Review: Introducing Barking Good Singapore!

Our adopted dog, J, needs no introduction as you would have seen clips and videos of her on my Blog FB Page. J What I have learnt since we adopted J is that with rescue dogs, most are often quite timid.

That posed as a BIG challenge for us initially as we had problems even getting her out of the house for a walk! She sometimes still resist walks and would freeze with us having to tug her along. Once we start, she will be fine as she realises that we are not abandoning her (I guess! :p).

Even during obedience training, it was a bit of a struggle as she’d often be so overwhelmed outside that she couldn’t concentrate. It took us a bit of time and many walks plus many hours of training before she trusted us to guide and lead her.

Jaime also has a peculiar habit of not eating outside until she feels safe. For our obedience training, that proved to be an issue as we needed her to work on a few simple commands. Therein, the trick lies in the treats!

J was blessed with some snacks from Barking Good SG which goes by using ONY human grade ingredients.

Here’s what we received:

1. 5 inch Beef Pie (R.P: $12)
2. Cheddar and Apple Biscuits (R.P: $14)
3. Catch of the Day (Small, R.P: $7.90)
4. The Cheeseburger (Small, R.P: $8.90)

:: 5 inch Beef Pie

When it arrived, the pie was warm and it not only looked great, but it smelled awesome too! And no wonder, a quick look at the web page shows that lean meat and organic oat flour were used in this meat pie. The cheddar and apple crust was also yummy and “light”. I tried a few bites (yes, they are perfectly ok to try since Barking Good uses only human grade ingredients) and true to its promise, the meat was lean (though moist) and there was no added salt, etc.

I also love the generous serving of vegetables, which made me happy knowing that J has fibre in her diet too. :p (It's a mum's thing!) 

:: Cheddar and Apple Biscuits

Now. These biscuits. These biscuits have J running back to us on "recall" command meters and meters away! That in itself is quite a feat as J is still so distracted outside that she sometimes would still freeze. Though it is made with cheddar, it was not salty and had a nice "apple" finish to it.

Best of all, it is customisable! Your pooch can now have his / her own name printed on these biscuits! This makes it a wonderful present for your friends' pooches too! :)

:: Training Treats

The Cheeseburger

J is more of a meat lover than a fish lover. These cheeseburgers were really great in motivating her to work on her "sit" and "stay". The Cheeseburger was tasty and I like the rosemary in it too! As for J, she kept asking for more by sitting down and waiting. *sweat*

Catch of the Day

J was a tad apprehensive at trying this. Perhaps it is because we have exposed her more to red meat. Even when we give her "fish", we tend to feed her with salmon instead of white fish. Now, one of the things that caught my eye on the package was this. Check out the expiry date!

I was wow-ed by the fact that the item can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months (without opening the package prior)! While I am not that brave to try for 3 months, I left the "Catch of the Day" in my freeze for almost 2 months! So did it pass the taste test?

YES!

In fact, the tilapia did not even remotely taste / smelly fishy. What I also love about these training treats is the size. Each piece is about measures approximately one cm which makes it great for training as I do not have to worry about over feeding her and about her waist line!

:: Other things we love

If you are concerned about nutrition and what actually goes into these gourmet treats, you will appreciate that the website shares the ingredient list as well as the calorie count / micronutrient information.

Additionally, I love that the treats and biscuits are packed into a clear, food-grade plastic ziplock pouch and heat sealed to maintain maximum freshness (see photo below). That probably explains why our Catch of the Day still taste good after (almost) 2 months!

About Barking Good

Barking Good is started by 2 animal lovers (who are still in University but have taken some time off from school!) and sells gourmet treats which are prepared specially by baker Dionne who is also certified in Pet Nutrition by the Animal Behavior College. Barking Good uses only human-grade ingredients, so it's perfectly safe for humans to comsume. Importantly, it contains no artificial or natural preservatives like salt or sugar

Now that I have your attention on how good these treats are, here's a piece of good news! :)

Barking Good will be at Pet Expo this coming weekend from 25 - 27 March! 

Barking Good will be offering a 15% discount on its treats (3 for $18) and will also be giving away a free sticker for every like on its Facebook, with 13 different designs available (first-come-first-served basis). For fashionistas, Barking Good will also be selling human accessories (necklaces, earrings) at their booth!

