Monday 12 June 2017

Cognitive Whizz's 'A Science Escapade'

School holidays are a whole lot fun for school-going kids but a BIG 'headache' for their parents as we have to squeeze our brain juices to plan lotsa fun or educational activities for them. How about a program which kills 2 birds with 1 stone? 

BB was one of the lucky few who received a sponsorship to 'A Science Escapade', organised by Cognitive Whizz at Brainfit Studio, Novena. It is a holiday program for kids between 4 to 7 years old which helps to nurture inquisitive minds & expose your child to Physical & Chemistry Science as they embark on an exciting journey through The Land of Fairy Tale Emergencies. What captivates me most is the integration of Science concepts in fairy tales <3 Through story-telling, role playing & experiments, kids will have tremendous fun interacting with their peers to unravel the mysteries of Science behind fairy tales!


The 4-day program is as follows:

Day 1 -> Accelerate Hansel & Gretel's escape through air, water & land
              - Appreciate Newton's laws of motion & effects of friction around us.
              - Understand energy conversion during propulsion.
              - Apply Physical Science concepts for the escape.

Day 2 -> Help Frog Prince float the heavy golden ball
              - Correlate densities with different types of balls & food items.
              - Be amazed by positive buoyancy as well as learn how heavy objects can float.
              - Apply concept of density in real life & how it benefits us.

Day 3 -> Revive Sleeping Beauty from her sleep
              - Understand why we yawn.
              - How to release trapped oxygen to her.
              - Appreciate the uses & significance of oxygen in our daily lives.

Day 4 -> Explore Aladdin's magic lamp for more surprises
              - Be a percussionist or wood-wind musician anytime.
              - Are your eyes tricking you? Be fascinated by optical illusions!
              - Discover the Science behind magic tricks relating to sound & light.

At the end of each session, there's actually a debrief for parents which I find it to be extremely useful. Upon finding out more about what the kids have learnt, we could actually help to revise & reinforce the Science concepts at home. Furthermore, teacher Denise even goes the extra mile to send us a text msg with an extremely detailed summary daily.

    Teacher Denise doing the parents' debrief on the 1st day.

    BB's creation to help Hansel & Greta escape from the wicked witch!

This is actually a non-parent accompanied program but I was a prilvieged few to be allowed to sit in. Here's some insights into what actually goes on in the classroom on the 2nd day. To be honest, I was totally blown away! The 3 hours program is packed full with not a dull moment at all.

The class commenced with a recap of yesterday's lesson which serves as a good revision. Kids were then introduced to 4 new vocabulary namely Embarrased, Discontented, Puzzled & Thrilled. After teacher Denise's explanation, all of them were given a chance to apply one of the words to the feelings they were experiencing that morning. BB said he was discontented as he didn't have breadfast that morning which left Mummy feeling puzzled as he definitely had his at home >_<


Next, story-time was on! All the kiddos crowded around & listened intently as Teacher Denise read The Frog Prince out loud to them. The kids love her animated narration <3


With reference to the golden ball in the story, physical balls of various shapes & sizes were introducted. The kids were then assigned to their respective groups according to their ages with an assistant teacher allocated to each table. Here on, they took turns to touch & have a feel of all the balls before completing the fun activities in their customised workbooks. Stickers were distributed to them & they were supposed to make a guess as to whether they'll float or sink in water. 


Upon completing this, the children were given turns to participate in the experiments whereby the actual results were demonstrated in the centre of the class. Well, seeing is always believing ;)


From the results revealed, the Science concept of density is borned. Different materials like aluminimum, blu tack, bubble-wrap, iron & various food etc were used in more experiments to reinfore the concept. 



To end off the lesson, kids were asked to role-play & behave like the objects with differing densities.


Through inquiry-based learning, hands-on experiments & multi-sensorial experiences, key benefits of the program are:

1. Grasp Science concepts to facilitate better appreciation of the environment.

2. Hone Science skills like hypothesizing, observing, evaluating data & drawing conclusions from experiments.

3. Develop critical thinking & problems solving skills by designing experiments & applying Science concepts in real life.

