Isaac the Investigator @ InvestigateINK

If you've been reading our blog the past year at least, you'd know that we're big fans of Monsters Under the Bed. No, no, I don't enjoy scaring my kids with monsters under their beds!? I mean, the company Monsters Under the Bed who has been conducting impossibly fun and interesting creative writing workshops every school hols. We're blessed to have caught their eye and they've been inviting Isaac to their writing courses since last year.

This time round, we had friends attending as well!  Read about Ch's experience at Simply Lambchops, and Dana's experience at Life's Tiny Miracles.

Always fun to attend workshops with friends, eh? :) Isaac, Ch and Dana.

Now, those of you who read family blogs would know that we receive invitations to all sorts of events and experiences all the time. And for time-pressed families like us, we need to prioritise and be selective about accepting and attending the invites we receive. Monsters Under the Bed workshops are never one that we pass on, if we can help it! Our first was EnchantINK - which was a macabre (though original) twist on fairy tales. Then we attended MonsterHuntINK - which had the kids fashioning their own monster, habitat, and chase after them. These were both fiction writing, which is what creative writing is all about, isn't it?

Apparently not! InvestigateINK taught us that expository (non-fiction, journalistic writing) requires technique and creativity as well. I especially enjoyed the way the Monsters Under the Bed brought it to the kids. There was lots drama (the instructors doubled up as actors!), suspense and mystery - perfect for an investigative themed workshop.

There were even pre-recorded "CCTV recordings" that were being screened to the kids in "flashback style" on the projector. Groups could review the videos on their group computer to try to glean any clues they can pick up from the video. The video segments are usually only a few minutes long, snappy and full of suspense or mystery.

"CCTV" footage and other flashbacks via pre-recorded videos. A good use of technology to aid the cause, I say!

Pre-Workshop Preparation Material sent to attendees a week or so before the actual start of the workshop

If you think this workshop sounds too fun to be able to teach the kids anything, you're mistaken. A week or so before a Monsters Under the Bed workshop, you'd usually receive a package in the mail with pre-workshop preparation materials within. There's usually some information on the background theme of the workshop, and also some pointers or info sheet regarding the writing style that you would be learning for that camp. This time around, a PRESS Name Tag was included as well. The kids are all members of the press you see, and this was their name tags. And we all know what good investigators pressmen are given their insatiable appetites for juicy news...

Interspersed with all the happenings during the camp, the kids are also taught writing techniques in simple layman terms. Thus, even P1 kids like Isaac did not have an issue keeping up. I was glad I was there, I was learning some tips myself!

Photos of presentation slides by Pamela Tan of Tan Family Chronicles.
Text & content of slides in the pictures by Monsters Under the Bed.

Monsters can be very drama too.

A definite highlight of the workshops are the drama bits where the instructors and other Monsters (from Under the Bed) get in character of the background story to the case they were investigating. The kids even got to interrogate the suspects. So convincing they were at acting! At one point, one of the main suspects, Tai Po, fainted to the ground, and was dragged/carried out of the room The trainers came back in and said "Tai Po is dead!" and the kids were stunned. Later, I actually heard the kids discuss in hushed voices about the death of Tai Po. I realised that they were really frightened as they think that Tai Po really died. As in really died, for real. I quickly piped up and told them that it's just a story, an act, that Tai Po is not dead. When they gave me the "Are you sure? He really looks dead." I was like "Go ask your group trainer!"

The kids also had clues to figure out, and secret codes to decipher. Isaac managed to figure out on his own that the hidden message below is in mirror image.

A mirror image hidden message and other cryptic clues.

Another coded message!

Oooh I love all these coded messages and stuff. Reminds me a lot of when I was Isaac's age, and would read all the books on being an investigator a la The Three Investigators. I would always try and come up with my own secret language or code.

Having attended quite a number of Monsters Under the Bed workshops, I like how they pace the days out. Each day, there is usually a small lecture, exciting bits with drama, action or suspense, and then they would break up into smaller groups where the group trainers would lead their groups in small group discussion. And then guide them in completing their exercise in answering leading questions posed to them, or in formulating stories or background to their final work. 

As this was an investigative themed workshop, there was also a lot of discussion, or speculation (haha) on what happened or on the reasons behind what they just witnessed. 

The young pressmen hard at work.

Finale drama @ InvestigateINK

As with every investigative drama, there has to be a twist to the story, and a finale, before the truth is revealed - and then the journalists can write their report for the news paper. Just look at the stills above. Even the adults present were kept at the edge of their seats... well actually, everyone was on their feet, trying to get the best view of the drama that was unfolding before our very eyes. What started out as a theft, had someone die during interrogation, and now there's a gun and death threats which culminated in The Chase of the Black Lamora - as Isaac calls it! That last bit was when the culprit was revealed to be that lady in black with long hair, and she ran away, so the entire team of press investigators gave chase and ran after her. Yes, it was quite the chaos.The kids loved it!

And so all of them enthusiastically set about writing their piece for the MUTB Times. It's a good thing they get to paste them into the "newspaper" so they didn't have to spend time copying over what they have written the previous two days.

Isaac the Investigator cum Journalist, hard at work.

InvestigateINK by Monsters Under the Bed

You know how, as kids, you would write the least possible, just the bare minimum to get by and hand it in? Oh well, maybe it was just me. But these kids, they all have tons to write about! Helps that the story line was interesting too, I suppose. It certainly shows that when the kids' interest is piqued, writing a decent length of content isn't an issue at all.

Monsters Under the Bed had the kids fill out a feedback form which I managed to take pix of before Isaac handed it in. The first page were some general questions to which Isaac replied

1. That the quality of the workshop was AWESOME
2. The duration of the workshop is JUST NICE
3. The materials provided in the workshop is VERY USEFUL
4. And that he was "REALLY FIRED UP" from attending the workshop

Here's his second page of the feedback form...

