Get TANGLED

If you are in Singapore you might want to check out TANGLED at the Singapore Art's Festival, Esplanade Park.  It is a really delightful idea and suitable for all kids under the age of 12 yrs.

They are running sessions at 4pm, 5pm and 6:30 pm but you'll need to arrive a little early to register... although it is free there are only so many people who can fit in the space.

And then... a pleasant walk past the Esplanade theatre to Glutton's Bay for a hawkers meal... once you have de-tangled of course!

FINISHES UP ON THE 2ND JUNE SO CHOP CHOP!!

1/2 day itineraries, out and about in Singapore with Little Kids

#:7 Visit the Horses - Singapore Polo Club

Little kids LOVE horses... What better way to feed their enthusiasm than with an early morning visit to the Singapore Polo Club.

Visitors are welcome to the Club on week days only... you'll need to latch onto a member or become one if a weekend visit is desired.

HOW TO GET THERE: Singapore Polo Club,  is located at 80 Mount Pleasant Road, off Thompson Road and near the Old Police Academy (Bus Stop No: B51021).   Check out their website for detailed instructions and maps http://www.singaporepoloclub.org/contact.html

You are best to arrive early... by early I mean 8:30-9:00!  At this time there are still ponies being worked by members at the out door riding arena.  Too much later than 10am and you may find that the heat has seen the ladies abandoned the arena for ice tea and gossip in the club's cafe!

We like to arrive before 9am, park the car and walk (confidently) past the reception desk, through to the pool, bearing right toward and then past the polo field, past the tennis courts and onto the indoor riding arena.  Here you will hopefully find 5 or 6 horses being worked, and they really are beautiful!   That is saying something coming from me as I grew up in a farming family but was never taken with horses as a kid.  As much as my mother tried it was not my thing.  I hate to think how much the privilege of pony club would cost here in Singapore!  Still it is nice to watch others enjoy the privilege!

Once done you can actually continue to the stables (visible form the arena) and say "hello" to the horses who are just kicking back in their quarters.  They seem to be pretty friendly - on my last visit I took my visiting mother-in-law who is a "horse person" and she taught me to pick the friendly horses (it all about how their ears are pointed) so I was actually confident enough to let Miss May pet a few... with out her I would not have chanced it!

TAKE CAUTION: There are some staff about the place but they are not there to help you and it is not their job to keep you safe or point out dangers... HOLD YOUR KID'S HAND!  Perhaps it is the hardened farm girl coming out in me but I feel the need to point out that this is not an environment especially set up for kids, indeed it is not a zoo... it is just a lovely place that it is easy going, and we are lucky to be free to wander about... ie don't ruin it for the rest of us!

After you have finished your meandering head back to the cafe and enjoy a fresh glass of orange juice and enjoying the lovely views of the polo field!

FLOWERS ANYONE?:  If you have time you might consider continuing onto the plant nurseries on Thompson road (just turn right out of the polo club and right again on Thompson Road).  The huddle of Nursery's sell mainly potted plants however in the middle of it all is a fully refrigerated flower house!!!!   I'm talking two or three rooms of cut flowers (orchards, daisy's, lily's you name it...).  Well priced and nearly too chilly, it is a welcomed stop before heading home.


Interesting Polo facts to talk about with your kids...
Polo Ponies have their mane's "hogged" ... that is to say it is cut back - kinda like a little mohawk!  This is to prevent them being tangled in play.  You will see ponies with hogged manes in the stables at the Singapore Polo Club!
In a game of polo each rider requires a number of ponies (ie they get tired - especially in Singapore where it is so hot)... I cant help but liken this to an AFL interchange bench (for the Aussies this will make some sense ..).  The need for multiple horses is why it is such an expensive sport... enter James Packer!!
Polo horses are called "ponies" but this is in reference to their agility rather than their size.  That said you will probably notice that the polo horses at the club are generally a little smaller!
The Singapore Polo Club was founded in 1886 making it one of Singapore oldest sporting and social clubs and it boasts a distinguished history... it has been at it current location since 1941.
During WW1 the Japanese army used the location to store their guns and later it was used as a squatters camp.
Lord Mountbattern, who was himself a keen player of polo helped to reestablish the club following the war.

