Situated at Great World City, the place offers great fun for the family. Equipped with a Cafe, this place offers a comfortable place for you to sit down and relax, while you let your kids run loose for 2 hours  

The only drawback, is that the playground is on the pricier side. Prices range from $30 for Non members, and $25 for member. Obviously, this is a place that you cannot bring your kids to very often…

They also have additional activities like Putters (Miniature Gold that glows in the dark) and Spaceball (Shoot Balls that glow in the dark with Air Canons) which require additional payment. Personally, those secondary activities did not look so fun, and they are also a  bit pricey as well. (For Pricing Information, you can go to their website) 

If you are looking to throw a party, Amazonia is also equipped with Party Rooms, and this place is definitely adequately spaced for your parties.

This place definitely gets a thumbs up in terms of space, but it rates low in terms of affordability.

Amazonia is located at

GREAT WORLD CITY MALL
Level 3 Unit #03-08,
1 Kim Seng Promenade,
Singapore 237994

I am not much of an Artist or an Art Critic, but just like any ordinary parent, I am always looking for ways to expose my kids to some creative elements.

Located at Waterloo Street, Art Bug is definitely different from Wow Art Studio. Looking at the courses offered on their websites, one can definitely make that same judgement.

While Wow Art Studio just specializes in children, Art Bug offers courses for adults and children alike. They remind me a bit of Objectifs, as they even offered Photography Classes.

For a Art Dummy like myself, Art Bug seems a bit too abstract for me, as they expected me to just sit there and draw. This was definitely very difficult for moi, as I am just used to drawing stick men. However, if you have an artistic eye/hand, Art Bug might just be right up your alley.

Sandra and myself were starving for instruction, and we were overjoyed when our instructor came along to save us! …Ya..That’s here in the centre photo helping me with my hamburger. From a personal perspective, I felt that I was definitely more guided at Wow Art as compared to Art Bug

This method of instruction seems to be similar for both Adults and Children alike, as my kids who were at Art Bug, were given liberty to doodle and express themselves.  In fact, they thoroughly enjoyed getting their hands dirty!

Wow Art Studio does have the similar tactile experience, but their art classes offered more guidance in terms of instruction. I think it is this form of instruction which ensures that the kids are able to produce a great piece of art at almost every lesson. Therefore, depending on what objectives you have in mind, both schools offer 2 different schools of thought.

Ultimately, all 3 kids had great fun, and I think that is the basic objective of Art! Just to let yourself go and express yourself on a piece of canvas!

Well, we finally found the time to go for the holiday program at WoW Art Studio, and we had a blast!  

For the 6yo Nicole, she went for the French Impressionism Class and she was taught to paint ‘”Water Lilies” by Monet.

The thing about modern art classes these days is that, they don’t just leave you to draw fruits. The classes are semi-guided, and with the teachers guiding the kids in doing the background, the kids produce a very decent piece of work, even though they might not be a Picasso.

This works for me as an adult, as I am terrible at my art, and I even had a chance to produce some “presentable” pieces of art, even though I am really bad in this area. Check out my “Stick Man” playing soccer!

Besides the 6yos having fun, my 3yo and 4yo kids also had great fun getting their hands dirty, and expressing themselves creatively.

As you can see, the kids had great fun! The kids will be going for more classes at Wow Art soon…will definitely “show off” their creations  

Details about the Art Studio Below:

#01-10 Thomson Imperial Court
Singapore 574424
Telephone: +65 6352 2221
Email: Info@wow.com.sg

WowART Learning Studio Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/
#!/WowART.Learning

WowART Corporate Site:

http://www.wow.com.sg

Besides the restaurants and retail shops, there are actually tons of things to do within the transit area, and this is super important, as it would be great to get the kids all tired out…so that they will just sleep through those dreaded long haul flights to Europe or to the States.

Recently, the whole family was invited on a Bloggers’ Family Tour of Changi Airport, and we were surprised at the many child friendly attractions within the Airport.

Check out the playground which I discovered in Terminal 2 (Transit Area)

The kids loved the slides, and if they get bored, there is a TV room which screens cartoons, complete with diaper changing areas and nursing rooms as well!

For all those nature lovers out there, there is something for you as well! Check out the Sunflower Garden, Butterfly Garden and Koi Pond with feeding times.

Changi Airport is also the only Airport in the World with its own Hard Rock Cafe.

However, if u are not travelling in the near future, there are also things to do at the airport outside the transit area, that are easy assessed by the non-travelling public.

The inflatables are back, and your kids can play there if you make any purchases at the Airport.

The kids also had fun at the Kids Painting Corner found at Terminal 3 (B3)

One of the highlights of the Tour was our visit to Candy Empire. Besides selling great tasting chocolates and candies, the shop was also generous with the kids. Every child was given a bag, and allowed to choose as many sweets as the child wanted! I wanted to do that too!

It made the kids smile, and I think it would make a great idea for a Party as well! Get to choose what you want in your goody bag, by giving the kids the freedom to choose their candies! I am sure that it will be a hit with the kids!

