Out & About — mamawearpapashirt

The gift of play – Fun things to do with kids outdoors

November 26, 2012 4 Comments

You may have read my 20 easy ways to play at home.

Now it’s time for some outdoor play ideas.

1. Catch the bus to nowhere, get off on a whim and explore the area. The only catch is it must be someplace new.

2. Walk in the rain with or without shoes. Jump into puddles. Laugh out loud.

3. Visit a pet shop. Get your child to name the number of different animals you can see. Keep a count of those animals.

4. Gather as many different flowers and leaves as you can when you next walk in the park. See who has the most number of variety in their bag. (When you get home, press these flowers and leaves between paper and stick it under a heavy book for a few days. Pressed flowers make simple and pretty craft items.)

5. Bring markers. Collect rocks or pebbles and draw on them. If your child is older, you can get them to write little messages on these rocks.

7. Pebble-fishing – BYO coloured rocks or pebbles and scatter them into a wade pool for the kids to pick up.

8. Collect pine cones. Bring them home and hang them up as a mobile.

9. Go to the Botanic Gardens (or any park) and do any of the following:

- climb a tree

- sky-gaze

- paint whatever catches your eye

- have a picnic

- bring along paper and crayons and do leaf shadings (Thanks Evelyn for the idea!)

10. Hug a tree. (Inspired by this wall mural at Food for Thought.)

Since it’s the holidays, why not put on your collector’s hat this week? Take a bag and run outdoors and pick up whatever catches your fancy. Or bring along a magnifying glass to examine some creepy crawlies. The world is an amazing place, if we would just make the time to see it that way.

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*This post is linked up to The Gingerbread Mum’s Fun for Free series!

Filed Under: Learning is fun, Out & About Tagged With: Family, kids, outdoors, play

A day out at The Animal Resort

August 14, 2012 2 Comments

We spent our National Day morning getting to know the residents at The Animal Resort.

1) Puppies so excited to see people, they were yelping and leaping with joy in their kennels. These puppies are for sale.

2) This dog was so sleepy, he barely noticed Javier who was banging his little fist on the window right beside it. I think Javier just wanted to say hello.

3) Vera feeding a carrot to a hungry rabbit

4) Animal feed can be purchased at the cafe – $1 per pack or $2 for 3 packs

5) I nearly did a double-take when I saw this black and white bunny. It was huge.

6) Geese wandered freely across the farm. They roamed in flocks and made loud honking noises. Vera and Javier were pretty taken by them.

7) Daddy and Javier taking a picture with the resident horse, the only one on the farm.

8) This horse gave my friend a “friendly chomp” on her arm, as if testing to see if it was edible or not. Later on we were told that the horse did not like people to pat or stroke its head (which everyone was doing), thus it was probably expressing resentment.

9) Here’s little Javier getting his fingers in the dirt. He managed to get some into his mouth when we weren’t looking. Tsk.

10) Godpa and Vera watching the geese from afar.

11) Here’s the crown crane, a rather shy bird. If we walked too briskly toward it, it would turn and walk away in a slow and dignified manner.

12) Shadow of a palm tree on the ground.

After an hour or so of roaming the farm grounds and observing the animals, we headed home to rest. In the evening, we gathered again, this time in front of the telly. As all the participants in the National Day Parade took centrestage, our littlest one also tried to get into the limelight, showing off his new badminton racket (courtesy of godma).

We had a good national day. I hope you did too?

Filed Under: Out & About Tagged With: Animal Resort, family outing, farm, National Day, puppies for sale

Our trip to Hay Dairies Goat Farm

August 2, 2012 Leave a Comment

We’ve been drinking fresh goat’s milk from Hay Dairies since Vera was about 2 plus as she has an intolerance toward cow’s milk. Soy milk doesn’t go down that well either.

When we started supplementing breastmilk with formula milk for her, she tried lots of different milk brands but to no avail. Finally, we settled on Karihome goat’s milk formula, and it was all good. That was how we started becoming goat’s milk fans.

Now, as I’m still breastfeeding Javier and he ALSO has the same intolerance, both Vera and I rely on goat’s milk for our calcium intake. The farm delivers island-wide every Tuesday morning at 6am, and two 800ml bottles (costing $8 each) last us till about Sunday.

Because goat’s milk is so much a part of our lives, we decided to make a trip down to visit the goats! We had fun and even made some new discoveries about these caprines. Trot over to An Accidental Home-schooling Mum to find out more!

Filed Under: Guest posts, Out & About Tagged With: farm, goat's milk, Hay Dairies, outdoor

Loving my spot: Redhill porridge, the Alexandra canal waterway, and Spruce

July 27, 2012 27 Comments

Let’s begin the tour of my neighbourhood with the humble bowl of porridge.

