Christmas Lights Up @ Orchard Road

Christmas is around the corner, and most shopping centres have Big Christmas trees and decorations to attract the crowd. SengkangBabies went down to Orchard road yesterday to see what is happening !


This is the first time we caught the Elephants :)
Anyone know why there are 162 Elephants in Singapore?

Ion Orchard is always a popular spot for visitors posing with the HUGH Christmas Tree.


If you look closely at the Snow Globes, you might see a running train :)



Glittering Gold outside CK Tang !


Chocolate Tree, too bad not real chocolate :p

We will need to schedule another trip soon :)

For more photos, do drop by our Fanpage.
You might be interested to checkout where we have been roaming last Christmas :)


Other X'mas trees which we visited :
- Changi T3
- Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade
- Sentosa Resorts World
- Orchard Road
- SengkangBabies Home

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School outing to Jacob Ballas

Back in Aug, our childcare centre organised a field trip to Jacob Ballas. Daddy join in just for fun and to capture some memories. It would be interesting to see how kids interact with their peers :)


This was a whole-school affair from toddler to K2, and all teachers were mobilised. Can you imagine how challenging it is to chase after the kids, and head-count every few steps !!
You have to admire the gusty and resourceful teachers :)


Soon the class split into different routes, Daddy could not follow Boon Xin as she will cling to Daddy (and miss the outdoor learning agenda)

Nothing beats bringing the kids outdoor to touch and feel their "lessons". When kids understand Mother Nature better, and can relate their school curriculum to outdoor activities, it is indeed very satisfying :)


Is Durian ripe already?

Daddy admire all the teachers who are handing the Toddlers and Nursery classes. These kids are still so young and restless, if they are not tired, they would be emotionally drained and crying keke. Teachers really have to pull out all their tricks to pacify kids.


To be a good teacher, it starts with passion and patience, and a lot of hard work and determination. Kudos !


We explore the waterfall and the suspension bridge. But we did not climb TreeHouse or waterplay. The last two activities might be too challenging for big group :)

It was a HOT day !

.. but you cannot deny the children's smiles and enthusiasm.

Settle down, before we head out for lunch. Who is hungry raise your hands !

After the mornings excursion, we had fried rice for lunch. Somehow, Daddy felt some of the kids are too exhausted to eat, Poor kids :)


Video : Kids Having Fun !


Mission accomplished, thank you to teachers for their contribution :)


The last time we visit Tree house is 2 years back, now with Circle Link, we should pop by Jacob again, before Wen Wei outgrown all this playgrounds :p



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MacRitchie Reservoir

MacRitchie Reservoir, when Daddy and Mummy were young, we have to do cross-country at MacRitchie, and slog along Lornie road! Yup, Daddy is not good at running.

Anyway, we heard about new developments at MacRitchie, and we drop by with our friends, Heng Family. Top on our list was the submerged boardwalk. It allows visitors to literally walk on water, WOW !

We arrive early, but the kids are especially active, running everywhere and making fun :)
This bridge and pavilion are MacRitchie's signatures. We used to be able to spot tortoises but where are they now?


Behind the pavilion is supposed to be our MacRitchie highlight, but where is the water? We saw our friends (the CheekieMonkies) having so much fun with the submerged walkway ! We still do not know who control the water/tide/tap, please ask Nparks :p

Ok, we make some alternate plans, and went hopping on a piece of log haha. Look at the video to find out how kids can easily have fun anytime, anywhere, and anyhow :)


Video : Kids entertaining themselves


We make a Uturn and head towards the Dam. We plan to explore Prunus Trail. Do you know that NPark has a lot of diy trails for visitors to get close to nature? The other trail would be Chemperai. Both are suitable for young kids, and even strollers (narrow at certain sections). TreeTop trail would be suitable for kids 5 years and above, you need minimum three hours to complete ! (Wei and Kang has passed Tree Top challenge !)


Scenic landscape awaits us around every corner. Walking along the Dam, offers paranoma view across the waterbody.

Kids are surprised that there is a Dam at MacRitchie.


Canoing is very popular with students. Daddy cannot confirm whether Canoe rental is available. The water edge can be very muddy, kids need to pay extra attention.

We settle down for picnic, but on hindsight, having a picnic at MacRitchie is asking for trouble. There are so many monkeys waiting to ambush us ! We were lucky this round :)


Lush greenery invites you to get closer. We hop onto Prunus boardwalk.


