Singapore Maritime Gallery

During Children's Season this year, I thought it would be fun for the children to visit a museum that we have never visited before, so on a Saturday morning, we visited Singapore Maritime Gallery.

Located at Marina South Pier, it is actually a bit quite out of the place at this moment, the nearest MRT station (Marina South Pier station) will be opened  end of this year. But looking on the bright side, there are not many visitors like some other museums, so the children have much space and freedom to explore. 

We reached there at 10 am, it happened that a guided tour was about to start. The friendly tour guide led us to watch a video Our Place in the Sea of Change. Since my children couldn't understand the video, we decided to leave the group and explore on our own.

By the way, don't forget to collect the passport from the reception. The children had fun stamping their passports on their way.

Well, history lessons may not be too interesting to the two young children at this point of time, so they walked past A Cruise through History very quickly, so fast that I couldn't even take a photo of the place!

We then found ourselves in a 20-foot container.

"Wow!" exclaimed Pei Pei when she saw this.

There were also models of many sea vessels.

Suddenly, I saw my two young children transform into Sea Traffic Controllers, as they monitored the Vessel Traffic Information System.

Then next moment, they became ship captains of the Ship Bridge Simulator.

Their vessel almost collided with another one. Oh, I was glad that it was just a simulation. 

"Look!" Hao Hao wasn't tall enough to see the sea vessels clearly.

It was really thoughtful of Singapore Maritime Gallery to have little stairs for the children to climb to see the sea vessels through binoculars.

Wow, there are so many types of knots! I think I can only tie a simple knot and a dead knot.

So you were thinking, is that all? How would younger children appreciate this place? Oh, please walk all the way to the end of the gallery, and I would say, the younger children would love this!

Building blocks on the wall! Our children simply loved it! There were interactive games, as well as tables and crayons for the children to draw on their colouring sheets, which could be obtained from the reception.

Wow, isn't it interesting to learn more about Singapore maritime? Hope you have fun at sea!

Information about Singapore Maritime Gallery

Address: Marina South Pier, 31 Marina Coastal Drive, Singapore 018988

Website: http://maritimegallery.sg

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. (Closed on Monday except for public holidays)
Admission: Free!

How to get there:

Public transport - Take North-south line MRT to Marina South Pier station

Parking - S$2 per hour for first two hours, S$3 for next subsequent hour from 7 a.m. to 10.30 p.m.; S$3 per entry from 10.30 p.m. to 7 a.m. the following day

This post is part of the #funforfreeSG blog train started by The Gingerbread Mum. Next in the blog train:

Christy is a simple mum who believes that her children should enjoy their childhood as long as they can before paper chase inevitably takes over. Their weekends are just about anything that is fun in checking out Singapore's fun places or playing fun games outdoors and indoors. She also blogs on parental experience and tips. Catch her tomorrow at kidsrsimple.com as she brings you to Singapore Philatelic Museum that you will never imagine that learning about stamps can be so fun!

Can't get enough of FUN FOR FREE SG venues? Here's the whole list - 31 days of free fun in Singapore! 

