Farm Animals Flapbook

We did this farm words flapbook a couple of months back, and it is now a nice fixture in Little Bee's first farm lapbook! 

After she learned to read these basic farm animals from the farm animals' wheel, plus other reading activities at home with appropriate story books, I got her to choose and write her five favourite farm animals onto a flapbook, and then she pasted the pictures of these animals beside the words. She could also independently spell some of these 3-letter words, although spelling is not a priority for me now. 

After a few days where I acquainted her with the corresponding Chinese names of these farm animals that she wrote down, I encouraged her to work independently to stick these Chinese words in the relevant spaces beside the English names. 

She was able to match all words correctly, except - ironically - for the easiest Chinese word 牛. However, I read somewhere that young children do get confused by Chinese characters with simple strokes as they get them mixed up with other simple, similar words, hence it explains why Little Bee could read those characters with more Chinese strokes than 牛! She is always confusing 牛 and 羊, probably both do look a wee bit similar! 

This is a fun activity which she gained much sense of satisfaction from, especially when we attach it to her lapbook, as she created everything herself. 

The Yuletide Feasting Had Begun!

The year-end parties had begun in full force. Last week, we attended our first 2 Christmas parties - one on Wednesday which was a Christmas celebration organised by my estate's adept management, and another one last night, organised by Hubby's good friend J at his place. 

Christmas celebration with the neighbours

Val joined us for this Christmas gathering with all our neighbours, which comprised of much fun and games, as well as a brilliant magic show that awed all the kids (and adults!) to no end. Imagine seeing plump rabbits appearing in a magician's hat, followed by much touching of the quivering rabbit. Imagine seeing white doves vanish into small flakes of white paper. I shudder to think of the fate of the poor animals, but Big Bee told me the magic show was amazing, and felt that it was the best part of the celebrations for her. 

The Bees and Val had great fun running around the party during the dinner break while I gorged on the scrumptious buffet food, and the rest of the adults were having dinner upstairs at home. At one stage, I was eating on the floor, and trying to look after 3 boisterous kids - quite a handful indeed!

Val and Little Bee fooling about

Big Bee and her primary schoolmate whom she hung out with during the party

The highlight of the celebrations was most certainly Santa Claus who gave out presents to the kids at the party. Needless to say, we parents were the ones who contributed the gifts, but the delight on the kids' faces was truly gratifying. 

Christmas party at J's

Group shot of all the kids in the party! 

The Bees had a fabulous time playing way past 9pm with their friends at J's party. He invited a "Santa Claus clown" (in Little Bee's words!) who sculpted breathtaking balloons for the thrilled little kids and played games with them, so that us parents can enjoy dinner and chit-chat with old friends in peace! 

Little Bee and her pretty Tinkerbell balloon sculpture

We also headed outside to play with the kids' favourite sparklers again, and it was enchanting to see the Bees enjoying themselves so much with all their friends, running about, shrieking in excitement and laughing wholeheartedly. 

We are definitely looking forward to more parties in the fortnight to come! 

Without The Kids

This afternoon, YM, BK and I gathered at Hotel Rendezvous for a sumptuous high tea - without all our kids since a long long time ago! It was so luxurious to be able to combine good food, great company and wonderful conversations - without any interruptions or distractions! We had great fun discussing our families, life in general and reminiscing about the past. We just wish Loon and LP could be with us as well, but I am sure there would be other opportunities soon! 

What a great way to celebrate our friendship of almost a quarter of a century (amazing!), and thanks to all our hubbies for helping us babysit the children while we could indulge in a little me-time :) 

Staying Home Again

It is the typical time of the year again when I am taking a couple of weeks' off to immerse myself in my favourite activity - being a stay-home mum! It starts today, and it will be a bustling fortnight to add to an already brilliantly exciting quarter since Big Bee's final exams! I can't wait!

However, for all full-time working mothers like me, busy juggling between work and family (and ourselves!), and alternating between feelings of guilt and frustration, exhilaration and fulfillment, read this article below (you can click on it to enlarge the image). 

