[Singapore Zoo] The Feeding Trail!

How do you usually plan your visit to the zoo?

Do you just go in then just walk and look see and maybe try to go for 1-2 shows then have KFC and then go?

We figured we have been doing just that over the past few years when we visited the zoo. Earlier days, we were more concerned for a rest area and the timing that kids have to sit down to have their meals. (Now, we are much chillllllllllllaxxx)

Back to the main point.

Today the Foong Family decided to visit the Singapore Zoo with a different itinerary!

We went with a theme in mind: lunch time for the animals!

(We had previously visited the zoo at another timing hoping to try out another trail but it started raining so heavily, we could not complete what we planned. 🙁)

The rain stopped about 9+ this morning and the weather looked very promising 🌤and we headed out at 11.30am after just bumming a bit a home.

We reached the zoo about 12pm. The kids wanted to watch a show so we thought we could accommodate that before we begin our quest. We reached the Amphitheater at 12.15pm. It was a fast walk, we stayed focused and we did not really stop to look at any animals along the way.

The thing about themed visit is you have to keep to what you have planned. Else, the trip would end up with you missing one planned activity, then snow ball to missing subsequent ones and end up becoming a usual roam around visit.

I think one disclaimer is there is NOTHING WRONG about casual walk about. We just wanted to make things a little different since we frequent zoo quite a bit. :)

After the Rainforest Fight Back show, it was about 12.45pm. We took a casual walk to the circled area in the map below.

Along the way, we were well entertained by our Orang Utans! We were watching a mama orang Utan hugging and cleaning a baby orang utan.

We read a book about Meerkats previously and we observed them for quite a while! The posture and behaviour is exactly like the book! Amazing!

Alright! It is time! This is the trail we embarked on and I'm going to give you the ultimate tip!

We reached the white rhino enclosure at 1.15pm sharp and there was already a big crowd. For token feeding (indicated on the website with an asterix *), you have to reach early to either queue or get the queue number. For example, the giant tortoise feeding (which is Super fun!!!!) there are only seven cards for grab. You get to enter the enclosure and walk side by side with the tortoise. U can even touch the tortoise! You will be brought around by the zookeepers and briefed on how to feed Cherry tomatoes to the tortoise. 

WHITE RHINOCEROS

For the white rhinos, the zookeepers will issue you with a basket of melon slices after you put a minimum $5 donation into the sealed box. I say minimum because you could give more to the conservation funds if you want to. :) you will stand on an elevated platform and feed the rhinos!

(Taken from http://cdn.secretearth.com/production/12475/banner_12475.jpg)

AFRICAN LION

**this is where the trail really begins!**

The lions were all in front of the glass viewing chamber and we were waiting to see the viewing there since 1.20pm! After waiting for 10min, there were no sight of the zookeepers but we saw the lion looking at a certain direction. Our very alert papa Elvin immediately went out and saw the zookeepers standing at the other side of the enclosure where the main pavement is. We rushed out and stood next to the two zookeepers. One was with the portable microphone telling the audience about the habits of the lions while the other was calling out to the lions and throwing big pieces of raw meat to them. 

(Love the viewing chamber, esp when the lions are so up close)

After feeding the lions with one full pail of raw meat, the zookeepers asked the interested ones to follow them on the trail! So we just walked with them as though it was a private guided tour! As we walk, the zookeepers shared about the zoo and the animals eating habits and behaviour. Very interesting! 

Together we reached the next site!

MEERKATS!

The zookeepers told us about the habitat, explained about the small sand dune and how the meerkats could stand upright for a good 1 hr to mark its territory! The meerkats were fed with palates and meal worms.

WARTHOGS

Here, the zookeepers were throwing big chunks of sweet potatoes to the warthogs. You can ask phoebe what she knows about warthog! She would tell you that they like to roll in the mud because it is their insect repellent. Who did she hear it from? Our "personal" guides! The zookeepers!

AFRICAN PAINTED DOGS

Long legs, rounded ears and three coloured patches were one of the information we learnt. The zookeepers not just fed the dogs but also did simple precision training with them. Very interesting to watch. One funny moment was Phoebe acting to "spit/vomit" food into Nathan's mouth because she was imitating the board about how the Mother painted dogs would store food in her mouth to warm it up before giving to the puppies.

(Phoebe didn't want to act it out properly for me when I requested for her to do it again for a photo, so papa Elvin had to take over!)