1 Aug: Tiong Bahru Park by Gingerbreadmum
2 Aug: Queenstown Heritage Trail by Princess Dana Diaries
3 Aug: Jurong Regional Library by Finally Mama
4 Aug: Singapore Maritime Gallery by Peipei Haohao
5 Aug: Singapore Philatelic Museum by Kids R Simple
6 Aug: Sculptures of Singapore by Gingerbreadmum
7 Aug: Fire Station by The Js Arena
8 Aug: Esplanade + Merlion by Prayerfull Mum
9 Aug: Bukit Batok Nature Park by Meeningfully
10 Aug: Lower Pierce Reservoir Park by The Kam Family
11 Aug: I12 Katong - water playground by Universal Scribbles
12 Aug: IMM by Mad Psych Mum
13 Aug: Tampines 1 Water Playground by Amazingly Still
14 Aug: Sengkang Riverside Park by Itchy Finger Snap
15 Aug: East Coast Park by Toddly Mummy
16 Aug: Sembawang Shopping Centre Playground by Joey Craftworkz
17 Aug: Animal resort by Raising Faith
18 Aug: Botanic Gardens by Mum's The Word
19 Aug: Police Heritage Centre by Mummy Ed
20 Aug: Venus Loop, MacRitchie by Scrap Mum Loft
21 Aug: Road Safety Park by Miracule
22 Aug: Marina Barrage by J Babies
23 Aug: Gardens By The Bay, Children's Garden by Finally Mama
24 Aug: Changi Airport T3 by Mother Kao
25 Aug: Pockets of Nature by Mum in the Making
26 Aug: Changi Airport T1 by Growing with the Tans
27 Aug: Pasir Ris Park by Ingspirations
28 Aug: Gardens by the Bay Supertree Grove by My Lil Bookworm
29 Aug: Vivocity Play Area by Amazingly Still
30 Aug: Punggol Promenade + Punggol Waterway by Chubby Anecdotes
31 Aug: Westgate Wonderland by Xavvylicious

Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!

Vaby Mum and Baby Box Giveaway

[Sponsored Review + Giveaway]

For busy mothers, it is great to discover a one-stop online shopping solution for baby, children and mother products and services. We learnt about such one-stop portal Vaby last month during its pre-launch event.  

It is now officially launched! We were glad to be part of its celebration at The Playhouse on 28 June 2014.

Its signature product Vaby Box is a monthly subscription box (S$18.90 per month) with samples from well-known and unique brands, and it is delivered right to your door step. Isn't it wonderful to discover and try new products without purchasing the full sized products?

Let's see what surprises come from the July box:

• Natually Kinder wet tissue
• Ban Kah Chai Zhui Feng Su Ho Oil (Eliminates pathogenic wind after childbirth and relieving of pain)
• Hiruscar (Helps scar appear softer and smoother)
• Chu-Chu nursing pads
• GOO.N Japan version tape diaper
• Papaya Ointment
• Nurturmeals by Nurturme
• Magnet
• S$5 The Playhouse voucher
• Adoring Beauty Makeup Grooming Workshop voucher
• Cloudsprint promotion code

I think this can be a nice gift box for my girl friends who have just joined me in the Motherhood Club!

[Giveaway] (Closed)

Good news! Vaby has kindly offered to sponsor Vaby Mum and Baby Boxes to five lucky PeiPei.HaoHao readers! Five readers will each receive one Vaby Mum and Baby Box!

Just 3 simple steps!

• Like PeiPei.HaoHao's Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Peipeihaohao (Thank you if you have already "Liked" us)
• Like Vaby's Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/vabysg
• Leave a comment on this blog with your name, your child's age and your email address. [If you experience difficulty in commenting here, alternatively, you may email to mami (at) peipeihaohao (dot) com or message us on our Facebook page]

The giveaway is open to Singapore residents only and will be closed on 21 July 2014, 2359hrs. Five winners will be randomly drawn. The winners will be notified via email, so remember to provide your email address in the comment ok?

Congratulations to Andrew Wong, Jaime, Jane, Jessie Quek, Lim Yin Ping!

Disclaimer: We were invited to Vaby's official launch event, and received a Vaby Box and transport allowance. All opinions and photos are mine. 

Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!

Ketchup Sachet Submarine - Cartesian Diver Experiment

"It is floating! Now it sinks! And it floats again!" The children exclaimed in excitement.

The cause of excitation? A packet of ketchup sachet in a bottle of water!

How to control the floating and sinking of the ketchup sachet in the bottle of water?

Just press the bottle, the ketchup sachet sinks. Release the bottle, the ketchup sachet floats!