You might feel better after reading this, although I do have some reservations over the findings in the article (how can one hour be enough!?). However, I believe there are respective strengths and weaknesses in staying home and working full-time. We all have our own very valid reasons for the choices we make, and whatever they are, so long as we ensure maximum quality time is spent with our family, life would be picture-perfect :) 

My mum found this article, cut it out and passed it to me to read. As a stay-home mother, she is always encouraging me to be an independent working woman, with my own financial resources and juggling family and work life. In fact, she commented recently that I seem to spend much more time with my kids than her with us, as she used to be so busy with housework and caring for other kids as a nanny at home. And I am thankful to her for all the help in looking after the Bees while I am at work, of course :) Otherwise, it is not possible to work without reliant help. 

But for the next 2 weeks, I can't wait to be drenched with the Bees (and Hubby!) 24/7! Woohoo! 

Three Generations Of Gatherings

My cousins and I used to play very frequently as kids, with our mothers bringing us out for outings and gatherings, leaving us to our own devices and then they would chat happily amongst themselves while we created our own little merry children's world.  

Blast from the past! Whole brood of cousins 30 years (!!!) ago. Thanks to Irene for the photo :)

Now, with some of us being mothers, we are doing the same with our children, and the grannies are still participating actively in our gatherings (and still chatting incessantly!). 

Just yesterday, my aunt, Fio's mum, were discussing how amazing that we had progressed to 3 generations of gatherings already! It is a perpetual cycle, and I hope our children will continue this tradition when we are old. 

Here are some of our latest cousin outings: 

1) Val (with Fio and my aunt) at my house, playing gleefully with the Bees. She adores Big Bee, and Little Bee always welcome her company. We played some water games and I took the opportunity to do some simple art and craft with all 3 of them. 

Waterplay time! This can keep them occupied for ages, much to the adults' delight, haha. 

Hard at work creating a fruit orchard

We made fruit trees, in accordance to our farm theme, and the girls all had fun! Val made a banana tree (although I was trying to persuade her to make a lemon tree with the yellow crepe paper instead!), Little Bee made an apple tree, and Big Bee made an orange and apple tree. We should be harvesting these fruit trees soon...as I am also trying to let them learn the concept of harvesting in farms. 

Big Bee's ultimate fantasy - owning a fruit orchard with wild horses roaming around! 

2) While Hubby and I were in Beijing for work over the past weekend, my Mum brought the Bees to play with Chloe on 2 occasions. Thanks Irene for helping to babysit them as well! They had real fun cycling about, driving Chloe's electric car, playing in the playground, enjoying each other's company and luxuriating in the balmy morning breeze by the verdant hillside. Wonderful! 

Chloe happily grinning away, perched on the bike behind Big Bee

Little Bee relished her passenger role! I love the expressions on their faces. Once again, thanks to Irene for the photos :) 

We cousins are planning more outings regularly, and our little ones are sure looking forward to all these fantastic times!

Of Castles And Dragons

Hubby and I used to play the good old-fashioned boardgame Dungeons and Dragons while dating. And then we moved on to the fabulous computer game "Might And Magic" which immersed us into a world of fantastical creatures and mysterious magic. And somewhere along the line, after Big Bee was born, I kicked myself out of this addictive habit of nightly encounters with this world of enchantment.

And now, Hubby is starting to immerse the entire family into the world of dragons and chivalry, of ogres and elves again. With new boardgames.

And I must admit these boardgames are so different from the days of yore when we were playing Dungeons and Dragons where we needed to project our imagination onto the 2-dimensional game. These 3 new boardgames that Hubby bought captured Big Bee's fascination and Little Bee's amazement...and my awe! Hence, almost nightly (other than days when he is away for work), Big Bee would pester Hubby to take out these boardgames to play. I usually had to holler at them during bedtime to stop the games.

I enjoy letting the kids indulge in role-play strategy games. Besides being a whole load of fun, these games enhance creative and logical thinking (battle strategies are hardly fodder for the weak-minded!), strengthen visualisation and imagination, and reinforce reading skills (lots of reading on myriad cards, compared to iPhone or computer games!).