Redhill is one of the oldest estates in Singapore. If you are able to reach early, you can start the day with the best porridge in town. Just a 5 minutes walk from Redhill MRT, this porridge stall at the Redhill food centre is known for its long snaking queues. The stall begins business at 5.30am and sells out by around 8.30am. No wonder it’s been called ‘the elusive Redhill porridge‘.

Usually, if we plan to go for breakfast, we would go for a quick jog around the park, then head there directly. There would be a sense of urgency in our footsteps, because we know what it’s like to get in line, wait, and then be told “sold out, sorry”.

I love their pork porridge. It’s really smooth and the pork is so full of goodness. The hubby usually goes for the porridge and raw fish set. Obviously, I was too busy eating to capture a shot of his bowl. (Sorry!)

pork porridge

After your tummy is filled, it’s time to put on your walking shoes. About 10 minutes walk away is the Alexandra Canal Waterway. Opened in March 2011 by minister mentor Lee Kwan Yew, it was designed to be a spot of educational outdoor play and nature appreciation for the public.

Here’s the water-play area, located just beside Tanglin Road. On weekends, kids will be splashing and running about everywhere.

Some parents may worry about the water’s hygiene quotient, but I think it’s safe for splashing and wading in. At least, little Javier gave it his two thumbs up.

There are also educational boards to help children and adults alike learn more about water, and how wetlands help to improve the water quality of the canal.

You can find the different types of wetlands. Here’s the floating aquatic wetland, where you can see lots of lily pads, water lilies, and different kinds of insects.

The paths are made for cycling and walking. Ramps are everywhere, so it’s wheelchair-friendly too.

There’s also a little exercise corner that’s good for erm, mums trying to get back into shape.

I love to spend quiet moments here, taking in the beauty and gentleness of nature…

just watching the clouds go by.

After a quiet morning here, it’s time to head over to Spruce for a mid-morning cuppa. Phoenix Park is a short walk up Tanglin Road towards Orchard Road, perhaps about 10 minutes or so. Best to go on a clear-skies day and remember to take note of all the interesting details along the way.

I was there before the cafe was officially open at 10.30am, but they graciously allowed me in to cool off. I love the simple and unassuming decor of the place. The bright spots of colour from pretty canvas prints never fail to put me in the mood for writing.

Or perhaps it’s the view from my window seat.

Of course, quality coffee helps. It’s the very reason I’m here in the first place.

You’ll be glad to know they’ve got a playground just below the outdoor seating verandah, so little ones can keep themselves occupied.

Thanks, Sarah, for sending us out on this mission. I think I appreciate Singapore all the more now, starting from my own little nook.

Sometimes, all you need to entertain yourself and the kids with is right at your doorstep. This weekend, put on your explorer hat and go around your neighbourhood, and I’m sure you’ll find some interesting places and things to do too!

This post is part of a Blog Train hosted by Sarah at The Playful Parents. Do hop over to check out more posts!

Tomorrow on “Loving My Spot”, Jennifer from Little DinoEgg will be sharing a special place in her heart.

Jennifer Lim is a working mum who wishes that she can relax while enjoying motherhood but instead she has to deal with her feisty boy who is constantly testing her patience. She writes about everything that is happening around her at Little DinoEgg.

Filed Under: Out & About Tagged With: Alexandra, coffee, explore, park, Redhill, Spruce, Tanglin

What we did for date night

July 5, 2012 21 Comments

The other night, hubs and I went out for our (almost) weekly couple time. We debated where to go and ended up at our usual haunt. Mostly because we needed to get a new door stopper — to prevent baby J from squashing his little fingers. (Funny how parenthood replaces creativity with functionality and limits your geographical footprint sometimes.)

So there we were at the store, choosing our latest stash of child-proofing home items. Bought, bagged, checked.

Then we wandered around for a bit. And we walked by a noisy arcade, you know those noisy clangy places with bright lights from machines? Yup, those.

Hubs peered in and said, hey let’s go and play.

I looked at him with a face that said ‘serious?’

I followed him in, walked around, and he started to bang on the buttons of a nearby machine. I think he was serious.

Finally, we stopped at the basketball game machine, and he said ‘let’s play!’

Okayyy, was my trying-hard-to-be-enthusiastic response. My hands automatically floated up to my waist, and I thought, it’s just basketball, shouldn’t be that hard.

He hopped off to the cashier to exchange money for a plastic card. (They don’t use coins/chips anymore.)

With a swipe of the card, we were off. Hit the wall! Hit higher! He called out instructions like a coach.

We made it to the second round. (Hi-five.) And then the net started to move from side to side, making it harder to score.

Oh well. It was fun. Good exercise too.

We went on to play another ball game — this time we had to throw small plastic balls at a large TV screen to hit different targets. Our first mission was to hit the mosquitoes and protect a baby from being bitten. (Which was naturally hilarious, given that we’re always hunting down mozzies in our own home.)