Enjoy your time at the Singapore Polo Club!

"Growing up Global" - 10 things to do now!

Miss May is almost two and has started to build strong relationships with the people around her.  Living in Singapore means her community is diverse!  Her friends in the playground are Vietnamese, Singaporean, Chinese, American, Japanese, Indian, Norwegian and Australian.  Our neighbours are Malaysian, Spanish and Singaporean.  Her swim teacher is from the Philippines, she has Mandarin with her Chinese 'Laoshi' and her music teacher is German (incidentally ... musical monkeys rocks!).  


As wonderful as it is, this way of life was not something my husband and I especially planned for our daughter.  Miss May just happens to live in a very multicultural setting at this point in her life.   


It go me thinking... what conscious steps could I take to help Miss May embrase this time and encourage her to be an active and positive global citizen as she grows?  What will happen when we inevitably go home to Australia with Miss May?  Will all this be forgotten?


I recently purchased "Growing up Global" by Homa Travangar and I wanted to share with you her "10 things to do now".  These are easy things we can all do for our kids, to help them feel more engaged with the big wide world... regardless of where we live!  

How does your family fare in Homa's list?

    Keep the world at your fingertips. Purchase an up-to-date globe and keep it handy for easy reference and/or cover a wall near the kitchen table or other central location with an oversized, laminated world map.

     Enrich your playlists and music collection. As kids become accustomed to so much musical diversity they adjust naturally to the various sounds, making the genres feel less ‘foreign,’ and creating a bridge with new friends from all over the planet.

     Make Birthday Parties Global: When you’re ready to move beyond the Princess, Power Ranger or Pony party themes, consider choices derived from global celebrations: Bastille Day, Cinco de Mayo, Earth Day, Chinese New Year, the World Cup, Olympics…. 

     Spice-Up Thanksgiving and your take-out choices: Look to your cultural heritage (or a guest’s) or a favorite ethnic food style. Start slowly by using a new spice or herb, or add a new side dish. And don’t forget variations on leftovers: turkey enchiladas, green bean and rice pilaf, dumplings and pieroski’s make the next day’s meal almost as exciting as traditional Thanksgiving. When deciding on take-out or choosing a restaurant for a family dinner, try cuisine from a culture that is less familiar to you.

     Find Beautiful Books: Vibrant coffee table and kids’ picture books can bring diverse circumstances, people and emotions to life, for all ages. 

     Decorate the Holidays in a New Way: Decorations from Latin American, Russian, Asian, and many other cultures are available in all kinds of mainstream stores. Kids might enjoy selecting an ornament from a favorite country, or can pick an ornament they find pretty, and then find out about where it came from and what it represents.

     Get passports. Even if you have no intention or budget for international travel, possessing your own passports will put your family in the mindset of the possible, as a very physical reminder of your world citizenship.

     Use Soccer to Go Global. Pick an international team to follow based on your heritage, your friend’s, your favorite type of food, the language you want to learn to speak, your favorite jersey, or hundreds of other reasons – get creative! The FIFA website includes an inter-active world map to help you learn about all the teams and member countries.

     See the World Through Movies: View and compare the stories of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Superman, Jungle Book and many more through movie versions from other countries and eras. Also included: Homa Tavangar’s “Essential 7 Foreign Family Movies” as well as hundreds of other foreign film recommendations for all ages.

 Expose Children to Foreign Language(s): There are lots of ways (covered in the book) to do this, but start by making the effort to learn a few words in a foreign language with your kids – even if it’s learning how to say something mundane or silly like “toilet” in five languages! See if there are root similarities or other ways that languages relate.