So look out for Barking Good at Booth C50! (Pet Expo is at Singapore Expo Hall 7. Admission tickets are needed.)

Disclaimer: 
Jaime received the above treats from Barking Good so that she can sample while we, the humans, can give our opinions on it. We are not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are entirely ours. No animal was over fed in the writing of this post. :p 

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!  

UPDATE: JAIME IS ALSO ON INSTAGRAM WHERE SHE HAS HER VERY OWN INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT TO SHARE HER MISADVENTURES! PLEASE GIVE HER YOUR SUPPORT AND FOLLOW HER THERE! 

Review: Human Nature's 100% natural products

I was first introduced to Human Nature years back when Dumpling was a wee “wanton” (haha!) and I was looking around organic products that do not burn a hole in the pocket. Some friends of mine raved about a certain bug shield product and because Dumpling and I are mozzie magnets (I think it is to do with the blood type), I decided to read up and give it a go.

Since then, I have been using their deodorant, bug shield and the Lip Balm. Recently I had the chance to try out some “new” products and I managed to do so without busting the budget. Most of my friends have the impression that natural products are often very expensive so I decided to set myself a budget of $50. Here’s what I managed to purchase:

1. CocoMutt $18.90
2. Bug Shield $9.90
3. Deodorant for Men: $6.90
4. Moisturising Conditioner $9.90

Now, the above on based on actual retail price (but I applied a 10% discount ~ discount code is below to share!) and some items which I selected were on promotion then and so, with the “savings” I managed to add on:

Night Moisturizer with Jojoba & Plant Collagen - 50ml $5.95 * ($9.90) bringing the total of these 5 products to be under $47! Natural products can be affordable too! :D

Here's sharing our experiences on the items bought:

:: CocoMutt

Jaime is our new adopted puppy and while I have been using other brands with my previous dogs, as the market evolved, I am keen to try out new pet care products.

I am not a big fan of heavily perfumed shampoo (especially for dogs) so what drew me to CocoMutt is that it is free from harmful chemicals and the scent is derived from Orange oil. Amongst its list of ingredients are Aloe Vera Leaf Juice (known for its soothing and healing properties), Avocado Oil (To smoothen and moisturize coat as well as Lemongrass Essential Oil (which also has anti-fungal & anti-bacterial properties).

Our verdict: 
As it does not contain the lathering agent (Laureth Sulphate and the likes), this shampoo is not for someone who prefers a lot of foam. But the shampoo washes well with a light foam and what I really like is the nice fresh citrus fragrance. When Jaime was all dried up, her coat was soft and smooth. This is definitely on my list to purchase again. 

:: Bug Shield

This is still an all time favourite in my household. DEET is a pesticide to repel insects and has been used in a number of insect repellents. Being a mom, I now read labels and perform internet research on chemicals as such.

Human Nature’s Bug Shield is DEET free and uses natural repellent such as citronella to repel insects. The new formula is now infused with soy bean oil and eucalyptus oil.

Our verdict: 
As it is oil based, the initial feeling is a tad sticky. But the oil is well absorbed a couple of mins later. Since it uses citronella, the scent is strong. The kiddo and I both like the scent so it did not bother us. When the kiddo and I used it for our morning at Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden, we did not get bitten by any mozzies either.
(Image Source)

:: Deodorant for Men

Traditionally, deodorants consist of aluminium compounds that act as a “plug” to block off sweat glands to temporarily stop the flow of sweat. There has been many articles to suggest that just like parabens, they are absorbed by the body and promote the growth of breast cancer cells.

With Human Nature’s Deodorant for Men, which is infused with essential oils such as Rosemary and Bergamot, the deodorant prevents any body odour and instead, gives off a woody scent from the oils.

Our verdict: 
The hubs trialed this and said that it was a good buy. As it is not spray based (CFC safe), it is also environmentally friendly. The deodorant works as a rub-on and lasted the hubs for more than half a day when he was out. I personally like the masculine scent which is fresh and crisp with a woody undertone.

:: Moisturising Conditioner

Out of the 4 items featured here, this is my favourite (no surprise considering 2 of the above 3 items are not for me! Hahahaha) As both the kiddo and I have long hair, conditioner is a must after every wash. More importantly, we need to use a richer conditioner because we are both under the sun quite a lot and I swim too so the "runny" conditioners do not quite cut it for us. 

