Play Learning Tuesday: Fun Shapes

It's another Play Learning Tuesday today. It is very inspiring to see all the great ideas during the last linky. Thank you to all who shared.

Today, I'm sharing a Fun Shapes idea that we did a while ago, and which EV still loves playing today.

Here's what you need:
- ice cream sticks
- pipe cleaners of any colour
- glue (for sticking the ice cream sticks together)
- a parent's help

This is a great activity for experimenting with shapes, and also for fine motor skills, as one twists the pipe cleaners into circles and sticks the ice cream sticks together to make squares and triangles. 

See how EV ingeniously turned this into a peek-a-boo game? Ice cream sticks and pipe cleaners are such versatile materials to play with. We will definitely be doing more.

What fun play have you had with your kids recently? Do link up and share! :)

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What is Play Learning Tuesday?
Play Learning Tuesday is a weekly linky hosted by Toddly Mummy where bloggers are invited to share their child-friendly play, learning and craft activities.

If you would like to link up and share your posts on Play Learning Tuesday, please read the following guidelines first.
- Please link up any posts featuring a play, learning or craft activity.
- Feel free to link more than one post.
- Please don't link giveaways.
- Please grab the Play Learning Tuesday badge from below and include it at the bottom of the submitted post, or somewhere on your site.
- Thank you for sharing your wonderful ideas on Play Learning Tuesday!

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Review x Giveaway: Funky Feet Fashions

{Sponsored}

Ladybird ladybird, where have you been?
I've been on this little boy's feet
As he toddles around with a grin.

That's right, AA has been discovering the world around him in these soft shoes that are just simply funky. He got this ladybird design, but there are heaps of other really fun and imaginative designs that you can check out here.

Yups, they don't just look funky, they are called funky too; Funky Feet Fashions to be exact. The brand comes from the UK, and specializes in baby fashion. Every piece is handmade, can you imagine that?

First impressions are quite good. The outside of the shoes is made of a variety of materials, depending on the design. For example, the Ladybird design we got is made of suedette, which is made from cotton or rayon and has the texture of suede; while another design Brown Bear is made of faux fur uppers.

The shoes ranks high on the cool factor, but it also focuses on comfort and safety. The shoes have non-slip suede soles with 100% cotton lining. And it's machine washable too! Just brilliant. I just need to throw it into the washing machine, and it'll be cleaned in no time.

The shoes are easy to wear too - just slip it on, and they will stay on. Maybe because AA's feet are a little fleshy, or perhaps the design is such that the ankle area is a little smaller to ensure the shoes stay on. It was a little difficult to push AA's feet into the shoes. I had to really stretch the elastic band and squeeze his feet in at the same time. But once his feet are in, he's off like a little trouper. 

Mummy likes Funky Feet, so does AA.  He even wanted to wear it to sleep!



No son, you can't. But you can wear them to the playground tomorrow.

Funky Feet Fashions Footwear

Pros

Fun designs

Extremely comfortable and durable

Non-slip soles prevent accidental slips

Cons

Ankle elastic area is a little tight for AA's fleshy feet to slip in

My verdict
Design *****
Ease of use ****
Performance ****

*****

Giveaway!!

Baby's Breath, the official distributor of Funky Feet Fashions footwear in Singapore is sponsoring one $50 voucher to ONE lucky winner!

Hurry! Giveaway ends Sunday 26 May 2013 11:59pm.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: The Funky Feet Fashions footwear in Ladybird (12-18mths) was sponsored by Baby's Breath. No monetary compensation was received for this review, and all opinions and images are my own.

Tulip manic @ Tulipmania

If you are reading this, it means you are interested in Tulipmania and wondering whether it is worth going.


We just went yesterday, and my opinion? Yes it is!

We had planned to go last Friday, but changed plans as friends who went said that the tulips had just been replanted and were still in their buds. Going yesterday was a good decision, as almost all the tulips were in bloom, except for a select few.

We felt like we were in flower land. It's really awesome to be in a single space with more than 20,000 tulips and other flowers. Flowers here, flowers there, flowers everywhere. Flowers of so many colours, shapes and sizes. There is also the unmistakable scent of the flowers, so fragrant and aromatic. Absolutely refreshing!






We even spotted an orange tree!


EV had a tremendous time feasting her eyes on the kaleidoscope of colours - red, pink, yellow, purple and white.


She had an even better time taking photos of mummy and grandmummy. Her camera skills aren't too bad either, taking her time to make sure that the camera is in the right position before pressing the shutter. Often though, her subjects aka mummy and grandmummy would end up feeling tired because of frozen smiles.




Our adventure in the land of tulips ended with a nice evening stroll around the outdoor gardens, on the way to Bayfront MRT station. We only visited the Flower Dome, where the tulips are, but we are already planning to return soon and visit the other dome, Cloud Forest.

Want to bask in the land of flowers? There's still time. Tulipmania ends next Monday, but we reckon you should go these few days, while the tulips are still in their blooming glory.

Tulipmania @ Gardens by the Bay, Flower Dome

29 April - 20 May 2013

9am - 9pm

Special ticket prices for local residents (available only at on-site ticketing counters)

Adults: $10 per ticket (Usual price $12)

Senior Citizens & Children: $7 per ticket (Usual price $8)

Play Learning Tuesday: Salt Play

It is always a challenge to keep the very inquisitive EV busy & occupied. I consciously try to limit her screen (aka TV, iPad etc) time because I want her to engage with the world in a multimodal way using her various senses. But like I mentioned, it is a challenge and whenever an off-screen activity keeps EV engaged, smiling and having loads of fun, it is an extremely satisfying feeling.

What have I got up my sleeves this time? Salt! A word of caution though: things can get quite messy, so it is good to line the play area with newspaper.

Here's what you need:
- salt
- tray or basin to put the tray in

To up the notch of this messy play a little, I combined it with some letters from Jolly Phonics, written on coloured paper. I put the paper under heaps of salt, and then EV had to slowly move the salt to reveal the letters. Then I ask her what the letter and the sound is. Good reflection activity.

There's a lot of sensory play and motor skills training involved too. After a while, I let EV do her own thing, and she got creative making finger circles, building little salt 'hills', squeezing the salt with her fists and just throwing the salt all over.

Yes, it was messy, but just look at the 'flow' she's in. Makes the cleaning up after all the more worthwhile.

Have you done any messy play with your kids recently? What other fun play and learning activities have you done? Do link up and share! :)

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