Have you heard of a Milo Party?

When one becomes a Parent, Birthday Parties become a whole new ballgame. These days, Children’s Parties are NOT a “Non-Event” as they can come at huge expenses…

Last year, from out of the blue, Nicole came up with the idea of “Traffic Light Party!” The theme was just basically built on her favorite Colors and it was most importantly cheap to organize. This was in stark contrast to her 3rd Birthday Party, which was held at “My Gym” which cost quite a bit!

This year, in order to keep to our budget, we started thinking of a creative theme… And it all started with a Simple Ice Milo at the Coffee Shop downstairs.

As we were sipping our Ice Milo together, we had a New Idea! How about a “MILO Party!”

“Yeah…That will be Great DADDY! I Love Milo…and they can all have Milo Dinosaur at my Party!”

Daddy immediately got to work and decided to write to Nestle to ask for sponsorship for the party.

To Daddy’s surprise and delight, they replied and they were willing to sponsor us with Milo memorabilia. Isn’t that Fantastic!

Mummy got really excited, and she even wanted me to ask for a Milo Factory Visit, and maybe get the Milo Van to come to the school…Unfortunately, Milo does not allow any visits to their factory, and I think 18 kids is not a good enough number to ask for the Milo Van…:)

But, we quickly got to work in terms of the Party Invitations, and we managed to use our FREE Canon Selphy Printer to produce this personalized invitation for Nicole’s friends in school.

We were GOOD TO GO!

Check out the Party Games and the Party Photos in the next entry…

Do you remember seeing these posters? I used to see them everyday, as I was growing up Singapore in the 1970s.

But times have changed…and with a Pro-child policy in Singapore, it is a win-win situation to have children!

One of the Perks about living in Singapore is that the government is willing to help lighten the financial costs of bringing up a child.

Just the other day, I was asked by a friend, how much does the government give us in terms of “Baby Bonus” for having a child.

With 3 Kids,  I am supposed to be an expert…Unfortunately this Daddy has to look at the MCYS website to remember the figures…:)

Anyway these are the benefits in store for you:

Your child will enjoy these benefits under the Baby Bonus Scheme from birth till his sixth birthday. The total Baby Bonus benefits are shown in Table 1.

Therefore, in order to maximize your benefits, DO NOT stop at 1 child. Go for the 2nd child and more.

How does the money come?

Er…Don’t expect the stock to bring your Ang-Pow when the baby arrives at the hospital?

When I first became a parent, I thought that I would receive the money in a week’s time.

However, the cash gift is given in 4 is given out in 4 equal installments over 18 months from the birth of your child so that you can use the cash for new expenses arising from your newborn.

Above that, you would still get an ADDITIONAL maximum matching government contribution for your child’s Children Development Account (CDA)! Woopee!

To get the full story, go to this week’s article at Maybe Baby

And before I go…Don’t forget to Vote for me At the Singapore Blog Awards.

Each Person can vote once a day!

As a parent, I just love it  when the kids have a recital or a performance in school. Amazingly, it stirs up a spirit within us to want to see them excel and it’s really heart-warming to see the broad smiles on every parent’s face, as they see their little darlings perform.

This May, Nicole had a Mother’s Day Recital in School! As it was only delivered by kids at her level, it was a smaller and a  more intimate experience. (Check out her other performances here)

The teacher’s really worked very hard at it as well and here is a picture of the banner that greeted us, as we entered the school. Cool right!

The school and classrooms were also decorated by the teachers, to deliver a Fun Party-like atmosphere!

When we entered the music room, there were lots of parents there already. Everyone was armed with a Video cam or a DSLR as we awaited the performance (If u are planning to be a parent, do get one of these optical equipment, as the memories are priceless)

I went to look for the kids before the recital started, and they were excited and ready to go…Check out their excited faces before the performance.

Nicole delivered a song and dance performance in Mandarin, and it was really touching, as our little princess sang with all her heart. She definitely gave her BEST and Daddy and Mummy were so proud of her. 

 

 

In fact, All the daddies and Mummies were so proud of their kids, that they were snapping like crazy. I thought that I was at a celebrity press launch!

Mummy who was the star of the show, was proud of her little princess!

After the performance, we also got to see Nicole play the piano, as she performed some of the items that she learnt in her music class.

The song items included movement and dance into the music recitals as well. (Nicole likes the dancing!)

The whole family was there as well. Grandma was especially proud of her little Maestro!

 

Nicole also played tour guide and showed us around her classroom.

And of course, no party will be complete without FOOD!

Looks like the kids were enjoying it more than the adults!

Are you facing the stress of choosing a Pre-School for your children?

Well, it seems that all of us parents have to go through that sooner or later and recently, I had the privilege to conduct an email interview with Fiona Walker (CEO of Julia Gabriel for Learning, Chiltern House Child Care Centres and Julia Gabriel School of Education) to get her input about about choosing a Pre-School?

