Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

Whether we like it or not, wherever we go and wherever we are, we create impacts to those around us.

It can positive. And it sure can be negative.

A bus driver who frowns and greets the passengers with an unfriendly tone affect those who just board the bus.

A university lecturer who doesn’t care nor understand her role as a teacher may put down her students’ self-esteem through her insensitive remarks which in the end personally attack their feelings rather than lifting their spirits and inspiring them to move on a step further.

Now the question is, how about us?

Am I someone who edifies others?

Do I build good relationships amongst other people?

Do we tend to just complain and be judgemental about the things we ‘don’t like’ WITHOUT making any effort to create a positive change?

Wherever we are (at home, on the road, at work, etc), what have we contributed?

What have we done to our society?

Usually what happens is, when we encounter a situation where a lack of common courtesy is shown towards us, we complain about it, and are either ignorant or we get uncourteous ourselves towards others.

We scold and complain, often because we (unconsciously?) feel ‘better’ than those we’re complaining about.

But in the end, do we realise that we’ve become a part of what we’ve been complaining about ourselves?

So, what difference has our presence made?

None.

Do we make things better?

No.

Perhaps, we’ve even made the situation worse because of our presence and response.

Instead of choosing to try and give constructive impacts and influences, we may have (unconsciously or consciously) given destructive influences towards our surrounding, with our words and actions.

…

I personally was rebuked and challenged by these thoughts last Sunday.

Because I know they’re true.

And I’m guilty of these too.

Our actions and words stem out of our worldview, our overall perception to life, our mindset.

Because how we view things will greatly determine how we respond towards everything that we see and experience.

So.

Let’s make a change.

And let’s start with changing ourselves.

For the better.

…

[notes]
The above is based on what I personally have learned from the sermon by Rev. Stephen Tong on John 3:17, where it says: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved‘.

The other day, we found out how we could actually make nice flowers using … toilet paper rolls.

Simple activity idea for preschoolers using simple everyday things we find at our home!

Check this out!

What we used:

– Toilet paper rolls
– Watercolour
– Scissors
– Satay sticks / wooden chopsticks (the latter is ‘safer and less sharp’, better for younger kids)

What we did:

– Draw straight lines on both ‘ends’, leaving about 1cm in the middle. See top picture.

– Cut out the straight lines

– Fold the lines outwards

– Colour the ‘petals’ with watercolour

– Put aside to dry

– When it’s all dried up, poke the middle part with the stick (and it’ll serve as the ‘stem’)

That’s it!

Simple and do-able, yes?

Happy crafting, everyone!

In this day and age, connecting with people around the world is made SO easy. It amazes me.

I mean, getting in touch with a big group of people everyday is made possible on my Facebook.

I don’t play games online though. And I hardly ever use its applications. But I do check out how others are doing when I’m logged in, and I regularly share random thoughts as well as bits and pieces of how things go everyday. Things that I may not get to share on my blog. Which, includes little snippets of how my two little ones make my days ‘more interesting’ at times, heh.

So anyway, feel free to add me.

And please leave a message to let me know if you’re a blog reader yeah.

Let’s connect!

From Leonny:

Today I’d like to share with you something a little different.

A guest post. By Christie Burnett, the winner of Best Parenting Blog in the recent Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2009.

She came all the way from Australia to Singapore for the first time, and so I asked if she could share with everyone at Our Everyday Things how the trip was like and the kinds of activities she did with her adorable 20-month-old Immy while in Singapore.

And so here it is.

Have a good read and enjoy your weekend, everyone!

…

If your child loves anything to do with transport then Singapore is the place to visit!  My daughter, Immy (20 months), loves motorbikes and in Perth we usually see one or maybe two (if we’re really lucky) when out driving.  So you can imagine Immy’s delight when we exited the airport to see a long line of parked motorbikes and many zooming by as well!  And she learnt a new favourite word in Singapore as well – taxi. Taxis are a rarer sight in Perth than motorbikes!

So we were off to a good start for our visit to Singapore.  It was my first overseas trip with a child in tow, and what a difference one little toddler can make.  From the extra preparation and paraphernalia to pack, to juggling sightseeing with sleep times, the wonderful flexibility I have known previously when travelling the world  was most definitely a thing of the past.