Some tips for conducting this science experiment:

• Completely fill the bottle with water up to the brim
• Choose a water bottle that is not too hard to press
• Before inserting the ketchup sachet, conduct a pre-test: put it in a bowl of water, use the sachet that floats. Oh, we tried using ketchup sachets from different fast food restaurants, only the one that you see in the photo above can float 

How does it work?

When you press the bottle, while the water cannot be compressed, the air bubble in the ketchup sachet is compressed. The volume of the ketchup sachet decreases, and hence its density increases (density = mass / volume), and is greater than the density of water, so it sinks! 

For Pei Pei and Hao Hao, they are still too young to understand the concept of density, so this experiment was just for them to understand the idea of floating and sinking.

Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!

Capture Water Fun with Canon PowerShot D30

The children enjoy playing in water, and I love to capture these lovely moments. However, I dare not to risk my smartphone which I use to take photo frequently. I do not hope that my smartphone turning into dumb phone after having a shower. 

I was thankful to have the opportunity to loan a Canon PowerShot D30 for our staycation at Resort World Sentosa Festive Hotel.

This photo of Canon PowerShot D30 was taken with my smartphone. The rest of the photos in this post were taken with Canon PowerShot D30.

Canon PowerShot D30 is light to carry.  It is especially important to us parents who need to lug tons of things when we go out.

It is waterproof. Forget about putting it in a zip-lock bag, just relax, and capture lots of water fun moments! It can take photos and videos 25 m underwater, it is definitely a great camera for open water divers!

No worries if your children drop this camera, as it is equipped with 2.0 m shock resistant capability. You can also use this camera at temperature as low as -10 degrees Celsius. It is useful for families on adventure!

Its LCD is enhanced with sunlight mode, so under the bright sunny condition, I could check the photos I had taken without difficulties.

After taking underwater photos, I wanted to use it to take photos above water, how I wished I had a piece of dry cloth to wipe away the water droplets on the lens.

All in all, I think Canon PowerShot D30 is a good camera if you are taking photos underwater.

Disclaimer: I was loaned a unit of Canon PowerShot D30 for one week for trial and review purpose. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and photos are mine. 

Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!

10 Things Children Learn Through Cooking

Yes, it is going to be messy with children cooking in the kitchen, but I think it is also a good learning opportunity for them.

1. Mathematics and numeracy

The children learn to use weighing scale, measuring cup and measuring spoon to measure the amount of ingredients. They also learn counting, addition and subtraction.

2. Language and Literacy

From recipe books, the children learn about reading instructions and learn the name of food and methods (e.g. cut, beat, stir)

3. Science

They learn that baking powder and beating eggs cause the cakes to rise, heating chocolate makes it melt, freezing turns liquid into solid.

4. Fine motor skill

Through using the tools, cracking eggs, sifting flour, they develop fine motor skill.

5. Safety

They learn that they should not stand too close to the hot oven / stove, and they should handle cutting / blending tools with care.

6. Teamwork

They learn that they can either take turn, or divide-and-conquer in order to complete the task.

7. Being patient

It is not a magic show, the food take time to be ready. They learn to wait, and understand that things do not happen immediately for them.

8. Being creative

The top of the cupcakes does not look very nice. What can we do? How about using some fruits to decorate them?

9. Being responsible

After creating a mess, the children learn that they are responsible to clean up the mess!

10. Sharing

The food is ready, and is yummy! Not to forget sharing with their family members and friends!


What else do you think children can learn through cooking?

Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!

Staycation: Resort World Sentosa Festive Hotel (Deluxe Room) Review

After our first staycation at Resort World Singapore Hard Rock Hotel last year, the children kept asking us, "When are we going to stay over at Sentosa again?" So we decided to bring them to their second staycation on Father's Day, this time, we booked Resort World Singapore Festive Hotel. I thought it was a good deal to book the Deluxe room at S$180++ (the price was doubled one week after we made the booking!).

It was a surprise to the children, as we did not tell them in advance. We even packed our bags only the night before the staycation, while they were sleeping. After attending an event in the morning, they thought we were going home. They were thrilled when we drove to Sentosa instead!

