Alexis’prep for primary 1.

In a blink of an eye, both my girls are now in primary school.  Alexis has been looking forward to this day for the longest time. Everyone knows how much she adores her sister and to be able to walk to school hand in hand was one of her greatest milestones.

2020 had been a tough year not just for us but for many around the world. The Covid-19 pandemic serves as a reminder of how vulnerable we are and one could fall from Hero to Zero in a matter of short time when such an unexpected event occured. While hubby and I were working from home, the time spent with the girls was lesser compared to pre-Covid. We are frantically fighting fire at work thus we lost the focus for them.  I had a difficult time penning my 2021 resolutions, partly because I have huge plans for Glowfully yet I realised 2021 is the year when Lauren will be taking her PSLE and Alexis entering primary school.  Of course, priority has to be with the family! 

We started Alexis on enrichment classes last year to boost her confidence. Do not be deceived by her chatty nature, Alexis is very jittery about her ability to handle primary school exams. One part of her is excited about going to school with her sister yet she is also mindful how hard her sister had been studying for her examinations and this frightens her.  One of the classes Alexis attended was The Preparation Course at the British Council. The K2 course was meant to help the little ones get ready for P1. In fact, we were briefed that the British Council’s enrichment courses for Nursery 1 up to Junior College are student-centred and are also aligned to the syllabus set up by the Ministry of Education.  The lessons Alexis attended at the British Council were engaging. The courses are designed to incorporate active learning and hands-on exploration to develop the child’s speaking confidence and socialisation skills. These are very important skill sets as a strong foundation in English would boost the child’s love for learning in school. She will be able to read the questions, and make better presentations during the show and tell. During the orientation program the principal mentioned about the new direction of MOE and that there would no longer be examinations for P1 and P2. They want to encourage a holistic learning environment for our children and I am glad the enrichment classes that we have selected for them believed in the same values.

If you are keen to find out more about the British Council Pre-School and Primary programes, I have attached some information for your reference. If you have questions about the curriculum or operation matters, please do not hesitate to reach out to the centres.

Hope your children have a wonderful 2021. Last but not least, whatever school or courses our child attends, we have a huge role to play in their learning journey. 

“Be the parent today that you want your kids to remember tomorrow.”

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Sentosa Staycation – Village Hotel

School holiday is here and if you are thinking of ways to bond with your child, perhaps I can share about our recent discoveries with One Faber Group?

Our visit to Sentosa was coincidentally tied with the time of our Faber Membership renewal. I was pleasantly surprised to be informed that the membership is now digital! Yay to 1 lesser card to clutter my already “filled to the brim” aunty wallet.  https://www.onefabergroup.com/faber-licence-membership

New digital Faber Membership
The girls first ride on the Monorail. Courtesy of Village Hotel at Sentosa

Thankful that despite being a little red dot on the world map, Singapore has so much to offer. Ask any tourist what they know about Singapore, Sentosa is probably one of the mentioned must-go places. Who would remember going to Asia Village or Fantasy Island when we were a kid? I wanted to bring the girls for a different Sentosa experience, not the usual RWS or Kidzania. Exploring Sentosa via foot, Cable Car and Monorail; the way I would explore when I was a kid. To enhance the experience, we also checked ourselves into the new Village Hotel so we could have a good 2 days to breakaway.

Feeling at home at Village Hotel Sentosa

In conjunction to the celebration of the Singapore Cable Car’s 45th Anniversary, One Faber Group came out with its Explorer Passport expedition. Pick up your Passport at the cable ticketing kiosk and start exploring the route and collect limited edition ink stamp at selection cable car station. There are 5 activity points and out of which, I have to say I enjoyed the 5 min walk to Faber Point the most. It was something that my usual self would probably skip (I am someone who would drive even if its just 5 min walk) but surprisingly I asked myself why did I not know of such a place? Ans: That’s because Charlene you are a lazy bone who did not appreciate nature due to the fear of sun and insect. A scenic 5 min walk from Mount Faber Cable Car Station, we were even greeted with the sight of a Merlion at Faber Point!