Our verdict: 
The immediate thing that attracted me were 2 things: the scent (I chose vanilla) and the avocado oil. It was not runny and spread well on our long tresses. I left it on for about a min or 2 while I scrubbed my face with an exfoliating scrub then proceeded to rinse the conditioner off. 


I was really pleased that it washes off well yet I could tell immediately that the hair was smoother. Upon drying, the hair was smooth and definitely better hydrated. As it does not contain any modifiers such as silicone which basically works like plastic to coat the hair (but does not hydrate it in any way), I felt assured that Dumpling and my tresses were well taken care off. 

Keen to try these products (which are 100% with no harmful chemicals) for your family? 

I am pleased to share that I have a $50 voucher to give away PLUS Free delivery (within SG) too! 

Simply take part via the rafflecopter below. 

Remember to leave a comment on "which product you wish to try most and why?" 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(For SG residents only)

But that's not all! Can't wait for the giveaway and need those bug shield oil / the conditioner to for your dry tresses? 

Here's a discount code to share! 

Enter BEANIENUS10 at the check out! 

Valid from 18 March – 25 March (1 week)

10% off on all regular-priced items online

Disclaimer: We were sponsored with a $50 voucher to try out Human Nature's products so that we can give our opinions. We are not compensated for this post. This giveaway is not endorsed by Facebook. 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!  

Disney on Ice Review: A magical adventure!

Magical and spectacular!

Disney on Ice was that and more as it brought Dumpling on a magical journey and I got to relive my childhood. It was with a undercurrent of excitement as we waited for the show to start. There's something about that Disney magic that touches us in different ways.

(The young and the not so old, were all waiting eagerly)

The show mainly consists of 4 stories ~ The Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast and of course, Frozen. The show started with the classic characters Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald and I could hear the squeals from the parents (yes! The parents!) at this stage. Ha ha ha ha

:: The Little Mermaid 

After a colourful introduction, Disney's well-loved crab, Sebastian came on stage and began the segment with Ariel's 6 other sisters. And true to the original tale, Ariel was missing and that marked the start of the story of The Little Mermaid. Each of the 4 stories was a condensed version of the original cartoon (since the show lasts for about 2 hours with a short intermission) but it does not lose the plot.

This was actually the segment that I enjoyed the most. Being so caught up with the show, I did not realise that I sang quite loudly to "Part of your World" until the song was over and the mum in the row in front of me, turned around and (ahem) said that yours truly have a lovely voice!!! (My hubs would disagree by the way!) So yes, I would say that my evening started on a great note!

What to watch out for:

The underwater scene was beautifully created with vibrant backdrops. The costumes were bright and colourful; even the hubs found Flounder really cute. What impresses me most from this act was not just her skating but Arielle's aerial performance with just a cloth panel.

There were moments where she was hands-free and was suspended on the rope with just some twirls around her legs!

:: Rapunzel

The show then moved on to the story of Rapunzel. Rapunzel's "mother" was not overly scary / evil in so it is great for young kids too. The story starts with Rapunzel longing to view the "Floating Lights" to the vehement disagreement of "mother". "Mother" then left to acquire some paints and this is where Flynn accidentally stumbles upon the castle.

What to watch out for: 

I personally love the horse with its grumpy expression and I love the beautiful floating lights scene. Against the darkened backdrop, the effect was beautiful.

More than that, I thought that the actress played the sassy Rapunzel very well. From a choreography standpoint, this ice skating pair was really impressive. Both were clearly very strong skaters with amazing pair lifts in the syncronised dance - eagle spreads and curved lifts were beautifully executed. :)

:: Beauty and the Beast

Finally, it was Belle's turn to enter into the rink. Dumpling was waiting eagerly for as she has been a big fan of Beauty and Beast, where I brought her to watch the musical 2 years back. She likes that Beauty is a bookworm (haha!) and yes, in Belle's words, she finds Gaston "boorish" too! :p

The segment started after a short 10 - 15 mins intermission (they have to "zamboni" the ice surface) with Gaston having identified Belle as the "luck girl" who will be his wife. It then transitions into Belle stumbling upon Beast's castle and that started her friendship with the enchanted characters in the castle.