What Hubby bought:

1) Heroscape

This is an awe-inspiring game that is 3-dimensional, and is a cross between a boardgame and a miniature Dungeons and Dragons/Lord of the Rings toy set. The girls got to create a different landscape of forests, deserts, lakes and swampland every time they start a game, and then construct their very own castle in the structure that they imagined...and use miniature elves, dragons, knights and ogres as game tokens. These miniature game tokens are a sight to behold, many of them exquisite enough to be collector's items. How cool can this be!? This is my favourite game thus far, and it is a delight to see the Bees building a different landscape and castle everytime they played.

Big Bee and Papa built this castle, and Big Bee chose all the powerful creatures on her side of the fortress, haha!

Papa's weaker creatures all outside Big Bee's castle, waiting for a chance to storm the fortress! Check out the landscape that Big Bee and Little Bee built!

Guess who put Belle from Beauty and the Beast into the castle, right behind the many barriers of defence? Little Bee, of course!

2) Castle Panic

This is Big Bee's favourite game. She would patiently wait for Papa to come home after work, and then persuade him to play with her. This is a typical boardgame (although these days, boardgames always come with some semblance of 3D structure, which in this case is the simple cardboard castle structure, nothing like the formidable fortress of Heroscape). However, what is fun is that all players are in the same team to protect their fortress, hence it encourages teamwork and of course, enhances plenty of imagination.

3) Warhammer

This is another jaw-dropping game. It comes with rows and armies of knights, cavalry soldiers, trolls, etc. All unpainted. Just like the terracotta warriors in Xi'an whose colourful paint had waned completely. And then it also comes with bottles of paint - for us to paint these armies! Right down to the types of terrain they fight on! *Faint* Hubby spent many nights poring over the tiny soldiers with a little brush to paint shiny new armour for them. This delicate task is definitely not for the impatient me! But Big Bee is like Hubby, more suited for such meticulous work, and she painstakingly painted a few soldiers and pieces of grassy terrain. Hubby beamed and said this would be his year-long project. *More faints*

All in all, plenty of war strategies happening nightly at home. And who says little girls cannot go to the battlefield? ;)

认识短句子

为了培养 Little Bee 的中文认字能力，我自创了一套生词卡，一方面针对我们在家里所学习的农场主题，另一方面也想进一步提高Little Bee的中文了解。

这些生词紧扣了我们的农场主题，也能让她深一步地认识这个主题的基本字词。学华语的基础也不仅仅集中在学个别生词，也包括加强真确的华文句式。

我创造了21张基本生词的闪卡。Little Bee 可以把这些卡结合起来制造五花八门的组词，比如：大马，小猫，我爱，可爱，等等。然后我鼓励Little Bee 把这些个别的组词又联合在一起，形成了一个很简单的句子，比如：我爱小猫，一只大马， 甚至“我爱一只小猫”。这样，她可以规整地认识不同的华文组词，也能提升她的中文认字本领。

我把生词分到不同的词类，然后鼓励Little Bee把她所喜欢的生词造个句子

她自己独立地把生词造成句子

培养好玩的Little Bee学华文的重点就是把华文显得特别有趣，也需要采取用游戏学华文的概念。所以，在以下的列子，我把一些闪卡翻到负面，然后鼓励她用抽奖的一个游戏模式来引起她的兴趣。这样，她也更能认字与记得组词。

Burst Of Luminance

Dear Little Bee, 

In this month that you turn 4, may I congratulate you that you are swiftly approaching K1 with confidence and gusto, despite being almost a year younger than many of your classmates. Your zeal and sunny personality creates a powerful affinity with your peers. Your charmingly brilliant smile - showing all your little white milk teeth - endears you to most adults. And your fearless nature without a sliver of shyness ensures that you make many fast friends wherever you go. 

It was not an easy task when I had you in my tummy. You started demonstrating distinct signs of your presence when I bled profusely during my 5th week of pregnancy with you...which never ceased to stop until the 7th month of my pregnancy. This ensures that I treated you with tender, loving care even when you were in my womb, just like how you flourish under our love and attention till now. 

You like to make a strong statement, even when you were in my womb, and till now, your clear, resonant voice in a little seemingly delicate body ensures an overwhelming acknowledgement of your presence. 

