The kids were really excited when they got home from school this week. The delivery guy has just dropped off a package from our friends at Reebonz.

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  

After visiting the iconic Singapore Street Food Hawker at the Singapore flyer, the family decided to experience a similar food centre at St. James Power Station.

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

Here’s a interesting attraction to bring the kids to this weekend. And best of all, the attraction is FREE!

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.

The kids have recently been introduced to board games, and the hottest game around the house right now is Monopoly Junior!

 

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”!

If you are looking for a great new place to eat, you have got to head down to the Singapore Flyer!

No…I am not talking about eating at “Popeye’s” Chicken, but you have got to try out the new food court at the flyer.

Called the “Singapore Food Trail”, it has a host of shops featuring Singapore Hawker food…and the best thing about the food…is that it is yummy!

Decorated with really “cool” decorations from the 1960s, the food court brings you back to the past…even the kids were fascinated by the decorations!

The best thing was that even the floor and walls were not spared. The minute details of street hawker stalls were looked into, as the food court had double yellow lines (to signify a road)…

A Kachang Puteh man to bring back good childhood memories…

No details were spared, as even the drinks came in glass bottles. To complete the package, beverages were served in a gigantic mug with the chinese character  “Xi” written on it…I could not help but feel Nostalgic…

 

Needless to say, Nathan did not really care much about the mugs…He was just focused on drinking his Coke!

And of course…eating his gigantic Fish Balls

There are not many stalls here, but just enough for you to sample most of Singapore’s Local Food fare. You have got to try the Rojak and Beef Noodles – which had extremely tasty soup!

Although food prices were clearly displayed, I suspect that rental for the stalls were really high…

My wife went to order chicken rice, and instead of giving my wife an option, the stall holder immediately charged her the higher price!

She had to clarify that she wanted the smaller dish for the kids…and the hawker agreed reluctantly…

Amazingly they even tried to pull a “fast one” on the locals!

Do we look Ang-Moh to YOU?!?

(What’s more – was that the chicken rice was forgettable, so don’t bother about ordering chicken rice when you go. You would have tasted much better elsewhere…)

On the whole, this is definitely a place worth visiting…especially when you are always on the lookout for new places to go with your family!

Best of all – Prices are reasonable, considering that it is at a Tourist Hot Spot. You will enjoy the food here more than going to Marina Bay Sands