Her Ice Princess Dream - Ice Skating in Singapore!

Dumpling has been asking for ice skating lessons for some time because of a homeschool topic on Winter Olympics (thank goodness she did not ask for skiing!) She was enthralled with the whole idea of being able to skate so gracefully on ice and that it was cool (she does not like the heat) and that we have a rink in Singapore. 

After a few calls and some emails, I finally locked in the class dates with The Rink over at Jcube (level 3). 

Truthfully I did not expect myself to freak out while at the rink. It only occurred to me at the moment that she will have to go in on her own and (gasp) I am entrusting my kid to the instructors there who looked like they are younger than me by more than a decade (yes, I know, they probably ARE). But because she has been so looking forward to it, I had to bite my tongue from being too paranoid and put up a brave and encouraging front. In the event if you are keen, here's sharing some information. 

:: Some basic info

At The Rink, the Learn to Skate Programme is split into 4 levels - Core 1 to 4. Unless you have prior skating experience (not just balancing but able to glide, stop, etc.) most would need to start from Core 1. 

:: Fees and what it covers

The fees is $171.50 for 5 lessons of each level where it includes group lesson time of 30 mins plus 2 hour open practice time. The fees also include boots rental. You will need to fill up a form and pay / register prior to the class. (Preferably not the morning of the lesson 'cos that was what I did which was really not the best morning to do so with the long queues and hordes of people registering)

:: What you will need to bring & wear

1. Long socks (this is because the skates cover past the angle and hence you will need socks to go past that) *see the photo below*
2. $1 Coins (this is for the locker which is at $2 per usage - non refundable, though there is coin changing machine at the rink)
3. Long pants / thick leggings Cardigan / jacket to layer over - though technically exercising does warm the body up a bit, when you are moving a tad faster, the cold air does get chilly)
4. Gloves (not compulsory but I prefer them on because the fingers do get pretty cold) 
5. And because we are both food machines, we brought along small snacks / buns. After her lesson time, there is a break as the Zamboni will be out to smoothen the surface. So we usually make use of this time to have a morning snack with Dumpling and HAVE A CUP OF HOT MILO TOO! This is Dumpling's highlight of the morning as the hot drink does warm us up a bit

Now, regarding the service experience, it's a mix bag of nuts for me. 

The good thing is that GM of the rink is a very hands-on person and is pretty good with the kids. About a week prior to the lesson, yours truly, lost my footing on a step and I basically injure my left foot and bruised my knee. When Richard saw me struggling with trying to kneel and put on the skates for the kiddo, he came over and offered his help (above pic). After putting the skates on for the kiddo, he even offered to lead her to the gate.  

And well, Dumpling was all too ready to let go of my hand and though apprehensive about her first lesson, she was really excited and raring to start!

I was informed by Richard that the students are segregated according to their age groups - each group then goes through a different gate.

As this is a beginner's class, some of the things the children were exposed to were more of getting them to have a feel for the ice floor, to get a sense of balance, to know now to fall and get up safely, basic 'footsteps', etc.

Now the minus point for me is that I do not really agree to the student : teacher ratio. When the class first started (and there about about 9 - 10 students), there was only one instructor (as seen below - there are more students on the left side). I felt that ratio was way too high for 2 reasons - (1) the tender age of this group  and (2) because they are all beginners where many, if not all, would have very little experience on ice. If one student were to fall and coming from my EC experience (seeing and interacting with preschoolers at the centres daily) I am not sure how the instructor is able to manage the class.

Having said that, I think Richard saw the class dynamics and about 10 mins into the class, I saw 2 other coaches being assigned to the group. I am not sure if this is a once-off arrangement (at the time of writing, we have only attended one lesson so far) so let's see what the arrangement is for the next lesson.

How did the rest of the lesson go? Here's some of the things the kids did at the first lesson.

Dumpling learning to move correctly while holding onto a "wall" - they need to be comfortable in lifting up their legs as that will help them to glide for future lessons as opposed to shuffling.