Here are some of the things I learnt about visiting Singapore and travelling with a toddler:

Sightseeing:
Think carefully about your sightseeing choices – are they child friendly and appropriate to your child’s age and interests?  As part of the Nuffnang Uniquely Singapore Tour we went to the Mint Museum of Toys and the Chinese Heritage Museum, both were wonderfully interesting but not really appropriate for a curious toddler.  Immy couldn’t understand why she couldn’t touch the toys on display (and just kept chanting, “Toy, toy, toy,” until I took her to the gift shop and bought her a toy) and at the Chinese Heritage Museum I was worried that she was going to touch something that she shouldn’t so instead of soaking up the history we opted for a stroll around the markets of Chinatown.

Activities which were much more successful for us included:

• The Botanic Gardens: Thanks to Leonny’s tip, we asked our taxi driver to take us to the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden at the Botanic Gardens.  He instead dropped us at the opposite side of the park, way too far for us to walk (it was a hot and sticky morning).  As it turned out, Immy was fascinated by a pond of giant koi and swans swimming on a nearby lake.  We were able to enjoy a walk, an ice cream along the way, and lunch at Casa Verde.

• We actually went back a second time, this time equipped with a flyer which showed the taxi driver where in the Botanic Gardens the Children’s Garden was.  It was still a bit of a mission for him to find but finally we got there!  Immy had a wonderful time playing in the water play area with a lovely group of other young children who kindly shared their buckets and watering cans with her. One of the things I think Immy missed whilst we were away was regular interaction with other children so this was a wonderful opportunity for her to hang out and just be a kid.

• The Singapore Zoo, especially Kidzworld, was lots of fun. Whoever had the idea of adding this section to the zoo (especially the water playground) was a genius.  Of course, you could easily have time get away from you and forget to go and see the rest of the zoo!  I think a zoo is a great place to visit with children of all ages, Immy was fascinated by the polar bears and the orangutans and I loved the white tigers.

• Markets:  Immy enjoyed looking around the markets at Chinatown, so much to see, hear and smell for a curious little person.

• Singapore Flyer: I was worried that Immy would be bored for the 30 minute Flyer ride but she really enjoyed seeing the boats and cars from ‘up high.’  I enjoyed the peace and coolness, an escape from the busy city.

Snacks:
The first port of call for any Mum when visiting a new city should be the local supermarket to stock up on snacks (fruit, crackers and muesli bars work well).  I felt much more relaxed once I had done so as it meant that I always had something in my bag to offer Immy if our normal mealtimes were delayed due to being out and about in an unfamiliar city.

Eating out:
This is one area where I should have been more organised with some research before we left home.  I was happy to try a range of local foods at the Food Centres for me but had no idea what to order for Immy.  I was worried about choosing something too spicy or which contained one of the foods I have not yet introduced her too and I definitely did not want to spend our trip stuck in our hotel room with an upset tummy or serious allergic reaction.  So Immy lived on Chicken Rice for much of our trip, luckily she loves rice.  Next time we travel, I will definitely research the local cuisine before we go and find out what are the best choices for children.

Shopping:
What would Singapore be without shopping? I loved the contrast of so many types of shopping malls, from Plaza Singapura to Tanglin Mall and Orchard Road, there surely is something for everyone. My only problem with the shopping malls… the number of automated kids-car-rides, you know, the ones where you put in $1 and the child has a ride.  Immy wanted to stop for every single one we saw and we saw MANY! I regret the day that I first let her ride in one.  Once I was home I also noticed that nearly everything that Mum and I had bought out shopping was for Immy!  It was great to have so much choice when it comes to kids clothes, shoes and toys.  I also liked that the shops are open late so that after an early dinner we still had time for a little shopping before getting Immy back to the hotel ready for bedtime.

Routine and organisation:
At home I like to stick to routine nap/sleep and meal times but this is obviously much harder to do when travelling.  In my head I thought it was best to go with the flow and not pre-plan too many activities for our time in Singapore.  I had a few ideas of places for sightseeing and knew that there would definitely be some shopping but that was about as planned as it got.  In hindsight, it probably would have been better to have more of a plan rather than waste time each morning and afternoon deciding what to do and where to go.  I think it is good to still be flexible but have a fair idea of what places are definitely on your to do list.

