Friday, June 13, 2014

June Holiday Giveaway #3 - iNbox Review

Dumpling was an early reader and was reading independently from a young age. Though I like the idea of subscription boxes, most are often very simple and she would go through the activities very quickly. iNbox is created for children from 3 - 7 years of age and each box features 4 - 5 activities and includes a book (based on the theme of the month) which the company produces in-house.


Here's a quick look at the contents / activities:


Ironically, the theme for May was on vegetables and I did have my reservations initially as to how much and if Dumpling would enjoy the activities because she does not like her greens! But we started on the right foot as she picked up the book and started reading it immediately...

The illustrations were cute and the font was a good size. Dumpling giggled when she got to this part below:


The book does not serve to entertain but also to provide interesting and relevant information, i.e. root vegetables being shown above.  

In the same box, a memory game was included along with a craft activity. And this is what I came home to one evening: 


Dumpling read the instructions, took the kit out and started working on the craft activity on her own. What's totally cool was that this green plastic 'mat' was included as part of the box for the sand craft! Cleaning up has never been easier!

And on the following day, I came home to this:


Isn't it wonderful to see that the child is so engaged where she wants to do the activities on her own?

Now, I expected all the activities in the box to be more of an "hands-on" type and was presently surprised to find a reward chart encouraging the consumption of vegetables!!!! 


The pack even included a mystery gift box which had a few items to reward the child on eating his/her greens.


Note how the chart above has segregated the various vegetables under different 'rating' system? Dumpling went through that list to see what's the quickest way for her to earn more stars (hence getting her 'rewards' faster) and look what Dumpling asked to order and ate at our regular 'zi char' stall to earn her 3 stars! 
(OK, for some strange reasons, she likes celery and bittergourd so that was a treat for her! LOL)


Best of all, iNBOX was awarded "Best Subscription Box" but Kidsstoppress.com in 2013!

Keen to have your hands on this award-winning subscription box? I am pleased to share that I have not 1, not 2 but 3 boxes to give away! 

Enter the Rafflecopter below and stand a chance to win! Good Luck!


:: Terms and Conditions:
- Entries that do not fulfill the requirements stated will be disqualified without notice.
- Winners will be notified by email, through the email address provided.
- This giveaway is open to Singapore residents only. 


Disclaimer: The giveaway is sponsored by Smart Alley, the distributor for iNBOXNo monetary compensation was received for this post. 

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram

Thursday, June 5, 2014

I Theatre - Dotty the Dragon Review

“Do you believe in dragons? I do, I do…” And so did the children who watched the play as they sang along with the actors that afternoon.


Dotty the Dragon is a friendly baby dragon who lives in a castle high up in the mountain with her not-so-friendly father. Dotty longs to go to the village and play with the children. Against the wishes of her father, she snuck out one day and paid the villagers a surprise visit.

Along the way, Dotty made friends and convinced the villagers with her sincerity. As a gesture of appreciation, the villagers planned for a surprise party for Dotty. Everyone had a great time, which is until the peals of laughter reached the ears of Dotty’s father who realised that Dotty was gone…

Presented by the Blunderbus team (the same folks who brought us ‘The Owl Who was Afraid of the Dark’), the 55-min play entertains with its lively puppets and songs. Be prepared for lots of audience interaction – from mingling with the audience before the start of the play...


to singing along and to the sounding of dragon alarm; the parents were also not spared in participation.

The story line and props are simple and but what made it fun for the children were the actors. Energetic with some physical comedy, the Blunderbus actors were quick witted and entertaining. 


If you are looking for adult humor, there is not so much of it in this play as the play is more suitable for young children and I personally feel for those who are as young as 2. The only part that was loud was when Dotty’s father went to the village looking for her and even then, there were no crying children amongst the crowd. Though Dumpling has been watching plays more for her age (5+), I was surprised to hear her laughing at the actors’ antics and playful pranks. A quick look around the theatre confirmed my observation that the older children enjoyed it too. Of course, one of the highlights was photo opportunity with Dotty herself. :)


Be prepared for a splattering fun time (in all sense of the word *hint hint*) with your younger kiddos.

Date: 3 – 8 June 2014 
Duration: 55mins with no interval
Most suitable for: 3 to 6 year olds
Venue: Drama Centre Theatre, Level 3, Singapore National Library

You can purchase your tickets from Sistic here. You can read about reviews of previous I Theatre's productions here

Disclaimer: We were invited to watch the production and give our opinions of it. We were not compensated for the post. All opinions expressed are entirely ours.   

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram 

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

June Holiday Workshop Giveaway #2 - Label of Love Studio's Tee Shirt Printing!

Art is a big part of what I do at home with Dumpling and it is also for that reason she started on Art classes at a young age. Amongst the things we made are recycled paper where we used that paper in making papier mache items, decorating cushion covers and even some really COOOOL monsters page corner bookmarks out of old envelopes!

Now, tee shirt design and printing is one of the recent interest that we have especially since I am preparing for Dumpling's birthday party and am considering printing some for the boys. And for this June Holiday, I am very excited to share that Label of Love Studio has kindly sponsored a Tee (+ Tea) Party worth almost $50!


Here's the details!


Want to let your child experience designing and printing his own tee? A delicious TEE (TEA) PARTY awaits you! Label of Love has designed this 1.5 hour workshop specially for your child! 


What the child will takeaway after workshop 

1. Basic concepts of tee printing 

2. Hands-on experience on designing tee layout with their materials (and yes, their names will be on the tees if they want, and their drawings too!) 

3. Bring home a beautiful tee he/she will wear with pride! 

4. Putting values into practice - Mutual respect and courtesy 
5. Have a yummy waffle + ice cream + drink on the spot worth $12.90.


(NOTE: Child must be between 5 to 10 yrs old).

This package is worth $45.80. It includes a white tee, a material kit AND a delicious tea break after the session. Tea includes homemade waffle + ice cream + a drink from chiller section for each participant.

 photo Hol2400_zpse235ffad.png
Date: June 24, Tuesday 
Time: 230 - 4pm 
Venue: Maple Loft Cafe 
Next to The Duxton at Tanjong Pagar 
Nearest MRT Tanjong Pagar 
(Plenty of parking space at The Duxton)

Enter the Rafflecopter below and stand a chance to win! Good Luck!


:: Terms and Conditions:
- Entries that do not fulfill the requirements stated will be disqualified without notice.
- The child has to be 5 years and above, based on the month and year of birth.
- Winners will be notified by email, through the email address provided.
- This giveaway is open to Singapore residents only. 

Disclaimer: The sponsorship of this giveaway is by Label of Love StudioNo monetary compensation was received for this post. 

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram