Thursday 28 June 2018

Kellogg's Family Day Out at Zoo

We were invited by Kellogg's for a Family Day out to the Zoo, where we had an international buffet breakfast at the Ah Meng's restaurant with the Orangutans. Not just one, but a family of orangutans! Which I've to say, it's easier to get kids look into the camera than the Orangutans. It was a fulfilling experience, not just for our tummies, but for getting up close with the Orangutans and a tame python. Orangutans in Malay means man of the forest.

Before entering the Zoo, we met Kellogg's mascots at the entrance for some photo moments. After which, we proceeded into the zoo for the hearty breakfast.
 

Kellogg's Mascot

Our cereal choice!

Savouring his fruit loops

Photo opportunity with the orangutans

The python and the brave man

And yes! Kellogg's range of cereal is now part of the breakfast buffet. Cereal partnered with milk make a breakfast spread complete.

The breakfast buffet spread at Ah Meng's restaurant has a good mix of Western and Asian delicacies. The Orangutans weren't there throughout our meal and not the near proximity we expected. Depends where you are seated perhaps. They were only out for a 30 minutes meet and greet session before returning to their trees. You will have to plan your eating pace accordingly. Don't get into the queue when it's too long or when it's ending.

 
Cereal complements the breakfast spread

Among the four popular choices of cereal over breakfast - cornflakes, fruit loops, coco pops and crunchy oats, fruit loops is the popular choice among kids! It was the fastest running cereal that morning at the restaurant. But if you were to ask the Mama, unsweetened cornflakes will always be my choice for them. Where each cornflakes piece is pressed from one corn grain. Sharing an easy cornflakes recipe towards the end of this post.

After breakfast was games and more cereals! We played spot the differences, which was really challenging to find 5 within a minute. We didn't succeed, but we had fun doing it together. And then we stacked cups, competing with the game master. Which he probably stacked slower just so the kids were happy to win. Heh!

 
Challenged to spot the difference

Many cereal choices!

More fruit loops!

Kellogg's has also sponsored the Primate Kingdom, and naming one of the Capuchin as Coco after its Coco mascot for Coco pops. We visited the Brown Capuchin, and did attempt to call out for "Coco." 

No respond of course.

Adopted!

Could be Coco the Capuchin

And we are primates too! That's what Scientists claim. All primates have a large brain compared to their body size. They are good climbers with strong arms and legs, and long grasping fingers and toes. The eyes of primates face forward to help them judge distance accurately. Excellent vision they have.

Physical and behaviour traits tie us to primates. How exactly are we alike? I only understand when I look at my kids.

Primates?!
Humans are primates too!

And if we do the zoo, we would always try not to miss feeding the giraffes and rhinoceros! Elephants too, if you are able to score a space in the line. Feed at $5 per platter.

Feeding times
Rhinoceros: 1.15pm
Giraffes: 10.45am, 1.50pm and 3.45pm
Elephants: 9.15am, 1.30pm and 1.40pm
You do need to try score seats in the center of the elephant show area if your would like to feed elephants. That's where the feeding queue begins.

Feeding rhinoceros

Feeding giraffes

We had an enjoyable time in the Zoo. Always!
And here's an easy recipe treat made with Kellogg's cornflakes for you to try. This treat and recipw was gifted to us as part of our goodie bag. Simply gather the following ingredients:
  • 60g unsalted butter
  • 50g honey
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1/4 salt
  • 100g kellogg's cornflakes
  • 50g almond flakes (optional)

Directions:
1. Light crush cornflakes
2. Melt butter, add in honey, salt and sugar till combined.
3. Pour mixture over cornflakes, add in almond flakes. Stir to combine.
4. Spoon mixture into small baking cups and bake at 155 degree for 15 minutes.
Leave to cool.

Gathered ingredients

Ready for eat!

Easy recipe right? Have fun with cereal! 


Disclaimer: Kellogg's Family Day Out at the zoo is made possible with Kellogg's invite. All photos and opinions are solely ours.


Tuesday 26 June 2018

Little Artists Art Studio - Cartoon Illustration Fun

The June holiday swooped over too fast! We were glad to have a fun filling one. 

I took this holiday opportunity to sign the kids up for art classes. I knew they had like to do art and this will definitely win their heart. It did! See how 'art' is spelt in 'heart'? It works something special in everyone!




The kids did 3 lessons of cartoon illustration fun with Little Artists Art Studio. There were just too many holiday art programmes to choose from, but I knew cartoon drawing would delight them much. Jazz chose to draw princess Jasmine and Bambi, while Jare wanted anything Star Wars. Kylo-ren and BB8 were his choices.