You have a streak of steely hardiness in you, which is hidden beneath the facade of your gentle, petite build. You hardly cry, despite stern reprimands or touching movies, and it takes a lot to see tears well in your eyes. Despite your diminutive build, with your peers towering over you, you possess an unwavering courage - you were brave and spirited to swing on a lofty flying fox when more than half your peers cowered in fear. You watched the fearsome T-Rex in Walking With Dinosaurs roared deafeningly with nary a flinch in your wide-open eyes, never raising your hands to cover your ears. 

You have a quirky sense of imagination and humour, never failing to make people guffaw around you with your open, naive nature. Like for example just last night, you made jiu jiu and Popo laugh so hard when you asked Popo how she laid eggs to jiu jiu. 

Most of all, you are highly sensitive to my emotions and moods, and you know exactly the right actions to do and the perfect things to say to banish away those moods. Your sweet lamentations of "I miss you, Mummy" when I was overseas for work always boost up my cheerfulness quotient. Your little reassuring adult-like pats on my arm or back with perpetual utterings of "It's ok, Mummy" when I expressed consternation or fear in front of you makes me confident of facing a future in an uncertain world with you. 

As you approach the big kid age of K1, you are now able to read fairly, largely preferring whole word recognition than phonics, because it is so reflective of you, to want to absorb one big piece of information rather than creating a systematic structure. Your large scrawly handwriting reflects your spontaneous personality. Never one who is meticulous, your sweeping attitude with beaming smiles makes it easy for teachers to close an eye if you cannot complete your work. This is something that Mummy is hoping to improve on as you grow older. 

You are a lot clearer in your diction these days, although your rapid-fire articulation sometimes does reflect your impatient personality. You ask plenty of questions and are not shy to speak out in public, to young or old, and it brings a certain charm to your babyish diction. 

You are so attracted to pretty, attractive trinkets, and bear the early traits of a future shopaholic which I am trying to curb. And you see the world in large strokes of colourful brushes, visualising everything in psychedelic multi-coloured hues, all widely fascinating to you. 

Papa and I are so reluctant to let go of our little baby, unwilling to see you gradually grow older, for we want you to remain forever as our baby. But, despite your babyish traits, we are beginning to see inklings of independence, of mature understanding and empathy in you...and we know you are all poised for the stage of a big kid. 

Happy 4th birthday, my burst of eternal sunshine. 

Your self-drawn portrait

Writing 101

This holidays, I had been trying to nurture some writing skills with Big Bee. I veer from using the ubiquitous term "creative writing" because all forms of writing - be it diaries, journals, blogs, poems, scribblings or essays - are all creative to me. 

Besides encouraging her to write her diary or scribble little notes everywhere, I bought writing assessment books from bookshops and attempted to impart some writing knowledge to her. However, most fundamentally, a love of writing stems from a love for reading. Big Bee is a voracious reader, ravishing books after books, day after day. 

Here was what Big Bee came up with, after I suggested an essay topic for her to write on. I thought it was a good attempt. I am also trying to nurture 华文作文 but that might be a little more challenging. 

*********************

A Field Trip To Sentosa

On Sunday night, most of the pupils from Rainbow School could not get to sleep. As they had an outing to Sentosa the next day, their minds were whirling with excitement. The next morning, the pupils leapt out of bed enthusiastically. In school, the pupils' arms were gesturing wildly while they rattled on like a machine gun. It was their first visit to Sentosa, so they were really enthusiastic. They set off in high spirits. 

When they reached their destination, their faces were all flushed with excitement. They were obviously more than thrilled. The sky was as blue as cornflowers. The leaves rustled in the gentle breeze. There was a splendid view of the emerald green trees. The pupils whispered among themselves as they looked at the tall clock tower, the high cable cars, the grand Merlion and the fast, yellow train. The pupils listened attentively to the teacher as she explained everything about Sentosa. They went back to school by bus. They were tired but happy. 

A Party For A Princess

Little Bee's ultimate dream is to be a princess. She is a vision of royalty perpetually, enjoying decking herself up in little pretty trinkets and long dresses. Hence, when she requested for a princess party for her 4th birthday, I could not resist her endearing request.