Growing Up Global is a book with a great message.  For parents of older children who are looking to engage their kids in dialogue about different cultures and countries it is especially relevant.  I will say however, the target audience is decidedly American and I don't mean that simply in relation to it's many references to Thanksgiving, rather the author seems to speak to American sentiments.  Perhaps ironic given the book's core message!  Furthermore, although she provides some great tips and pointers (who knew that National Geographic has a website especially for kids) much of her content is pre-occupied with convincing the reader that "growing up global" is a good idea in the first place, a forgone conclusion in my home.  Still it's one I'm sure I'll reference from time to time and I do like her "10 things to do now"!   


I'm now wondering how I can reverse these ideas for Third Culture Kids... try to help them foster a stronger connected with 'home', in Miss May's case Australia.  


Stay tuned peeps!

Tunnels + Balls

1 hr of power; quick, easy, clean stuff to do when it's too hot/cold/rainy to play outdoors!

Loads of fun this week with simple and inexpensive items.... tubes and balls!  

The pictures are pretty self explanatory...

Mothers Day

A quick shout out to all the mum's.  

It is only my second mothers day and to be honest I was a little shell-shocked this time last year, so it in some ways this feels like my first.... and I'm kinda excited.  Is that weird?

Actually I am thinking a lot of my own Mum back in Australia and lamenting the distance between us.  Distance from family and friends is probably... no definitely... the most challenging aspect of 'ex-patting' and although I have lived with distance from my own parents since I was seventeen, I still wonder how different life would be, and how wonderful life could be, if we lived next door to each other today.  Miss May would have the security of Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles and Cousins around her, the consistency of enduring and long term friendships, she would 'live Australian' and hopefully feel Australian.  Certainly I would benefit from the mothering wisdom of my Mum and Mother-in-Law who have, between them raised five children into successful and happy adults.

Then I remember talking to my Mum, years and years ago about her parenting experience, long before I even considered becoming a parent myself.  She was contemplating her off-spring and how different the three of us were (are) and the how the paths we were seeking in life were so wildly divergent.

"Oh well" she said...
"I think it is testimony to great parenting when kids turn out to be nothing like each other,  and do things their parents only dreamed of!"**

And there it is... I realise I have benefited from exceptional parenting, the kind which loves so much it allows me to be my own person.  My husband and I have chosen a path which has taken us away from home for a number of years but we know our parents, however they yearn for us to be closer, will support us in following that path.

So thanks Nanna, and Grandma... we miss you!

Happy Mothers Day peeps...


**I will admit a little poetic license here but that is the gist of it!

Tissue Paper Collage

1 hr of power; quick, easy, clean stuff to do when it's too hot/cold/rainy to play outdoors!

This week I bought a huge pack of coloured tissue paper.  I was itching to get into it and decided simply tearing it up and pasting it to paper would be a great activity for Miss May.  I am also vaguely aware that Eric Carle who wrote and illustrated the world's best picture book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" does his illustrations using this simple technique... sweet!  

I have to say that the tearing part was great and my primary school teacher Mum is always telling me that tearing and scrunching paper is a great activity for little kids.  Unfortunately Miss May lost all interest pretty quickly and so at the risk of it turning into tanty-town I put the project on the shelf.  

Later in the day we took the whole thing outside and had another go.  The kids in the playground helped out and soon we had a condo masterpiece!

I know, I know... technically this was neither quick nor indoors... but it was relatively easy and not too messy.  With even slightly older kids this would be a great activity so I'm including it in my 1hr of power today!

Have fun peeps

Skype: connecting with family far far away!

Mothers day is fast approaching and so today Miss May and I decided it was high time we posted our Mothers day card's to Grandma and Nanna back in Australia.  We jumped in the car, turned up the volume and cruised down to the Newton Post Office, waited in a 'car que' for a park (I kid you not), parked, shuffled inside, bought stamps, stuck them on and popped them into the slot.  I've gotta be honest ... it all felt rather archaic!

