth as they could have been, but all things considered, I think he did good. We were - are - very proud of him.

With Noey done, we could sit back to enjoy the rest of the performances, most of which were really good. Especially the senior students! The husband wondered aloud if Noey would ever be up to that standard. Well, we shall see.

Everyone took a well-deserved, ermm, Carl's Junior treat at the end of it before we called it a day. Definitely a proud parent moment for the record books -- until the next one!

Getting Into the Frame at Alive Museum Singapore

Here's something you might not know about my kids: they actually don't really like taking photographs.

What, did I fool you with those photos of their gorgeous smiles? Despite the fact that their mummy blogs and their daddy loves cameras and photography, the truth is, for every great picture where they are (1) in focus and (2) actually looking at the camera (obviously my standard of what makes a great picture is not very high), I have tons of NG shots of blurry children facing me but with their eyes focused somewhere else. If there was a sound reel, you'd hear me going "stand here for just ONE SECOND, please", and "stop jumping!" and "face mummy!" and "eyes here!" very very often.

Noey is a bigger culprit of this than Mei, who is generally more obliging. But when plans were made for us to go to Alive Museum Singapore for a night out, I knew that the tables were about to be turned. And I was right. Ok, I still had to use "face mummy!" and "eyes here!", but more often than not, they were the ones calling after me, posing without being asked, and smiling for the camera. Nice.

Alive Museum Singapore is the biggest 3D illusionary museum in Singapore, with over 80 exhibits that you can touch and feel, and best of all, be a part of by jumping into the frame. Most of this is achieved through the use of special painting techniques, where such trick art fool the eyes and stimulate your mind, warping reality. 

We got a taste of playing with trick art when we encountered some at Westgate during the June holidays. After seeing all the fun the kids had with the giant teacup, I figured they were really going to enjoy being part of the picture. Still they totally surprised me by really getting in the act! Noey in particular was really keen and came up with a lot of his own poses, which I found very rather amusing! 

One of the unique features of Alive Museum Singapore is the fact that there are a number of locally themed pieces, incorporating scenes and landmarks of Singapore. Alive Museum Singapore is also currently involved in the Singapore 50 project, engaging local communities to create artworks that define the essence of Singapore. 20 artworks will be created and showcased together with the regular exhibits by year-end, bringing the total number of exhibits to 100.

I must admit the kids weren't the only ones to get into the action - us parents had a lot of fun doing so too.

It is best to bring with you a healthy sense of humour and be prepared to really get in the act for some photo fun. That's all you really need since you don't need any special equipment. Good pictures can be taken with just your mobile phone. There are pictures on the wall demonstrating the various poses to help you along, and photo point arrows on the ground to show you the best angle. Aside from that however, it is really up to you to make your pictures memorable by coming up with your own poses.

Definitely fun for the whole family! Thanks Alive Museum Singapore for an entertaining evening and some pretty memorable pictures that I foresee us laughing over in years to come!

Alive Museum Singapore is located at Suntec City Mall #03-372 (between Towers 3 and 4). Tickets are priced at $25 (adults) and $20 (children between 3-12 years). Operating hours are between 10am to 10pm daily, with last admission at 9pm. Book your tickets online and save 20% on ticket prices with the use of the code "ALIVEOPEN"! Visit www.alivemuseum.sg for more information. 

Current promotion: Like Alive Museum on Facebook and get a free meal at Burger King Suntec just next door, with the purchase of a full-priced ticket. See here for more details: http://alivemuseum.sg/news-events/promotions.

*We received a pair of tickets to Alive Museum Singapore for the purpose of this review. All opinions, fun and crazy pictures are strictly own own.

Child's Play at the National Museum of Singapore {Giveaway}

In addition to Masak Masak, Children's Season at the National Museum of Singapore this year also saw the launch of Play@NMS, the first dedicated area in the museum for young children. Tucked away on Level 3 of the museum, Play@NMS, unlike Masak Masak, is a permanent gallery designed with the purpose of helping children take their first-steps towards museum-going, with interactive exhibits and special activities that encourage learning through play. 

Stepping into the Concourse at level 1 of the museum, you will spy Play@NMS right at the top of a flight of stairs. Take the climb and this is what you'll find:

The EXPLORE gallery is the main play area, and this is divided into four sections, modelled after a home. Immediately past the door you'll find the Living Room, with a huge TV - and you as the star! The few times we visited, my little Miss enjoyed her "on-screen" opportunities, but what really got her attention were the comfy chairs, particularly the little one which was just her size. The big sofa on the other hand is an ideal slouchy spot and a great place to curl up with a book when you need a break from playing.

