Our family chik-chak time

Chik-chak!!!

We went for our family photoshoot last Friday and had a wonderful time. The kids had fun showing off their picture perfect sides, though after a while, AA got really tired, and the adults had to whip out lots of tricks to get that cheeky smile of his.

The results? Beautiful pictures of our family that we love. 

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Play Learning Tuesday: Foam Numbers Puppetry

Sometimes, the best play and learning comes when it is impromptu.

On a sunny Friday, I was trying to entertain EV and keep her occupied, to prevent her from disturbing the sleeping AA. I didn't have any special activities planned. Spying some foam numbers in the room, I just propped some numbers on my finger and started doing puppetry with them.

'Hello EV, how are you? I'm 5.'

EV quickly got the idea and picked her own numbers.

'Hello 5! Can we play together?'

And so little EV's imagination was triggered and she started getting the numbers to 'talk' and 'play' with each other. Besides promoting number recognition, this fun game can also be extended in the following ways:

- Play a counting game. Draw dots on paper or use counters and get the foam numbers to 'find' the correct number of dots or counters.

- Larger numbers can be used to match the child's age and knowledge.

- Teach and match the spelling of each number. For example, teach the word for 6 - six, or match the number 3 to the word three.

- Simple addition and subtraction can be taught using puppetry too. 

- Make up own stories using the numbers 

This activity is not just about numbers. As the imagination is evoked, creative skills are being developed as well. So too are language, speaking and listening skills, as new stories, roles and situations are being created. EV seemed to be in her own world as she directed her own puppet play. She was communicating with her number puppets so effortlessly and with so much confidence, except for the times when she will ask me to stop taking pictures and join her in her play. It's really amazing to watch her 'working' with her numbers.

We will definitely be doing more puppet play. Socks, paper bags, soft toys, whatever we can find makes a good puppet. Hmm.. perhaps we will do our very own puppet show based on our current favourite story Cat In The Hat Comes Back tonight? That would be a blast!

Have you done any puppetry lately?

*****

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.

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- Please link up any posts featuring a play, learning or craft activity.
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Why a Treehouse?

I have received several positive comments on the new look. Thank you very much for your kind words. Many ask: why a treehouse?

In my memories of kindergarten, I remember a treehouse. It's a place where the kids loved to go and indulge in moments of imaginative play. The treehouse was situated on a slight hill, with a sandpit and swings that used gyres for seats. There was even a see-saw. 

Next to this outdoor playground was the building where the lessons were held. Honestly speaking, I don't remember exactly what I learnt, but I definitely have learnt something. Otherwise, I wouldn't know my ABCs or 123s to be able to write this post.

I do remember this plump, round and jolly teacher I had in nursery, the caring and friendly principal, painting, performing with some bamboo instrument. 

The playground is one of the few memories I have of kindergarten, and why? For a simple reason - fun. It's the same for the other memories. I remember them because of an emotional attachment.

I also love this book series by Enid Blyton about an enchanted forest, where an enormous magical tree grows. Its top branches reach into the clouds and lead to many different magical lands. 

It is for these reasons that I used the treehouse in the new design, which is so wonderfully created by Fancy Girl Designs. It is a symbol of fun, a symbol of play, a symbol of discovery. As a parent, I need to show the world to EV and AA, guide them to be good individuals and enable them to learn in fun ways, or ways that elicit emotions in them. I hope that by doing this, they can remember what they learn for life. Then I have done my duty as a parent.

The treehouse is a symbol of my parenting values.

What is your parenting symbol?

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Review: Samsung Galaxy Camera

This review first appeared in Cosmone.com here

White Knight in Android

Credit: Samsung Mobile Press

It’s not always that you get a digital camera in pure white, but that’s what you get with the Samsung Galaxy Camera. But what we really like about this is the way it transforms the concept of traditional cameras.

That’s right, the Galaxy Camera is really making us rethink the way a camera should be. Instead of just limited to taking photos, Samsung has created a brand new breed of cameras that makes sharing photos online an instant breeze. How? Simply by taking advantage of the successful smartphone and tablet technologies that Samsung is so well known for, and transforming them into a digital camera.

The most innovative, ground-breaking digital snapper that we have seen in a long while, the Galaxy Camera runs on the popular Android 4.1 Jelly Bean platform. This not only opens up the whole world of Android apps on the Google Play app store on a camera, but what is amazing is that it is all on a device that can really take quality pictures with a 16-megapixel 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55mm) sensor and 21x optical zoom lens that supports a whopping 23-481mm. Just imagine the possibilities with – good quality images that can be instantly edited on-camera and then shared via Instagram or Twitter.

Like any Samsung smartphone, the Galaxy Camera features a big screen on the back, a 4.8-inch 720p HD Super AMOLED screen, and we like the clarity and brightness of the screen. Inside, the camera is powered by a quad-core Exynos CPU with 1GB RAM, and there’s support for WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, a microSIM for connecting over 3G/4G, as well as GPS, microSD and a headphone socket. Sounds very much like a smartphone doesn’t it? But which smartphone would offer Full HD 1080p video capture with a stereo microphone, ISO 100 to 3200 support and 8GB of internal memory? The Galaxy Camera can even receive emails, send SMS and allow chats on Google Chat and Skype. Yet another reason why we adore this white knight so much.

We do have a few gripes, mainly with the camera’s heavy weight of 300g and less than satisfactory battery life. It is no slim beauty, with the thinnest point measuring 19mm thick.  The battery has up to 280 hours standby mode. The ability to download apps means that the Galaxy Camera will most likely be used for more than just taking photos, which puts a drain on the battery life. This means that its juice will likely run out faster than usual, so having a portable charger on hand is useful.

Still, the Samsung Galaxy is an amazing example of innovation, and perhaps a sign of the future of digital cameras?

Samsung Galaxy camera
Pros

An innovative Android-enabled digital camera
Designed for seemless sharing

Cons

The bulkiness and heavy weight
The battery is likely to run out faster, so bring a spare

Our verdict

Design ****
Interface ****
Clarity *** ½
Performance ***½

Disclaimer: The Samsung Galaxy camera was on loan for review purposes. No monetary compensation was received for this review, and all opinions are my own.