The kids learning how to fall and get up safely

The kids venturing out and 'gliding' over a small area 

I was pleasantly surprised to see that at the end of the 30 mins session, she emerged more confident and was able to shuffle along (for a start) and made it out to the ice on her own (above pic). :) 

In fact, the skating class looked so much fun that yours truly also signed up for the course. LOL. Let's see if that I can get some photos taken of me so that I can share more on our course by then :)

The Rink
Level 3, JCube
Singapore 609731
Email: info@therink.sg

2 Jurong East Central 1

Tel: +65 6684 2374/5 (hotline) or 6684 2379

Opening Hours:

Monday: 10.00 am - 9.30 pm (until the first week of Aug 2013)

Tuesday to Thursday & Sunday: 10.00 am - 9.30 pm

Friday & Saturday, eve of PH & PH: 10.00 am - 11.45 pm

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Parenting with Love - Letting It Go, Not!

My heart dropped and my blood must have froze over 100 times in that short session that Dumpling went for her first ever ice skating class. Gawd, it was awful watching her from a distance. I must have died when I let go of her hands (she had to pry her fingers off my hand) as she entered the rink. She has never done ice skating before and I was thinking "what on earth was I even thinking of?" Why did I agree to send her for ice skating class? What ensued were a million doubts that ran through my mind.

"What if she falls?" (Ya I know, that's stupid.) "What if she bumps her head?" "What if she falls flat, sprawled across the ice and someone skates over her fingers and sever them?" (I know that is morbid but seriously, have you guys not have the same thoughts when it comes to ice skating?)

It does not help when some kid in her class kept falling over and they sorta all went down like dominoes.

This was what happened...

but this is what I "saw"

And while she was shuffling to work on her footsteps and balance...

It felt more like this..

(Source)

I was texting a friend non-stop in the earlier minutes telling her how my heart stopped and that I just can't let it go. No one warned me that it is gonna be this hard as the kiddo grows older. No one told me how my heart will be in my throat as she becomes her own little person and becomes more independent. No one told me that IT WOULD BE ME, who will have separation anxiety.

Where did my baby go? It was just yesterday when I was still holding her as she slid down a slide. Someone please hand me a remote control to stop the time!

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Parenting with love - sometimes "damages" can be permanent... the un-repairable scratch

One of the key reasons why I blog is to capture all those golden moments which I am sharing with Dumpling. It didn't occur to me at all that some readers may interpret differently where it seems that I "have it all" or am in control of everything.

That's not what this blog is about. I would like to be as truthful as I can but I think it is in all of us to capture those really good moments so that we have beautiful memories to look back at.

I don't have it all and it is certainly not easy being a FTWM and a homeschooling one too. There are many moments where I struggle, get too hung up on 'results' and that I face a roadblock be it working on Dumpling's mannerisms or we hit a plateau during homeschool. I too get tired, cranky and lose focus once in a while. Why I stuck with what I do will be another post altogether and I will get to that post very soon. But for this post, I like to share something heartfelt and something not that easy to write.

In the homelearning group that I moderate and in my day to day dealings with parents of preschoolers (I am in the EC industry), it is very apparent that no matter what the "garmen" says, the primary school system is indeed punishing. I recently saw a Ting Xie list (Chinese spelling of perhaps 40 short 'everyday' phrases of 4 words each) for a 9YO Ting Xie test and I had to just naively ask if it is a term's work (of which the answer is no.).

It is no wonder that all these bring out the worst in many of us, yours truly included. But interestingly, it is in these moments that I learn and 'grow' through praying for grace. See the scratch below? This scratch will always be a permanent reminder for me to focus on only the important stuff.

This scratch happened only when the violin was less than a month old when Dumpling upgraded to a larger violin. I was cranky after a long day at work, dealing with well 'difficult' parents and in Dumpling's violin notebook, the teacher had a note on getting her to practise scales, some techniques and also to monitor some other technical setups. She tried a few times and I was 'trying' too. I had to correct her over and over again when she 'zoned out' and after failing to get her to pay attention, I snapped. I basically told her it was her choice of instrument and if she wants to learn, then learn it properly. If she is not gonna be 'serious' about it (yes, I used that word on a 5YO), we might as well stop. YUP, I SAID THOSE AWFUL WORDS.

That didn't go down too well with her as she was very upset and we had a tug of war - me pulling the violin from her and she, pulling it back because she said she wanted to try again. And that's how we ended with that battle scar. The violin costs about half a G by the way and I was devastated to see this ugly, 'in-your-face-inch-long' scratch especially when it was so new.