Before the start of the actual class, their desired character samples were already drawn and prepared for the kids' reference. I indicated their interest while booking the dates. 

Each lesson was 2 hours. Their first lesson was drawing their characters onto art papers. They drew twice, toggling between a practice sheet and the final. They did it stroke by stroke with their assigned teacher, Sharmaine who was really awesome and patient in guiding them. Not only does she praise the kids liberally, she encourages them to keep trying.



It goes with 1 lesson on drawing and the next on painting. So that will be a complete artwork with every 2 lessons. And of course if the drawing is one that is fast and simple, painting may be done within the same lesson. Very much dependent on each child's pace.








It was some impressive achievements for the kids! They were really happy and proud of their works.

Drawing takes much of an observation skill as well as loads of patience. They need to follow the strokes closely and it takes time to complete a piece. Js were in a class with other children who were all drawing and working on different art projects. Which means every child may draw their desired character without having to follow others. After all, every child has love for different cartoon characters.

And on their third lesson, they were taught body shapes drawing to achieve Bambi and BB8. I have not even the opportunity to learn body shapes drawing in my childhood years.

Js only exposure to art were classes at Community Centres, where everyone had to be drawing the same piece among other 20 children. It felt much personalised for them here in Little Artists. They run a low ratio of 1:4 for children between 2.5 years to 8.5 years old. And 1:6 ratio for children between 8.5 to 17 years old.




Little Artists Art Studio was founded by Shalini Kapoor in 1997. This is her 20th year directing the studio! Shalini is a professional educator with passion in both art and teaching. She coordinates all the programs and trains her staff in the studio. Her studio began with a mere class of 5 students to a bountiful achievement of countless attending artists today. Her studios sprawl across 2 places in the east, both at Siglap though - Mandarin Gardens and Siglap Centre. Js did their classes at Mandarin Gardens, which is partitioned into 5 different classrooms.

I had a peek into the various artworks in the different classes. 



They run art programmes for children 2.5 years onward to adults! Art fun is surely not age limiting. Cartoon illustration fun is part of their holiday palette which runs from May to 5th Aug 2018. There is a wide range of art classes to select, from canvas drawing, working with mediums and to even fashion designing. It is tough to not find something a child enjoys in here. They even run portfolio preparation programme for aspiring students who are keen in joining arts school. The best part was them having a flexible schedule to the classes. You may select the dates as per your programme choice between Monday to Thursday. Saturday and Sunday are subject to availability. 

Js really enjoyed their drawing time with Little Artists. A great place with a dedicated teacher made their drawing journey really enjoyable. Most importantly, at the end of each lesson, what you see from your child's work is as original as it can be. Teacher's intervention is very minimal or maybe even zero. At the end of the programme, the kids were also awarded a certificate. It sure encouraged them to keep drawing!

I believe art is therapeutic to anyone's soul. A good breather from the busy days of work.  


Trial Classes
Trial classes run between $30 to $45, depending on the chosen programme. This fee will be waived for all readers of Mum's calling. All you had need to do is to call Little Artists Studio and simply quote 'Mum's calling' when arranging a trial class.


Terms and conditions
  • Trial classes are strictly by appointment.
  • Trial classes are applicable to only new students of Little Artists.  
  • First 10 trial students will get a Little Artists sketchbook OR a tshirt (subject to availability).
  • Trial classes are applicable at both venues.
  • Trial classes are only applicable to one participant per visit.
  • All art supplies and materials are included for trial classes. 
Have Fun with Art!


Little Artists Art Studio Pte Ltd
Contact: 6449 0339 (Admissions & Trial Enquiries)
Contact: 6449 0960 (General Enquiries)
Contact: 64444952 (General Enquiries (Siglap Centre))
(Please call between Studio Open Hours: 11:00am-7:00pm  Monday-Thursday, and Saturday & Sunday 9:30am – 5:00pm)
Email : shalini@little-artists.com
Website: www.little-artists.com


The Mandarin Gardens (Main Studio)
15 Siglap Road (Shophouses)
#01-07 (Little Artists Art Studio)
Singapore 448912

Siglap Centre 
55 Siglap Road
#02-18 (Little Artists Art Studio)
Singapore 455871

Disclaimer: We were sponsored 3 art lessons per child. No monetary compensation involved. All opinions and photos are solely our own.  

Tuesday 12 June 2018

My Little Climbing Room [WITH GIVEAWAY]

We had the opportunity to visit My Little Climbing Room last week. It was birthed and co-founded by Winson, also the lead instructor over at My Little Climbing Room. The story behind every evolved idea is always inspirational, it was his son who spurred the idea into reality.

