The Kids have been enjoying themselves, as lately we have been writing for Lego and Yahoo, in a project that focuses on children and creativity. This is our 2nd article, as our first article previously focused on “Developing a Creative Mind”

We are looking forward to further calibrations with our favourite Toy Maker, as Nadine is really benefitting from the disciplines that Lego encourages. She is learning the importance of following  instructions, and not skipping the pages of her instruction manual. This is on top of the fact that she is increasing her muscle flexibility by fine-tuning her motor skills. Below is the excerpt of the article we wrote for Yahoo, and the full article can be found here:

As children grow, kids need to learn how to control their fingers! Although it looks really easy to many adults, kids need to practise and practise in order to make their fingers nimble and strong. Herein lies the Power of the Brick!

My kids love the great outdoors, but staying in Cosmopolitan Singapore means that we are constantly surrounded by buildings. An outing to the Parks is always welcomed, but considering the busy schedule that many parents face, a visit to East Coast Park is becoming more and more of an exception rather than a norm.

To compensate for the lack of Outdoor Activities, Parents are constantly looking for a powerful alternative, that can aid in every child’s development.  Lego easily fills the gap!  Colourful and easy to use, Lego bricks have withstood the test of time because of their unlimited open-ended possibilities. Today, the brick is used in a Police Car, and tomorrow, the same brick is used to build a Doll House. The possibilities are endless and there is not just one way to play with a set of Legos.

To read the full article, check us out here at the Yahoo Lego Website.

Pictures paint a thousand words, and which celebration is complete without photos that record that memorable event. From weddings, anniversaries to birthdays, Social Playground has just the solution for u!

As long as you have an Instagram Account, and a camera on your hp, you are good to go!

What makes Social Playground one of the best systems around?

You don’t need to be fixed in One location. Just hashtag the photos that you take on Instagram, and the printer is ready to print out the pictures. In just 3 Simple steps, you will have your Polaroids. Just SNAP, TAG and PRINT!

Forget about Ugly Photo Booths, as the Social Playground Printer is stylish, takes up minimal space, and it has a friendly support team to advise your guests on how to get the best shots!

Your guests can be halfway around the world, but they can still send a greeting to your loved ones, just by adding a hashtag to their instagram photos. All our guests needed to do was to hashtag #nadineissix, and the printer will print out the photos!

Guests need not go to the photo booth to take a photo, so there is No need to join the long queues that you see at weddings. Furthermore, our elderly folks and relatives may not so mobile, and it is inconvenient for them to go to a photo booth. However, with Social Playground, all you need to do is to snap your elderly parents in their most comfortable pose, hashtag the photo, and the printer is able to print out the photo to celebrate the event. No movement needed and minimum  fuss! My parents and family members loved it, as all I needed to do, was to go to them with my mobile camera, and Wah La! And they had physical mementos of that event!

Can I tailor the Print-outs for that Special Occasion?

Yes, you can!

Whether it is a corporate function, Special Anniversary or a Birthday Celebration, the print-outs can be customized to highlight the special event. My Birthday Girl was delighted to realize that all the printouts had her name written on it, and with her favourite photo added to the photos.

Here are some of the pictures that we printed out to decorate the house with! We just got some of her old photos, and added the hashtag #nadineissix, to our post on instagram. All borders can be customized to suit your occasion including the hashtag!

An added bonus means that all the photos that you print out can come with the special effects that you are used to.  Whether you want Instagram filters like “Rise” or “Valencia”, Social Playground can reproduce it!

And these are some of the creations that our guests came up with, as made their presence felt by taking some fun pictures together! It is certainly a great way to remember the occasion.

If you are thinking of getting Social Playground for your Birthday Party, Anniversary, or Wedding, we have a special for all our readers.

Quote “ED Unloaded” before 30 April and enjoy an introductory 5% discount off booking fees on top of existing promotions (if any).

- Event date can be any time before 31 Dec 2014.

- Email to info@socialplayground.com.sg for more details. Terms & Conditions apply.

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And wait…Social Playground is having a Giveaway with us!

They are Giving away a $100 Capital land Voucher to someone who does the following:

1. Comment on this blog post, and tell us what you like about Social Playground?

2. Join and LIKE the Social Playground Facebook Page and ED Unloaded Facebook Page.

3. Share this blog post on your Facebook Wall with the Caption “Make your Party Extra Special!” (Do ensure that you TAG me or Ed Unloaded, so that I know that you are joining this contest.)

For those who are new to the process, just copy the link below and Paste it on your FB Wall. Do Remember to add the Caption.

http://edunloaded.com/sponsored-review/social-playground-photos-for-that-special-event/

Editors decision on Winners are final.

(Closing Date 24 April , 2359hrs)

Easter is coming up this week, and with a Public Holiday on Friday, everyone is looking for “Things to do!”. To celebrate this Long weekend, how about bringing the kids down to Universal Studios Singapore for some good Easter  wholesome fun!

