Monkey Ears!

We decided to visit Bukit Batok Nature Reserve for some fresh air.

It was a nice walk into the park, the path was a little steep, but the kids managed as they imagined themselves to be Diego and Dora rescuing animals in trouble... Along the way, to the kids' delight,  we spotted many monkeys, a squirrel, some friendly white/brown birds, a pair of bright blue kingfisher, a monitor lizard, a couple of tortoises swimming lazily in the pond...

We ended off playing with in the playground. The kids had fun building sand castles, but what made them most excited was burying the busy ants with sand...it was so amusing to see them being excited by small little games like these...

On the way back, we came across some interesting looking shells on the ground. They looked like the outer shell of some nuts... they look like ears! I made up a story about these shells being the ears of naughty monkeys who do not listen to their mummies..just to scare the kids a little kekeke...

We collected a few of the shells back home to do some art/craft - To stick the ears back onto the monkey's head!

PS/ We finally found out that the shells belong to the Rubber Tree!

I had to draw the monkey's head for Kam, but at least she helped with sticking of the ears...

Ky's great attempt at drawing a monkey...

Ky insisted that the shells look like tyres of a police car...

Materials

a) drawing board

b) craft glue

c) crayons

d) Shells of rubber seed!

Tots Mania fun rating 3.5/5! (Its the process of collecting the seeds that was interesting!)

Pizza Friday!

The kids chanced upon a great book "Pizza Friday" in the library...

Pizza Friday, Every Friday

Now its time to bake

Soon the pizza will be ready 

For me to come and take!

After reading the book, we decided to make our own pizzas. Ky wanted Hawaiian and I wanted Veggie Lovers.

Materials:

1) Construction paper - yellow (dough), red (sausage), green (peppers), grey (onions), bright yellow (pineapple), white (cheese), pink (ham)

2) Markers - red (tomato paste), black (to fill in lines/patterns if desired)

3) Craft glue

4) Scissors

5) Styroform plate (to serve the pizza!)

6) Optional: Centre of a roll of kitchen towel (to serve as the "rolling pin")

This is what Ky said we should do: "Step by step, mom."

Step 1: Make the dough - cut a circle using yellow construction paper

Step 2: Use a rolling pin to "roll over the dough to make it flat"

Step 3: Prepare the toppings - using the construction paper, cut small red circles (sausages), yellow triangles (pineapple), white confetti (cheese), small pink rectangles (ham), etc.... Just use your imagination!

Step 4: Cover the dough with tomato paste - color the yellow circle with red marker

Step 5: Put on the toppings - stick the toppings prepared in step 3 onto the dough

Step 6: Pop the pizza into the "oven", set the temperature

Ky is happy with the pizzas we made

Art Materials used

Voila! Pizza is ready to be served!
(* Remember its hot! Please use mittens!*)

Tots Mania Fun Ratings: 4/5!


Cost of materials: Minimal
Suggestions: You can also recycle old magazines to do this project

We are Kings and Queens!

2 Jan 2011 Sunny and Breezy

Ky and Kam love to cut up things. Give them a pair of scissors, you will end up with lots of confetti on the floor (or Kam always says:" See mom! I made snowflakes"). With kids like mine, we are always in need of art material, especially paper....

One day, PL (my sis) came up with a great idea of recycling old paper bags to do art and craft. Ky wanted to make a crown. He was very much inspired by the cartoon "Little Princess". He wanted to be the King, and Kam, of course, is the Little Princess.

PL rummaged out 2 red paper bags. Making use of the top of the paper bag, she cut out 2 thick strips of paper (about 7-8 inches thick).  She wrapped a strip around Ky's head to measure the length of paper required, then did the same for Kam.

The kids were deployed to do their favorite activity - Paper Cutting! PL made them cut zig-zags round 1 of the long side of the strip of paper. Then she used sticky tape to connect the short sides together - Voila! The Royal Crown is completed!

The Royal Aunt and Uncle

The Royal Baby Princess

Jughead Jones?!

Kam's Royal Penguin

Materials used

1) Just old paper bags

2) Scissors

3) Sticky Tape

4) Markers to draw patterns on the crown (free and easy)

Cost = Negligible!

Tots Mania Fun Ratings: 4/5!

Shapes, Colors, Textures, Scent and Nature!

20th Feb, Sunny Morning

We brought the kids for a much needed run in the park. I wanted the kids to burn off some of their endless energy and get their eyes off the TV. I asked Ky to bring along his and Kam's plastic tanks to collect some leaves, sticks and flowers to do a collage.

I gave Ky specific instructions of collecting the following
a) Leaves of different colors - Brown, Yellow and Green (Shapes, Colors)
b) Sticks of different thickness and textures - thick/ thin, rough/ smooth (Sizes, Textures)
c) Flowers of different colors and scent (Colors, Scent)
As we collected the materials, we went through the different elements listed above.

The project for the day is to make a collage using the materials that we have collected. The only specific requirement is that they have to make a tree in their artwork.

At home, the kids quickly went on with their project with enthusiasm. These are Ky's and Kam's "masterpieces" of their interpretation of how Nature is around us.

Ky's: Trees and Trucks at Work

Kam's: Trees with falling leaves and flowers

Materials
a) Leaves, Sticks, Flowers
b) Construction paper
c) Craft Glue
d) Markers
Total Cost = Minimal

Tots Mania Fun Rating = 4/5! :-)
Great way to learn about Shapes, Colors, Textures, Scent and Nature!