4. Develop systematic thought process by devising experiments step-by-step.

5. Build confidence & communication skills through sociodramatic play & active discussion with peers.

The entire program is organised, well-planned & worth every cent of it!! The teachers were very patient yet firm when dealing with the LOs. Special thanks to Teacher Denise & Teacher Venus for being so accomodating to my super active toddler which kept testing the boundaries & refusing to listen to instructions given..tqvm once again!!!



Disclaimer: Financial compensation was not received for this post. The classes are kindly sponsored by Cognitive Whizz but opinions expressd here are solely BB's & mine ^.~

Friday 9 June 2017

BB's New Fave - Buttered Garlic Prawns Pasta

Like most kids his age, BB is not a big fan of garlic. On the other hand, eating garlic actually brings with it lots of health benefits like improving immunity. Having chance upon some very fresh organic garlic at Cold Storage, I couldn't resist the temptation to buy a pack home. Therefore, the next challenge is how to finish them before they spoil. Aglio olio has always been one of my all-time fave style of pasta & knowing C's love for prawns, I used it to my advantage >.~

Ingredients (serves 1 toddler + 1 adult):

10-12 prawns, with shells removed & deveined
4 cloves of organic garlic, chopped finely
1 tbsp of unsalted butter
1/8 tsp of dried oregano
150g of Alce Nero organic mixed fusili, cooked & drained
50ml of cooked pasta water
100g of organic frozen peas
A dash of dried parsley (for garnishing)
Freshly grounded black pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Use a deep pot or pan to cook pasta to al dente according to instructions on pack. Drain, keeping about 50ml of pasta water. Run pasta under cool water to stop it from continuing cooking with the residual heat then drain & set aside.

2. Dry the pot or pan with a kitchen towel & heat it up gently with the butter. Once it has melted & starting to bubble, add in garlic & stir fry slightly till fragrant.

3. Pour prawns in, add oregano & fry till cooked. Remove prawns & set aside.

4. Add in cooked pasta to the remaining buttered garlic as well as the peas & pasta water & mix evenly so that all the pasta is coated with the emulsion. Cook till peas are done then serve immediately with prawns, garnished with some dried parley & black pepper.


BB was very reluctant to try when he heard the word 'garlic'. However, being strongly enticed by the prawns, he decided to give it a try. Verdict? He completed the entire bowl of pasta in record time of 10 mins & even asked for more. Since then, he has been asking almost weekly for his GARLIC prawns. Mummy won this round..lolz!

Thursday 8 June 2017

The Kidz Academy 2017

Ever since BB went SmartKids Asia & enjoyed himself tremendously earlier this year, he had been asking to revisit it every now & then which I've had to repeatedly explain to him that it's an yearly event so he gotta wait for the next one. Thus, I know he'll be thrilled when I tell him we've received a media invite to The Kidz Academy which is also organised by Sphere Exhibits Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH). 


The Kidz Academy is back this June school holidays from 9th to 11th June 2017 at Suntec Singapore Halls 404 to 406 with a local twist! There'll be many new additions showcasing Singapore's rich history which I believe will enable the LOs to learn in a fun way through play ;>


The Kidz Academy Storyland, a segment featuring live theatrical acts, will showcase performances based on Singapore's urban legends - The Legend of Bukit Merah, The Legend of Badang & history of Sang Nila Utama. Also on board is National Library Board as the Official Storyland Partner, presenting another Singaporean folklore.

The event will also feature back-to-school games, activities & food from the 60s to 90s with the objective of introducing children to a non-digital era that we've grown up in. I'm actually really looking forward to these..hee!

Partnering with Youth Leader Singapore, the event will debut TKA Care Challenge: a collaborative effort between ten local primary schools to raise funds for The Straits Times Pocket Money Fund. The students will be creating special knick-knacks made from mostly environmentally-friendly materials to be sold at the respective schools & during the three-day event.

Another fundraising effort will witness the organisers working with The Salvation Army Singapore to raise funds for its local causes through The Kidz Academy Book Cart, which will make its rounds to schools, offices & the event venue to sell second-hand children books from local & international authors at a fixed price of $2.90 each.