Feedback Form in Isaac's own hand!

Isaac & his favourite instructor Mr "Tuna" Adam!

That's Mr "TunaFish" Adam - one of the MUTB's instructors, and certainly one of Isaac's favourite. He seems to be a favourite of quite a few of the kids actually. I heard Ch and Isaac talking about Mr Tuna and "How lucky you are to get Mr Tuna this time!!!" type of statements, at not just this camp but the next camp after this one too. He seems quiet and unassuming to me, but he must really have a natural affinity with kids to be able to connect to them so well.

Oh and if you're wondering about Isaac's vest and top hat - that's supposed to be his reporter get-up. He wanted to look like a detective, more than a reporter, really.
 
Here is Isaac's piece for the MUTB Times.

Page 1 of 4

Page 2 of 4

Page 3 of 4

Page 4 of 4

If you think that sounds incoherent... watch this video! May clear up a few things!

 
If you wondering how this creative bunch of Monsters Under the Bed are like in the flesh, you're in luck! They have a free parent's seminar coming up soon!

How To Preserve Your Child's Creative Edge
Date: 28th February 2015, Saturday
Time: 1 - 2pm
Venue: 111 Middle Road, National Design Centre (Opposite the Central Library)
Fee: Complimentary
Registration Link: http://ink.mutb.com.sg/parenting-talks.html

In this talk, MUTB addresses why the pursuit of academic excellence often destroys creativity, and how people arrive at the false conclusion that the two goals are exclusive. They will also examine the aspects of creativity that are mostly commonly repressed, and who's responsible for doing so (it's less the fault of schools than you'd imagine). Through a few simple lifestyle changes, which most children will welcome and enjoy, learn how you can maintain your child's creative edge!

Sounds good! I'm off to register right now!

EpicQuestINK by Monsters Under the Bed

And guess what? Monsters Under the Bed has released their line up of INK workshops for 2015! "Imagination N' Knowledge (INK) Workshop is a three-day creative writing programme that stimulates your child's imagination and passion for writing. Participants will be engaged in roleplaying, group discussions, and physical activities that expand their creative space." (Source: The INK website)

Epic QuestINK
Date: 16 - 18 March 2015
Time: 10 am - 1pm
Venue: The Arts House

In this workshop, you transform into heroes straight out of the Greek myths of old, and go on a journey of epic proportions! Participants will learn how to:
Utilize the Hero's Journey. Structure your story in a way that is truly epic. Create fantabulous monsters. Trainers will introduce a selection of monstrous and magical beings from classical Greek myth, and teach you how to create your own! Dream up weird settings. Learn about all the strange places the ancient Greek heroes visited on their journeys, and come up with your own!

SurviveINK
Date: 3 - 5 June 2015
Time: 10 am - 1pm
Venue: The Arts House

Spell CraftINK
Date: 7 - 9 September 2015
Time: 10 am - 1pm
Venue: The Arts House

HowlINK
Date: 23 - 25 November 2015
Time: 10 am - 1pm
Venue: The Arts House

INK To The Void
Date: 14 - 16 December 2015
Time: 10 am - 1pm
Venue: The Arts House

REGISTRATION LINK for all the above workshops. By the way, there is currently a special bundle promotion for the above INK workshops.

• Sign up for 5 workshops and only pay $1,150 OR get 1 month Story Craft lesson worth $320.
• Recommend other parents and sign 3-5 students up to get 10% discount.

And especially for readers of the Tan Family Chronicles, Monsters Under the Bed (MUtB) is giving away Journal Singapore the board game (worth $59.90) + S$10 Mubster money (can used for any of the MUtB writing programmes or 2015 INK workshops) - just quote “INK1502" when you register.

Journal Singapore the board game

Journal Singapore is a board game created  by Monsters Under the Bed in conjunction with the Singapore Heritage Board. It  is the first board game to feature the history of Singapore from its early days as a British Colony in 1900, to its Independence in 1965. Play the role of Singapore’s early pioneers and leave a legacy of prestige and influence. The rules are in the box, and there is even an online demo to help you figure it out.

You can even use Journal Singapore as a storytelling tool by talking about the different historical characters and locales (sectors) of the game. It's certainly a good tool to springboard the kids into taking interest in our local history.

So, check out the links above and go register your places now. Don't forget to quote “INK1502" to get your freebies!

Shawna the Sketcher

I've been meaning to scan/photograph and blog about the kids drawings. Isaac wasn't really one to doodle much, but the twins love sketching and drawing pictures. Asher started doodling and drawing pictures last year. I amassed a huge stack of them but didn't get around to posting about them. He liked to draw the same things over and over again, namely, superheroes. Very cute, and I still intend to write about them.

Shawna , though, only started drawing in earnest this year. Last year, she would look at Asher drawing and say "I don't know what to draw." But this year... wow, she's on a roll! She tends to draw roughly similar things as well. Usually a landscape, with the sun in a corner, clouds, a house, some people, flowers. But Shawna also liked to write. She would write statements, like below, where she wrote "Shawna: Isaac: I love my parents" It may not look like it to you, but that is what she wrote. She's still at the age where she sometimes mixes up her letters in a mirror image way, or writes backwards, or writes from right to left instead of left to right. I'm praying that she's not dyslexic!

This is the drawing that catapulted me into action to write this post. Shawna says "I love my parents!" :)

Of the three children, Shawna is in a way the least physically affectionate of them. The boys would be more likely to give us hugs and kisses if we ask for them (or spontaneously!), than Shawna would. However, Shawna appears to be more willing to write down her feelings :)

She's proud of her drawings and always wants to put them up. As you can see below, she has covered her bedroom wall, her bedroom door, the wall outside her bedroom, with her pictures. And since she ran out of space, she has started pasting them on our master bedroom wall (covered with mirror) as well. 