That was the end of the trail with the accompanying zookeepers. We didn't go for giraffe token feeding because the queue was mad Long and we have seen it before.

We took a cooling break at the polar bear enclosure. And when it is 2.10pm, we started making out way to the OTTERS. we love otters!

OTTERS

The feeding time for otters is 2.15pm. When we arrived, the feeding has started with the zookeepers talking about the habitat and scent. Otters are fast swimmers! Love how they glide around! After the feeding session, the zookeeper stayed around for visitors to ask questions too!

(We changed our position to beside the zookeepers and this is how close we were!)

We ended our visit at the zoo with a posey photo by the kiddos, before heading to the River Safari for part 2 of the feeding trail!

But apparently when we were near the exit, about 2.30pm, these beautiful lemurs were being fed too! We are so in theme!

BUT BUT BUT if you want to stay on, we recommend that you move fast to the Hamadryas Baboons enclosure for token feeding at 2.30pm! Baboons transform into Olympic level gymnasts and athletes, doing the sprints, jumps, rolls and dives! We enjoyed the feeding so much the last time, we donated two rounds so we can have two baskets of fruits for feeding!

As the passes we had that day was for both zoo and River Safari, we had a late lunch at KFC and proceeded for a casual walk through river safari. Personally, I like river safari because it is cooling and the information at every enclosure and display is clear and interesting.

There was no afternoon feeding for the manatees (which was really very intriguing to watch when we had a chance to last time) but we still love the humongous aquarium at the end of the trail. So peaceful and the air con is shiokkkkk. 

(See those rectangular floats? During feeding, those floats are filled with lettuce! And you can see the manatees nibble and pull the pieces!)

GIANT OTTERS

Finally we went to another of our Favourite site. The giant otters! They are really entertaining! (Although baboons are still TOP on our list) the way the otters interact with each other is just so funny! We settled down at the viewing window and saw one of the otters waking the rest up one by one. We were wondering what it was doing. It was hilarious seeing the otters in such drowsy state and how they ignored the enthusiastic otter and pushed him away. In actual fact, this dude is the SMARTEST.

At 4.30pm, there was call out and the zookeeper started "showering" the otters with buckets after buckets of small fish! The otters demonstrated their ability to dive, swim and glide. Then came the big chunks of salmon. The otters literally pushed themselves out of water and caught the pieces on the air and took their corners to munch and enjoy the treats. So so so interesting!

(This is a blur screen shot of a video.)

It was already 5pm when we walked out and we had a very pleasant surprise! Canola the manatee mascot was out to bid visitors farewell!

If you have been going to the zoo quite regularly but wish to boost the visit with a special itinerary, we hope you will find this post useful! 

For those who think that zoo is a boring place or it's just for kids, please give it a chance again! It is not just walking around seeing animals and animals and animals. There are interesting trials and experiences that deserve another chance from you!

We are going to the zoo zoo zoo!

How about you you you?

You can come too too too!

We are going to the zoo zoo zoo!

Language game: Smack the Alphabets!

Last Friday we went to Phoebe's school for "Sharing and Learning" and we learnt a language game that we wanna share with all the parents!

Smack the alphabet!

Things to make:

(1) Alphabet Tiles with Velcro backing

(2) Individual Gloves

 

Phoebe's hand is small so we traced and cut out her palm from foam paper for thickness and added a piece of felt cloth so the Velcro can stick onto the palm.

How to play:

1) Lay the alphabet tiles facing down

 

2) Players take turns to smack a tile

 

3) based on the letter stuck on the glove, say a word starting with the letter (e.g. D- dog)

 

 

*You can increase the difficulty by setting criteria for each player. Phoebe could say any word starting with the letter but for Nathan, he has to say a word with at least two syllabi.

*You can also add in time limit (like 10seconds). If the player was not able to say the word before the time is up, he/she will not get to keep the tile.

4) Player with the most tiles wins!

Last night, after all the tiles had been picked up, we added one more task for Nathan. He had to make 3 words with the tiles he collected. 

 

 

Easy easy but lotsa fun! 🤗🤗

You could even start with arranging the alphabets and sing the ABC song before starting. 

Go try it out and share with us how we can create more ways to use this set of materials! :)

Follow us on instagram!

Papa Elvin: @elvinfoong

Mama Esther: @estherlaoshi

Facebook page: The Foong Family

Mother's Day DIY necklace!