The Beast was tyrannical yet vulnerable and even in that short segment, I felt his despair being trapped by the spell. Being her favorite segment, Dumpling sang to all the songs and my favorite was the signature "Be Our Guest". :)

What to watch out for

I have always loved the costumes when I first caught the cartoon years back and to see it "live" was an enjoyable experience for me. I love Cogsworth and at one point, Luminere was standing at one of the raised corner platform waving to us. Of course, for the kiddo, she likes Chip the most. :)

Belle had many wonderful solo skating and fanciful moves - standing splits, camel, eagle spreads, etc. (I hope that I remember them correctly!) and from an aesthetic perspective, they were beautiful to watch.

:: Frozen

And of course, the show had to end with "Frozen" as the final segment. :) This story needs no introduction since it hit our shores about 3 years back. Every girl fell in love with Elsa and Anna while the boys favored Sven and Olaf.

The story started with Sven and Kristoff and here's a sneak peak:

And true to that, squeals of delight when Olaf came on stage and yours truly was clapping and cheering for the adorable snowman too. :)

This final segment started as a flashback with Anna meeting Kristoff and Sven where she shared what happened and asked him for help in locating Elsa.

Songs that were sang included "Love is an Open Door", "For the First Time in Ever", besides the famous "Let it Go". Elsa and Anna were of course absolutely gorgeous. The plot quickly escalated to Anna having located Elsa and got injured in the process before returning to look for Hans.

What to watch out for

Elsa was definitely the one to watch out for in terms of skating prowess. Her skating moves (standing splits and triple jumps) were choreographed to Let It Go which was complemented with Pyrotechnics. Snowflakes, foam and blue light added to the whole winter feel which was truly a sight to behold.

You can hear how loudly the girls were singing along with Elsa and see how graceful the snow queen was in this clip:

Olaf, in his usual fashion, also provided some lighthearted humor (watch out for my Olaf favorite scene with his famous line "some people are worth melting for") with some physical comedy (let's just say that he's got his head loose at some point :p).

The show definitely ended on a "high" with pyrotechnics and Micky, Minnie, Donald and Goofy to bid everyone farewell.

If you have not bought tickets yet, you should do so because this Magical Ice Festival is a "must-watch" this March holidays. And judging from the clapping, singing and cheers, I believe that I am not the only one who feels that way. :)

Tickets for Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival can be purchased online here. 

Show Schedule is as below:

 

To learn more about the magical experience - Magical Ice Festival, please visithttp://www.disneyonice-asia.com/magical-ice-festival/

Disclaimer: We were invited to watch Disney on Ice: Magical Ice Festival to give our opinions about it. All opinions expressed are entirely ours. 

Photo credit: images without watermark are provided by Feld Entertainment. 

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!  

Parenting with Love: Nurturing and Raising Self Directed Learners

I used to post photos / albums of what I do at home when I was homeschooling my daughter on my personal FB page. One question that I get a lot was "how is it that she is not running away and she is staying put to try out and learn?" When I was first asked that, I was quite surprised. Getting the kid to participate in something was really a breeze since she was young. So I was baffled as to why some of my friends have not been successful.

(Source)

Friends would also ask me how I decide on what to do with her and what to teach / learn.

Caught in the busy-ness of life, I am most embarrassed to say that I did not look into it or delve into it further. Took me some time (a few years!) but I think the answer lies in "curiosity". In short, I do not decide what to teach; I tap on her curiosity to extend the learning and ride on the opportunity to learn together.

In Dumpling’s report book last year, this was shared by the teacher under “remarks”:

“XX is a voracious reader who reads beyond her age… She has a wide general knowledge of things around her and is able to offer fresh perspectives in class.”

Because of this natural curiosity in the kiddo, she has been pretty much a self directed learner most of the time. (Though I must say that she hates rote learning so anything that requires drilling is hard work for us both :p) She prepares for her own “Show and Tell” and it is not uncommon for her to tell me who visited the school for a talk. For e.g a librarian visited the school last year and introduced the children to Sci-Fi which was a "new" genre of book for the kiddo then.  When she got home, she asked me to borrow the book that was shared during the talk (The Search for Wondla) and that started her fascination on a horde of new "reads" from this genre. 

The kiddo would also tell me that activities she wishes to try out / enrol for.(The latest activity that I am suckered into going for is an archery thing, just because “It looks fun! I want to give it a try and see how it works.”) 