At first, I said "Er, why don't you colour the pictures? They'd look nicer, THEN you can put them up." Or I would tell Asher "You should use markers, I think you draw better using markers." and the like. I realised that, in a way, I was being too perfectionist - I only wanted to put up "the nice ones". But the kids shook their heads and proceeded to put up their pictures anyway. And when I saw them on the walls, I realised something... They are all nice! Just the way they are. And here, I shall immortalise them in this blog post.So even if they wither, yellow and tear, they'd still be on this blog.

Our walls full of lovely pictures by Sketcher Shawna, Artist Asher, and Illustrator Isaac!

Shawna's drawing in pink ink.

Above is a multi-story house on the right. You can see the beds/chairs on each floor. Shawna, with ponytails and a huge smile, is having a delicious cold drink in her hand. Enjoying the sun, pretty flower beside her, clouds and birds in the sky. A playground with a slide. The tree has a bird's nest in one of its branches.

Below: The sun is huge. It must be very hot. But there are clouds so it must be a nice day out. Shawna and I are out for a walk with some babies (?!) in two strollers.  Shawna tells me that the stroller is not floating in the sky - it is simply further away. There's a tall building. And a treehouse. Love the strollers!

A Walk in the Park by Sketcher Shawna

Asher in a Hot Air Balloon by Sketcher Shawna

Another lovely sunny day. Shawna says it's hot, so she is inside the house (you can't see her). That's Asher in his hot air balloon. There are two butterflies in the sky. And an aeroplane too! Look what big boosters the aeroplane has, and three doors and many windows.

Below is something Shawna has been doing a lot lately. She enjoys writing out whatever words she has learnt to write in her school. Numbers 1 to 6 in Chinese, and some simple Chinese words. The English alphabet - some in mirror image. And simple words. The "Ni" she keeps writing is actually "in". 

Shawna learns the alphabet!

Rocket & Earth by Sketcher Shawna

This picture is actually inspired by a similar picture drawn by Isaac. The twins saw it and started to draw their own version of it. I should go look for Isaac's and Asher's and put them all up in a post! Love the rocket, the sun is below and not in it's usual place, the crescent moon, the alien in his spaceship, and planet Earth with some people on it, oh and the many stars! :)

You know how the kids change best friends every so often? Well it's the same with the kidzes, but Shawna's been having a constant best friend (amongst other ones that are not as constant) - and that's Chloe. Shawna loves to draw pictures of herself and Chloe. 

Chloe & Shawna - best friends!

Shawna's quite good with colours. Shall get her to draw more using crayons and colour pencils. Markers too, though a lot have dried out when the kids forget to cap them after use, despite constant reminders. Annoys me to no end. Love the trees and rickety hut!

So there were these two pictures where she folded the sides of the paper this way. And I'm like "Why do you fold your paper this way, Shawna?" And she says "It's to make the frame, Mummy! You say got frame nicer, right?" Hahaha, yes I did.

Shawna's frame improvisation

I love my Papa and Mummy

 Yes Shawna spelt the above on her own :) Happy to know that the words "I love my Mummy/Papa" are amongst the first words that Shawna knows how to spell. She meant to write "so" when she wrote "os". It's cute how she practices the words that she knows. 

Like most other little girls, Shawna's a big fan of Frozen too. We've watched the movie more than a dozen times as we have the blu ray dvd. I like the movie too, as I feel that there are a lot of teaching moments in the show. I often talk throughout the movie, explaining to the kids why certain things happen, and why the characters are behaving the way they are. 

So Shawna drew the two pictures below. One of Anna (left) and one of Elsa (right). And in both pictures, they are crying. She also pasted the two pictures a distance apart. "Shawna, why are Anna and Elsa crying?" I asked her. And she said "They are sad because they want to play with each other, but they can't. That's why I paste the pictures separate, Mummy." And at that moment, I saw the heart labelled "Love" in each girl.

And I knew she understood all I had been telling them through the movie. I often tell the children that they are very lucky to have each other to play with (so they should not fight nor quarrel!), unlike Anna and Elsa who loved each other and wanted to play with each other, but can't.

The Crying Sisters Anna & Elsa, by Sketcher Shawna

Mummy Working on her Computer, by Sketcher Shawna

Now that I am working full time on My First Games, I actually work out of home. I try to finish doing whatever I have to do before the kids get home from school. However, occasionally I have to do some work, and so I work at my computer. Captured here in print, by my dear Shawna. That's hubbs doing work as well, as he often has to bring work home to do as well. This is a reminder for us to keep work to work time, and treasure our family time with the kids!

Oh another landscape by Shawna. A house with a chimney and smoke coming out of it. Two aeroplanes in the sky, with exhaust gas coming out of its engines. A coconut tree with coconuts dangling like earrings. The spots on the tree trunk are the grooves in the trunk for climbing the tree. Shawna's had some experience climbing a coconut tree, you see :)  Oh and clouds that have eyes, nose, mouth and spectacles! And a heart, of course!

Coconut Tree by Sketcher Shawna

Self Portrait by Sketcher Shawna

And to end of this post, we have a nice self portrait of Shawna - with a sunny day, house and tree in the background. Love the flower in her hat! :)

I love kids' art! For more kiddy arty goodness, follow these links!
*A Nugget of Joy
*Little Blue Bottle

Lessons from presents

Isaac just started primary school last year. So this past Christmas 2014 was the first Christmas that took place when he had some idea of what money means. We asked him to save his balance pocket money every day last year, so he did have some money in his piggy bank. One day, in mid-December last year, we went to a neighbourhood mall for dinner. And there, he saw a Frozen themed water bottle bag - which he knew Shawna would like, and toy guns, which he knew Asher would simply love. And he quickly whispered to hubbs and I that he would like to use his savings to buy presents for his brother and his sister. He went home that night and excitedly counted his money. Then the very next morning, he asked hubbs to bring him to the same place and he bought his presents, with his very own money.