I thought this is an improvement! 

I looked back at my posts on instag (@estherlaoshi) and blog and realised I am always super last minute when it comes to DIY/Craft for festivals and ended up readers and friends won't be in time to try their hands on the ideas. See see see! This time I am a bit earlier! *clap clap clap*

So what's up this round?

We are making these little pendants for necklaces!!

 

 

Things we need:

(1) Shrinking Paper

(You can purchase A4 sized ones at $1.50 per sheet from Overjoyed.)

You can see which Colour or shade you like. I personally think white, translucent and transparent are the easiest to work with.

 

Shrinking paper feels like transparency paper (people my time would know) and will shrink near 40% after putting it in the oven. 

(2) Pencil for sketching

(3) Black permanent marker for outlining 

(4) Permanent Colour markers or Colour pencils for filling in the colours

(5) necklace accessories / string 

 

(6) hole puncher

(7) oven toaster

 

Step 1:

Tell your child about Mother's Day and other than showing appreciation to mothers, we can also use this day to appreciate motherly figures in our live.

Step 2: Show the pictures of end-product from this post to your child so he or she can visualise better.

 

Step 3: Draw and Design!

If you are using the translucent or translucent shrinking sheets, you may wish to let your child draw on white paper first THEN tape the corners of the shrinking sheet and let him or her trace the finished drawing.

For me, I let the kiddo draw straight onto the white shrinking sheets. The pencil mark will be quite faint so some guidance will be needed. 

 

 

Step 4: Colour!

This is kinda tricky.. because the surface of the shrinking sheets are so smooth, the ink from the water Colour is quite wet and smudges when in contact with the black outline. If you use Colour pencils, you will need to use quite some strength and effort to get the Colour on. Don't worry about the Colour pencil mark being really light! When the sheet shrinks, the Colour darkens (like concentrated!) 

Do advise your child to use the lighter shades for the markers, as the colours really darken by quite a bit.

 

Step 5: Cut out the shapes

Do not trim it near to the outline. Keep a general shape and leave at least 2-3mm away from the outline.

Step 6: PUNCH HOLE at places you want to put the loop or string or chain

You must punch at this point because once you bake/heat up the shrinking sheet, the plastic/acrylic piece goes as thick as 1.5mm and is way to hard to punch! U may end up having to find a drill!!!!

In the picture below, Phoebe wanted the two girls to hold hand so I punched the holes in their palm.

 

Step 7: Warm the oven to 120degree celcius and place the artwork onto the flat tray and into the oven.

Do not use the grill tray! Upon heating, the shrinking sheet will curl up before opening up and becoming flat. You won't want the piece to drop through the gaps!

Note: Low heat and wait patiently is better... Nathan's aeroplane went it at too high a temp and ended up almost melting.. in my attempt to take it out, it got stuck a little and it went out of shape... :(

Step 8: FLATTEN IT!

Standby a thick book beside your oven. Once you take the piece out, put on the table and immediately put the book on the soft warm plastic so it will be nicely flattened. This is a very important step and you must do it FAST.

Once the plastic cools, you cannot change the shape anymore...

Step 9: Put the rings/string/chain on!

YOU ARE DONE! :)

 

Nathan and Phoebe worked on a A5 size shrinking sheet and these are the end product. Shrunk quite a bit eh! Try not to draw pictures with small details.. after shrinking, they just look like a blot of black..

Something easy this time round! You can also make smaller pieces and glue them onto earring studs or string them to become dangling earrings. Any beads and craft shop should sell these raw materials. 

Enjoy creating! :)

Blessing For You! Diaper bag NOT! (Review)

Yup. I know you must be feeling surprised.

"Why is Esther still using bags from the famous diaper bag from Korea?"

"Nathan and Phoebe are already too old for all the milk bottles and food jars?"

"Why do you still need the insulated compartments?"

EXACTLY. I DO NOT NEED THOSE!

What many people do not know about the Korean brand BlessingForYou is that they don't just have diaper bags!

Psst... I used to own a BFY polka dot backpack when I gave birth to Phoebe. During the end of my maternity leave, our family decided to go Hong Kong for a short holiday. It was the BEST decision to abandon the shoulder sling maternity bag for a good backpack. My hands were free to carry the kids, to clean them up and even take photos, not having to worry about the bag falling off my shoulder! AND all the compartments were helpful in organising our things and it was really convenient. 