While this is not meant as a parenting guide, on hindsight, I think that by being interested and involved in Dumpling's learning, and extending on things she is interested / curious about, I have unintentionally raised a self directed learner.  

So, if you are keen to tap on your child’s natural sense of curiosity, here's 3 “tips” to share:

:: 1. Answer a question with another question :p

From a young age, I do not believe in giving Dumpling the answer. I would instead, answer the question simply with another question. Maybe because I have a curious mind too so I am often “wondering” about things (with the latest being on electricity, dynamo and magnetic fields but that is a post for another day) so I often pique her curiosity by exploring possible answers / questions with her.

What this encourages is for her to think about possible solutions and not to expect to be spoon fed with one. It also encourages her to think of alternatives, to make inferences / hypothesis and to problem-solve. 

Some questions that you can try asking to lead to a greater / more meaningful discussion could be “What do you think?”, “How do you know that?”, “What did you observe?”, “Why do you think that is so?”

:: 2. Projects to explore

To spark her interest, I would often display books, materials, things related to a topical interest on a small table. Children being naturally curious will be drawn to the display and the questions would then start.

Often the activities will be a mix of visual, kinesthetic and hands-on / craft activities and she gets to decide / choose what she wishes to do.  

For e.g. prior to us taking a topic on birds formally (this was about 3 - 4 years back), I noticed that she was curious about some birds and nests we saw when we visited some farms at Kranji. We spotted many many nests being hung from a tree outside a farm. Riding on this curiosity, I hurried to the library to borrow some books on this topic (as well as made some online reservations) and promptly set up our homeschool area with books and activities for her to explore with. Needless to say, she was drawn to it and we had a good few weeks exploring and discussing about this topic every evening. A walk in the parks also allowed us to gather twigs and dead leaves which she chose to use to create her own nest and collage. 

:: 3. Listen and listen again

And this all fundamentally boils down to being observant and listening to your children and picking up on their questions. For e.g. with the kiddo asking about Archery, I may do an informal learning on it. Some questions that I may ask could be: 

• Where do you think were the bow and arrow invented in?
• What do you think they were invented for? (Update: being a Katniss Everdeen fan, she said it is used for hunting. Hee hee)
• What are they made of?
• Do you think that the materials are specially chosen?
• What if we were to use XX and YY to make them instead?
• (While observing an arrow) Why do you think feathers were added? (Update: her actual words "I think the feathers help it fly and with the thrust and kinetic energy, it enables the arrow to go faster." 
• How do you think it (the feathers) helped?

The questioning is important because it encourages the child to observe and to derive at her / his own answers. Importantly, with questioning (and waiting it out), it allows the child to internalize his thought process to "digest" and understand the concepts / topics learnt. 

Through repeated projects and discussions Dumpling and I had over the years, I came to realise questioning has organically become part of her thought process. Because of that habit, she has developed into a curious learner and hence, takes the ownership in learning where she will ask for help in researching on a topical interest and experiments (which has also started my interest on STEM / STEAM based subscription boxes which I wrote my first post on here). And indirectly, it has also built her interest and knowledge on a wide range of things. 

Before you exit this page, I would like to share this TED video with you on "3 Rules to Spark Learning". I enjoyed this clip (and many other great ones at TED) and I think you will too. :) 

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!  

Homelearning: Subscription boxes - Green Kid Craft

Even with the decision to enroll her into formal education 2 years ago, I have always been sitting on the fence when it comes to the issue of formal schooling. The questions that always lurk at the back of my mind are "Are there more things to life than just textbooks?", "Does Dumpling find her learning meaningful?" and "Do the activities and lessons propel her interest and natural sense of curiosity?"

Frankly, even now that she's in Primary 2, these questions still linger. Granted that English is taught in a more meaningful manner (Stellar) where children acquire grammar rules and vocabulary through specially selected story books, but the idea of engaging children in meaningful hands-on learning (in my opinion) seems to be somewhat lacking.

Hence I started my research on subscription boxes last year where I ordered Green Kid Craft, Little Passports and Junior Explorer. Each was specially chosen to map an area of interest that Dumpling has. These boxes were not and are not sponsored but I thought that they are pretty neat for some of you who wish to do more and do something different with your kids :)

:: History

Green Kid Crafts prides itself on being a green company that focuses and provides education activities for children with their boxes which is very much STEM based but with a little something special - all the activities are craft based.

