I loved all the myFirst products from myFirst tech collection which are designed with kids in mind. If you recalled, I reviewed myFirst Fone S2 previously and how I relied on the device to train my eldest to take public transport independently to and fro school being his first smart watch/phone. Next, was the myFirst Camera 2 that my kids even till today will be trigger happy taking photos at home capturing silly and fun moments.
The first thing you may be wondering is what is BC? BC stands for bone conduction. According to wikipedia, Bone conduction is the conduction of sound to the inner ear primarily through the bones of the skull, allowing the hearer to perceive audio content without blocking the ear canal. This is also pretty new to me as all my headphones that I owned are not based on this technology.
For kids, long hours and loud volume into the ears are harmful hence you should be exploring bone conduction headphone like myfirst BC Wireless Headphone. In fact, I regretted not getting this earlier as the kids have been on months of HBL and zoom lessons. Finally, I got my act together and ordered a pair of big C to use. In fact, I also tried it myself for a short period as I was super intrigued by this technology and was pleasantly surprised that only the wearer can hear (a person besides you cant hear) even though the ear pieces are placed at the cheek bones. And if you really want to block out the surrounding sound for better sound quality they even provide your ear buds.
Charger, manual and ear plugs included
5 reasons what make myFirst BC Headphone is THE perfect headphone for kids:-
1.Bone conduction technology
Bone conduction technology allows for music to be transmitted via the cheekbones and not directly into the eardrums. Audio is set at a cool 85 decibels, ensuring safe levels of listening.
2. Open ear design
This technology leaves ears open to the surrounding sounds. This basically means that my child can hear me if I holler at her. This is a huge issue when she using the earphones that comes with handphones, she cant really hear her surroundings.
3. Light weight
At 26g , it is so light you don’t even realise you are wearing it. The headphone rest comfortable over the ears while the headpiece sits comfortably on both cheekbones and the back just “float” weightlessly over neck.
4. 5 hours of play timeand 20 days of battery life
I don’t like having to charge the kids devices constantly – so 5 hours of play time and 20 days of battery life I would say its pretty decent by all accounts.
5.Wireless and Safe for kids
Using bluetooth to connect, I love that this set is also wireless. All myFirst tech collection are designed with kids in mind, this headphones being my third myFirst device for the kids, I can attest by this.
With HBL and zoom lessons being as a mainstay, I think it is important to invest in a good pair of headphones for the kids for their school work and lessons. I did do a quick search on google for bone conduction headphones for kids but I cant find an equivalent, so I think there is no equivalent currently in the market to myfirst BC Wireless Headphone
For further saving of 15%, you can quote mypreciouzkids15 when ordering online here. The headphone comes in 2 colours – grey or green and 1 year warranty.
photo credit: Myfirst
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.
Pre-covid , I travelled a fair bit for work – in this region , short haul flight with my office laptop and a trolley luggage back as my travel mainly span from Monday to Friday.
Whenever I travelled, I often fumbled with my laptop and my trolley luggage. I use a laptop bag but sometimes it is really not comfortable carrying the laptop bag along the many gates and in big airports like Changi Airport or HK International Airport, so I tend to put the whole entire laptop bag (with laptop of course) into my trolley luggage ( but then I wouldnt check it in as I worry about the laptop, hence i need to bring it up the cabin. The only way I can check it my trolley luggage is to carry my laptop bag separately from my trolley luggage, which means I have to lung my laptop back whenever I go. I have seen my colleague carrying backpack to store their work laptop but it doesn’t look sturdy nor stylish.
So I always had this problem of managing my laptop and my trolley luggage for my short business trip until the Gaston Luga Biten 15″ came into my life. All my problems resolved with the super stylish and functional bag.