My Little Climbing Room

Winson's son showed interest in climbing as a very young age, but most climbing centres in Singapore were built for adults and not kids. Which I've to agree, it's not an easy find. Climbing centres built for adults, not kids means you have to keep an eye on your toddler all the time to prevent him from wandering into danger zones where climbers may fall onto him. Since it's meant for adults, the climbing holds are often out of little kid's reach too. In fact, some places deny entry for young kids because of their tender age. 

I love how My Little Climbing room welcomes my three kids openly, with the youngest being only 2. While I thought they may deny Juboy's desire to climb their walls, I was absolutely wrong! There was a harness of his size and Winson even led and guided him onto his first few steps of climb. He didn't complete the wall of course, he got frightful mid way. Be assured though, it can be done! The youngest this far to complete their wall was a 1 year old plus toddler. Too amazing!


Trying his very best

My Little Cimbling Room is not a very big space. After all, we scale vertically up and not horizontally. It is a small and cosy place for budding little climbers of all ages. Jazz and Jare did enjoy themselves thoroughly, though I thought they may find it too easy compared to Clip n Climb by HomeTeam NS. Children who are seasoned wall climbers may however find Little Climbing room too easy. 

Reach for the bell to conclude success

There are 5 high walls of about 4 metres in the room. Upon entry, a mission card will be given to every child. There are 12 challenges to complete on all the high walls. Redeem a mystery gift upon completing all challenges! It was 'Hello Panda' snack for them. The idea of mission card with incentive is a good motivation for kids to complete their challenges! A great way to train determination and perseverance.



Before visiting the place, I had this wonderful idea of sitting away and watch them climb. Yay, Mummy's time! But I was wrong, I was needed to belay them. With 1:3 ratio, I was thankful that Winson helped when he wasn't engaged with other kids. Juboy was very much contented with the toys and wheelies left around for play. And it was much added fun with superheroes costumes for the little climbers to put on for climb. Imagine that added booster to climb faster with Superman's cape!


Little play corner
 
Balancing toys

Little Iron Man

Each climb session is 90 minutes. It starts with 30 minutes of free play, then group games, followed by more free play. For weekday unlimited play, group games are run every 2 hours. It is a great place to have safe fun where the instructors are extremely on alert of any potential accidents. They are often swift to rescue. Safety is very much ingrained in them.


Games time!

Another game we played required little climbers to reach for their 'incentive' by climbing and reaching the hold which an eraser was placed on.

Eraser as reward
It was lots of fun for Js. I love it when they come to me after each failed mission, telling me 'I want to try again.' That's definitely the attitude that determines their altitude! 

And before you leave the place, remember to check out the photo net to collect your free photo. A sweet gesture, isn't it?!

Photos for collection


My Little Climbing Room
Opening Hours:
Thursday, Friday: 2pm - 7.30pm
Saturday, Sunday: 10am - 7.30pm
Due to limited capacity, do make a booking to avoid disappointment. Each session last 90 minutes. Please arrive 15 minutes in advance for safety briefing and gearing up. 

Address:
Promenade @ Pelikatc
183 Jalan Pelikat, #B1-101 Singapore (537643)

Grip socks will be needed for climbing


GIVEAWAY
We have 2 pairs of climb passes to My Little Climbing Room. 1 pair for giveaway on our facebook and another pair on Instagram.

To participate in the Facebook giveaway, simply:
1. Like My Little Climbing Room on Facebook
2. Like Mum's calling on Facebook
3. In the comment section of this Facebook post, tag 3 or more friends whom you think their kids will love climbing in here! 


To participate in the Instagram giveaway, simply:
1. Follow @mumscalling on Instagram
2. Follow @mylittleclimbing room on Instagram
3. In the comment section, tag 3 or more friends whom you think their kids will love climbing in here (One tag per comment please)!


You may participate in both handles to keep chances higher! All the Best! Giveaway closes on 21st June 2018, 2359 hrs.


Terms and Conditions:

  • Winner will be picked by random.org
  • Winner will be announced on Facebook and this blog post
  • Winner will have 48 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be drawn
  • All incomplete entries will be disqualified. 
  • All entries will be verified before the winner is announced 
  • To be fair to our sponsors, social media accounts set up purely to take part in contests will be deemed ineligible to win.
  • Giveaway is no way sponsored, endorsed, administered or associated with Facebook or Instagram. 

Disclaimer: We were invited to play and review My Little Climbing Room. No monetary compensation was given. All opinions and photos are solely ours.