After that, he settled into a tennis game — ahh his first love. I just sat there and cheered him on.

After he finished his tennis, I said let’s go for a drink. And we walked out into relative serenity, found a cafe and ordered. We talked and shared about life / work / friends. And it was good.

We came home and I realised that it was really good to be able to do something silly, something out-of-the-blue, something totally out of character (for me at least) and something that the other person wanted badly to do.

I don’t mean to generalise but I think guys usually prefer action and games and having fun, whilst true blue girly me prefers to sip a latte and chat life. That day we did a bit of both, and it actually turned out to be good for both of us. (Okay, granted I was a bit bored halfway through the tennis game.)

But I enjoyed it, because I saw that he enjoyed it, and it somehow had that magical, reciprocal effect.

Maybe love is really about the other person.

What do you do for date nights? I would love to hear your ideas!

Filed Under: Love & marriage, Out & About Tagged With: date nights, fun, love

Let’s go out! 4 fun-tastic ideas for outdoor family play

July 3, 2012 Leave a Comment

This guest post is written by Sarah from The Playful Parents. She is a real play enthusiast, and has infected many around her with the play bug (including me). She has reminded me that life with children should be about play, so let’s not take things too seriously, starting from today.

Here are some fun and easy ideas for outdoor play. Take it away, Sarah!

~~~~~

Tired of your usual haunts and in need for some fresh ideas on where to go as a family? Well, here are some ideas to set you off on brand new adventures. Best of all, they’re easy on your pocket, but big on fun!

#1. Discover & Conquer

You don’t have to travel far to find fun and adventures, really. As a non-car owner, I assure you that public transport travel with young children isn’t that scary or impossible. It is actually a rather wonderful way for our children to learn more about daily life.

Be a tourist around your neighbourhood. Head out on the bus, bike or on foot. Hit a street you’ve never been to before. I would dare say all neighbourhoods have gems waiting for us to discover. We just need to make the effort to look for them.

Butterfly-spotting: Trying to stand still long enough to see the butterflies

Try these neighbourhood conquests:

Play Trail: Do a playground hop to check out all the playgrounds. Perhaps you’ll be lucky and see if you can find any of the classic heritage Singapore playgrounds too!
Food Trail: Pick a favourite food and try every stall you find that sells it. Ask for recommendations from random strangers who live in the area. Search out the must-try stalls from online food bloggers.
Flora and Fauna Trail: Parks are fantastic treasure troves of biodiversity and great for kids to just run about. Go bird-watching or butterfly-spotting. Singapore’s NParks has produced several fantastic guides and walking trails for you to download. I highly recommend exploring the park connector trails. Or how about going on a hunt for these10 Trees in Singapore?

# 2. Host An Outdoor Olympics

The Terrific Tot-lympian: Trying to cross a hurdle in his path

Bubbles. Play Blow and Pop: Someone blow up bubbles while another chases and pops them.
Catching in its many variants old and new: Police and Thief, Fire and Ice. I especially enjoy the co-operative catching games where a group has to work together against the ‘catcher’ like Eagle Catching the Chicks ( Lao Ying Zhua Xiao Ji) and What’s the time, Mr Wolf?( similar to Grandmother’s Footsteps).
Ball games: Basketball, football, volleyball, poison ball, monkey ball.
Sack races: An oldie-but-goodie that is good both indoor and outdoor.
Obstacle Races: Gather some neighbours and their children to have an obstacle race! Here’s a starter planning list.

# 3. Do Outdoor Art

How about letting the outdoors inspire you and your young ones? Pack up your art materials and sit at a nearby park to draw or paint. Crayons, watercolours-in-a-box and a sketch book are easily portable. Even better, use Nature itself to create art.

Stick + Sand + Kids = Artistic Fun!

Here is more mess-free stuff to try:

Chalk drawing: For a twist, bring along a water spray filled with water. Spray water on chalk drawings and see how your art changes.
Family Profile Silhouettes: Find a sunny spot. Stick up cardstock on the wall. Stand in front of the paper. Trace the silhouette cast. Cut along the outlines.
Water painting: All you need are brushes and some bottles of water to paint the floor.
Outdoor sculptures: Gather twigs, leaves, stones and whatever catches your fancy to construct your sculptures.
Make a kite and fly it!

#4. Go Geo-Caching: Contemporary Treasure Hunt

Have you heard of geocaching? It’s a ‘real world’, treasure hunt game you play using GPS devices. Many cities and countries around the world have geocaches so if you’re truly adventurous, you could even do this on your holiday. Here is a list of current geocaches in Singapore. Click here to find out more about how geocaching works!

For more playful ideas, do check out The Playful Parents.

About Sarah, Family Play Advocate