Hubbs and I were very pleased that he suggested buying gifts for his brother and sister, using his own money, no less. It takes something, to be able to give out of one's own pocket. And I must say he did choose appropriate gifts for his siblings. Appropriate, as in, these would certainly be things the twins would like. Hubbs and I, as a rule, don't buy guns and swords for the kids. It's a different thing if they make it from cardboard etc, but we prefer not to buy arms as toys. However, this time round, hubbs was so pleased with Isaac's spirit of giving, that he allowed him to make that purchase. 

Isaac and his first Christmas gifts for Asher & Shawna.

On the other hand, I had other warring thoughts in my head. Firstly, I didn't want Isaac to waste his money on cheap plastic toys. Those would surely not last a week! But then again, it is a very cheap toy which is within his budget, so he would be spending within his means - which is important. This last point won out. Besides, it's another teaching/learning point for the kids when the toy gun breaks or spoils...

Turns out I was right. The rifle spoilt after 2 days - it couldn't be cocked and fired any more. Isaac was bewildered, and asked me how come the toy would spoil so quickly. I quickly jumped on the chance to educate him about Price & Quality.  How these two factors are very closely co-related, though you can find some rare gems where price is low, but quality is high.

Subsequently, the boys were playing with the rifle, and the tip of the rifle scratched Asher and he had a slight abrasion. Isaac promptly declared the rifle unsafe, and threw it down the rubbish chute. Now, barely more than a month after Christmas, the guns and bullets have all disappeared. The pistol is still somewhere (dunno where), but the bullets have all vanished. I asked Isaac what he thought about it. Whether it was a good way to spend his money. He frowned, shook his head, and agreed with me that it was a waste of money to buy that for Asher - as the inferior quality resulted in it being unsafe, and it didn't even last a week. Okay, good, lesson learnt. I hope.

Isaac's present for his classmate Jovann, bought with his own savings.

What about Shawna's water bottle bag? It was a perfect gift, I thought. Mainly because I was on the lookout for these water bottle bags anyway, and wanted to get one for each kid. The kids have been going through water bottles throughout the year as though it was a free commodity. They either misplaced them, or broke them through careless and/or rough handling. It was very frustrating, and a huge waste of money. So frustrating that there is another blog post coming up on this, I assure you. In any case, I thought these water bottle bags could be the answer - we will just use a regular pet plastic bottle for the kids, and replace them regularly since they are cheap easy to come by. So I was glad Isaac chose to buy that for his sister.

After he gave her the present - which she appropriately squealed with delight over - he was often on the look out for it. He would often ask her why she was not using the Frozen water bottle bag he got her. And when she brought it out and was using it, he would be hawk eyed and often kept holding on to it, or kept making sure that she didn't leave it behind. We were extremely pleased to see that he was finally learning to treasure his belongings - even though, yes, technically it belonged to Shawna. One time, when she didn't use it again, he asked her in exasperation "Do you like the Frozen water bottle bag that kor kor gave you, or not?! How come you don't use it?!" Thankfully, Shawna sensed his displeasure and quickly assured him with calm soothing words that she DID like it, and thanked him again for buying it for her. 

So I looked at Isaac and said "How does it feel when Shawna doesn't use your present, or she doesn't take care of it? How do you feel?" He looked at me with woeful eyes and said "I feel sad." "Yes... Now you know how we feel when you guys don't take care of the things Mummy and Papa buy for you huh?" A look of realisation washes over as he widens his eyes and stared at me... 

On hindsight, given the lessons he learnt from the whole episode of buying of the presents... I think it is money well spent! 

Plastic container perfect for allowance allocation!

I read this post more than a year ago, and I found the idea of using a 7 day pillbox to allocate pocket money and store weekly savings really useful. It wasn't easy to find a pillbox of that size though. In December, I made a trip to Daiso and managed to find this container above. I thought it was perfect for the purpose that I intended it for. Hubbs and I often forget to hive Isaac his pocket money you see. So this way, we only need to remember to fill it up every Sunday, and it would then be Isaac's responsibility to make sure he takes his pocket money for the day to school every day.

I asked him what he would like to name the balance five compartments and we brainstormed about it together. Donations can be donations to church, or to any worthy cause he wants to donate to. He agreed to Savings and Mummy & Papa. I actually suggested "Filial Piety"- he can choose if he wants to give the money to his grandparents or to his parents, I felt that this was to teach him since young that he should set aside money to care for his parents. I hope we won't need it, but I think it is a good value to teach. He didn't want me to write Filial Piety, and suggested I wrote "Mummy & Papa". He rejected my suggestion of a "Spending" box, in favour of having two compartments with the word "Gift". I didn't ask, but I suspect it could be a box each for the twins. 

I took the above picture on Friday. I must say I am quite pleased that the Mummy & Papa compartment is so full! *happy*as*a*lark*

However, my happiness was a bit short lived, when I told Isaac that his classmate Jovann was going to celebrate his birthday on Monday. "Do you want to draw him a card?" I suggested. "No, I want to buy him a present!" It was quite obvious where that money would be coming from - the Mummy & Papa compartment. But then, I was also pleased that he would be willing to buy a present for his friend out of his own pocket. "Is he a good friend?" I asked. "Yes, I like him!" he replied. 

I decided to bring him to Daiso to buy his gift. I figured there was enough variety there for him to buy something for his friend. He smiled all the on our way to the store. "I'm so happy, Mummy! I'm going to buy a present for my friend!" Such good cheer! It was contagious. It makes me happy that he is a generous boy. Of course, I would have to teach him to be discerning when giving. But I'd save that lesson for another day. For now, I'm just very happy that he is not a selfish boy.

For more excellent tips on money management for primary school going kids, read this post at Life Is In the Small Things, and  A Juggling Mom.