Check out the kids with their loot!

One of the latest attractions at Changi Airport in T3 in “Sing Kids”

The latest playground which offers many varied obstacles had long queues, as many kids were there to out the latest attraction. Opening from 11am to 11pm, it offers fun and excitement to the kids, till late in the night.

Nadine just loved the mini race course, as she “held her own” against her older siblings!

Overall, the kids had great fun and even Daddy was tired out after the day’s activities. A big thumbs up to Ivan, Melvin and Yvonne for hosting us on the tour of Changi Airport.

If you really get to do all these activities before you board the plane, I can guarantee that your kids will be sleeping all the way to London!

Currently, there are so many attractions at Sentosa, that when we brought the kids there for a family outing and we all enjoyed themselves tremendously.

From outdoor attractions to indoor attractions, Sentosa has a varied line-up for the whole family. And the Good news is that, Sentosa is offering a Day Pass, that offers entry to 13 attractions at a bargain price!

Paying for these attractions individually would cost a “bomb”, as tickets to any attraction starts from $8 onwards. The advantage of the Day Pass, is that it offers entry to 13 attractions at a price of $63.90 on weekdays and $69.90 on weekends!

This means great savings for the whole family!

Even though I have been residing in Singapore for close to 4 decades (Yes! I am not getting any younger),  I have not personally been to most of these attractions before.

The Day Pass therefore offered the whole family a great opportunity to explore the whole Island at an affordable price.

Here are the activities that we tried out!

1. Sentosa Luge

This is a “Die-Die must do” activity when you are in Sentosa. It is not just fun for the kids, but fun for the adults as well! Best of all, kids from as young as 3 can ride pillion with an adult, and they will love the experience!

If your children are at least 110cm, they can ride the Luge alone. Nicole who is 6yo, was tall enough to make the grade. But yet, she rode together with us…But that’s alright, as the Sentosa Luge offers great bonding between Parent and Child!

The normal price for this attraction is $14/ride.

2. Segway

If you want to try something different, you can also make your way to the Eco-friendly Segways found on the beach. One ride on these eco-friendly vehicles costs $12, so using your Sentosa Day Pass here, is good value for money!

Here is a picture of Nathan in full battle order, as he wears his helmet, arm guard and knee guard. (All protective gear comes inclusive in the ride)

Although the kids were young, there were guides to help them along, and even Nadine tried out the Segways! Overall, it was a good experience, as you get to take the Segways on a rough terrain course (The Kids’ segways are pulled along by a instructor, so 3yo Nadine had no problems at all!

3. Tiger Sky Tower

As Singapore’s tallest observatory tower, it offers panoramic views at 131 metres above sea level across Singapore, Sentosa, Southern Islands, right up to neighboring Malaysia and the Indonesian islands.

The best thing about the sky tower is that the cabin is air-conditioned. The tower ride offers great relief from the heat and the kids will love the view. A normal ride would have cost the family $15/adult…

4. Images of Singapore

If you are a History Buff like me, you have got to visit this attraction. It tells the History of Singapore in a really entertaining way, and we had a lot of stories to tell the kids, as we walked down memory lane. The award-winning attraction brings Singapore’s past to vivid life using multimedia displays, multi-screen theatre presentations and life-sized tableaus depicting local history.

This attraction is a MUST for any tourist, and a great educational tool for the kids! Normal ticket prices to go to this attraction is $10 per adult.

5. Sentosa Cineblast

Cineblast offers a combination of visually stimulating rides and games. For example, Desperado is a game, where you sit on a mechanical horse, and you get to shoot the bad guys with the kids. The centre offers other rides like “Extreme Log Ride” and the 4 dimensional show “Pirates”. The whole package here would have cost us $37.90 per adult.

In just half a day, we managed to spend $88.90 per adult. A Full Day Pass costs $69.90, so going for it, definitely saved us money!

And we only managed to explore 7 out of the 13 attractions that is available through the Day Pass.

Conclusion

The kids just love their Play Passes! It’s really value for money especially when you are going to spend the day on the island with your friends and family!

ED’s Parenting Tip

If you are short of time, and this is the first time on the Island, these are the attractions that you should head for:

1. Images of Singapore (For the History of the Island)
2. Sentosa Luge (This ride is just plain fun!)
3. Tiger Sky Tower (Check out the view of Singapore)

 *This is a sponsored review*

As usual, the moment I mentioned that we were invited to the Bird Park, the kids were excited!

To keep the kids stimulated, the park has a kids program to teach the kids about saving the birds. Through mediums like Origami, children will find out how they can help create a safe place for our precious birds.

There are the familiar crowd pleasers like Face Painting and Tattoos, which the kids just loved!