I received these bags last Friday, from thelittleonesinmylife (tlo.com.sg) who is the sole distributor of BlessingForYou bags in Singapore. I saw the prints and felt the texture of the bag and I knew it must be from BlessingForYou.

What I did not expect was I have received three bags and they are ALL NOT DIAPER BAGS!

 

(1) Shoulder sling bag *New Design*

Man.. I felt so privileged because this bag is not up on the Korean website yet and TLO has already brought them into Singapore for launch during the baby fair this weekend. AND I am one of the first few to own this. lalalalalalala...

 

 

I love love love this bag. 

 

What surprised me about this bag are:

(i) It is super light weight but yet the material is thick. 

I am someone who needs to drink quite a bit and with a big bottle of water in your bag (especially sling bags), it can be quite strenuous on the shoulder. This bag can take the weight of my bottle of water and yet it was not too heavy. The thick material feels hardy and strong enough to withstand wear and tear too!

(ii) Water proof material

It was raining at the later part of our visit to gardens by the bay that day. The contents inside the bag was dry and I witness the water droplets just sliding off the exterior of the bag. For whatever remaining, all I did was wipe them off with tissue and it was all dry and ready for use!

(iii) The short handles 

I like that I can wear my bag in different style and based on needs of the moment. Do you know how useful it is when you can hook your wrist on one short handle to grab your items in the bag? You got to try this action to appreciate the handles!

(iv) Details

Other than the 360 degrees free turning hook for the shoulder strap (means it will never be entangled), your zipper track will NEVER fray! It is literally a metal piece securing the end!

(2) Hessed Mommy Sling Pouch

Just the name alone is so beautiful because it sounds like the Hebrew word "Hesed"!

Do you know "Hesed" is the Hebrew word for lovingkindness? That just totally encapsulates what motherhood is about. :) (Fine, I like to link everything to lovey dovey things!)

 

 

When I saw this thin strap sling pouch, it reminds me a lot of the j*j*b* sling that I have. Difference is the material is a lot thicker, water-proof, more securing stitches and additional compartment on the outside. AND very importantly, half the retail price.

I like it also that it is tastefully designed and fashionable, despite having little doggies all over. 

 

The holding capacity is actually quite good. These are the things that went in!

 

(Big wallet, wet wipes, tissue pack, pouch with keys/lippie/medicine, Ribena sweets and my phone!)

Another use for this bag is to be my lunch hour bag! I really do not like holding a wallet, staff pass, tissue and handphone in my hand when I go for lunch with colleagues. So having this bag in my office is so useful!

 

(Here's me being challenged to take a quick shot in the middle of the road)

(3) Mono Backpack

 

You won't believe who this is for.

NATHAN FOONG!~

 

Nathan has a stuffed toy doggie that he hugs to sleep every night. And one of the doggie prints on the bag looks exactly like his doggie!

 

As mentioned earlier, this material for Blessing For You bags is lightweight, thick and water proof. It is not just suitable for diaper bags that hold one million things that the baby and mama need but also suitable as a school bag!

 

There are quite a number of compartments both inside and outside which is definitely helpful for young children to organise their things better.

What I like most is the soft air mesh material backing. Back will not feel warm with the air flow in between. The shoulder strap has a generous cushioned portion but lined with a slightly stiff fabric to prevent the straps from slipping off the shoulder.

 

The bag fits A4 size files and books comfortably too!

Awww... why my son so cute? WAIT. You need to stop growing up so fast!

 

In case you are wondering if there is only this one print, there are so many more! TLO.com.sg has shown me many more prints and I guarantee you that there is definitely one that you will like.

OK. NOW FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS POST.

DISCOUNT! 😍

These bags (including the very useful diaper bags) will be launched during the Baby Fair @ EXPO from 7th to 9th April! There will be a 20% discount if you purchase on site from TLO.com.sg Booth A03!

Here are the prices BEFORE the discount

(1) Shoulder sling bag $50

(2) Hessed Mommy Sling Pouch $35

(3) Mono bag pack $105

Register your interest to attend the event on TLO.com.sg 's event page now~! TLO.com.sg BABY MARKET

If you are unable to go for the event, do not fret! You can also get it on TLO.com.sg BUT the bags will only be released in limited quantities every fortnightly.

I love my BlessingForYou bags!