Grab your explorer passport from any cable car ticketing kiosk
Complete the 5 activities in the passport

We stopped for lunch at Arbora which boasted an unblock magnificent view of the rainforest hillside. The restaurant menu had a wide selection of western and local classics. I ordered a delicious lobster laksa that caused me to ruin my Keto diet, eat first diet later. Do you know there is a new nightly attraction at Arbora? Miraculous, a multimedia night show, featuring Mira & Mirak – a pair of mighty squirrels who lived in a heart-shaped Angsana tree at Arbora. The girls really wanted to watch Miraculous as all the Cable Car staff was telling them about it. Unfortunately, we could not watch on the day we were there as there was a private function. Nah, this gives us another reason to be back.

  • Family friendly dining with a breathtaking view
  • This lobster laksa is a must-try!

We continued our explorer adventure heading back to Sentosa Island. Admiring the Birdseye view of our beautiful island. In our current hectic life, how often do we stop and appreciate the things we have in our life. Thus when we completed the fifth activity at Siloso Point station, we explored Siloso Point with the recommendation of a tourist. How shameful? A Singaporean guided by a tourist. LOL

  • Siloso Point

After a quick freshen up back in our rooms, we headed back to Dusk for dinner. This was supposed to be a session planned for hubby. Sadly, he had to travel at the very last min and we did the sunset dinner without him. Here goes another, nah.. we will be back. Dusk is highly recommended for a place to chill over drinks and dinner, come around 630pm and watch the sky take in its breath-taking hues of vermillion and violet.

cheers…

If you are thinking about where to stay in Sentosa or planning a staycation with your family. Do remember to check out the new Village Hotel which recently welcomed its first visitor in March. If squeezing in a hotel to save cost is not your style, then you will be thrilled to learn that Village hotel offers a Family Room at an attractive rate of $260 per night. (This is under their opening special) Yes 2 rooms for only $260! I think this is a steal for a hotel in Sentosa that offers great facilities and a stone throw away to all the attractions. Village Hotel is just a 3 mins walk from the Merlion Station and Imbiah Monorail Station. You can also walk to RWS from the Festive Walk. If you are a lazy bone like me, the hotel provides free shuttle service to RWS and Vivocity. They gladly provide all patrons with complimentary Monorails tickets which is valid for 3 days of activation. Who needs to travel this June Holiday when there is so much being offered in Sentosa!

Village Hotel at Sentosa

10 Artillery Avenue, #02-01, Sentosa Island, Singapore 099951 Contact No.Hotel:
+65 6722 0800
Reservations:
+65 6881 8888
Emailinfo.vhs@fareast.com.sg

https://www.villagehotels.com.sg/en/hotels/village-hotel-sentosa

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The perfect family staycation – all while earning Skywards Miles!

Before we left for our Europe holiday, the girls were sulking as we did not bring them along. Thus,
we promised the girls a staycation when we were back from our holiday. We thought a staycation
would probably be the best substitute for a holiday and the girls would be happy. They should be,
because we need to beg them to roam around most of the time during our overseas holidays! The
girls were always happy just staying in the hotel and whenever we were out exploring, they would
always ask when we would come back. Thus, we felt a staycation would be the best idea for them.

As we had done numerous staycations in the past, we wanted something with more tranquillity this
time round. The first hotel that came to our mind was Shangri-La! Now, I had heard a lot about the
wonderful service of Shangri-La, but had yet to stay in one of their hotels. Thus, I thought it would be
a good time to experience the highly raved-about service of this hotel. If you had read my previous
post on Mileslife, you will be glad to know that you can also book your hotel stays through the app
and earn Skywards Miles at the same time. Of course, I did just that.
Booking a hotel stay through the app was a breeze – just like how you would usually make any hotel
reservations online.

From the moment we checked in, the service from all the staff at Shangri-La was impeccable. The lady who did our check-in advised us to switch to the Garden Wing as the room was more spacious. I am glad we did, as the girls needed the space to play and the room was perfect.  The room at the Garden Wing was also bigger as the booking with Mileslife came with an additional kid’s bed (free of charge!), which was perfect for us. Usually, we have to either all squeeze into a King size bed or sleep with the girls on twin beds. But with an additional bed, we were comfortably set in this room. Watch this clip for a tour of the room.