Asher & Shawna are Five!

In a blink of an eye, the twins turned 5 years old this year! Well okay, not literally a blink, but it really doesn't seem too long ago when I posted the birth story of the twins. 

Just as I am writing this post, I am feeling a bit guilty about the fact that I blogged less about the twins, than I did about Isaac when he was younger. For after all, I did start this blog for the purposes of chronicling the childhood of the kids. And for the record, it is not the case that I blogged less about the twins because I love them less, or any silly reason like that. 

The first year after the twins' birth was physically tough. We were stretched to the max, caring for the two infants, plus toddler Isaac to boot. And just when the twins were about to hit one year old, I started My First Games. I figured if I didn't at least try, I would never know how it pans out. So while I had a full time job, a sideline online business, and three young children to love and care for, I simply couldn't and didn't blog as much as before the twins came along. Now that the kids are older, they value our company with them even more, and that leaves us less personal time now than when they were infants. 

But it's all worth it. THEY are worth it. Hubbs and I love the kids to bits, and my only regret is that I didn't take more photos and videos and blog more about their exploits before I forgot the details of the anecdotes. Thus, I hope to blog more this year. They may not be in strict chronological order, but 20 years down the road, I really don't think it matters whether it is or not.

Shawna & Asher the Tan Family Twins, and best buddies for life!

I love that picture above! It truly epitomises their relationship - they're best buddies! All through their lives, they had each other to play with, to fight with, and to depend upon. Yes, they do fight, as all siblings inevitably do, but they love each other fiercely and would not hesitate to defend and protect each other if they sense that their twin is in danger of being bullied or hurt. 

As with most twins, they are almost complete opposites. Shawna is feisty, whereas Asher is more serene. Shawna's more physically coordinated, whereas Asher's coordination has lots of room for improvement. Asher is accommodating whereas Shawna is very particular. Asher is tall and skinny (like Matthew!) whereas Shawna is shorter and more fleshy (like me!). I could go on and on. Friends who have spent some time with us before, inevitably tend to comment "They are quite different, yah?" Yes, indeed :)

The Asher & Shawna's birthday celebrations in school at age 2 and 3.

With dragon phoenix twins, what birthday cakes do we order since boy themed and girl themed cakes often look worlds apart? The first year... I ordered what I liked: Spiderman! Well it was more of a party for us for surviving the first year with the twins, than it was for them, wasn't it?! :p

The second year, I ordered a 1kg Toy Story cake. I figured Toy Story was quite unisex, right? The third year, I decided, that since the price of two half kg cakes was about the same as the price for a one kg cake - I chose to let the twins each choose a cake of their own. Asher chose an Angry Birds chocolate sponge cake with green trimming - green was his favourite colour then. And Shawna chose an Angry Birds vanilla sponge cake with yellow trimming - her favourite colour then. 

On their fourth birthday, we were very kindly sponsored a magic show, so we threw them a party. For that celebration, I ordered a lovely rich dark chocolate fudge cake from Cake Crafters and inserted our own action figures as cake toppers. Asher loves chocolate and chocolate cake, you see. It was so decadent, but supremely, satisfyingly delicious! :p For Shawna, I ordered an Elmo jelly cake from Food Mapping. That worked out remarkably well, as none of us had to suffer from an overdose of cake. 

But this year, I decided that the kids would get to decorate their own cake. We've been doing this for a few years now, for my birthday as well as hubbs' - we'd have the kids decorate a cake for us. We didn't mind how beautifully artistic the cake looked. I simply assumed before, that the kids would prefer some cartoon character cake for their own birthday cakes. Now, I know better. They love love love decorating their own cake. So that's what they got to do on the eve of their birthday, decorate the cake which we'd bring the next day to their school for their actual day celebration! They were very pleased with their masterpiece. Much cheaper than the average cartoon cake too!

Shawna & Asher with their masterpiece: their own birthday cake!

Thinking back, the money and effort we spent for the twins' 4th birthday celebration party was really quite worth it. I say this, because, the twins remember it very well! At least Shawna does. She kept on talking about it the entire year! Every now and then, she would mention something about the party, and how she wants the same magician, and the same chocolate cake and Elmo jelly cake for her 5th birthday celebration, at the same venue, even! She would mentally list the friends and family she wanted to invite to her party. I had to tell her that there likely wouldn't be any party, and that disappointed her quite a bit. However, we did tell her and Asher, that they'd have a birthday treat. And that was, we'd go to Legoland! They've been wanting to go for ages, so it was a good distraction and she didn't make too much of a fuss over not having a party.

We were busy for most of December and so we could only make it to Legoland on 31st December 2014. We actually paid full price for the tickets as I had forgotten to bring some promo chits that I had prepared for the trip. But in consolation, Legoland was having a promotion where if you paid full price for tickets, you would get another ticket per ticket for free entrance to the park in January this year. So we're going to go Legoland again this weekend! Technically, it's half priced then. Hah!

Asher & Shawna's birthday treat - Legoland!

The kids had a grand time. They absolutely loved Legoland and the rides. So did hubbs and I. We got to sit more rides this time round as the kids were older. The first time we came to Legoland was a few years back when Asher and Shawna were still quite young, and not tall enough for most rides. They are taller than 100cm now, so they got to sit most rides this time. Legoland on the 31st of December, despite being a public holiday eve, was not crowded at all. This meant that we didn't have to queue for almost all the rides, and could go multiple times for each ride. And it was cloudy all day, but did not rain - which meant, it wasn't hot at all! We were blessed with the perfect weather that day!  

Throughout the day I kept asking the twins "Are you having fun?" and saying "Isn't this much better than having a party? A party would only last a few hours long, but here we are for an entire day!"  They absolutely agreed with me, and I was glad. For this is likely to be the way going forward, we'd rather bring them on a treat excursion, than to throw a party. It's much less tiring - though in a different way! :)

Kung fu fighting! Not!