Hence, on 28 November, we threw a little party for 18 of Little Bee's closest pals and cousins (together with the grandparents) - little kids whom she had played with regularly in our circle of friends. She was anticipating this party for a whole, constantly bombarding me with questions on how her 4th birthday party would be like. We selected the theme of "princesses and princes" for this party, and dressed Little Bee up in her favourite Disney princess, Belle, from Beauty and the Beast.

Finally, when the day arrived, she woke up bright and early to immediately exclaim excitedly "It's my birthday today!"

We decided to throw the party at JWT Kids Gym at UE Square this year, as I had previously enjoyed a few terrific parties at this same gym. Therefore, I was not to be disappointed by this party, as the folks from JWT Kids Gym really made the party so hassle-free for me! All I had to do was to order the food and cake, and buy the goodies for the party kids - and that was it! Hubby and I did spend a fair amount of time searching for individual presents for each kid, as the age groups of the party kids were too varied for homogeneous party bags, but we enjoyed the process thoroughly!

Some highlights of the party included:

1) Seeing Little Bee's friends trickling in, and the thrill on her face as she greeted them cheerfully, accepting their presents with a delighted smile while leading them into the gym like a gracious host.

2) The exuberant party host, Shah, and his helpful staff, who made the party so memorable for Little Bee.

3) The wonderful games that Little Bee and her friends enjoyed so much starting with a competitive yet crazy obstacle race, followed by a zany limbo contest that got the kids all exhilarated and warmed up. 

These kids turned absolutely delirious when the party host took out a gigantic colourful parachute cloth, involving the parents in the game. 

The highlight of the games was definitely the flying fox, with all the kids eager to launch from the start of the flying fox right into the food table for the cake-cutting session. Little Bee was the first to descend from the flying fox, accompanied by a tune from a Disney princess movie theme song. Talk about grand entrances!

4) I enjoyed the food break with all the kids eating and the parents idly chatting around them. More importantly, this break gave me some time to decorate Little Bee's 2-tiered princess castle cake with her favourite Disney Princess toppers - Belle, Aurora, Ariel and Cinderella!

5) The look on Little Bee's face as Papa brought out the cake, complete with candles and toppers, was priceless. The atmosphere was dense with the usual child-like excitement as everyone sang Happy Birthday to Little Bee, whose eyes could not leave the cake for a nano-second. Big Bee was right beside her, lending her support and gamely instructing her what to do.

6) Lest the kids thought the party was over with the cake-cutting session, more exciting games await them soon after. The party host gathered all the kids for a hilarious session of "dance and freeze" game, followed by a magical bubbles session where the entire gym was dim and filled with sparkling bubbles, enchanting all the kids from the very young to the big ones! Everyone was immerse in his or her little world, at one with the bubbles, chasing them and trying to burst them.

Intense fun followed after the idyllic bubbles session - the parents were all asked into the gym for a feisty foam ball fight versus the kids! Parents and kids, all armed with several foam balls in all sizes, stood in a face-off with each other. The moment the whistle blew, hysterical frenzy broke loose! The kids ignored all rules and dashed all around the parents, throwing the balls incessantly at us - it was a matter of time before the parents were fatigued although the kids were imbued with boundless energy levels! That was truly uproarious.

7) The finale was truly dramatic - but befitting Little Bee's gregarious nature perfectly. She was made to walk down a long red carpet to a little raised platform (where I was seated with all the presents for the little kids). As she strode regally along the red carpet, to the tune of another Disney princess movie theme song, holding a big bunch of balloons and surrounded by her closest friends and family around her, her smile had never looked more radiant nor luminous.

As she perched on the raised platform, calling out the names of each of her friend with gusto, giving them their presents and extending her arms to hug everyone, I could see how Miss Extrovert was enjoying being the centre of the party.

She might become more shy as the years grow on her, she might prefer much smaller parties, but for now, I am happy that she was elated with her 4th birthday party, hoping that this is a gem that would be indelible in her little mind.

Happy 4th birthday, my little one. Time is swift indeed, as I see you growing up from the baby we all fussed over to an (almost) big kid now. And to Little Bee's friends and cousins, she was ecstatic that everyone could join her to celebrate her 4th year in this wonderful world.

All the adorable princesses and princes at the party! 

Scientific Discoveries

Big Bee climbing a challenging structure at a secluded playground we discovered recently.