Sarah is an educator-storyteller-writer turned domestic circus ring mistress. She currently runs her circus show 24/7 starring 3 males, and counting. It can be a mad yet fulfilling life. A passionate advocate for more playfulness in life, Sarah enjoys sharing ideas and resources on practical ways to live more creatively, artfully and playfully on her blog. Swing on by and say ‘hello’ to other Playful Parents like you!

Filed Under: Guest posts, Out & About Tagged With: Family, fun, ideas, kids, outdoor, play, Singapore

Looking for a romantic dinner spot? Try Eco Gourmet Cafe at Labrador Park

June 15, 2012 5 Comments

The hubby took me out for a birthday dinner on Monday, and all I knew was that we were headed for Labrador Park. After a short walk from the carpark, we arrived at the restaurant – Eco Gourmet Cafe. Here’s a photo of the restaurant’s outdoor seating just opposite the entrance.

At the entrance, cosy bar seating beckons, and the ceiling lights in the shape of bells lazily sway from side to side. My dinner date waits patiently while I take a photo. =P

As we were led to our seats in one secluded corner (there was only one other couple at the other corner of the restaurant) I found myself quite taken by the seclusion, the quietness, the casual yet jungle-like setting. It feels like you can almost touch the leaves of the surrounding trees if you just reach your hand out. It’s a perfect spot for a romantic dinner or for a small group of close girlfriends.

The service was nice and easy, the waiters kept their distance but picked up our dishes, and refilled our glasses at appropriate times and without us having to ask. Here’s the complimentary starter.

The cream of mushroom and truffle was a winner in my books. It was topped with slices of grilled king oyster mushrooms and enoki tempura (which is the crispy thing you see in the picture below). Delish…

The medley of root vegetables tossed in ginger soy dressing was refreshing but a little too bland for me. Maybe there was insufficient dressing, I’m not quite sure.

I chose the over-roasted miso cod. The black lumpy mass behind the cod is actually squid-ink whipped potato; the squid ink gives the mash a lot more flavour. The fish was on the sweet side, due to the mirin miso seasoning, but the cod was nice and firm, and the pickled vegetables helped to balance the sweetness.

Hubby had the broiled chicken thigh with pomelo salad, mash, and asparagus. I stole a taste of his chicken because it looked so inviting and it was actually quite good — nice and crisp on the outside and very juicy.

After ordering dessert and waiting for 15 minutes, we got our molten lava cake. I must say it was worth the wait. I enjoyed every bite of the cake — the chocolate was not too rich, and the coconut ice-cream was yummy too.

Everything set us back about $130.

But we had a lovely time. Nothing to complain about at all. The atmosphere was really conducive for some heart-to-heart conversations, as we shared and updated each other about what we’ve been thinking of, dreaming about, and yearning for. That precious time and connection, to me, is probably the best gift he could ever have given me for my birthday.

Eco Gourmet Cafe

30 Labrador Villa Road, Labrador Nature Reserve

Tel: 6479 8885

Filed Under: Love & marriage, Out & About Tagged With: Eco Gourmet, Labrador Park, love, restaurant, romance

The duck tour that went wahhh

May 14, 2012 3 Comments

So last week I managed to satisfy my curiosity about the Singapore duck tours, and got my whole family on board one of these cool amphibious vehicles. (I managed to convince the hubby because I said it would be my mother’s day gift, and also for my mum.)

We travelled a short way along from the departure point at Suntec Convention Centre, and soon reached the splash point, where our duck vehicle would roll into the Singapore River. Here’s the first duck that went in. Pretty nice dive I would say. We didn’t get wet at all.

So here we are, enjoying the sights along the river.

This is where Gardens by the Bay will be housed. I checked out their website and the pics look pretty amazing. Can’t wait till it opens.

And of course, the trusty Merlion. I wonder how many gallons of water get spewed out each day…

Everything was fine and dandy until round about halfway through, when Javier started to get cranky. Even when I fed him his favourite Gerber’s graduate puffs, he wouldn’t stop wailing. Here’s a shot of him with his mouth full of puffs, and me trying to keep my cool. Oh well, at least now we know he doesn’t like boat rides.

I must thank the tour guide, who tried to use his duckie-whistle to “quack” Javier out of his misery. But alas, Javier’s wails easily drowned out the guide’s quacks. Ah well, thumbs up for trying!

Ever since the kids came along, I’ve found new joy doing touristy stuff around town. I think I haven’t explored our own little backyard attractions since I was a little girl, and so much has changed since then. I don’t even feel embarrassed after realizing that the rest of the duck passengers were all from abroad! I guess this is one of the privileges of having kids – you tend to develop thicker skin and you don’t really bother about what other people say.

What’s your favourite touristy thing to do in Singapore?

Filed Under: Family, Out & About Tagged With: activities, duck tour, fun, Singapore