Fans of Scandinavian design would immediately recognise that Gaston Luga from Stockholm, Sweden. And if you like Scandinavian design, you will have a hard choosing the bag for you. I chose the Biten and I didnt regret one bit due to the 5 reasons below as it checked all the boxes of the things I look for longest time in a back pack for my work travel – the first 3 is specific to the Biten (these features won me over the more popular Praper)
1. A dedicated outer compartment for my laptop
Can you believe my laptop has its own compartment, it is not with main compartment? How convenient is it that I can easily reach for my laptop if I need to do last minute work while waiting for my boarding. I don’t have to fumble those the main compartment before i can reach out to my laptop. They have also cleverly added a compartment in the main compartment which can also be use to store laptop but I would prefer the outside compartment any time.
2. Slip-over Luggage strap
Trust me when you are browsing through the Gaston Luga website, you will have a happy problem, all the designs are so stylish yet functional and many colour ways for each design, so I had a tough time choosing THE bag for my purpose. Specifically for laptop and travel, the recommended model are the Praper, Classic, Biten , some other models can also fit in 11 to 13″ laptop for everyday carry. But the one feature that sold the Biten to me was slip-over luggage strap for easy travelling! I believe only this model has this feature in the entire Gaston Luga’s range. This is a must have feature for work travel – so I can either carry it or have my trolley luggage carry it!
3. Hand-carry version
The other feature that sold this model to me is the double hand-carry straps. So besides carrying on my bag, on days when the bag doesn’t contain a laptop or heavy barang-barang (malay for goods), I could easily hand carry the Biten instead back carry for a different feel and style! How versatile!
4. Great fit, durable and almost water proof I also planned to use this for other travels like weekend travel so it has to be durable and waterproof . Made of polyester, it is light and smooth to touch, and my water test, the water didn’t seep in. The bag comes with padded strap for comfort and weight distribution. The Biten is the second largest bag of Gaston Luga’s range, I was worried it may be too big for a lady, but it isnt bulky at all. Not entirely a very feminine bag, (there are more feminine looking bags in their range like the Classy, Hawthorn or the Parlan) but my main aim was for work travel, so I love the ruggedness of the Biten.
Rain drops on my Biten
5. Functional yet super stylish
Something are functional yet failed miserably in its design. This is not the case with my new love. I choose the black-brown colour way to visibly see the contrast between the bag and its handles and buckles. It also has a very lovely maroon inner side which I absolutely adored which breaks the monotony of the overall black. Functional part of this – front pocket, side pockets and a GL signature passport pocket (a secret magic compartment for easy reach item -passport, handphone, powerbank (choose 1) located at the back for safety and security. Let the photos explain it more!
I can’t wait for this Covid-19 to blow over and resume some business travel and truly test out how functional, stylish and durable is the Gaston Luga Biten for me! For now, Biten its just within Singapore and probably to office if any.
Quote mypreciouzkids for 15% off on all items storewide and free delivery and returns. One free tote bag with every purchase of backpack (till 17 August)
None of my 4 kids have done proper art classes before. They all love art in their own ways -doodling, art and craft, colouring etc but simply I did not have time for art classes , as all other enrichment classes took first priority – Chinese, music, swimming , sports (older kids are tuition and tuition) ,art is often my after thought, the most is just a one-off holiday drop off class. So probably in a year once or twice. As much they have asked , I simply can’t find the time to squeeze art classes into my weekly schedule.
Recent years, I have a change of heart seeing how much my younger boys adored art and craft. (It is quite a huge regret that my older 2 kids did not indulge in a proper art class at all in their early years so I try to make it up for them through holiday classes when I can find pocket of time from my schedule and also theirs) So I did the easy route – sign up for the art classes in child care! I don’t know how well is was carried out though I do see samples of of their art work but they seem happy and contented so I let that arrangement continue as I do not need to do any logistically arrangement and it was conducted during child care timings. But unfortunately due to Covid restriction, that too much a stop in the art classes in child care as it is an external provider.
During circuit breaker I signed up zoom art classes for both younger kids. Though it maybe effective for older kids who can listen to instructions better, for Caleb, he very much want to do what he wants and I am no art teacher, hence finding it hard to follow what the session set out to achieve.
So when the invitation for Caleb to join 1 term of classes with Heart Studio, it was just the right timing and opportunity to finally enrol my child for the very first time in an established art studio like Heart Studio.