Overall, I loved how easy it was to get around Singapore, how clean it was and how safe it felt, even when walking around in the evening.  I did however struggle a little with the heat and worried constantly whether Immy had drunk enough water or had enough sunscreen on.  I found the local people lovely and helpful and Immy certainly loved the attention of being a blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl, though there was one occasion where we were mobbed by a large group of people wanting to touch her and take her photo where she did get very wide eyed and overwhelmed.  I think when it comes to travelling with kids, it is largely a matter of planning ahead, being organised and thinking carefully about what is appropriate to your child’s attention and stage of development.

Singapore, I cannot wait until the next time we meet!

Christie Burnett is an experienced Early Childhood Teacher and a Mum and has worked with families of children from 0-8 years of age.  She blogs at Childhood 101 about all the things that contribute to growing a memorable, healthy childhood, with lots of ideas, tips and information for families. Childhood 101 was recently selected as Best Parenting Blog at the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards 2009.

… then I’d probably look something like THIS?

*smile*

This is our 3yo little guy who amused himself by happily trying on different kids’ glasses (while waiting for us) and checking out how he looked like in front of the mirror!

PS: Somehow he reminds me of that boy in Jerry Maguire in this photo. No?

If you’re a tourist, I think one of the must-go places to visit is Orchard Road.

But if you live in Singapore like I do, you may not quite go there. Well, we do, but only once every one or two months, may be?

Anyway.

Just like we always do, the four of us spent the whole of Saturday out and about, checking out different places with the kids.

And this time round, we went to Orchard Road.

I mean, we were there for more than SEVEN hours. From lunch to dinner time!

(The kids refused to nap and walked with us throughout the day. And since we didn’t bring along our pram, we heard no whinging about WHO got to sit and FOR HOW LONG *Yay*)

Anyway, here’re some of the stuff we checked out!

We casually sat on the floor and watched this high-energy street performance by Wicked Aura! Love it!

[Tee hee hee … what if they really need to go to the toilet NOW, Mommy?]

We saw this year’s Subaru Impreza Challenge kick off with some 400 contestants in front of Ngee Ann City!

Btw, the rule is, these people have to place their palms on the car for as loonnnggg as they can! (a few minutes break is given every few hours or so). And guess what! Last year’s winner stayed for 81 hours and won himself a Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan!

Now this is an interesting one!

The world’s tallest (30m!) indoor Via Ferrata climbing wall at Orchard Central!

And we looked up till our necks ached while munching our waffles and ice cream at Gelare right below it!

Hmm.

Perhaps we should give it a go one day and conquer our fear of heights!

Anyone?

Sometimes I find it hard to believe that it’s already been about a year and three months since Anya started her first ballet class.

Once every week, and each session lasts for about 45 minutes.

And you know what, … she’ll be having her very first ‘exam’ in 2 weeks time!

She needs to remember her steps, move to a particular music, do her bending, pointing, balancing, everything … alone, in front of an examiner from overseas.

And if all goes well, she’d then move one level up, from pre-primary to primary level.

The biggest challenge for her, other than remembering the whole sequence and timing her moves correctly to the rhythm, is … figuring out for herself HOW to concentrate, balance on one foot while the other points towards the back, and stretch out her arms at the same time.

Tough one.

And the challenge for me is, … figuring out how to get ALL her hair UP in a bun, without using any hair clips as it’s apparently not allowed in exams (where possible, without slapping too much gel on her scalp too!)

Well.

As you can see from the picture at the top, I have YET to figure that one out.

We had a nice little playdate with Nic and Will the other day, and spent some three hours under the afternoon sun by the beach!

The kids played and played, while the two moms chatted away.

And.

We were all a few shades darker by the end of the trip, haha.

Ah. We LOVE the beach and the outdoors.

Though, errr … I feel the view would’ve been much better if there were no ‘visible’ ships there.

[photos were taken using my ‘broken’ Canon Ixus. And as you can see on the ‘me and Nic’ photo, the sides were randomly blurry!]

…

[More Info]
– Palawan beach is designed more for the family and kids
– If you’re bringing along a bulky pram / stroller, you can avoid taking the free tram and walk to beach instead – about 5 mins walk from the Beach Station
– Meals at affordable prices are available at its food court (‘Koufu’)
– The shower area across the beach is relatively clean and spacious
– Free animal shows for everyone just across the beach