Green Kid Crafts is a mother’s invention, created by a working mom and environmental scientist who wanted to make the most out of the limited time she had to spend with her kids. Like many other parents, she wanted to spend that time connecting with her kids, not scrambling for ideas and shopping for supplies. 

Why Green you may ask? It is because they are eco-friendly and are committed to the following:

Its boxes are 100% recycled. We use recycled labels and envelopes for shipping.

It integrate eco-awareness into our box themes as much as possible.

It minimize packaging and printing and use recycled materials.

It bundles materials using plant-based, compostable clear bags.

It avoids craft foams and plastics.

It ensures supplies can be composted, recycled and/or reused whenever possible.

It gives back. At least 1% of sales is donated to environmental organizations through its membership in 1% for the Planet.

From a parent's perspective, it is definitely a box puts my mind at ease where I know that the kid is not exposed to any toxic paints and materials.

:: How it works

Each box comes with 3 - 4 activities and you can choose a "once off" boxes or a subscription box (based on 3 months, 6 months or a 12 months plan). Besides subscription basis, Green Kid Craft also offers Discovery themed boxes that features cool themes such as Robots, Ocean Science, Kitchen Science, etc., Creativity themed boxes and STEM science kits (there are some which overlap into the Discovery themed boxes).

So you then choose the "type" you want and then add to cart.

The kiddo has tried both the subscription boxes and the themed boxes.

:: How it looks inside 

These are from 3 different kits:

Each box comes with a "intro" card (see above) which shows you the final craft item. The activities are pre-packed into each bag and most of the things you need would be in there (except the odd and end items like scissors, etc).

:: What we like: the activities

Based on the subscription boxes I have researched on, Green Kids Craft is one of those that has the best value. With 3 - 4 activities and full color printed cards / instructional sheets, I find the price (from USD19.95) reasonable.

So, how is Science being explored in these boxes?

Some activities are more fluid where it is up to you to explore the topical interest.

For us, it is a lot of conversational points. From the leaf pendent (yes, the leaf and paint were included) and the decoration of a Fabric bag, we had a chance to talk about leaves and their roles, types of leaves, global warming (based on Dr. Seuss poster below!), etc.

One of our favorite activities was a chance to build this:

This was from one of our monthly subscription boxes and yes, all the leaves and fern and even the soil, were included in the pack. Considering that the box had to travel about 3 - 4 days to Borderlinx (which is where I ship it from) and then to SG, they did remarkably well :p

As the kiddo built this, she created her own "rainforest" and with a lid over this, it was turned into a self sufficient terrarium. Over the next few days, observations were made and she saw first hand the water cycle process. 

Another interesting experiment she did was this which was on sounds:

Our conversation went like this:

(Placed salt into the balloon and I blew the balloon up)

Me: why is there sound now?

Kiddo: hmmmm...

Me: what's the difference in the balloon?

Kiddo: You blew it up! Now there's air!

Yup! Sound needs (medium) air to travel 

When I asked her which is her favorite activity to date, she selected the Lava Lamp.

As you can see, the talking points are also included and these are printed on the experiment card (see bottom of the card in the picture below)

:: The shipping

This has to be the greatest concern for most of you readers who are not based in the US. I ship my boxes via Borderlinx. Borderlinx recently started an economy option for parcels from US to SG (there are certain size and weight limitations) but via this economy route, my shipping was about SGD17.

For Economy, the delivery takes longer (which I do not really mind - about 7 to 8 days so far as compared to the regular option which takes about 3 - 4 days but at about double the cost too). It is trackable BUT I realised that it does not involve a door to door delivery. The postman merely placed it in my letter box (found out after 2 days when I was trying to trace my box!).

On the whole, Green Kid Craft has been great in occupying the kiddo where she can be left to her own devices, craft and learn at the same time. The activities are usually quite simple and I personally feel that they are great for younger children (K1 onwards) if they are able to read the instructions on their own. Having said that, this will also suit children who enjoy craft and are new to Science concepts. If you are looking at specific Science inventions and concepts for your children, this will not be for you but if you are looking for a fun experimental box which encourages hands-on learning, I personally think that this box has great value. Based on the multiple awards that it has won, I don't think I am alone in thinking so.

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!