Heart Studio founder Rena Chew truly believes that Arts helps to develop many life skills which are important for children to navigate the future world. Some skills like perseverance, patience, problem solving skills, creativity are nurtured so its not all about producing a beautiful art piece or craft, but also to nurture a child holistically. The studio not only teaches techniques like lines, shapes and forms but knowledge of artists and styles and catered predominantly to kids ages 4 to 12 (they also have classes for adults too).
Here are some photos of the cosy art studio.
The studio caters to different age groups – younger kids to develop motor skills, older kids to develop focus and attention.
I will be sharing more about Caleb’s journey with Heart Studio in a subsequent post. Do check out their current programmes and even the upcoming July’s holiday classes and giveaway below.
Love how other students art pieces serve as inspirations
Giveaway
Rena has kindly sponsored next week’s July online holiday programme for 2 lucky readers just in time for the school holidays next week. (1 on FB and 1 on IG)
How to participate: Participants will have to
✅ “like” and “follow” @heartstudiosg and @mypreciouzkids on IG and FB ✅ “like” and “share” the FB post or IG post (or both to double your chances) ✅ tag 5 friends (all in 1 comment) ✅ “like” & tag @mypreciouzkids @heartstudiosg in re-share!
Giveaway ends 17 July 2359.
Terms and conditions:
o Online programme class x 2 to be given away (using Zoom)
One thing in my home I do not mind paying top dollar for are bedding, mattress, bed sheet, pillow, quilt etc. My mattress is the MOST expensive item in my household, costing more than my TV as I see it as 10-year (or longer) investment and we spending minimally 8 hours a day on it. Similarly for bedsheet and bed linen, I go for high thread count as comfort for 8 hours of my day is of utmost important to me personally!
As yet, I have not try out latex-based pillows which are famed for being cool and super comfy.
I have used this pillow for 1 week and here is my review. These are my 3 reasons I do think that this is a good choice of pillow albeit being a bit pricey but for the comfort and durability, I truly believe it is well worth the money.
1. Super cooling using ultra cooling tech technology
I usually sleep in non air-conditioned room and the pillow doesn’t feel warm at all. The pillows comes with a removable Tencel fabric pillow cover (to extend the pillow’s life in the long run) . Latex as also known to be good for heat dissipation and it is ideal for hot weather climate.
2. Comfort
Often compared with memory form, latex pillow are bouncier and softer hence more comfortable. Being impression-resistant, it can also hold its shape for many years while still feeling soft and comfy.
Latex is also antifungal and hypoallergenic, which makes it a hygienic, comfortable pillow choice.
3. Finally, most important of it all, support like no other. Being of denser material compared to memory form, it gives you the right level of sleep support. The pillow is moulded to my head and neck. With proper support to head and neck, it relieves pressure on the cervical spine. This ensure that I wake up well rested – no sore neck, shoulder or back!
Thanks to my latex pillow from Origin Mattress, I have well-rested and better quality of sleep the past week!
Origin Mattress also offers super fast delivery where you can receive within 2 hours, 30-Night trial and money-back guarantee.
Do follow Best in Singapore for recommendations of best offerings in Singapore!
I have a love and hate relationship when it comes to birthday cakes. Annually, I would need to order at least 4 cakes , 1 for each kid or even more as we also celebrated their birthdays in the child care as well/ In my earlier years of motherhood, I was fascinated with fondant cakes as they were all so pretty in photos and in real life however, when the parties were done and dusted, no one ate the fondant layer and it was all thrown away, the remaining cake was often much lesser due to the thick fondant layer covering the entire cake.
Then in recent years, I changed my allegiance to 100% customised cream cake, with decor all done with cream mainly so that there is nothing to be thrown away, all consumed – no wastage. But often, I had to crack my head what design to do, as I wanted the cake to suit the theme of the birthday celebration.
As the kids get older and after more than 1 decade of celebrations, I have tried all themes possible (esp for boys, superhero, cartoons, etc I have done it all), this year’s celebrations were “themeless” , so I can just order any random , off-the-shelf cake without any customisation.