You may wonder how come we did not book the Deluxe Family King Room? Yes, I did consider. But DaDi was afraid that our two monkeys would jump down from the loft bed in the middle of the night! 

We checked in at 2+pm on Father's Day. Many people were here to celebrate Father's Day too, and the queue was super long. I was glad that there was free balloon sculpturing to entertain my children while I was queuing. The check-in counter, unlike the classy one at Hard Rock Hotel, it is bright and cheery.

Other than the room key, upon checking in, we were given complimentary Sentosa Express tickets. And yes, there are goodies bags for the children upon request.

We requested for two single beds instead of a King bed. Because I thought that like our stay at Hard Rock Hotel, Hao Hao and I would share one bed, while Pei Pei and DaDi would share the other one. It would be tough for four of us to squeeze on one King bed.

But I regretted when I saw that there is a sofa bed in the room!

Opening the balcony door, we had a nice pool view (though I was not really interested in looking at the swimmers). Being a paranoid mum, I kept checking that the balcony door was tightly locked.

After settling down, we visited Hard Rock Hotel swimming pool. This time, Pei Pei and Hao Hao were not afraid of the slide anymore!

After dinner, we walked slowly back to the hotel. It was such a lovely sight.

The children enjoyed their stay. I just hope that Festive Hotel could send us the extra towels in a shorter time. It took more than 5 hours from requesting to receiving the towels.

Well, after two staycations, I think we have enough "rehearsals" in preparation of bringing them overseas (not just over the sea to Sentosa).

Read about our first family staycation adventure at Sentosa!
RWS Hard Rock Hotel Review
Resorts World Sentosa Hard Rock Hotel and Festive Hotel swimming pools
Hard Rock Cafe and Malaysian Food Street

Read about other places you can visit in Sentosa:
Adventure Cove
S.E.A. Aquarium and Maritime Experiential Museum
Trick Eye Museum
Universal Studio Singapore

Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!

Home Cooked Delight @ Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家)

[Media Invite]

When we met the Lady Boss of Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家), though we are not her nieces and nephews, we did not hestitate to call her "Gu Ma" (eldest aunt) as she is so warm and friendly! 

Gu Ma believes in strengthening family bonds through the joy of eating. Indeed, with a simple decor and many family photos on the wall, Gu Ma Jia gave us a homely feeling.

I heard that Gu Ma Jia's ingredients and seafood are selected form the wet market daily. I was really looking forward to the dinner.

Eight Treasure Vegetables (素八宝)

Eight Treasure Vegetables (素八宝, S$12 / S$18 / S$24) was one of the children's favourites. Why? The deep-fried lotus root and the yam basket are so crispy.

Crispy Bean-Jal (豆茄双脆)

While I was attending to Hao Hao, DaDi placed this on my plate. And I fell in love with one bite. So crunchy! When I asked him what it was, he said, "Brinjal." I was shocked. How could I fall in love with something I hated in the past?! Crispy Bean-Jal (豆茄双脆, S$12 / S$18) is really a pleasant surprise! I change my view towards brinjal from then!

Assam Fish Head (亚叁鱼头)

Gu Ma Jia's signature dish is Assam Fish Head (亚叁鱼头, S$28). Oh yes, some of you know that I do not eat spicy food. But I took up my courage to try some fish meat, and oh my! The meat is such a delicacy because of its freshness! Served on a hot plate, the colour makes this dish look super spicy. According DaDi, the chef food taster for this dish, he felt that the spiciness and sourness of the curry sauce are quite balanced, though he hoped that it could be more spicy to suit his fearless taste buds.

Sambal Sotong (叁峇苏东)

Another spicy dish - Sambal Sotong (叁峇苏东, S$16 / S$24 / S$30) which DaDi gave thumbs up for its spiciness!

Wait! Something is on fire!