It got me thinking about pre-email/skype/SMS/MMS/tweet/facebook/blog days.  I remembered (and at the risk of revealing my vintage) that when I lived in Japan as a 17 year old I would fax my family a letter once a week... and I was a lucky kid, my father had a fax machine!

By the time I began my second long-term stint overseas as a 20 year old email had hit, but we didn't have PC's of our own or internet access at home so all emailing was done during scheduled time in the University library or at internet cafe's.  I remember writing HUGE emails, making sure the grammer and spelling was correct and hitting the send button with relish and excitement.  What a fabulous way to avoid study.

Today my emails are often one-liners and are riddled with abbreviations and acronyms.  We text, call and skpye home without giving it much thought.  Social media means the Third Culture Kids of today have far greater opportunity for really connecting with family back home than those who tred before them.

Here are my TOP TIPS FOR SKYPE-ING... home... with little kids in mind!

• Choose a regular time to skype, diarise it and make it a priority to keep the date
• Skype at a time when grandparents or cousins can share in an activity (reading is the most obvious activity.  The lovely Jenika from World and Twirls Around the World had a great idea:  Grandma buys the book her Daughter is reading so the two of them can read aloud together.  They can check the page and show each other the pictures they particularly like etc...)
• Skype when you are painting or doing crafts so your kids can show and/or explain what they are up to.  We sometimes skype my grandparents during a painting session, Miss May loves getting attention from Grandparents for her good work.
• Older kids?  Leave them to it!  Uninhibited by hovering parents they can carve out their own dialogue with Grandparents or Cousins.
• Little kids?  Gimmick!   Miss May's Nanna, right from the early days kept 3 sparkling, flashing balls near her PC and would show Miss May every time we skyped.  Miss May loved it!   Then when Nanna visited she brought the balls along, she even left one with us!  I think stuffed toys would also work... something visually appealing which little ones might recognise before they start to really know the faces and voices of relatives.

Do you have any skype tips for parents with family far far away?  I'd love to hear from you...

Happy skyping peeps!

Lets go fly a kite... Marina Barrage

If you are looking for a late afternoon activity this weekend you might consider a visit to the Marina Barrage!

The Marina Barrage is built across the mouth of the Marina where it basically functions as a levy... keeping freshwater in and salt water out.  The structure of the building is quite unique... kind of a spiralling lawn roof which flattens at the top and provides for excellent kite flying conditions and exceptional views back across the Marina.

Getting there... by car you need to take Exit 17a off the ECP heading toward vivo city and then follow the signs.  If you are coming from a different direction please reference the website here.
If you are looking to take public transport there is a regular shuttle.  You need to get the MRT to Marina Bay Station... Take exit A and walk (about 2 minutes) to the shuttle bus pick-up point (I understand this is marked).  Please check here for shuttle schedule.

Start with the Sustainability Gallery on level 2.  Miss May really enjoyed this although clearly had no idea what it was all about.  The brochure described it as a "sensory extravaganza" which is actually pretty accurate!  The lights and sounds are very intriguing for little ones and for the bigger ones (namely my fact-loving husband) there is lots of information to take in.  BUT... when Miss May said "DONE, DONE, DONE" Daddy tore himself away from the 3D display of a water pump (!!) and we moved on.

I suggest you then take the stairs or the escalator to the top floor.  You will be greeted with a very wholesome scene indeed.  Loads of people, primarily youth, taking in the views and enjoying their weekend AND WOW so many kites.  If you do not have a kite of your own they are available for purchase in the downstairs gift shop, or simply cop a spot on the lawn and take advantage of everyone else's hard work!  

When you're ready, walk the parameter of the lawn and then down via the spiral lawn, to the water park on the ground level!  Although a bit tired and a concrete jungle, the water park is good value and a great way to cool off.

When it's time for chow... you'll find a steamboat restaurant on the ground floor and a gallery cafe on the 2nd floor!  I can't personally recommend either of these establishments as I have never eaten there but I can say they seem to have great views of the ocean side of the barrage and therefore lots of ships and boats to keep little ones amused.

