Insipiration

I've been obsessed over reading nooks recently. A reading nook that allows the boys to share and pore over books. A cosy mini library to explore a different world and to stretch one's imagination. The sense of adventure, of having a secret hideout and sheer quietness surrounded by books in a space of your own are all becoming a reality soon.


Here are some beautiful reading nooks for boys I've found on pinterest.

Looks scary but thrilling!

This reminds me of my storeroom, where I used to sit inside with my school bag for as long as I could.

A secret attic. How cool!

Here's one with ample space for the boys to grow up in.

A reading nook is easy to create. A simple one will be a small corner with a rug, beanbags or some cushions for comfort. No book shelf? Use IKEA storage boxes. Decorate it with a cute lamp or fairy lights and there you go! A reading nook for the kids!

beyond the horizon

A close friend recommended a TV programme to me just a couple of months ago. This series 'Little Maestros' have since ended but my boys have been catching up on Toggle.  Zech and Nathanael love the programme so much they have been requesting to watch it every week. It is a very interesting show that probably intrigue the boys, as it presents a stark reality of a different life of a chld in another country. The show also sparked off some serious discussions about how harsh life can be and how we should not take things for granted. The kids featured in the show carry heavy burdens and responsibilities with a lifestyle far beyond my boys' imagination and they can see for themselves the contrast between these underprivileged kids and kids like them in Singapore.

It is no coincidence that recently we have a chance to step into the reality we saw on TV.  My boys know from young, they are blessed in many ways and we have to share our blessings with others, especially the less privileged. Since last year, I prayed for an opportunity to step into the mission field together with Zech. It wasn't until October I was offered a chance to go on a short term mission trip organised by the church.

We were still uncertain as of last week. But gradually, things fall into place. Our team of 5 planned and tailored the programme accordingly. I'm most excited to be doing and teaching what I love most to a group of children after more than 5 years as a SAHM. I'm even more thrilled to be sharing the Gospel with them through a English lesson. What's more significant is having Zech as my little assistant so that we can share in the joy of serving others in this mission trip.  Zech, albeit young, can be used as a little vessel by God to reach out to other children. This is indeed a privilege in itself.

I booked the flight last night. We are flying to Surabaya in Nov for a 5 days mission trip. If you are reading this post, do keep us in prayer.

Animals, gems, vegetables and frogs

It's October! 10 months of homeschool with Nathanael! Although I do much of the same work with the younger one, it has been somewhat different too.

In August, Nathanael celebrated 100 days of school. It was rather quiet as he had to do all the activities on his own since Zech was in school. He climbed 100 steps, counted 100 stickers and snacks, hopped, jumped, threw and bounced the ball 100 times. He was dead tired at the end of it.

A little reward for him.

Some wow moments from the units we had covered from August to September.

A poster of things that hop. What was special to me was the picture of my boys together. Chosen by Nathanael.

A kangaroo pencil holder for craft.

An obvious difference between my boys is in their colouring. Nathanael is the more creative one and also the one who sometimes asks for permission to not follow the rules.

A cute penguin for craft. I've certainly improved in the area of craft after one round of homeschool with Zech.

Didn't expect marble painting to have such wonderful effect.

Was brave enough to make zebra pudding with the boys. The colours did not turn out well but the boys loved eating the pudding. :)

Was really glad we planned a trip down to the GEM museum for our rock and jewel units. Very small. As Nathanael put it, the museum was about the size of our flat. Nevertheless, it was an eye opener for us. We saw and touched jade, pearl, crystals and all kinds of precious stones.

Nathanael's favourite spot! Digging for gems!

To see and feel fossils for the first time was truly an experience for Nathanael.

Inspired, we came back and made a necklace using homemade salt dough.

The recipient of this necklace was none other than his own grandmother. How sweet of him!

Another masterpiece. All that glitters is gold.

Another field trip we made was to the Green Circle Ecofarm. Perfect and just in time for the vegetables unit. Long journey but no regrets. Farmer Evelyn is so knowledgeable and is really a Science teacher. Love the way she taught the young kids about pollination. Wished Zech was with us.

Intro to the different bugs on the farm - snails, earthworms, a toad, dragonflies and butterflies. Very cool! The kids were encouraged to touch them.

Potting time!

Planted 2 ladyfinger seeds. They are growing well. :)

A tour around the farm in the country was simply refreshing.

Look at the tree full of figs!

Last activity for the day was making compost. Nathanael had a good time helping to layer up the compost.

Encouraged Nathanael to eat his greens and so we made salad at home. He was reluctant at first and asked how that could be a snack. Managed to persuade him and after trying it, he finished almost everything.

We are now at Ff for frog unit. I love the froggy snack we made together. So did Nathanael! So glad he enjoyed eating the cucumbers besides the prata and cheese.

His little booklet about frogs.

A paper plate life cycle.

My slow and easy days with Nathanael are really times to treasure. Those carefree days with Zech during preschool and kindergarten passed by without me realizing that those were in fact the best. I don't do as much with Nathanael as compared to his brother but ensuring some elements of fun does help in making homeschool livelier and in sustaining Nathanael's interest. We are looking forward to the last few units, especially Bb for butterfly as Zech will be joining us. That will be my next post.