Kyoto Pork Ribs (京都排骨)

Kyoto Pork Ribs (京都排骨, S$20) is served in aluminium foil to retain its juiciness. It is so meaty and sweet, no wonder the children kept asking for more!

Yuan Yang Kai Lan  (鸳鸯芥兰)

You may think that Kai Lan is nothing special. But Gu Ma Jia's Yuan Yang Kai Lan (鸳鸯芥兰, S$10 / S$15 / S$20) is very unique. The stems are blanched while the leaves are fried. I had never thought of Kai Lan can be cooked in such an interesting manner!

Claypot Chicken with Ginger and Sesame Oil (姜丝麻油鸡)

I simply could not stop drinking the gravy soup of Claypot Chicken with Ginger and Sesame Oil (姜丝麻油鸡, S$15 / 22 / 28). The chicken is so tender, and soup is very fragrant. 

Oyster Omelet (蚝蛋)

As a seafood lover, this is definitely one of my favourite dishes - Oyster Omelet (蚝蛋, S$8)! Look at the oysters! They are so big and succulent! Unlike some oyster omelet at some hawker stalls that is soggy and starchy, this egg is fried till crispy.

Crab Bee Hoon Soup (螃蟹米粉汤)

Excuse me while I find some tissue paper to wipe away my drool. Please meet my love (other than DaDi)! Crab! I was eyeing at the claw from Crab Bee Hoon Soup (螃蟹米粉汤, seasonal price). Thankfully, other diners from our table did not kill me as I took it. The crab is so fresh, the crab meat can be separated from the shell easily, every bite of it sends me to heaven. The soup is very tasty, the bee hoon absorbs the tasty soup and is very yummy too.

Fruity Enzyme with Rock Melon, Strawberries, Kiwi and Basil Seeds

After such a hearty meal, Gu Ma gave each of us a glass of Fruity Enzyme with Rock Melon, Strawberries, Kiwi and Basil Seeds (S$3.80).

Fruit Jelly Enzyme with Longan and Wolfberries 

A great meal must be completed with great dessert. Fruit Jelly Enzyme with Longan and Wolfberries (S$5.80) was simply yummy!

Do you know the benefits of fruit enzymes? They are said to improve immune system and digestive system, lower cholesterol level, reduce weight and so on. 

Thank you Gu Ma for the delicious home cooked dinner! It was such a great pleasure to dine with our blogger mummy friends and their families. 

Oh, one good news! Gu Ma Jia does not charge GST and service charge! Gu Ma Jia also offers buffet catering service and bento delivery.

Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家)

Address: 45 Tai Thong Crescent, Sennett Estate, Singapore 347866
Telephone: 62852023
Website: http://www.gumajia.com.sg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sg.gumajia
Opening hours: Daily 11 am to 3 pm (last order 2.30 pm), 5.30 pm to 10 pm
How to get there:
Bus 8, 61, 64, 65, 66, 90, 125, 147, 153, 154, 628 and alight in front of POSB, MacPherson Road
MRT Northeast line, alight at Potong Pasir and walk about 8 to 10 minutes

Parallel parking lots available nearby (It took us a while to find a parking lot on a weekday evening)

Disclaimer: We were invited  by AT Marketing Consultancy to food tasting at Gu Ma Jia. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions, photos, taste buds are mine. 

Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!

Easy Cupcakes Recipe

It has been a while since we made cupcakes. As we did not have oven in the past, we made Japanese Mushipan (steamed bread). Recently, I bought an oven (finally), hoping to learn more about baking. I thought it was a good idea to get my children involved in my learning journey!

We embarked on our first baking project - cupcakes!