 

As we did not want to make this staycation all about staying in the hotel, we tricked the girls out by telling them we were going to hit the nearby Toy’r’Us store.  Hahaha… They jumped out of bed immediately. There is a free shuttle service to Orchard road every hour. If not, you can always request for a complimentary parking ticket each time you leave the hotel. After all the shopping at the Forum, we headed back to the hotel for a nice dinner at the Shang Palace.

 

The booking I made through Mileslife came with free breakfast!!! I have to tell you the breakfast at Shangri-La is a MUST!! The selection was one of the biggest I have seen. Good news to all families with kids 6 years and below. The kids get to dine free with each paying adult!! For us, Lauren paid half price ($22.50) as she is 8, but it was still very worthwhile too. All in all, we had a two-hour breakfast with Nasi Lemak and Laksa, and hit the pool right after.

 

 

 

 

We were surprised to see many Singaporean families there for staycation too!!! The girls made some new friends and were so reluctant to leave because it was almost time for us to check out.

 

 

We truly enjoyed ourselves and I am already scrolling through Mileslife for the next hotel to plan for our staycation! ;p

For those who are interested to know, I spent $441 and I earned 3,500 Skywards Miles from this booking.  This will be so helpful for my family holiday to Melbourne next year.  FYI, an Economy Class Saver return ticket on Emirates to Melbourne will require 45,000 Skywards Miles. Inclusive of my earlier spending on Mileslife, I am already a quarter way through the Miles required! Additionally, if you link your Emirates Skywards account to the Mileslife app as your frequent flyer programme of choice, you will be able to earn bonus Skywards Miles ranging from 25% to 75% if you are a Silver, Gold or Platinum member! Do keep a look out for special promotions on the app as well – the promotions may help you earn more Skywards Miles than usual!

 

 

 

 

 

I am definitely going to use this app whenever possible to accumulate more miles! For those that plan to download the app, do use my code “MSCLAK” under the referral code section to get additional 1000 miles on your 1st purchase (min. $49)!

 

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[Review] People Impact IQ/EQ Programme

I have to say I am no novice when it comes to enrichment classes for children. Lauren has attended numerous classes since young as I had always believed in the importance of a good basic foundation. Although Lauren is blessed with good grades, I do not take things for granted. I am always open to explore when family or friends introduce effective learning programs for children. Thus when I was approached to give People Impact a try, I agreed with no hesitation at all. I had heard about this course and was curious about the concept of the program that focused on enhancing various soft skills, such as communication, heightening self-esteem, leadership skills, money and time management, arithmetic and linguistic reasoning, creativity and critical thinking.
I was totally intrigued by this concept. I always believed that I want to groom Lauren to be independent; to be not just book-smart but street-smart as well, and to have good interpersonal skills, etc. So glad that there is actually a class for these now!

People Impact Singapore

Sponsored Review

As a market leader in providing intelligence training to children, People Impact’s programme weaves in and interlinks cognitive, social and emotional skills to help children develop to their full potential. Currently, in Singapore, their programme is suitable for children aged 3 – 12 years old, but very soon, they will have a Baby Programme!
In a nutshell, People Impact’s programme touches on:
IQ – creativity, logic, linguistics and memory skills.
EQ – leadership, time management and coping skills.
AQ – develop strong critical thinking and reasoning powers to face the daily challenges and learn how to complete tasks productively. People who can think out of the box with multiple solutions will be a strong asset in future.

People Impact Singapore

People Impact Upp Thomson

People Impact Singapore

Teacher Khogi

We arranged for a trial lesson on a Saturday at Upper Thomson branch. We arrived early and I had a brief chat with the Director, Mr Teo Chee Keong. He explained to us on how the class would be conducted. Contrary to the notion that children must be engaged in constant academic learning, People Impact strongly believes in the power of PLAY to nurture the young minds, and effectively engage children and unleash their maximum potential. Noticed what Lauren is wearing? That big word on her tee – PLAY! Certainly not pre-planned to wear that. We were then welcomed by Teacher Khogi, who was also an ex-principal with many years of experience with young children.

The 1 hour 45 min lesson was broken up into 3 parts. What I learnt later on was that the team at People Impact put in so much effort to come up with different materials and games so the children who attend the class would be welcomed by something new every week.

