A "Wiggles and Giggles" fun morning!

Big Eyes, Big Minds is back for its second run! Dumpling and I did not go last year as she was too little so when I realised that they are back again, I was so excited! This is especially so because one of their programs included a tour at Jacob Ballas. There were 2 to choose from and while I am more keen on the "Discover Plants and Animals" tour, due to our schedules, we took up "Discover Pond Life" instead.

The morning started with downpour but thankfully the rain stopped right on the dot. The session started with a short screening of some films ranging from Croatia to USA to Germany and was shown in the Jacob Ballas classroom which was clean and comfortable. The films were well produced - the messages were straight to the point and the production was surprisingly good.

The hubs and my personal favorite was a short film from Croatia featuring some frogs in an "orchestra". It was short, witty and very funny.

The screening lasted for a tad over 30 mins which was good as it was not too long or draggy. Once the screening was over, a guide led the group out where we were introduced to "Uncle Loo" (as he told the children to address him by) who took over the tour.

The group was led to an area next to the pond where some floating plants were prepped prior. There were 3 "tanks" with different displays. Uncle Loo (lol) was very patient with the children and encouraged the children to observe and investigate. This is definitely a big plus point for me.

He showed the children some floating plants: ferns, water hyacinth and lily pads and also demonstrated how the leaves repelled water. Dumpling and her good friend had great fun asking the Uncle Loo questions as well as exploring, touching and submerging the plants.

Dumpling also had a ball of a time flipping over the lily pads to hunt for water snail eggs :)

The second part of the tour included a walk down a floating platform where the short session was spent "hunting" for small pond insects - water skater and spiders and even a damselfly!

Another gem was being able to see this newly hatched dragonfly and its nymph shell. What a great morning of life cycle, insects and water plants discussion!

The tour was an interesting experience and it was a pity that it was so short (30 mins). I wish that more items were presented and the children had more time to explore and had a chance to view some of the items with magnifying glasses or even take home an information pack with some activity sheets in it. But all in all, the session was well organised and executed and I will definitely go back again the next time.