Big Bee attended 5 days of camp last week with the Discovery Vacation Camp where she embarked into the dynamic world of science, and emerged all the wiser with elevated interest in science, albeit a wee bit tired!

Each day of the camp was filled with multitudinous activities from 9am to 5pm - typical office hours! Hence, it was understandable that she came home every evening feeling rather fatigued from a packed day of exciting activities.

Through some coordination with the mothers of her primary 2 classmates, she had many friends in the same group within the camp, hence, it was more fun!

There were some very interesting activities, some of which Big Bee enjoyed tremendously - a field trip to Kent Ridge Park where they trekked in the dense foliage along a tiny trail, identifying creepy crawlies and attempting to search for a carnivorous plant. There was also a field trip to a pest care centre that she particularly enjoyed because she could see various reptiles and all kinds of pests (like centipedes, snakes, etc) as well as learned how she could get rid of these pests at home. She told me she asked many questions about pest control to the centre manager (since our home and estate had been invaded by all kinds of animals ranging from snakes, monitor lizards, bats, etc!) and I am really happy that she was not shy to ask questions with new teachers.

They also did numerous experiments and projects relating to physics, some chemistry and biology, and it was gratifying to hear her telling me new knowledge she had gleaned each day. Just this evening, she was eyeing a piece of chicken bone over dinner and asking me for permission to immerse this bone into vinegar for a few days so that it would turn rubbery and flexible, instead of remaining brittle.

Looks like she would be a regular in future camps! :)

There's Something Different In The Air...

The weather is turning cool and wet, temperatures are gradually waning - the chill in the tropical air really brings out the year-end Christmas anticipation. 

You know Yuletide joy is imminent when we see the city transforming into a haven of twinkly fairy lights, ablaze with charming triangular Christmas trees laden with an enchanting diversity of glittery ornaments. We know the year is eventually winding down to a relaxed pace when we hear ubiquitous Christmas carols everywhere, when shopping malls are packed with non-stop wondrous shows and activities, when people walk with broader smiles and more sprightly steps. 

The Bees ambling in the midst of festive cheer at Orchard Road a fortnight ago

I love this year's Christmas light-up in Orchard Road - the entire road was blanketed under a magical cloud of shimmering white, blue, pink and purple fairy lights. It looked so divine and charmingly mesmerizing. 

Last Tuesday, we put up our Christmas tree, with the same theme as the past 2 years - Silver Baubles. As I read through the Christmas blog entries over the last 2 years, I was struck by how rapidly the Bees are growing. When we first put up this old tree in our new place 2 Christmases ago, Little Bee was but a tiny toddler, waddling to put up silver balls. Now, she cheerily tried twirling sprigs of holly around a branch. 2 years ago, Big Bee could only decorate the bottom half of the tree. Now, she could reach almost to the top of the 6-foot tree when she extended her arms.

The journey of time. The swiftness of time. 

Merry Christmas in advance, and cherish the month of December! We do have a whole load of activities lined up for ourselves in this month of merrymaking, and I am sure looking forward to these. 

While I Was Away...

A fortnight ago, I had to be in Guangzhou for work over an immensely precious weekend which irked me to no end. As a working mother, weekends are probably the rarest and most treasured commodity for me to spend unfettered and uninterrupted time with Hubby and the Bees. Furthermore, in the 4 days that I was away, I had to miss Big Bee's grade 2 CSTD exams and Little Bee's final N2 assembly performance in school. What luck indeed!

Hence, I was very perturbed for weeks before that, but am glad that Hubby used this opportunity to spend extra bonding time with the girls in a very hectic weekend! 

Here were what I missed out with them: 

1) Big Bee's CSTD grade 2 exams

Hubby brought Big Bee to her 5th ballet exam on Friday (including the RAD ballet exam she took in school early this year). You would have thought the girl would be calm and jaded by her 5th exam, but Miss Perfectionist was as usual a jumble of nerves the night before the exam day, as well as in the hours leading to the exam. She had been scoring distinctions in all her previous ballet exams, so let's see how she fares this year, although I am always quick to advise her that we just want her to enjoy these exams as fun opportunities for her to perform solo. 