The actual day of their birthday fell on a weekday. Hubbs had a meeting and couldn't step away early to go to the kids' school for the school celebration. So I picked Isaac directly from school, and we went to the twins school for the celebration. After which, we went to pick hubbs from school, and went for dinner at the kids' favourite xiaolongbao restaurant. 

Here are the kids, clowning around while waiting for their Daddy to be ready to go. The boys love to play fake fighting. Show off their kung fu moves. And the kids were in sufficiently high spirits that they willingly posed for pictures for me.

I really need to take more pictures! :)

Happy birthday my dear Shawna and Asher! May the good Lord bless you in every way possible, for eternity! Now, that should cover everything, yah? :)

Isaac, Asher & Shawna :) siblings love!

Camping @ Pasir Ris on Petite Travellers

Did I mention that I am a contributing author on Petite Travellers - a blog by bloggers who are families like us going on trips with our young ones? I recently blogged about a staycation with a difference... Yes, we went camping in Singapore! Pasir Ris Park to be exact. Look at our nice little kampung (Malay for "village") below? That's less than half the village - hop on to Petite Travellers to see more pictures! In this post, I have selected 5 pictures which I feel is too beautiful to be hidden in a collage! :)

Camping in Singapore at Pasir Ris Park.

Look at the picturesque scene above. It's really in Singapore! We had beautiful blue skies, a big bright sun, and cool sea breeze grace our camping trip this time round. Even when it rained on our first camping trip last year, it was alright because we had fun waiting in our tents for the rain to stop. The kids got to play with sand for hours on end, and were content to bathe and have dinner when they were told to do so. Bliss...

Escape into the shade during midday.

We escaped into the huge shady area nearby during the midday heat wave. Soccer... Frisbee... or just plain catching had everyone breaking into a sweat, catching their breath, and bending over with laughter... Sandwiches and snacks made a welcomed tea break.

Flying a kite right outside our tent!

 I love this picture of Shawna flying the kite while Isaac peeps out from the tent to look at the kite. Asher and Isaac are inside the tent playing with the action figures that Asher had brought along. Isaac brought his chess set and his Harry Potter book, Asher brought his action figures and Shawna brought a small container of loom bands that her cousins gave her. 

Beautiful sunrise

This is another lovely sunrise picture that I caught on my camera. Pasir Ris Park has lots of visitors who visit the park for their daily exercise. I managed to capture two of them here in this picture.

And here below, is what I call a bungalow tent! So pretty, ain't it? Almost immediately after my full camping post went up on Petite Travellers went live, a reader commented to ask where they could buy such a tent.  Apparently, my friend bought this Wenzel Klondike tent on Amazon.com for less than $200 USD, excluding any shipping fees to Singapore. So affordable! The hubbs pointed out though, that a friend of his bought a tent online and one of it's poles broke after a few camping trip, and it was quite tough to get the seller to replace the poles etc since the seller was overseas. But I guess that's quite the norm for buying online, how the warranties sometimes do not extend to Singapore. Have to read the small print and take a leap of faith, I guess.

If you have enjoyed this post, do hop on to Petite Travellers to view the full post on Camping @ Pasir Ris Park, by yours truly! :)

Bungalow tent by the sea.

Monster Hunting at MonsterHuntInk

Remember the superbly EnchantInk time Isaac had at a creative writing course in March this year? The Monsters Under the Bed were kind enough to invite Isaac to join in the mayhem of monster hunting in MonsterHuntInk in June. Held at The Arts House, the location was central for all parents, and the venue felt very lush amidst the classical architecture of the building. Apparently, most of Monsters Under the Bed workshops and events are all held here. The last time we attended EnchantInk, it was held at the Singapore Discovery Centre and was a one-off use of that venue because The Arts House wasn't available at that time in March. Ooooh... The Arts House was definitely a nicer venue to have for the three half days we were to be there.

Monster hunting @ MonsterHuntInk with the Monsters Under the Bed!

MonsterHuntInk was exactly what it sounded like: Monster Hunting! The kids were supposed to go monster hunting. But they weren't given a monster to go hunting for... no no... The kids were supposed to create their own monster, and hunter, and chronicle the entire quest of hunting down the monster. 

But in this day and age where Disney Princesses prevail, evil villains as handsome and charming as Prince Hans and monsters ala Monster's Inc look so cute and cuddly - would the kids know what a real monster was? No fear! The Monsters Under the Bed gave them all a quick crash course steeped in mythology to get to know the traditional monsters of the literary world, like Medusa, minotaur, ogre, Yeti, gargoyle... even cyclops. No, not the X-Men Cyclops, the original one-eyed giant monster cyclops that wasn't as cool and suave as Mr Scott Summers is. I bet most of the kids didn't even know that Cyclops the X-Men was named after this cyclops the monster, and not the other way round. 

The kids not only got to know the names of these traditional monsters and see how they supposedly looked like, they were also told about their legendary powers, weaknesses, and their dwelling place, their habitat.

A Monster lecture geek boys and girls would love to attend. Monster Lecture pix courtesy of Monsters Under the Bed

After that brief sojourn into monster territory, the kids were given a Monster Builder to start work on creating their own monster/s. Fashioned like a worksheet, the Monster Builder prompted the kids to give their monster a name, describe or draw its appearance, set out the monster's behavioural patterns, list its special powers and weaknesses... Basically guiding the kids to flesh out their monster. How cool is that?! Very cool, and fun indeed, judging by how all the kids were working enthusiastically on building their monster. The next day, my friend, who sent her 8 year old daughter there to MonsterHuntInk, even asked if she could have a blank Monster Builder because her 6 year old son at home saw what his sister was doing and was keen to build his own monster too! Gosh, even I thought it was fun and was itching to start creating a monster as well!