For younger boys’ joint celebration held on Sunday, 14 June (small C turns 5 on 14 June, and small J turns 7 on 18 June), they requested for an ice cream cake – so I ordered a full of gummy bears ice cream cake -nothing fanciful like in the past year due to subdued celebrations , no thanks to Covid.
With all celebrations on Sunday done and dusted , the thought of ordering small J’s a cake for his actual day slipped my mind entirely until an invite by Whyzee cake shop on 17 June to give their cakes a try. Call it mind-reading or just plain coincidence, I asked if it could be delivered the very next day as it is small J’s actual birthday (my past experiences, I had to order a few weeks in advance , no last minute business else no cake!) and guess what, Whyzee even do 1 hour delivery (for cakes, really)
The 1 -hour delivery service is not just 1 or 2 cakes but a very good variety from mango, strawberry shortcake, black forest , rainbow cake, cheese cake – I am certain you can find one of your liking – pretty decent list with classic favourites too!
As I had more than 24 hours between my order and the celebrations, I thought I should also look at the main list to see if there is something more interesting to try and still make it for next day delivery -there was not an inch of doubt, it has to be the Kit Kat M&M cake (which was delivered on the last slot the next day, I ordered quite late into the previous night).
The real cake looks even nicer than on the website, border all lined with Kit kat and M&M filled the entire top surface of the cake! I don’t think any kid wont be floored by the mere sight of M&M, Kitkat and chocolate cake!! It is like the dream cake of any kid!
The cake passed the look test, now it is down to the taste test, would it be like the fondant cakes i used to order – nice to see, but taste so-so. There were 2 choices of flavour for this variant – vanilla or chocolate – being a big lover of chocolate, I chose chocolate over vanilla and my choice is like the arrow hitting the bull-eye. Moist,fudgy, not overly sweet (it will be if you eat with the M&M and Kitkat ) but on its own, it is just a decadent chocolate cake! All orders come with complimentary cake toppers and candles – just note in the option before carting out.
A bit about Whyzee cake shop, they are an artisanal cake shop located at Clementi . They only use premium ingredients , offers only freshly baked cake with no preservatives. They are also offer eggless and vegan cakes too! They are operating on a totally online model through their website at www.cakedelivery.com.sg with 6-inch cakes starting from as low as SGD 39.90 (there is a delivery charge of SGD10, no self collection ,free delivery for orders above SGD 80) . For 1 hour express, the delivery charge is SGD 25 – I would definitely pay for this in order not too miss the actual day celebration – no one like to receive the cake a day late.
Quote JAIMECHAN15 for 15% discount off all orders with no minimum purchase, with expiry on 31 July 2020.
As a continuation of the first part of my blog of my experience with HBL plus WFH experience, I guess it is most appropriate to close this strange time with another part 2 as the playing field is totally different as there is no HBL (the start of the brought forward school hols) but with WFH still in effect.
Echo-ing the words from Cat in the Hat – And we did not like it, Not one little bit. I definitely preferred HBL + WFH phase by a mile. As much as I would instill some routine and discipline during school holidays, the kids slept late, woke up late (which is also good as I do my work with some peace and quiet till almost 11am but it is not a good habitfor growing kids). I did not give them a strict timetable per say not by the hour but just broad guidelines – 1 hour of revision, 1 hour of reading etc – hence the total prescribed hours probably sum up less than 4 hours a day. This was done to give some structure and reduce the hours of loitering and doing nothing at all. Minus the waking hours and time for eating, shower, etc they are still left with lots of unaccounted time which they can practically do anything including controlled screen time.