Normally, Universal Studios opens at 10am, but for this Special Easter event that runs from 18-20 April, the Park will open from 8am onwards. This means 2 EXTRA Hours of fun for the kids! With Universal Studio’s reputation for fun, you can imagine how excited the kids were, when we told them about Media Invite to Universal Studios…they just couldn’t wait!!!

Although you may be entering the Park early, you don’t need to worry about the children’s breakfast. Entry to the Park for this special Easter Holiday Event includes Buffet Breakfast, with all the children’s favourite foods!

As the children “wolfed” down their food without any complaints, there were expectant about the day ahead for them. Participants who come for the Easter Egg Hunt, can expect Art and Craft fun, as they decorate their eggs in their favourite colours.

The most fun part of the 2 hour program was of course the Easter Egg Hunt itself.

Pitched for Kids as young as 3yo, the kids were elated to find eggs all around the Park. As my children got their baskets, they filled each basket to the brim with their colourful treasures! As you can see, every one of my kids enjoyed the run. Daddy had a hard time running after them to get some spontaneous shots of them in Action!

Visitors to the Park on this weekend will also get to watch a Special Easter Bunny Performance at the New York Library Area together with a  Bunny Meet and Greet.

The Best thing about Universal Studios is that the fun does not stop with the egg hunt. The children will love the rides and the many other things that they can do in the Park. A new addition to the Singapore theme park is its very own Minion Mart. Besides getting to a chance to have a Meet and Greet with the Minions, visitors can also go home with their favourite Minion Memorabilia.

The kids loved the park, and their creativity peaked as they ran around Universal Studios, enjoying their favourite rides. Check out what the kids did, as they found some hats at the costume shop.

If you are wondering, whether the Park is friendly for Grandparents, you will  be glad to know that we brought “Popo” along and she had a blast. The roads are also wheelchair friendly, and you will have no problems guiding the elderly around the park.

Our day was also made extra special as Nikon put some Cameras into our hands for the trip. The kids started to learn how to take their own pictures to record the whole event, as they queued up for their rides. Daddy was glad that there were just so many things to take, as he went around, trying out a full frame Nikon D610.

If you are planning to go for the Easter Event this weekend, here are some important details:

EASTER WEEKEND SPECIAL AT USS
Adult: S$118
Child: S$93
Senior: S$81

Package includes:
? 1-Day Pass to Universal Studios Singapore
? Easter Breakfast Buffet at Marty’s Casa Del Wild Food Court
? Early entry to the park at 8am onwards for Egg Hunt followed by breakfast

More details at http://www.rwsentosa.com/

Part of life in Pre-School is watching the kids go for their Performances. These performances are scenes where Parents display their latest technological gizmos, as you see every parent “whip” out their favourite device to record the whole event.

This year’s performances  was no different for my wife and I, as we were both armed to our teeth with our cameras. As parents, we are both excited to watch her perform, and  it was definitely a way for us to measure her progress. Can you imagine, this is supposed to be her last year in Pre-school, and Primary School beckons in the coming months. How time flies, and we are praying and believing for all the kids to adapt well to Primary School life.

One of the great things about Nadine’s Pre-School is that they have a lot of performances for the kids. I think it’s fantastic for our  little girl, as these confidence boosters are essential for her development. In fact, each one of them adapted differently to these performances. Nicole was the natural performer, Nathan is more the thinker, and Nadine displays qualities close to her Big sister

After the concert, we got to tour around the school, and find out what our little Princess has been up to in school. We loved the fact that the teachers encourage the kids to be creative, check out the home made Fairy Tale Books which they made for Art and Craft.

Nadine showed us around the class, and showed us the various things that she has been learning in school. We enjoyed watching her at work, and finding out more about her school life.

Transition to Primary School  is up next for our Little Princess. Her older siblings have been doing well, and we are praying that she catches up with her peers really soon!

All of us want the best for our children, and as Parents, all of us want to create the most creative environment for our kids. Recently, I have written an article for Yahoo on the Power of the Brick! Yes! Not the brick and mortar found on our HDB Homes, but the Bricks found at our local Toy Shops.

Attached below is a short excerpt of the article for Lego!

In the days of computer tablets, video games and electronic toys, many parents may forget the benefits of the simple Toy Brick. With Singaporeans hoping to nurture the next Nobel Prize Winner, the simple toy “Brick” may be the answer to all our problems!

As Parents, we have began to realize the importance of getting the kids outdoors. They need outdoor stimulation, and basically an environment for them to explore. However, as life becomes more entangled around the city, adults and children, are now more surrounded by technology, than nature. One of first few actions that a baby seems to master these days, is the ability to “swipe” his tablet.

Being a responsible Parent, all of us are now trying to restrict a child’s time with his computer. And besides the need for the great outdoors, we are all turning to simple toys and making a return to our roots. It is no wonder, that parents today purchase a wooden train set, or wooden cars, to help give toddlers gain better control of their limbs.

It is in this light, that the simple Toy Brick is once again gaining prominence in today’s child development. Developmental psychologist propose that the toy brick allows kids to develop motor and hand-eye coordination, spatial skills and a capacity for creative divergent thinking.

To catch the rest of the article, do visit Yahoo’s Build Play Fun page.