Fiona has had more than a decade of experience with Pre-Schoolers and I thought that this interview will be very useful for us parents.

Here are some of the questions that I put to her:

1. What are some factors to consider when looking for a pre-school?

Choosing the right pre-school for your child can be challenging for parents. Here are few tips that can help you and your child feel confident you have made the right choice.

• Decide what location you prefer and what your budget is. It is important that the school you choose will comfortably fit into your family’s lifestyle.
• Once you have narrowed down the possibilities, make arrangements to visit the schools. Many schools will have a similar sounding philosophy so it is important you know what to look for so you can see if it will work for you and your child.
• On your visit ask yourself – Do the children seem happy, are they actively engaged in a variety of activities, is the environment bright, cheerful and filled with children’s art work, is the equipment plentiful, varied and in good condition? Do the teachers seem happy, are they engaged with the children, are they good language models and are they observant and aware of all the children in their care, are the children comfortable and affectionate with the teachers?
• If you are happy with your first impression then make an appointment to meet the principal. You may consider asking the following questions:

· What are the teachers’ experience and qualifications?

· How important is the child’s social and emotional development as opposed to the more academic development?

· How does the school ensure the children are prepared for Primary One?

· How does the school deal with children testing boundaries and conflict? This is a normal aspect of young children’s development but it is important that you agree with the schools approach to discipline.

· How does the school ensure safety during pick-up times, outdoor play and field trips?

· How well is the curriculum suited to meet individual learning styles and personalities?

· How involved are parents? What channels of communication between home and school are encouraged?

2. What is the most appropriate age to send a child for pre-school?

Generally the most appropriate age to send children to preschool is between 2 and 3.

This is when children will generally have developed the language needed to express needs and wants, the physical development to be able to go to the toilet independently and the cognitive understanding to become familiar with the routines within the school setting. All of these stages of development are good indicators of whether or not a child will be able to make the transition to independent schooling without too much separation anxiety and distress.

3. What is the difference between a childcare/pre-school that is MCYS endorsed and MOE endorsed?

A childcare operated by the MCYS offers childcare for working parents as well as an MOE approved curriculum. Childcare centres must operate from 7:00a.m. to 7:00p.m., throughout the year.

Fees are paid monthly and a subsidy of $300 per month for full day is given to Singaporean parents.

MOE kindergartens run during the school term times of 40 weeks a year. They generally run for 3 hours a day and are not eligible for subsidy. Many kindergartens offer additional enrichment programmes for additional cost.

4. What are some factors that we can compromise if parents cannot afford the top premium schools.

Get ready for a list of “Do Not’s” here:

• Do not compromise on providing your child what is necessary for a happy day at school.
• Do not compromise on a cheerful, bright environment which is well kept and clean.
• Do not compromise on kind, caring staff who genuinely love their job and enjoy spending time with your child.
• Do not compromise on senior staff members who understand the needs of young children and can balance that with the needs of the Singaporean school system.
• Do not compromise on a curriculum which means children learn through active, hands-on experiences NOT teacher directed rote learning.
• Do not compromise on open communication with the school.

The most premium schools generally have small class sizes, expensive, imported equipment and very well qualified staff. Of course that is all wonderful but children can often flourish in a larger group with interesting, age appropriate resources as long as the teachers understand them, the lessons are well planned and involve active learning.

-end of interview-

I think that these tips are very useful considerations that we can take into account when we are considering a pre-school for our children.

Most importantly, I think we must find a good pre-school within our family’s budget as well.

I know of parents who take extra jobs just to provide a premium school education for their kids… We Parents must realize that Mums and Dads are the best role models for our children, and that there is no substitute for Quality Time!

Check out more Parenting Tips at the Julia Gabriel Blogger’s Forum.

Before I go, do remember to vote for me TODAY at the Singapore Blog Awards.

You can Vote again, even if you have done so already, and you can find out more details here! Thanks

Wohoo!!! Great News!

ED Unloaded has been nominated as a TOP 10 finalist in this year’s Singapore Blog Awards organized by Singapore Press Holdings.

It is a great honour being selected by the Judges, and I really want to thank the Judges for selecting us to be a finalist!

Currently, the awards are in the voting phase, where 30% of the total score goes to Your votes!

And this is where I must shamelessly ask for your help!

Please sign up for an OMY account and VOTE FOR ME!

Each I/C Number is allowed ONE account, and EACH ACCOUNT CAN VOTE ONCE PER Day.

ED Unloaded is in the running for the Individual Category, so please look for us there!

This means that you can  Vote today, and also 24 hours later (If you really like me )  So Don’t forget the password to your account…as you can use it again!

The Voting phase ends on 30 June…and I really need your VOTES!

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