To say that I went ballistic was an understatement.

After some time where we both took a break, Dumpling came to me to say "Mama, I am sorry. I am sorry that we quarreled and I am sorry that we scratched the violin. But thank goodness, it was only a scratch."

At that moment, I was so ashamed of myself. My 5YO kiddo had no qualms coming to me to apologise and was so gracious as to even try her best to comfort me. I was deeply humbled and yes, thank goodness it was only a scratch on the violin where it is easily replaceable. What if these quarrels had cost a permanent scar in our relationship? Moments like these teach me grace and lead me to breathe deeply and think about what prompted me to take on coaching her on all these activities on my own. It is LOVE. I wanted her to encourage her love for knowledge, to nurture that love for questioning and to also continue to love music yet I was doing it so wrong that night.

I once read - if someone were to gift you with a present, would you have thrown it or break it? Not likely. Yet, so often, we end up being so short and so harsh with our "gifts" from God. Isn't that a great irony?

If we would not break these earthly presents, why would we break the bond, trust, love and respect between our child(ren) and us, especially the gift that God has bestowed us with? Let this be a gentle reminder to us all not to lose sight but focus on the most important thing - LOVE. Have a blessed week ahead.

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Through her eyes #10 - Ring a Ling

How many of you remember this? :)

As a kid, a treat for me in school will be these triangular packets of Magnolia milk. These days, if I wanted an ice cream, 'branded' ones would come to my mind immediately - Ben and Jerry's, Cold Stone Creamery, 

Häagen-Dazs, etc. 

What I took for granted is a rare treat for the kiddo! She'd listen out to the familiar "Ring-a-ling" and rush down with me in toll, excited about her treat? This small humble van is what kids' cold dessert dreams are made up of! 

Do you prefer a cone or wafer? Or if you are adventurous enough, why not try it with "roti"? What about flavours? Choices are a plenty - vanila, chocolate chips, blue berry, mango, raspberry ripple (my personal favourite!) or the local delights - coconut, red bean, sweet corn? 

I thoroughly enjoy my weekly moments with the kiddos as we dash down to the carpark where this magic van awaits us. :) What are your favorite flavours / concoction?

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Parenting with Love - "No" is not a dirty word

Hubs and I have vastly different parenting style and the most interesting discussions would stem from our different perspectives in bringing up Dumpling. Some time ago, hubs asked for a kiss from the kiddo and the kiddo was busy and said "no" and he saw red. Now, I have heard from many of my mummy friends that this is a common scene where the man would see green and sometimes red when the little ones are closer to the mum at times. LOL (Mums, please raise your hands if you have been there!)

To me, it is not a big thing and I tried to reason out with the man and he did not seem appeased. So, when all else fail, I left him to the 'hubs-sitter' otherwise known as 'Cable TV'. :) Now, let's park this aside for just a while as I want to share something else.

I met up with some friends over the December holidays for a playdate. As usual I took the time to 'nuah' (singlish for chill) and do what I like best - people watch, drink coffee and observe. The kids were playing in a corner on their own and one of the mums turned to ask the kiddo if she wanted to head back to the exhibition (where we came out from). The kid first said yes but when she realised that her other friends were not keen to head back in there, she changed her mind. What ensued was interesting for me.

The mum looked to be a tad annoyed and started telling the kiddo that it is OK not to follow the crowd. And what followed on was a good few minutes of asking the kiddo why she changed her mind (kiddo was silent), and how she needs to stand up for herself (more silence, just a few nods) and that she should learn to lead rather than being a follower all the time, and back to why she changed her mind (total silence again) and how is it that she does not lead, etc.

While I applaud the mum for her effort in encouraging her kiddo to be more confident, I can't help but also ponder over something else. This mum is one of the most focused mums that I know, having mapped out her kiddo's academic / educational path till possibly secondary school. She started sending the child to some classes since 3 twice to thrice a week, to prep the child to join a school team in primary school (kiddo just turned 6) and is sending her child to another class to prep for Direct Admission into an elite secondary school to get further credits. And this entry is not via music or art, instead something that requires serious brainiac effort.