My plan was executed in hope that the kids will be independent (like during HBL days). Well, it missed by a mile as it is not hard deadline like in during HBL. That said, there is one exception – small C has zero timetable or schedule since the beginning of circuit breakers. As much as I would like him to have one, from my experience in April, he does not follow and does what ever he wants. The lucky thing he still have twice weekly zoom time with his child care teachers in May and I signed him up for a digital camp with SRT which has proven to be a good off-cycle experience. He has never been to any drama/stage camp before (it is awfully difficult for FTWM logistically send kids for holiday drama camp esp full week camp in normal times). Hence, this was a great experience despite it being conducted online/digital. He gets to do self expression with lots of imagination, immerses in the story of Chicken Little, he doodles in between story telling , etc It was a nice half hour session with adult participation (which is manageable as I need to have a break from WFH and some bonding time with my youngest )
It is almost the end of week 2 of what I called part 2 of strange times with 2 more weeks to go. For part 1, I have thanked the school teachers as they have been equally challenged like us parents. This time round my utmost appreciation to my in laws who have been great at running the household like a clockwork, preparing lunch and dinner, taking care of the kids while me and my husband do our work and take our endless conference calls. I don’t have to be burdened to ensure food is on the table during lunch and dinner time for the family (even calling for home delivery need time and effort).
While we have virtually took a pause in life, learning, tuition,work all have continued in an entirely new form and format given us some normalcy beyond such strange times. I do hope that we will not have another such strange times in our lifetime hence making this time an extra special time when I got to spend 24/7 with my family. To date, I have work more than 10 weeks at home (my company started way before the circuit breaker) , perhaps going to work in the office will be a strange new experience! With that I look back at these 2 months (when life sort of take a pause momentarily)with fond memories of zoom meetings, lots of drawing, doodling, painting and arts and craft, got introduced to nagomi art which become a weekly affair, did some baking, dabbled in some science experiments, joined many colouring contest though we only won once, played board games until I started losing many round of Settlers of Catan and enjoyed daddy’s home cooking on every weekend! We may still have some semblance of circuit breaker after school and on weekends at phase 1 as we are still homebound, outside classes are still prohibited, no outdoor dining which could last for 4 weeks or more.
Hope the kids will have fond memories of this strange time when they look back in future.
I love all the myfirst product range from myFirst tech collection which are designed with kids in mind. If you recalled, I reviewed myFirst Fone S2 previously and how I relied on the device to train my eldest to take public transport independently to and fro school being his first smart watch/phone.
Now, we are introduced to another awesome product from the same maker – the kids very own camera! For the past weekend since we received the camera, my kids has been using the myFirst Camera 2 virtually every where in the house and on every member of the household. That is like first “toy” they grab in the morning, and they will go around taking all sort of photos especially with the sticker mode! And the camera is like their companion throughout the day! Never ever had a toy being played for many hours and so many days.
I can attest that this is one of the best “toy” or gift to young kids I would say below 9 years old especially I am an avid photographer myself owning my own DSLR, I do hope one of my kids will appreciate and has an eye of photography to share my love.
5 reasons what make myFirst Camera 2 is THE perfect gift for kids:-
Perfect size for little hand – I love how compact and light the camera is, perfect for little hands!
Waterproof and durable – comes with a waterproof casing ( made with reinforced high strength polymers for underwater additional drop protection, can be used up to 3m underwater for 180 minutes ) and we tested it for underwater photography too! See sample photo below.
water baby 1
water baby 2
3 water babies together
Simple setup – There are only 4 buttons and 1 shutter. Even my 5 year old is able to view gallery, change mode, delete the photos on his own, it is super easy to manuever – idiot proof. See video below of big C sharing the key functions of the camera.
Sticker template mode – favourite! – besides being to take photos , the camera also comes with a special mode ( some what like the smart phone camera) , my kids have such fun time posing and be in the picture volunteering be the subject of photography! Here are some fun samples of the photos taken by the kids.
Full HD Photos & Videos – here are some sample photos and videos, it is 8MP and it is decent enough for normal photo size printing, this is not meant for blowing up to A4 or A3 sizes.
The photos taken easily be downloaded via the microSD card and a thumb drive reader that has been conveniently provided together with camera. It also comes with a silicon sleeve and a lanyard for extra protection from the rough handling of kids! They even provide stickers to personalise their first ever camera!
For further saving, you can quote mypreciouzkids15 when ordering online here. The camera comes in 2 colour – blue or pink and 1 year warranty.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.