The 1st part of the lesson was a game called The Changing World.

People Impact

Interactive session during the game Changing World

The class was broken up into groups and they were asked to come out with a new subject in school. They were asked why they wanted to include that new subject and to elaborate on it. The kids spontaneously highlighted new subjects such as Dancing, Karaoke, Swimming and Acting to be included into the school syllabus. They were also asked a few other questions in this game. I liked the way the children discussed among themselves on the question and how they confidently explained their choice in front of the class.

This game was meant to

• Strengthen creative and critical thinking skills
• Develop team collaboration skills
• Improve communication skill
• Enhance the verbal reasoning skill.

People Impact Singapore

The children were all having fun. 🙂

People Impact

Opinions from the older children in class

People Impact Singapore

Opinions from Lauren’s group

Sharing her opinions to the class

Next up was a game called Police and Thief. This was a board game created by the school. The teacher would throw two dices; one dice with the colour and the other showing the number, eg Blue, 4. The police would be on the step of Blue with 4 dots. Then the steps would be repeated to get the placement for the thief. The police would have to reach the thief by jumping on the same colour or same number in a vertical or horizontal manner. Players must analyse and show the number of steps the police could take to reach the thief; the other players were encouraged to see if they could beat the 1st player in a shorter number of steps.

People Impact Singapore

Police and Thief

I was surprised how good and how fast the children were at playing this game. I was standing in a corner cracking my brain on how to solve each set. The child who won was also encouraged to help the others who were still playing. Each and every child was really thinking hard and I could see they were enjoying every minute of the game.

People Impact Singapore

Everyone was so engrossed

People Impact Singapore

Thinking Hat on

What I loved about this game;

• Strengthen perceptual reasoning skill
• Enhance speed thinking
• Develop cognitive flexibility
• Improve visual focus and processing
• Strengthen the ability to think under pressure
• Learn to cope with losing

People Impact Singapore

Teacher Khogi guiding Lauren on the game

 

Last game in the class was called Reverse Charade. The groups took turns to act and guess. One player would guess what the other players were enacting the clues. The children had a good laugh at each other because of the acting.

• Strengthen team synergy and collaboration
• Enhance non-verbal communication
• Develop creativity
• Improve confidence in self-expression

People Impact Singapore

Teamwork

People Impact Singapore

The importance of effective non verbal communication

Standing in the class for 1 hour 45 min, I observed how different the class was conducted compared to the usual enrichment classes which Lauren was or had attended in the past. There was no particular focus on the academic aspect but I felt strongly about this class; like how the class could help children with a lot of things that were probably not taught in a textbook or tested in school, like how the class could help my child in so many ways. Lauren would be in the cohort where MOE is moving away from the score segregation. Our government has been trying to fine tune our education system to allow more holistic development among children. They have probably realised that many children are talented in so many ways. Some have extreme music talents, while others have great memory, good grades or creativity abilities. I find this is the right platform to start grooming my children in that direction.

There is no better time to give People Impact a try. Good news, folks, People Impact is offering my readers a super good deal of $20 for 2 classes. (Usual is $120 per lesson). Quote “Charlene Sim” when making the appointment.

People Impact is located at the following branches:

UPPER THOMSON BRANCH SINGAPORE HQ

213 Upper Thomson Road Level 3 Singapore 574348
Tel: +65 64514908

 
EASTPOINT MALL BRANCH

3 Simei Street 6 #03-01/02
Singapore 528833
Tel: +65 91769239

 
WEST COAST PLAZA BRANCH

154 West Coast Road #01-74
Singapore 127371
Tel: +65 6635 8573
For more information about the programme, please visit their website at:
www.people-impact.com.sg/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/people_impact
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PeopleImpactSingapore

 

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post but opinions are all of our own.