Flesh out your own monster with the Monster Builder!

After creating their monster, the Monster Hunters needed to plan their journey over the raging seas and rough terrain to get to their Monster's dwelling place. They needed to have a plan for capturing their monster and correspondingly needed to make sure they were well armed to do so. They may even have a secret weapon. For all this, they had The Hunters' Guidebook, a document much like the Monster Builder, that prompted our brave monster hunters with well thought questions to prepare themselves for their noble quest of ridding this world of monsters and making the world a safe place once more. 

See how seriously our Monster Hunters take this monster hunting business? Frankly, I have never seen such a large bunch of boisterous children being so engrossed in writing before. The kids are split up into groups of about 8 to 10 kids, with a trainer and an assistant trainer per group. Using my incredible mummy eye power - it seems to me that the groups are roughly divided up according to age. Which makes sense since the workshop was for a wide age group of 7 to 12. I can imagine it works well in the sense that the younger kids would likely write simpler stories, whereas the older ones should be able to write more complicated stories. The trainers are on hand to give guidance and guide the monster hunters along.

Monster Hunters hard at work, receiving guidance from Master Monster Hunters.

Using the notes that they themselves wrote in their Monster Builder and The Hunters' Guidebook, the kids wrote out the story of their journey and quest to hunt down the monster they created. For most of them, they were themselves were the hunters in their story.

On the final day, the kids were supposed to draw a picture of their monster and to colour it. They had lots of fun doing it and were all very proud of their creations, happily boasting about the special destructive powers their monsters had. And if you think only boys were into building monsters, you're sorely mistaken. Just look at the girls and their monsters. In fact, it seems that the girls are more meticulous in creating and drawing their monsters. But, I guess, that's just the way girls are, meticulous, I mean :p

The portrait of the monster was meant to be on the front page of the story booklet each participant was supposed to have, with their own story written in it. So at the end of the 3 half days writing course, you have a booklet of your own story written in it. Nice! Except that for most of the kids I saw, the story which they had written was way too long for them to copy all into the booklet again before the end of MonsterHuntInk. It hardly mattered since the kids still had their story that they wrote on A4 paper. They could always copy it over when they are at home, I suppose.

Monsters, monsters!Hunt them down!!! pix courtesy of Monsters Under the Bed

There was a small ceremony of sorts where some of the kids got to read out their story using a microphone, for everyone to hear. After which everyone said their goodbyes, and that was the end of another successful MonsterHuntInk.

All in, I felt that it was a good use of theme to allow the kids' imagination and creativity the freedom to stretch and run wild, while guiding them to use descriptive words and action sequences to flesh out not only their monsters, but their journey and quest to slay or tame the monster. 

Below is 7 year old Isaac's story entitled Monster Fight. It won't win the next Pulitzer Prize or anything like that. And there is definitely room for improvement. But it's certainly quite a feat for a Primary One student to write something like that. I don't think I could have written this when I was in Primary One, that's for sure.

Monster Fight |  Page One  |  Isaac Tan

Monster Fight |  Page Two  |  Isaac Tan

Monster Fight |  Page Three  |  Isaac Tan

Monster Fight |  Illustration  |  Isaac Tan

I love the illustration above. That's supposed to be Isaac and hubbs fighting the monster with a huge sword and their two shields. Oh and their two helmets on their heads. I think the best part of this is that Isaac wrote a story without finding it a chore. And not only was it not a chore, he thoroughly enjoyed it. That's one of the ways to get him interested in writing eh. Now if only I could get him to write non-fiction - then he can start blogging on this blog too...

Isaac signing his name on a MonsterHuntINK poster

And guess what?! My wish came true! The next Monsters Under the Bed course coming up during this coming September holidays is InvestigateINK - an expository writing (creative non-fiction) workshop for students combining role playing with social interaction, analytical thinking, and writing skills. Trainers will simulate “crime scenes” in different rooms, replete with physical clues and “witness” actors. Participants will act as journalists in competing newspapers (player groups), who attempt to identify the culprit and motive. At the end of the workshop, the newspaper groups will be scored on the accuracy of their investigation, their conduct, and how well written their story is. At the end of the workshop, all participants will get a collage in the form of a newspaper, which contain their stories.

How exciting is that?! Sounds like an episode of CSI come to life! Seriously, it's a perfect opportunity to introduce Isaac to reporting style of writing. It's also reminiscent of the story books that he reads of young kids being investigators like Enid Blyton's Five Find Outer series, Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown.

If your child is between 6 to 12 years old and is interested in InvestigateINK, you still have two days to sign up! Registration closes this Friday 5th September 2014. Shoot any questions to you may have to info@mutb.com.sg  Hope to seeya there! We're certainly looking forward to it!

InvestigateINK by Monsters Under the Bed

Mama's Bazaar & Singapore Mumpreneur

I know, I know! Cobwebs are growing in my blog! I have a good friend who is a loyal reader of my blog and she deliberately dropped me a note to inform me that she spotted cobwebs on my blog! Horrors! I've kept this blog chugging along for more than 7 years now (confetti!!!) so, no worries, I'm not about to let it die anytime soon.

 

So what have I been busy with? Well, you know I have three kids... and a big baby! No, I'm not pregnant (I'm just FAT. sigh). It's my business My First Games, I'm talking about. All you entrepreneurs out there would know, that having your own business is like having another baby. It won't thrive unless you tend to it.

 

As people never fail to remind me, for business owners, being busy is good, coz it means there's business, right? Yep! Suddenly a whole flurry of orders came in and I was busy filling them. I've also had to do restocks, ordering games from overseas, and having to deal with shipping them over to Singapore. We're also working on a whole new e-commerce based website to take over the current one - lots of sweat over this one.