24.4.2020 – These are my own rambles after going thru 14 days of HBL (hope I didnt miscount as I wasn’t counting at all) with my p1, p3 and p5. Despite the unfamiliarity with HBL and not having a single platform (yes SLS is the main platform but we have many sub-platforms for teleconferencing, communication, submission which I wil elaborate later) , we (mainly myself with hubby’s help for the only most dire situations) managed to pull through with some screams, some missed live lessons and also because we (me and the kids) learned and adapted so fast when we were put through such a super steep learning curve!
Yes, there is the main platform which is SLS. For live lessons, the teachers were initially using Zoom until some security breached causing MOE to quickly say that Zoom is not to be used. And I think they couldn’t find a better teleconferencing platform and with new security update, MOE quickly U-turned and allowed the use of Zoom. Even though both P3 and P5 use Zoom for their lessons, for my P1’s catch time with teachers and friends , they use google meet – so among my 3 kids, they are already use 2 different teleconferencing platforms.
And there are also various platforms for submission, the easiest for us, parents would be submission directly via SLS. For paper worksheets, some preferred to submit via class dojo, some uses google drive, one even had some google classroom. There are also various places for communication, some communicate via SLS, some communicate via the student’s email on their mconline, some uses class dojo. Especially with you have multiple kids, it is really a big spider web to looking to ensure nothing is miss out so that learning is optimised. It was indeed a very steep learning curve even for a person like me who uses computer for my full time work as I have never used most of the platforms I have mentioned before (but the irony of it all, kids are very fast learners especially when it comes to devices, my P5 is like a pro on Zoom, so I often rely on him for some IT trouble shooting). I hope you are following but if you are, I dont blame you as there are indeed many new things to manage from the get-go.
Do I like HBL? I hate how much screen time there is but do we have a choice. It is not meant to replace actual class setting however, when there is no school to attend, this is really the BEST option as opposed to loitering at home! Even if they are not learning at 100% , they are definitely doing some learning and some revisions done. And there is also some structure and timetable involved. The kids have be ready by 8am – my girl has it the worst as her zoom lessons are always at 8am, but there is timetable/break and disturbing of their siblings. Given the current situation, I do like having the HBL despite the many platforms I need to be familiar with.
We started with 3 kids sharing 1 old laptop, initially thinking that there is minimal live lesson and hence minimal overlapping of live lessons . They can share and toggle between SLS and paper worksheets. However, the reality was not as I imagined to be as the live lessons for the P3 and P5 are too many to keep track off and in order for them to learn to study independently and not to affect my P5 learning momentum, I invested in a new laptop for the P5. So with this new addition, it has reduced the amount of conflict over who can use the laptop which require my intervention in the early days (hence i could concentrate on my work better).
In fact now, I really hope that we can continue the momentum and not stop for 1 month o May. Imagine (touch wood) if the circuit breaker does not end on 1st June, and the school does not reopen, we go back to HBL after 1 month break? I think it is definitely difficult to restart back the momentum but I definitely do not hope for this to happen (ie the physical school reopens in 1 June).For the circuit breaker to continue past 1st June is purely unthinkable!
Of course during the May holidays, I can definitely give my own timetable and homework but the kids are smart, they know it is not school work, they wouldn’t treat it as seriously as school work and will procrastinate and give a million excuses including it is the holidays, we are suppose to enjoy, there is no midyear exam, why need to revise?