2) Ghim Moh market

On a bright and cheery Saturday morning, Hubby brought my mum and the Bees to the Ghim Moh market for a bout of scrumptious chwee kueh and other delightful hawker fare (we are old-fashioned Singaporeans when coming to local food, preferring the noise and clamour of hawker centres over sterile food courts!).

Hubby fell in love with the colourful hustle bustle of the market and its surrounding environs which are redolent of an old, nostalgic Singapore that is fast vanishing right under the pressure of barren modernity. They browsed around the many neighbourhood stores and the Bees had a fantastic ride on an electronic jeep around a square, along with other thrilled kids in similar rides (remember these car rides in the 1970s and early 1980s!?).

3) Coffee break and movie date

Hubby was excited to go on a date with the girls. After the Ghim Moh market adventure, he dropped my mum back at her home, and looked forward to some personal time with the Bees. He brought them for coffee and cakes at TCC, followed by an enchanting night under the stars in a drive-through movie showing Shrek (once again, this was so retro, reminiscent of 1970s and early 1980s in days long gone!). 

Unfortunately, he told me it started raining halfway during the movie, and he was stuck with 2 active girls eating their dinner in the restricted confines of the car, much to his chagrin! Luckily, the skies cleared up thereafter, and they were able to revert to their perch outside in the crisp cool air. 

4) Shopping with the girls on Sunday

As expected with daddies and little girls, Hubby was lured unwittingly by the clever Bees to buy a whole load of toys on Sunday, much to my displeasure. I am not one for buying bulky toys, preferring instead to indulge in homemade toys or crafts. They went on a shopping expedition with the original and innocent purpose of buying a birthday party present for Little Bee's friend. 

However, as all daddies who go all soft inside and wobbly around the knees when confronted by beseeching, doeful eyes of the daughters, Hubby bought a whole load of advanced Christmas and birthday presents for the Bees as well, much to their delight! I am very certain they were glad Mummy's not around to stop Papa as usual. 

5) Little Bee's N2 performance

On Monday, Little Bee has her final N2 assembly performance before she moved on to K1 next year. She was a bundle of hopping excitement when my mum, Hubby and Big Bee were there. As I watched the video afterwards, she was gamely showing off her family to all her friends, and kept waving enthusiastically at them from the performance area all throughout the assembly. With her signature sunny smile and big lit-up eyes, she did not display a sliver of shyness or stage fright at all. 

Looked like a flurry of activities indeed. Thanks so much and well done, Hubby! :) 

Farmhouse Collage

One of our favourite art activities would be to indulge in some collage making. For the current "Farm Animals" theme, we decided to make a collage of a farmhouse and its surrounding farmlands. 

The Bees had a blast deciding on the colours and texture of the collage papers to use, and this activity helps to reinforce individual creative expression (they were given free play to use different colours and textures of paper as well as modes of collage - rolled up, flat, curled paper, etc). 

For Little Bee, it is also good to strengthen Math concepts through the sorting of the right colours in the appropriate visual areas and shape/size/quantity definitions. Sticking copious amount of small pieces of paper within the parameters of the visual outlines also helps to heighten her fine motor skills, which will come in very handy for neat handwriting in the very near future.

Big Bee's farmhouse collage. Types of collage papers used: aluminium foil, crepe, cellophane, translucent wrapping paper, thick coloured paper. She rolled up the collage papers for the horizontal fence and the hay peeping out of the aluminium farmhouse window for a 3D effect. 

Little Bee's farmhouse collage. Types of collage papers used: aluminium foil, crepe, cellophane, translucent wrapping paper, thick coloured paper, cotton wool (for the clouds). She rolled up the collage papers for the door and the little orange and red flowers on the grass patch. 

More importantly, it helped to keep them busy while they sat alongside each other, observing their respective works and enhancing their patience. We spent about three evenings working on the collage, about 30 minutes each night, and it was nice to have a little project to look forward to after work. 

I also try to display their completed works of art in conspicuous places so that they could be imbued with a nice sense of achievement and a feeling of continuation. For this piece of work, I decided to stick them onto the stairs of their bunk bed, and they do stop to admire their own artwork whenever they step into their bedroom.