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Thinkasaur – where Learning science is made Fun

Think Thinkasaur, think fun science experiments for the whole family sent to you right at your door step.  Designed chiefly for children between the ages of 5 to 10 years old, Thinkasaur comes in the form of a science kit that provides the full spectrum of materials, equipment, instruction manuals and learning points for up to four experiments per box. Each box covers a specific scientific theme, such as chemistry, physics and Earth science.   Thinkasaur strives to bring back the wonders of Do-It-Yourself fun by providing a monthly subscription-based service that delivers boxes packed with science experiments straight to your doorsteps!  In this modern era, kids are now overly dependent on electronic gadgets for entertainment.  I have to admit that we as parents are guilty of doing that too, quite often we are always on our devices even though we are seated together.  We are very blessed when Thinkasaur approached us for a review of their products.  I knew straightaway that it would be a hit with Lauren.

Thinkasaur. Where fun is never extinct

Receiving Thinkasaur boxes (Sponsored Review)

Experimenting Thinkasaur with Lauren and Alexis brought back memories where I was so eager to collect all the Science card badges during my primary school days. I remember going around my neighbourhood with my classmates exploring different tasks and we were always amazed by the outcome of the experiments.

youngscientistweb03_580

Young Scientist badges

 

We received 3 boxes from Thinkasaur.  The girls were so excited to see the boxes and curiosity was instantly aroused from that moment.  Each box contains 3 to 4 fun-filled experiments. We started with the Wonder of Colours box. I have to compliment Thinkasaur for such a well thought and planned experiments.  Aprons and gloves were provided for experiments that were a little messy.  Each experiment was individually wrapped in ziplock bags with all the materials needed so we did not need to fumble for anything when working on the experiments.  There were detailed step-by-step pictorial instructions to guide us through the experiments, a learning guide filled with fun facts to explain the science behind each experiment.  I love the quality bonding, and yet educational, time I had with the girls.

 

Thinkasaur

Wonders of Colours from Thinkasaur

Thinkasaur

What is inside the box

Thinkasaur

Alexis listening attentively while Lauren was explaining the science behind each experiment

Thinkasaur

The young scientist at work

Thinkasaur, Wonders of Colours

Look at the amazing effect!

 

 

It was so fun that Lauren begged for another project the next morning.

Thinkasaur

 Working on project #2 together

 

Thinkasaur

Look at her elephant trunk!

 

We tried projects from the other boxes too and the girls were totally intrigued with the effects of reaction which were well documented with scientific facts. Lauren has not started science in her academic curriculum but this had certainly  triggered her interest in chemistry which I am very glad. Early exposure to science, made in a very fun way.

Thinkasaur

Inside the box of Thinkasaur Magnet Magic

Thinkasaur

Thinksaur Crazy Chemistry

 

Thinkasaur

Working on Project Lava Lamp

Thinkasaur

Following the steps from the instruction manual

Thinkasaur

In anticipation of the result

Thinkasaur

The wow effect has arrived

 

What I love about Thinkasaur:

  1. Time efficient and hassle-free: As a full time working mum and wife to a frequent flyer.  Time is an essence for me. Thinkasaur solved this aspect by sending me fun activities which I can spend quality time with my girls right at home. I do not need to crack my brain about sourcing the materials needed to do any experiment.
  2. Cost effective: Each box comes with 3 to 4 experiments.  I told Lauren that we will do one experiment weekly.  Mum does not need to fret over where to bring the girls on a Saturday now as they are so looking forward to going home for fun science experiments.
  3. Quality family time:  It was heartwarming looking at the photos of us doing the experiments together. Everyone was so happy and involved. Furthermore, everyone learnt something new.
  4. Last but not least, Thinkasaur made learning science a very fun process. Extremely effective for children of young age. These tools EDUCATE yet do not extract the FUN from the process. I had never thought that Learning and Playing could be integrated.

 

Thinkasaur subscription programmes are offered either on a 6-month period at $43/month or a 12-month period at $40/month and are available for purchase online at www.thinkasaur.com. Alternatively, single boxes are available for purchase at $48/box. These could make a great birthday gift, more in fact an “anytime” gift!

Thinkasaur is offering CLAK readers a 5% discount on your orders with code “BACK2SCHOOL” . Following terms and conditions apply.

  • Limited to 1 use only per customer
  • Limited to 100 redemptions
  • Only valid for orders above SGD$40
  • Discount code is valid till 28 Feb 2017
  • Discount code cannot be combined with other codes and promotions

 

Reviews provided are totally independent and non-biased.

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