Here are my own experiences with my 3 school going kids:-
P1: He is able to navigate the entire SLS on his own and do his work, of course he will constantly bug me on how to spell certain words , or technical issue and totally ignore an entire instruction to submit on class dojo. Last Friday night, I receive a note from his form teachers that he didnt submit his work on class dojo’s portfolio, so apparently it was all mentioned in the SLS. I dont blame him, it is a lengthy instruction and I really dont go thru any of his submission on SLS (same in school i dont go through his work, if he makes a mistake he learns from it). So I did get a bit flustered that I had to spend my Saturday morning completing all the unfinished task on class dojo. With this “lesson”, I will check before the week ends and ensure no unfinished task class dojo (learning curve!). The only thing I really manage actively on his behalf is his live google meet classes (not lesson per say but catching up with teachers and friends, and sometimes when i eavesdropped the P1 , they are all so innocent and naive in their replies and their observations, really make my day) and it happens 3x a week so that is the only thing I keep track off as the google invite goes to my personal email (and of course my P1 wont know how to access and retrieve the link)
P3: She is semi-independent. She is able to operate the laptop and the different platforms , and she is still getting into the rhythm and noting down all her live lessons as she can have as many as 3-4 live lessons a day. Quite a mad schedule and I am in no ability or time to track for her (and she does have the ability to start learning about time manage and also independent learning).Only time she really needed help is when uploaded the completed work into google drive. Once she improved on managing her zoom lessons, she is as independent as my P5!
P5: Being more savvy in devices and being older, I do expect for him to require the least help from me, which is the case. He knows when he need to attend his zoom classes and not lost in the amount of task he has in SLS. Similarly to my P5, I only help him with the google drive submission (simple coz it is easier to take it via phone and upload directly, instead of using the laptop) and sometimes my second line of support when I need help for the younger 2 when face with technical issues.
I actually have 1 more kid not in this picture, my K1, who does have some home based worksheet brought home, but he is the most difficult to manage and frankly I have my plate full ensuring the P1, P3 and P5’s HBL run smoothly, he basically does whatever he wants and probably zero learning! And I foresee my older 3 suffering same fate in May with HBL removed!
I think the biggest difficulties and laments of HBL stemmed of the younger kids (P1, P2) as they are not exposed to laptop, they are not exposed to typing on keyboard and some can’t even sit still for a long time in front of a laptop. Hence, there are more hand-holding by the parents and it is sometimes as good as the parent going through the entire timetable of HBL with the kid (which is not a luxury for FTWM).
To many, there seem to be no light to the end of the tunnel (a reprieve given recently due to the announcement of the early May holidays) but I have kept my spirits high as I know with all these HBL challenges, there is only 1 way forward, we get BETTER with each passing day. How could it be that it gets worse everyday? Of course there are good days and bad days for me as a parent, but we do what we can each day , one thing for sure my kids are not complaining about HBL.
I thank all the teachers who have been similarly put through this steep learning curve with us parents and students (and many teachers even have kids going through HBL as well, its like double whammy for them) for all their hard work. In fact, I know some teachers are still uploading lessons, checking submission even close to midnight.
All I know is that we will only emerge stronger and more adaptable and HBL will no longer be a taboo word but a welcome change to the education system (in times when we really need it, it will come our next best alternative!).
So can I volunteer my kids for HBL in May too since we are home bound too?
The last time I reviewed The Young Scientists was 5 years ago when big J started primary 1. At that time, I have not heard of The Young Scientists magazine before but fast forward now, I believe most primary school kids would have read these series making Young Scientists one of the most popular school magazines in Singapore.
My sudden renewed interest on The Young Scientists stemmed from the recent surge of interest by my p1 and p3 read past copies and hence I think it will be a good time to get new ones (2019 collector’s set and all each of the level as my eldest would have outgrow level 1). My last review was more to differentiate the Junior Young Scientists with the Young Scientists level 1. So I believe it is high time that I covered a salient difference between level 1 to 4 and which level is suitable for which primary level (especially having gone through 3 years of science with big J who is now p5)
The single most important feature of these series is that it follow’s MOE Science syllabus, hence they will try to keep within primary science school syllabus. As recommended by the publisher, Level 1 = Introduction to Science for Pri1 to Pri2 | Level 2 = Lower Block Science for Pri3 to Pri4 | Level 3 = Upper Block Science for Pri5 to Pri6 | Level 4 = Lower Sec Science (EA/NA) for students graduating Pri6 to Sec2.
Based on my observation, the content of Level 1 and 2 is perfect for P1 to P4. My P1 is able to enjoy the comic strips in Level 1 and 2. Though his understanding of science concept may not be strong given that he has not been introduced to science in schools, he thoroughly enjoyed all the stories. Clearly the introduction of science concepts through comic strips is indeed a winner , no wonder The Young Scientists series is so popular among the school kids.