 

And on top of it all, I've nominated myself for the Singapore Mumpreneur Award! Oh the shame of self-nomination, I thought! "Self-praise is the world's most international disgrace" my sister and I used to say to each other when we were kids. What can I say, self-nomination got me a discount for my booth at the Mama's Bazaar 2014, so there! But apparently, every nominee IS self-nominated because they ask for so much information that it's impossible for anyone but the business owner herself to nominate herself. So there's me, listed as a nominee here in this link, under My First Games, of course. Oddly enough, some people I talk to actually think Tan Family Chronicles is my "business"... er, I wish?

 

I can't recall if voting is required. I'd let you guys know if it is, and you be nice and vote for me, okay? Oh and whether I win or not, come look for us on the weekend of 20th & 21st September 2014 - we'd be at the Mama's Bazaar which will be held at HarbourFront Centre Shopping Mall Atrium this year. There'd be a 1,000 CitiBlocs there for your kids to try out, and tonnes of other activities for the kids, and shopping for the parents.

Mama's Bazaar & Singapore Mumpreneur of the Year Award

Remember to key the dates into your calendar while I dust off the cobwebs off my blog!

"My Writing Process" Blog Tour - Pamela Tan

Deborah G of Owl's Well Blog & Lil E! :)

A buddy whom I got to know through blogging, Deborah G of Owl's Well, invited me to go on this blog tour after her. It's called the "My Writing Process" Blog Tour. It's been around for months, and I can't seem to track where and whom it originated from, but I think it originated overseas, and not in Singapore. In any case, it's always fun to take part in a blog tour/chain, and this one is fairly easy to take part in... though Debs might then ask why I took so long to post this! :p Better late than never, I'd say! :p

Debs has a quirky sense of humour, and enjoys blogging and video-logging her family exploits. We also bond over our love for strategy board games! So do hop over to Owl's Well Blog to have a look around.

So what is this "My Writing Process" Blog Tour? Writers on this Blog Tour answer four questions about themselves, their writing process and their motivations and their current work. So on with the tour, and this is the Pamela Tan of TanFamilyChronicles.com leg of it !

Qn 1: What am I working on? 

I am working on many things.

There are of blog posts for this blog Tan Family Chronicle. I have many on my to-do list for articles on how we parent our children, as well as on the various activities we do with them, both outdoor and indoor.  Everyday, I think of more to write, but I haven't had time to do them all! Slowly chipping away at it though. It's gratifying when friends or readers drop me a note to thank me for writing the articles, saying it helped them with their children. That encourages me to keep writing.

I am also working on a post on my recent trip to Langkawi with my family for Petite Travellers (PT) a travel blog that I am collaborating with some other mummy blogger friends. We're very excited that PT has been selected as a Finalist for Best New Blog in the Singapore Blog Awards 2014, so vote for us!

Another major part of my writing takes the form of articles that I am writing about playing board games with young children, as well as reviews of board games which my children and I enjoy. The articles are likely to go on the blog or e-magazine on board games for my business My First Games, where I have an online store selling interesting board games for children and families.  I am a strong advocate of parents playing board games with their children from a young age, as I feel it encourages communication, enhances the parent-child bond, and incidentally educational as well. Board games are also excellent for engaging the kids and keeping them away from electronic devices - now, all I have to do is to convince the parents to spend time playing with their kids! Thus, my writing also addresses this.

Pamela and her kidzes, Isaac, Asher & Shawna

Qn 2: How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I guess I can be considered as a sort of expert on board games since I am passionate about them and I have a lot of experience playing board games with children. Most board game enthusiasts are male, so being a female and a mother, my work would offer a different perspective.

Qn 3: Why do I write what I do?

I started blogging when my eldest child was born, nearly 7 years ago. I wanted to chronicle what we did with him, and my thoughts and feelings during these years when he is young. I was afraid that I would not remember the intense love that I feel for him when I am struggling with him in his throes of teenage angst in his puberty years. The blog is there to remind us all, that no matter what storms the raging hormones bring us, we love each other very much, and we should work together to weather through those tough times. In the heat of the moment, we often forget this, and thus, I hope the blog and my photo albums would serve as a timely reminder that we are after all, family.

What started out as my personal passion for board games, has branched out into the realisation that board games are an excellent too for family bonding and learning. In my writing about board games, I hope to share and spread my love for board games, to show parents that it is indeed possible for parents and children alike to have real fun and learn and the same time. That it is possible to have children that are not glued to the tv nor the ipad all day long. That it is possible to hear children say "The iPad is getting boring Mum, can we play a board game instead?". It's like a revolution, a movement, I know that I make a real difference in people's lives, when they tell me how their kids enjoy playing board games or building with CitiBlocs rather than watch tv or play with the iPad.

 Qn 4: How does my writing process work?

Unfortunately, I have a pretty haphazard way of writing. The drafts are all in my head! I tend to have a tendency to think on the road, sometimes literally - while driving! I have tried writing drafts before, only to realise that I tend to change them all when I sit down to continue a half-written piece.  I have progressed to writing lists of subjects which I intend to blog or write about. These tend to be lists in notebook apps on my phone since things just pop into my head and my phone is always with me.

Gary Guwe (pronounced as Gwee) of Speak! Ventures

That concludes the writing process tour with me! Next on the tour is Mr Gary Guwe! (right) Gary is an award-winning speaker and public speaking training expert. 

He is the co-founder of Speak! Ventures Pte Ltd which focuses on helping executives, small business business owners deliver lasers-sharp presentations and achieve greater results.

Gary and his team at Speak! Ventures also run programmes catered for children, and have been regularly featured in the local media, such as the Straits Times, 938Live, Today, The New Paper and Singapore's Child.

Gary's blog, entitled The Shy Speakers' Guide to Success to Speaking on Stage, has tonnes of articles, videos, and tips to help you on your way to better public speaking. So hop along to his blog with a cuppa hot coffee.