Ocean Dreams with Zech

Sleeping with the fishes has always been on my list. I've a whole lot of others such as sleeping with the animals in the zoo and camping in the mountain, just to name a few. I've become more adventurous after having boys I think. Either that or I was 'deprived' of all these experiences as a child. :)

With the recent purchase of my sea aquarium annual pass, I decided to enjoy the special rates given to pass holders for the sleepover at the Sea Aquarium. I signed up for Zech and myself. We checked in on a Friday evening at 6.30pm. Shortly after, we were ushered into a "secret" door where we left our luggages so that we could proceed with the guided tour.

There were 11 of us including 5 kids in the group. The guided tour was really good.  The guide filled us with so much details and information about the different habitats. It was interactive and fun as along the way, the kids played games.

Fascinated with the nurse sharks, which are nocturnal.

Sharks often lay eggs but not all are fertilized. The guide showed us a shark egg below a stingray and another egg on the body of a zebra shark.

At the touch pool, Zech was not very keen. He had done this several times at different places so touching the starfish and sea cucumber are not exactly a novelty to him.

We had the entire place to ourselves. That was pretty cool!

We even visited the dolphins. It was pitch dark but what a surprise! The curious dolphins visited us! We could see a few of them swimming near the glass panel. The guide even told us how to differentiate the male from the female. The sea jellies and the octopus were very popular with the kids too.

The tour ended at 9.30pm. We were allocated a place to sleep at the open ocean habitat. Our spot was on the ground floor, right next to the glass panel of the open ocean.  Sleeping bags and blankets were distributed.

We sat at the top facing the open ocean habitat and had our turkey ham sandwich and Milo for supper.

Lights were off at 10.30pm. We could still see the fishes, stingrays and manta rays swimming around. Zech was sleeping by 11pm.

The next morning, it was rise and shine at 7.30am. The guide took us back to the dolphins habitat again. Now we could see them clearly.

Not sure who were more excited. The dolphins seemed to be greeting the kids early in the morning. The guide could even show us the ears of the dolphin.

When we went back to pack up, the divers were there greeting us good morning. The kids love that.

We had our breakfast in a restaurant at Adventure Cove. The breakfast was pretty decent. Bento set with scrambled egg, tomato, hash brown, baked beans, sausages and apple juice.

After breakfast was another highlight of the sleepover - The back of the house tour. We had the chance to see how the aquarists fed the manta rays. No videos or photos were allowed here. It was really an eye opener to see how the manta rays were fed. The aquarist had to aim and direct the bowl of krill put out on the long pole into the huge mouth of the manta ray. Many other fishes were fighting for the food as well so the food had to go into only the manta rays.

Our sleepover ended right after the back of the house tour. It was about 10am. It was a unique experience for both of us. And I think I've learned a lot more from this sleepover than my 3 visits to Sea Aquarium. Without my annual pass, I may not have gone for this as the regular price for adults is quite expensive. To have a knowledgeable guide who can engage and interact with the kids, I feel this added on to the quality and made this trip more worthwhile.

The brothers

Life has definitely changed with a primary school going kid. It's no longer all fun. It's work almost all the time and weekends or school holidays are the only time for fun. I miss the walks at the Botanic Gardens on a weekday. I long to go for a book picnic early in the morning at the nearby Ang Mo Kio Town Garden. I look back and can only reminisce the good old days at the Fire Engine playground. Looking for fun in between busyness seems to be a task I'm entrusted with. And it is an important one, I soon realized. The time invested in building up the boys together is invaluable. As I've learned from parenthood firsthand, boys need the time to interact, play, compete and fight. I've come to accept the nature of boys. Competing and pitting against each other is part of growing up. From punches and scratches on the face to rolling on the ground and wrestling, my boys have come a long way, as they refrain from hurting each other now. The brotherhood between Zech and Nathanael is built up by the time spent together engaging in meaningful play.

My boys need that outlet to play, bond, imagine and dream. Even if it's just a mere 20 min of water play at the Sports Hub after school one day (unfortunately the rain came soon after), my boys were refreshed with pure delight all over their faces.

Though Nath loves disturbing his big brother, he adores Zech and looks up to him a lot. One day, Nath took out the foldable table Zech uses in the morning for work. He quietly sat down and did his writing. He told me he needed to do his work just like Zech. How heartwarming! There was a day we went to the library together. Nath insisted on carrying a similar bag like Zech's.

I treasure the time the 2 boys spend together. Not as much this year but with a little advance planning, it does ensure some quality time.

The 2 boys watched a play together for the first time. It was an hour long but could captivate even Nath's attention.

At Nath's first visit to Kidzania, it dawned on me how precious for the brothers to be playing together. Nath needed the company.

Staying home together means more noise, more fights and more fun too. Lately, they constructed an airport using Lego. One evening after dinner, Nath sat down on the rug and started working on the airport. Love the collaboration between the brothers! It's still sitting nicely in the living room.

Once in a while, I miss having a little girl at home. But I'm so glad Zech and Nath have each other. On their journey to adulthood, they need those pockets of fun to foster, deepen and strengthen their relationship and that's what I'm entrusted with.