While some children are more vocal and would lead better, I believe that the environment plays a big part too. With all the shepherding and the molding since Day 1 where the kiddo's life / direction has been planned for the next 10 - 11 years, how would one expect the child to step out of the shadow, to lead and not to follow? Wouldn't parenting style affect this trait too? Is it a bad thing if we do not (whether consciously or subconsciously) allow for the child to deviate from our well-intended plans, to allow them to speak up and say "No" once in a while?

Back to Dumpling versus Dad. What I shared with the man was that saying "No" is not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps I sound perverse and I may regret this during her teenage years but for the moment, I am glad that the kiddo is able to stand up for herself and for her beliefs. While I do not appreciate the sassy attitude that comes with her exerting her independence at times, I truly want my child to dare to stand up, stand out and say No at times. This is especially when peer pressure is so strong these days. So, how can we encourage that? For me, it is pretty much allowing her to pursue her interests, to discuss (as in having real discussions where I listen to her point of views, do not force my opinions on her) and not to force her to take on anything that she does not enjoy.

Because I truly hope that by respecting her that way, she learns to respect herself and others too, and remain steadfast in this society where temptations are aplenty.

Source

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Wordless Wednesday - Minion, Cookies & Dogs!

In the story of minion, cookies and... dogs

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The curious case of a monkey's 'tale'

I was out with 2 other mummy blogger friends - Jen and Connie over the weekend for a talk organized by Jacob Ballas Children's Garden and we finished with a simple picnic after. After the picnic, on the way back to our cars, I saw this on the floor.

I stopped and asked the kids, "hey look, doesn't this look like a monkey's tail?" The kids were all a little in awe but curious and proceeded to squat down and stared at it...

I asked again "do you think that it's a monkey's tail?" And started what was a lovely discussion...

Isa (Connie's son) was very enthusiastic and said that "yes, it could be a monkey's tale because it looks furry." He also added that the color was 'right' too. Dumpling disagreed and said "if it were a monkey's tail, there should be blood. So what happened to it and to the trail? And where's the body," she added. 

DinoBoy (Jen's son) then joined the kids at this moment and gave his thoughts - "yes, it is a monkey's tail." 

"So where's the blood?" I asked.

"Something in the tree must have drank all of the monkey's blood and then bitten the tail off. That's why there's no more blood on this now." He clarified.

I smiled. I love it. I have always loved these discussions with Dumpling and am always in awe with children's minds.

I continued to let the children discuss, taking on more of a role as an observer. Then DinoBoy asked "where did this come from?" And so, this prompted another round of discussion as they looked for the source of origin. At that moment, another 'tail' dropped and landed on the floor. Then the kids looked up. Finally, together, they found the 'tails' on the tree above. 

I picked up a piece and proceeded to open it and showed it to kids.

(DinoBoy must have decided that it was safer to watch from a distance in case of blood spurting out!)

On the inside, it looked more fibrous then anything else and there was no blood stains or any hint of 'blood'. So the kids pretty much ruled out that it was the tail of monkey but instead, it came from the tree. :)

I received PMs and at times emails from readers and friends on the discussions that I have with Dumpling. Since young, I rarely give Dumpling a direct answer to her questions but would instead ask her other questions to help direct her attention to some details in guiding her to observe and compare. Now that she's older, I can see that she's able to draw relationships between the 'cause' and 'effect' and importantly, I like that she's about to deduce and make inferences. 

Dumpling did not stop there, her questions came fast and furious once we were in the car:

- 'Mama, what happens to a monkey if he has no more tail? Will he die?' (To which I asked 'What do you think? In your opinion what do monkeys use it for? How does this affect him?)
- 'Do they then regenerate their tails like lizards?'
- 'Hmmm... besides Shark and Lizards, what else have capabilities to regenerate?'

When you are next out with the kiddos for some outdoor fun, be observant and engage them in observations and discussions. Who knows, you may be 'luckier' than us and spot a tiger's tail next! :p

Connie also wrote about the Herbs and Spice talk our kiddos attended. Hop on over for a quick read! DinoMama, on the other hand, captured some comical moments of our 3 kids!

(Photo source: Connie ~ thank you!)

 

Outdoor Fun! A morning date with the frogs!