Visitors at The Kidz Academy can also look forward to the following activities:

1. Watch Robocar Poli Live Onstage Daily
The Kidz Academy will bring forth characters from Robocar Poli featuring Poli & Amber for 3 days of performances at 1pm & 7pm daily.

2. Daily Stage Activities
A comprehensive set of stage segments from various exhibitors encompassing education, the art, sports & more.

3. Daily Lucky Draws with prizes worth more than $14,000
Visitors will be entitled to 1 chance in the lucky draw with every receipt of purchase. Happening twice daily at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, a total of more than $14,000 worth of prizes that include a 2D1N stay in a One-Bedroom Villa at Amara Santuary Resort Sentosa worth $4,100 as the grand prize!

4. Goodie Bag Giveaway (Worth up to $50)
With a total of 1,500 goodie bags to be given away, registrants are to redeem the Goodie Bags at the event from 10am onwards. Be the 1st 200 participants to queue at the door to get one.

5. The Kidz Academy Play Pass
The Play Pass is an interactive activity for children of all ages. Participants are to complete activities from different pit stops held at various booths at the event. Completion of the Fun Passport entitles one to a game of Tikam-Tikam with exclusive prizes up for grabs.

6. The Young Singapura Girl Contest
Introducing a new stage segment, the contest aims to crown the most creative display of the young Singapore girl in their best ethnic wear. Open to children from ages 5 to 12. The top participants will walk away with prizes which include Universal Studios Singapore Admission Tickets & retail vouchers.

7. The Kidz Academy Village
In collaboration with partners such as Loacker, the Kidz Academy Village offers complimentary refreshments for children of all ages at varied timeslots throughout the day. Limited quantities will be available each day.

8. The Finals of Speak Up! Kids Public Speaking Competition
Happening on 9th & 11th June, the finals of the 2nd public speaking competition - a joint collaboration between The Kidz Academy & Speech Academy Asia will showcase 24 teams from 3 different age groups & various primary schools.

9. Safe Cycle Programme
A dedicated zone that impacts basic skills training & road circuit stimulation to educate kids on safe cycling, children will be certified as a safe cyclist at the end of the programme. Registration is available here.

10. Free-to-play Inflatable Zone
3 inflatable attractions will be available across 3 days within an allocated space of more than 200sqm. The inflatable zone will include attractions such as Ninja Run, Discovery Box & Ultimate Rebound - the only of its kind in Singapore.

For more information on the latest updates & event highlights, visit http://www.thekidzacademy.com.sg/ or http://www.facebook.com/thekidzacademy.



About Sphere Exhibits Pte Ltd

A wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), Sphere Exhibits, which stands for "SPH Events, Roadshows and Exhibitions", aims to be the leading events company catering to a diverse mix of trade and consumer clientele.

Backed by a committed and experienced team of professionals and SPH's comprehensive range of media platforms, Sphere Exhibits’ shows, events and exhibitions centre on unique concepts that attract local audiences and regional participants. Among Sphere Exhibits' events are The IT Show, COMEX, Licence2Play, Asian Masters, Gourmet Japan and Kidz Academy.

Leveraging on its expertise in event conceptualisation, planning and execution, Sphere Exhibits delivers memorable and quality events that meet the objectives of its clientele and partners.

About Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

Incorporated in 1984, main board-listed Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) is Asia’s leading media organisation, engaging minds and enriching lives across multiple languages and platforms, ranging from print, digital, radio and out-of-home media.

SPH owns award-winning newspapers, magazines and best-selling books in both print and digital editions, as well as online classified businesses in the region. In addition, SPH has two English radio stations and one Chinese radio station, an out-of-home digital advertising unit, a regional events and conferences arm, and runs a chain of modern retail convenience stores. SPH also has a 20 per cent stake in MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd, which operates free-to-air channels 5, 8 and U, and a 40 per cent stake in MediaCorp Press Limited, which publishes the free newspaper, Today.

SPH REIT comprises Paragon, a premier upscale retail mall and medical suite/office property in Orchard Road and The Clementi Mall, a mid-market suburban mall. SPH's latest retail development is The Seletar Mall located in Sengkang. 
For more information, please visit www.sph.com.sg