Ingredients (make 6 cupcakes):

110g flour (we used plain flour)

110g castor sugar 

90g butter (soften)

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 medium eggs

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Sift flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl
3. Beat egg with a high speed for 1 minute, followed by a slower speed until it turns fluffy
4. Add sugar to egg
5. Add (4) to (2), fold with a spatula
6. Add the butter and continue folding
7. Divide the batter into six cupcake cups. Fill to about 70% of the cup.
8. Bake the cupcakes at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes
9. Decorate the cupcakes with fruits that you like (e.g. strawberries)

This is so simple that even Pei Pei and Hao Hao can make (of course, with assistance from MaMi)!

Baking is such a fun parent-child bonding activity, and I think it is a good learning opportunity for the children. Stay tuned for more oven baked food recipes, and my thoughts about what children can learn from baking.

Do you enjoy baking with your children? Why?

Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!

World Cup Finger Soccer Crafts for Children

When I was a child, my Dad would stay up at night during World Cup season to watch the games on TV. Though I didn't know much about soccer, I thought it was one of the memorable father-daughter bonding activities to watch the games together.

Pei Pei and Hao Hao's DaDi is not a soccer fan, so he would not stay up at night to watch the World Cup games (anyway, we can only catch snippets of the games free on TV during the news). The children are still able to experience the World Cup fever with their DaDi at home - finger soccer! (No real soccer playing at home please! I don't want anything to be broken!)

Materials:

Toilet paper rolls x 3

Coloured paper

Markers / coloured pens

Scissors

Glue

Step 1:

Press one toilet paper roll, and cut three stripes width-wise, about 1 cm each. Assemble them as shown to make the soccer ball.

Step 2:

Decorate the other two toilet paper rolls using coloured paper and coloured pens to make the players. Cut a hole at the back, wide enough for two fingers to enter.

Step 3:

Play finger soccer game! You can use any basket or recycled box as the goal!

Do you / your children watch World Cup? Feel free to share with us your World Cup activities for your children!

Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!

Cable Car Ride with DC Comics Super Heroes

[Media Invite]

"Help!!!!! I can't take it!!!" screamed MaMi.

The Joker kept making fun of her for her lousy cooking.

Wanting so much to protect their MaMi, Pei Pei and Hao Hao climbed 100 metres above the sea level to the mission-base of DC Comics Super Heroes - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern - hoping to learn some super power from these Super Heroes.

This action-packed mission-base is known as Mount Faber. The Super Heroes started training the children in the cable car cabins.

Before meeting the Super Heroes, the children were reminded to get their MaMi's smartphone to download Fly with Super Heroes app (iOS or Android).

Search for the QR codes in the cable car cabin, and the children learnt from the Super Heroes how to fight the naughty Joker!

.

Returning to Mount Faber, there were more action-packed activities! (The fringe activies are available on weekends 11 am - 6 pm)

The Super Heroes were pleased with Pei Pei and Hao Hao's performance, and now they are certified Super Girl and Bat (not Bad) Boy!

DC Super Heroes Thematic Cable Car Ride

Ticket price: S$29 (adult), S$18 (child). Add S$10 for a day of unlimited rides - to experience all 4 DC Hero-themed cabins

Do check out this website for more information!

Disclaimer: We were invited to DC Super Heroes cable car rides. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and photos are mine. 

Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!

DIY Cards Using Coloured Salt with Chalk

See what the children have prepared for DaDi as Father's Day present this year!

Warning: the process of making this card is very messy!

Materials:

Coloured chalks

Salt

Plastic bags

Glue

Coloured paper

Pencil

Step 1: 

Divide the packet of salt into a few packs in plastic bags. In each bag of salt, put a coloured chalk. Rub the salt against the chalk.

Step 2:

You may use pencil to write the words or draw pictures. 

Apply glue to the parts that require the same colour salt. 

Step 3:

Place some coloured salt on to the part with glue. Be generous with the amount of salt!

Step 4:

Pour the excess coloured salt back into the plastic bag.

Step 5:

Repeat Step 2 to Step 4 with another colour salt.

When the children had completed the Father's Day card, poor DaDi had to clear up the mess! Salt all over the place!!

Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!