Friday 1 June 2018

Books Review [WITH GIVEAWAY]

Even as we try to declutter our books, there will always be new books streaming in. And we love it! Pansing has sent our bookworms some books for read and review. And here's what Jazz has to say about the Kid Normal book 1 and 2.


1. KID NORMAL YOU DON'T NEED SUPERPOWERS TO BE A HERO 
Murph Cooper has a problem. His new school is top secret, and super weird. His classmates can all fly, control the weather or conjure tiny horses from thin air. And what's Mruph's extraordinary skill? He hasn't got one! Just as there are no revolting supervillians lurking nearby, their minds abuzz with evil plans. 

It's time for Kids Normal to become a hero!

Jazz's review:
"Join Murph in his new school. 'The school' is not your everyday school. It is a school for people with special capability (cape) from ice powers to force fields. Murph accidentally joins this school, where he is known as kid normal. Life in school is not a daydream. Other than keeping 'The school' a secret, Murph gets bully for not having a cape and his teacher, Mr Flash is determined to make his life horrible. One day Murph makes four new friends, Hilda the girl who could make two tiny horses appear out of thin air, Mary who can only fly with an umbrella, Billy the boy who can inflate any part of his body and Nellie the girl who can make thunderstorms. Mr Flash thinks their powers are useless, but you are just about to see how wrong he is. One day a scientist tries to see what is in the brain of a wasp, but his experiment went wrong, and that fateful day was the day Nektar was made. Nektar wants to take over the school with hypnotism helmets. It is up to Murph and his friends to save the day with the help of the schools caretaker, Carl and the secretary of the principal, Flora. 

Don't worry, the book hasn't ended. Read the next book to find out what happens ... ...




2. KIDS NORMAL AND THE ROGUE HEROES
Not all heroes have superpowers. Murph Cooper is a living prrof. Since becoming Kid Normal, he and the Super Zeroes have been catching baddies all over the place. But being a hero is about to get a whole lot harder... Far away in a top-secret prison, the world's most feared supervillian has just broken a thirty-year silence. His first words? "Bring Kid Normal to me!"

Jazz's review
In book two, Murph and his friends are know as the super zeros. This time, things are better for Murph. Then the most evil villain (rogue) in the world, Magpie asks to see him. Magpie has the capability to steal people's cape. He gives Murph a poem, help Murph crack the code. Join him as he searches for clues to defeat Magpie.

This series is filled with adventures and wonders. The lesson from the stories exemplifies that being normal doesn't mean you can't be extraordinary. Appropriate for children 9 years old and above. Enjoy!


These books are appropriate for children 5 years old and above:
3. FANTASTICALLY GREAT WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD
This book is bursting full of astounding women who acheived amazing things by following their hearts, talents and dreams. Fly through the sky with explorer AMELIA EARHART, speak out for what is right with EMMELINE PANKHURST, and cause a fashion revolution with COCO CHANEL. The book is drawn with beautiful illustrations and fantastic facts, a perfect introduction to just a few incredible women who helped shape the world we live in.

4. FANTASTICALLY GREAT WOMEN WHO MADE HISTORY
This book is a celebration of extraordinary women from around the world and how their remarkable lives marched them into our history books. Blast into space with astronaut VALENTINA TERESHKOVA, become a mighty Egyptian pharaoh with the powerful HATSHEPSUT and make your voice heard with mother and daughter duo, women's right champion MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT and Frankenstein's creator MARY SHELLEY.




 
5. WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT - LET'S DISCOVER BUGS
6. WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT - LET'S DISCOVER BIRDS
These books are great for discovering the wonderful world of Bugs and Birds with fun facts, tips, recipes, crafts and colour-in sticker activities!







These books are available at all good bookstores! 


INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY
Heap Thanks to Pansing, we are are giving away a set of KID NORMAL series (2 books) with bookmarks and tote bag to 1 lucky winner over on our Instagram handle. Hop over to participate!

To win, simply
    1. Follow @mumscalling on Instagram
    2. Follow @definitelybooks on Instagram
    3. Tag 3 or more friends whom you think their kids will love reading these books (A tag per comment)!

    That's it. We like to keep participation easy!



    Giveaway ends on 08 June, 2359hrs. All the best!



    Terms and Conditions:
    • Winner will be announced on Instagram.
    • Winner will have 48 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be drawn
    • All incomplete entries will be disqualified. 
    • All entries will be verified before the winners are announced 
    • To be fair to our sponsor, social media accounts set up purely to take part in contests will be deemed ineligible to win.
    • Giveaway is no way sponsored, endorsed, administered or associated with Facebook or Instagram..