We are creatures of habit and tend to jump the car back to the Marina Bay Sands for a nibble at Southcoast where Miss May can muck around on her scooter while we have a sneaky wine!

Our day at The Marina Barrage was nice but here are a few things to be aware of before you go...

• Is Singapore: is HOT!  We went on an overcast afternoon, so it was fine but beware of sunny days as there is absolutely NO shade on the roof!  That said the water play area offered parcial shade which is great!  
• Have a bit of an idea where you are going... it is a little confusing due to all the construction taking place in the area at present.
• Beware of kids in electric wheelchairs!  I kid you not those electric scooters, reserved for the elderly in other parts of the world, are available for rent!  Kids were zooming around the ground floor having a great time but lets face it... they are kids... they dont have licenses and anyway they should be walking.... or is it just me that thinks this way?

Oh well, each to their own... HAVE FUN!

West Coast Park

As Miss May gets older we have been able to expand on our repertoire of Sunday activities to take advantage the parks and open spaces Singapore has to offer.  West Coast Park with it's 3 Adventure Playgrounds is a particularly good option for families with kids of different ages and therefor a wider range of "requirements" for a day out.

HOW TO GET THERE...The adventure playground itself is located right near the McDonalds (any taxi driver will know the spot), if you are driving take the West Coast Park way and look out for the McDonalds + Car Park.

Being near the water you might brave a mid-morning arrival with the view to enjoying a picnic lunch at the nearby kite park.  We arrived early (I sound like a broken record) and enjoyed a mid morning tea break on our picnic blanket.

The toddlers playground featured a boat to climb around on and lots of sand to play in so we were happy!  The other areas for the older kids looked AWESOME... a real bone-breaking opportunity!  Climbers will LOVE IT!!

We also walked over to the water and had a little look... for boys who love big boats this is a nice side-activity.

We had a great time at West Coast Park but just a couple of THINGS to REMEMBER before you leave...
- Be Prepared!  Once you get there, you have few options in regard to shops, outlets etc... for me this is code for "have a really good cuppa before you leave cos you wont find one there"!
- Take: Picnic Rug (even if you dont intend on enjoying a picnic - there are benches but it's better to 'cop a spot on the edge of the playground)
- Take: Food (unless you are happy with McDonalds)
- Take: Water + Sunscreen - there is limited shade and despite the sea breeze little ones will get hot
- Take: Sand Play equipment.  We did not take this but Miss May has a work-around... "borrowing" from others!!!

Enjoy!

Buddha's Birthday - Vesak Day!!

In Singapore diversity is celebrated!  Within the permanent population, ethnic Chinese account for some 74%, Malay 13% and Indian just under 10%.  Each ethnic group have traditions and days of cultural significance so it follows that the nations public holiday's are set accordingly.  Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya to name the big three!  As guests in Singapore we have enjoyed the opportunity to join ALL the celebrations!

This weekend the Buddhist community in Singapore and throughout Asia are celebrating Vesak Day.  Vesak Day talks to the birth, enlightenment and passing away of Gautama Buddha  on who's teachings Buddhism is founded.  I guess for children is it a little easier to talk about birthdays than achieving 'Nirvana' so we are happily referring to it as 'Buddha's birthday' in our household!

We are planning a trip to the Buddha Tooth Relic and Museum in Chinatown where I understand we will get some insight into the more traditional aspects of this auspicious day... but for the time being we thought a birthday cake was in order!

In the case you are a baker and interested in my choice of recipe.. it is a layered coconut cake from the Flour Bakery & Cafe cookbook... and it is easy and yummy Lah!!!
 
Thanks for your help Miss May...

NB.  Apologies for my enso (the sacred symbol of Zen Buddhism) - I know Zen Buddism is generally not practised in Singapore, or South East Asia for that matter!  It was a last minute inclusion with the help of shredded coconut and a little bit of yellow food colouring! Pow!!!