Just about a month before the haze hit us so badly and before the dengue cases started rising, the family took the opportunity to drive out to Sunggei Buloh area, particularly the farms. We are not new to the Kranji Heritage Trail having visited Bollywood Veggies numerous times as well as having done a staycation at the Kranji Resort too. It was a weekly visit for us for a while before we got so busy with work and socials. 

So on a nice Saturday morning and just 30 mins drive from our place and we arrived at... 

:: A bit of background

Jurong Frog Farm was started in 1981 by Mr. Wan Bock Thiaw where the focus was very much on farming American Bullfrogs. That morning when we visited, his youngest daughter was there (who tends to the place and works there full time). 

The father-daughter team then looked into R&D and marketing of Hashima Jelly and the company now sells bottled Hashima jelly and Frog Essence (which I have yet to try). 

In the compound, besides the frog farm, there is a shop which not only sells frozen American Bullfrog meat but also sells exotic meat such as venison, which I bought a packet of but have yet to fry them.

We also spotted some educational displays on the life cycle of frogs...  (was too short to get a photo without the reflection of light)

The farm area is basically cemented blocks which house the American Bullfrogs (where the deep croaks greet you before you reach). As we started introducing amphibians to Dumpling when she was young, she was not scared of them at all. But a word of caution: we saw 2 families with wailing toddlers that morning when they saw the frogs. 

Source: Jurong Frog Farm Gallery

Source: Jurong Frog Farm Gallery 

Source: Jurong Frog Farm Gallery 

Jurong Frog Farm offers tours too but we did not go for it that morning. This is something which I will definitely be considering the next time we are there! (FYI, there is apparently a mating pond!) 

:: The 'exotic' food
Being a frog meat lover family, we ordered skewers of fried frog meat as a morning snack too. 

The skewers of meat were yummy (but too salty for me) - batter was crunchy and tasty while the meat was moist even though they were deep fried. Because these are fried so they come 'piping hot' so do take care not to bite into it immediately lest you burn your tongue. 

(For those keen on frying your own frog meat, the shop sells the flour used for the batter in addition to selling frozen frog meat too. If fried food is not for you, here's our recipe on "Gong Bao Frog Legs".)

Dumpling loving the meat as much as I do... 

But my favourite item there? The ready-boiled Hashima Jelly. Yes yes yes, I know what Hashima jelly is but I am not at all turned off by it. :p 

An instagram pic shared that morning: Dumpling about to tuck into Hashima Jelly

And if you do not already know, here's some benefits of Hashima Jelly! 

And after you are done? Sinks are provided for easy cleaning / washing too! Gotta love their wall art! :) 

Keen to visit?

Here's more details:
Address:
51 (Plot 56)
Lim Chu Kang Lane 6
Singapore 718864
Website: http://www.jurongfrogfarm.com.sg/index.html
T: 6791 7229

Opening hours:
Tuesday - Friday (Strictly By Appointment only)
Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays (9.00am - 5.30pm)

This is part of an Outdoor Fun series where I aim to share posts on 'places to go' and 'things to do' with the kiddos. :)

Teaching Preschoolers Chinese - 路德系列： 路德做汤

Chinese is still one area which I try very hard to support from home and because we started reading with Dumpling from young, she developed a love for books at a tender age too. So for a lot of the activities that we do at home, I try very hard to use a literature based approach where we can extend to activities after reading the title. 

We bought a series called 路德系列 which is simple as it has repetitive words yet introduces vocabulary. The series is split into 4 themes with 6 titles in each. Having read through a few titles with her, I decided to extend it into a series of small activities. 

I basically made an A4 booklet for each title where the cover and title of the book were pasted on the cover. 

  

For this title, it is on 路德做汤 so on Day 1, after reading, we extended into hands-on learning with some of the actual vegetables and ingredients used in the story. I also got Dumpling to try and cut up some of the vegetables (with my help)...

Which I later used it for a stew... 

While I was cooking, I left her with papers, scissors, glue and a "pot" to make her own stew...

 On Day 2, we worked on vocabulary and word recognition

 And on Day 3, we worked on other things such as verbal skills and 量词。

I have finally finished checking the pack and here's the link to share! (As always, the pack was created for homelearning support and is not meant for any sales / for any profit making activities. Please do not edit / tweak it in any way. If you spot a mistake / typo or you have any feedback, please email me at beanienus{at}gmail.com. Thank you!