Video : Activities around MacRitchie

This is a short trail, but you can see overhanging trees and scrubs. Yes, there are a lot of monkey colonies along the way. Please ensure food are kept out of sight !




Our families take a rest.

You might be interested to know that fishing is allowed at certain section of the reservoir.



Do go early to avoid carpark jam. Although there is a multi-storey carpark, MacRitchie is a hotspot for Singaporeans ! Otherwise, you may wish to readup Phoebe's MacRitchie adventure, or venture with us higher up (TreeTop bridge).

More photos can be found at our fanpage.
Click for more gardens and parks.


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Wen Kang Primary One orientation

We attended Boon Kang 's Primary one orientation last Thu. He will be joining Boon Wee in 2012. You can read about Kang's registration process in our previous post.


Boon Kang is outgoing and quick-witted by nature, and we believe he should be able to settle down quickly. We will also need to work on his temperamental as he can be quick temper too. We remind Kang that it will not be pleasant for us to meet his Form teacher too often :p


Nan Chiau Alumni arrange some activities for parents. The new Primary kids head to their new classroom with new classmates.

Meanwhile, Principal Tan tells us about Nan Chiau and Hokkien Huay-Kuan's history.

Nan Chiau wish to develop each kid to his full potential, but the school also emphasize Character molding.


Wen Wei show us his favorite food stall, Laksa.


Meanwhile, Kang enjoys a read-along session with his new classmates :)


Daddy and Mummy are eager to see Kang march on his new milestone :)
As Kang leaves K2, No3 Boon Yee will become big brother to Boon Xin.


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Arthur Christmas, recommended for familes

Yesterday, the boys caught Arthur Christmas. Throw away all traditional beliefs about Santa,
the reindeer, the sleigh, the elves. "Arthur Christmas" is a hi-tech version of Santa.

His factory is still at North Pole, but Santa and team is harvesting IT to
transform their "Logistics" every Dec 25th !


The fun starts, when someone realised one child did not get her present!
Ah Gong (Santa Grandpa) came into the picture and show the traditional way to deliver goods, with reindeer and sleigh, and maybe even dropping through the chimney ! They even got mistaken as UFO !


A heartwarming show with cute animations, we are recommending "Arthur Christmas" to families. At the end of the day, Santa is in the business of making kids happy :)


Video : Watch the preview here. Santa gone Hi-Tech !


On the way home, Christmas lighting is already UP in Orchard :)


We even pose with a Christmas Tree :)


Daddy would like to take this opportunity to thanks DadsForLife and Qais for the tickets, the boys had a wonderful time (maybe all except Wen Yi, who pester Daddy to go home 1/2 way through ).. Hello to Kelvin and Nick too :)


ps.. we caught a sneak peep of Spiderman before our show starts, and if this is how 3D is heading in the future, more excitement and thrills await movie-goers ! You should see how Peter SWINGs and Dives around New York City. Fasten your seat-belt !


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Primary school exams are no fun :p

Exams, never fail to stress the kids, and more often parents and caretakers.
Did you know that in Singapore, chicken-pox outbreak peaks before PSLE?
Imagine the stress factors ! (unsubstantiated report from a casual chat with doctor)


We are very fortunate that Mummy is patiently guiding Wei along his Primary school curriculum. For Nan Chiau, students only need to take their Primary 2 SA2 exams. The results will stream them into Primary 3.

Personally, Daddy thinks Pri 1 and 2 is still honeymoon for kids, where they try to settle down to structured school life. But it is still tough, and challenging to ensure our kids follow through with their homework (Mummy is not a Tiger Mum).

For us, we encourage kids to work hard and play hard. We allow them to relax by playing with our phones or simply watching TV programmes. Daddy bring them outdoors to relax occasionally :)


From Pri 3 onwards, more objectives and we suspect KPI will be used to access students and their development potential ooops :)

We are happy as long as our kids put in their best effort. Wen Wei came in 12 in his class. This may be his first exam, but Wei has proven to us that we can trust him, and Mummy's effort has paid off. Actually we only hope he does not fare too badly :p



Wen Wei, Daddy and Mummy might not be so vocal in praising you , but as our first child, you are brazing a standard for your siblings to follow. Mummy and Daddy are so Proud of you.


Catch Wei in Nan Chiau's alumni booklet too :p


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