Not much my Mei loves better than to put on a show. Though she prefers it if no one's watching.

Puppets, to help you tell your own story!

Getting comfortable on a little chair made for little people.

Noey and his friends Dana and Isaac get comfortable.

Another popular area was the Kitchen. I don't know any child who doesn't love masak-masak, or pretend cooking, so as you can imagine, the kids were very happy messing in this area. There are two cooking stations, with one set a little lower for the smaller kids. You can also emboss a picture of a favourite Singapore dish, choosing between ice kachang, roti prata, chill crab and nasi lemak. You can later bring the picture over to another room to colour it. Personally I thought it would be better if they just set up a small table nearby for the kids to colour, that's exactly what they wanted to do once they embossed their pic.

Little T ponders the next dish he is going to whip up.

"Let's make Chilli Crab!" 

Getting familiar with the ingredients for different dishes.

Emboss a picture of your favourite Singapore dish.

The kitchen play area.

Colouring/Drawing on her embossed pic over in a separate room.

Behind the kitchen was Noey favourite area, the Bedroom. It was because of a comfy little tent which you could get into to watch some short films on the ceiling. He always spend a good amount of time in here every visit. In the other part of the Bedroom is a mirror with costume decals that kids can "try on" by positioning themselves accordingly. It was a bit of a letdown if you were expecting real costumes for dress-up. The kids didn't really bother trying them. 

Making themselves comfortable...

The last area is the Garden. It had a big tree and like a shape sorter, it had various flowers, leaves and fruit you could fit into it. Popular with the really little ones, though admittedly Mei's favourite thing to do was to carry the baskets for the shapes around!

Fitting in the leaves and flowers

Apart from the main hall, there is also an outdoor sundeck for kids to run around in and scribble on a giant chalkboard wall. This proved rather popular with our budding artists.

Scribble time!

In the weekends, there are also additional activities in the Create gallery where kids can do some art and craft. Play@NMS is recommended for kids aged 3-7, but I personally think kids 5 and under will enjoy it best. While I wish they had done more to make the play spaces more engaging and perhaps more relevant to the National Museum's positioning as a history museum, I am glad that there is now a dedicated space for kids, as I think this is the right step to getting kids (and parents) into the museum. Museums are in fact one of my favourite places to visit, and the kids and I have had many wonderful experiences in museums in Australia and the UK, and Play@NMS as a step in the right direction to make museums places of interest, fun and learning for kids.

Another way to reach kids is through books and in conjunction with the launch of Play@NMS comes Stacey Goes To The National Museum, a new title by author Lianne Ong. (We also previously reviewed her first book, Maxilla!)

Stacey is a little girl who goes to visit the National Museum with her mummy and ends up going on an unexpected adventure, with the help of a surprising little tour guide. As Stacey journeys through the museum, she encounters some of the Treasures of the National Museum and ends up at Play@NMS. I think it is a good initial introduction to the museum for the little ones, and a good read to pick up just before a museum visit. I particularly love the illustrations by James Tan as he manages to incorporate a wonderful amount of detail into his drawings and yet keep the style of the artwork simple and appealing to children.

This is the first book in an upcoming series -- Stacey and the Museums which will allow children to journey with Stacey through different museums under the purview of the National Heritage Board in Singapore. This sounds like a good idea and we are looking forward to seeing the rest of the series.

If you'd like to meet the author Lianne Ong and find out more about Stacey,  good news! Lianne will be making an appearance at the National Museum of Singapore's open house on National Day (9 Aug). There will be an exciting storytelling session and interactive activities such as a scavenger trail for the little ones in the Singapore History Gallery. Sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon to me!

Stacey Goes To The National Museum is stocked at the gift shop of the National Museum, and is also available online from Armour Publishing at the special web price of $13.64 (15% off the RRP of $16.05).

GIVEAWAY! 

If you'd like a copy of Stacey Goes To The National Museum, here's your chance to grab one because I have ONE COPY to giveaway! To join this giveaway, simply follow the steps of the Rafflecopter widget below. The more steps you complete, the higher our chances of winning.

This giveaway ends on Friday 15 August, 11.59pm, and is open to Singapore residents only. Winners will be picked randomly and contacted by e-mail. Winners have 3 days to respond with their particulars, failing which a new winner will be selected.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S. Hop over to Owls Well to join their giveaway to get another chance at winning a copy of Stacey Goes To The National Museum! Don't miss their cute book trailer too.