Check out the colorful flamingo which Nadine requested for. Even though it was a weekend, the kids did not have to wait long for their tattoos to be done!  The kids also had Penguins drawn on their hands

At the Artwork station, Kids get to make Butterflies to release back into the Rainforest. Here are some of the photos: 

Nadine was really fast with her coloring, and she spent her time waiting for her siblings…Check out her “Why am I waiting” pose

Origami cranes were next, and the kids learned how to make cranes. This was a bit of a challenge for the young ones and for Daddy and Mummy…Good thing was that there was a guide to sit us through the process.

There was also a Post Office where you can post letters to your friends, to let them know about the event and also to spread the word about how we can “Save the Birds!”

Nicole had fun writing and sending a postcard to her Best Friend – Daddy!

Date: 4 – 26 June (Weekends only)
Venue: Penguin Coast (Near the Entrance)
Time: 10am to 4pm

Bird Park Admission Prices:

Adults – $18

Child – $12

Click on this link to get more details!

Reebonz is this really cool online fashion store which sells really branded stuff, at budget prices! They recently launched their kids range, and they asked me to try out one of their toys!

We were naturally delighted, and the kids were too!  

We chose “Happy Farm!”. This board game won the Learning German Game Award in 2009 and is created by A German toy brand called Beleduc,

The objective of the game is to collect a tractor. Made up of wooden pieces, the players use a dice to move around the farm to collect the illustrated animals. After collecting pigs and chickens, kids learn how to trade their 2 farm animals for a cow. The first player to collect 2 cows, gets to exchange the cows for the prized tractor.

Sounds Simple? Yes! It is really that simple, and great for kids from 3yo – 6yo. The kids loved it and everyone wanted to win!

The game is approx 15 minutes, as we made them play the game with animals sounds as well:)

The great thing about the game is that it promotes the powers of observation and early counting. 

Parenting TIps

I think the kids really enjoyed the concept of the game and game-time was short enough to hold their attention.

The kids also loved the concept of winning (very Singaporean hor). Only thing was that they enjoyed winning so much, nobody wanted to lose. By the end of 3 rounds, we had near teary-eyed children, who all had to win at least once. We therefore had to “bend the rules” a bit, do a little “match-fixing”, to ensure that there was harmony in the house. 

The things Parents do for their kids…:)

The game will soon be available on the Reebonz website. Sign up via this link, so that the staff at Reebonz will keep you updated  

Renowned for its clubs and night life, the club decided to offer a food court for its patrons, so that they can get some local fare, as the partygoers partied the night away. Called the Food Republic “Beer Garden”, this food court is certainly an interesting place to visit.

Stores are built on top of trucks, so as to bring one back to the Street scenes found in the 1970s.

Coming to this Food Republic, you will find all the usual local fare here such as Satay, Rojak, Chicken Wing, Fried Oysters…etc

As this food court is in the same genre as the one at the Singapore Flyer – How does the food here compare?

To tell you the truth, I was a bit disappointed, as the chicken wings were literally overcooked and tough, the fried oyster was nothing to shout about and the Hokkien Mee was comparable to any other normal food court. One of my readers likes the rojak here a lot, but I still prefer the one at the Singapore Flyer.

I found the decorations also a bit “cheap” and they don’t really add to the ambience. The place only made me think of it as a “poor cousin” of the other food court at the Singapore Flyer.

The only Saving Grace about this Beer Garden, was that they served alcohol and that they had a live band to entertain it’s patrons. This is a real plus as it is considered FREE Entertainment.

Address: St James Power Station (3 Sentosa Gateway)

Opening hours: Sunday-Thursday 6pm-5am, Friday-Saturday 6pm-6am

Check out the Crane Dance at Resort World Sentosa.

The fountain dances to a love story between a pair of mechanical cranes and how their love for each other transforms them into real birds.

Combining groundbreaking audio and visual technologies, astounding light and water effects, this fountain is certainly much better than the musical fountain which we used to watch at Sentosa when we were young kids!

Catch the cranes before they fly away, every evening at the WaterFront.

Time: 9:00 pm (Unavailabe 1st – 7th April 2011)

Duration: 10 minutes

Location: WaterFront (Old Quay facing WTC / Vivo City)

Fee: Free Admission

Parenting Tip:

If your stay in Singapore is just too short, and you can only watch one fountain performance…Watch the one at Marina Bay Sands, the whole performance is much more enjoyable. The RWS Cranes pale in comparison.

This evergreen board game by Parker Brothers seems to have captivated the imagination of the kids, and with a short game-time,  the kids seem to be hooked! The game is is also educational, as it teaches the basic concepts of handling money and patience…this is one of the hardest commodities to teach the children  

Our 6yo seems to be loving the game the most – as she loves to give and receive money. No2 loves to play, as long as he “thinks” that he  is winning! . And No.3 is just happy to be in the same room with everybody. As you can see, we have many parenting paradigms in the same room…

The game is currently still a HIT with the kids, as we try to add variations to the game as much as possible. I think  that this is one of the most important unwritten rules in any board game – improvise to keep the kids interested.

I think that why they call it, “Monopoly – the Singapore Edition”!