As for big C (P3) who has just started science lessons in school, besides enjoying the stories, she is able to relate better to the concept introduced through the comic strips. I always complain that the science textbooks in school are so thin and skimpy as they rely on the teachers to present and elaborate the concept in the classroom. I love that through The Young Scientists magazines, big C get more insight and science bites into the topics she has encountered (it may not be tested in the exam, but it aids in her overall appreciation of the science subject!). For example, mushroom and fungi topic which was covered recently was further elaborated through these comic strips.
Each collectors’ set also included 10 science assessments for her to do covering MOE science syllable themes such as diversity, cycles, systems, interactions and energy – maybe tough for p1 and p2 but definitely not for p3 as it is taught in school. Level 1 science assessments are for P3 while level 2 science assessments are more for topics in P4.
As for Level 3 and 4, the language used is simple enough for my P1 and P3 however the concept is at a higher level of understanding hence, they may not be able to understand the concept fully. Hence level 3 and 4 definitely were more suited for upper primary kids like my P5. As for the science assessments level 3 is for P5 and level 4 is for P6.
So there you have it a guidelines of which level is suitable for which primary level to guide you in purchase your own set of The Young Scientists for your kids!
You buy the past years collectors’ set here (which i actually preferred)or subscribe to the 2020 subscription here (which means you get monthly copies send to your home address).
Disclosure: I received the sets of The Young Scientists for the purposes of my review. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.
As much as I love to dine out, there are lazy days when the weather makes it difficult to leave home, there are days when the kids have to sleep early making difficult to rush out for dinner and there are extraordinary times like this during the COVID-19 outbreak when should avoid going out so often.
I did dined out the past 2 days but I see many restaurants having constraints in implementing social distancing. As much as we want to support the local economy, I did dined with a tinge of uneasiness when the precautionary measures are not fully abide by.
Hence comes a food delivery option – this is a godsend service in times like this. We loved Japanese food and we can have it as our daily meals. But to queue at sushi chains at the malls is that something I want to avoid doing now. So it is lovely to discover that Sushi Delivery delivered fresh sushi , sashimi and even hot bento set and rice bowl to satisfy my Japanese food cravings!
So I had so much foresight to order it for Sunday’s dinner given that Monday was first day of school and it actually rained in the afternoon too spoiling our plans outdoor. Hence we stayed home, played board games until the delivery guy came with our order!
I spend zero hour labouring in the kitchen in fact I spent hours bond with my kids over board games especially its the end of the school holidays for them by ordering delivery.
So these was our order for Sunday’s dinner all thanks to Sushi Delivery ! Sushi Delivery promises to deliver restaurant grade sushi and sashimi through home delivery. This fed my family of 6. The kids shared the 3 bento sets and 2 trays of kappa maki while myself and hubby had all the sashimi and the taiyou century egg maki.
So the kids had Chicken Katsu Set Bento, Salmon Teriyaki Set Bento , Unagi Salmon Sashimi Bento and 2 trays of Kappa Maki . Sushi Delivery is so generous with the meat/fish portion in the bento set. After the kids finish their rice, there is still so much meat/fish leftover. The 2 trays of kappa maki were finished in record time, in fact I didn’t even get to try a single piece.
As for myself and hubby, I ordered to 2 trays of sashimi – hamachi and swordfish. Thanks to the ice pack beneath the freshly cut slices of sashimi, the sashimi remain chill and fresh! There is no difference having this at a sushi restaurant or at home!
We also tried the taiyou century egg maki. An interesting combi though the century eggs were drizzled on the top instead of having it as a filing. I guess the flavour will come out even more if it was part of the filing but this is something I have not tried before!
Just a carousel of the food we ordered from Sushi Delivery! So oishii!
The next time when you are having Japanese food craving but wish not to venture out, you can have Japanese hot food and even fresh sushi and sashimi delivered to your home with Sushi Delivery . There is free delivery for order above SGD 60 and a guaranteed 45 minutes delivery.
