Part 4: A dress up corner with little space and budget. It's possible!

Following the superhero capes that I made, I realized that we fell short of having a dress-up corner for the boys. Yep, you read me right. My boys do play dress up too, just like every other vain little girl, and I encourage that a lot. So much that I decided to find a corner in their room and turn it into a dress-up corner.

I have managed to scour quite a fair bit of costumes at really cheap prices over a period of two years, so the boys get to have fun with pretend play (at my expense sometimes) where I'll become their patient, patron, victim, and sometimes child. Roles turned around, it's actually quite fun when I am their child, because I get to see the mother I am in their eyes!

So anyway, I have always been a budget mom when it comes to their homeschooling expenses. Come on, things are not cheap in Singapore especially when it comes to little children! My husband and I used to joke how the younger and smaller the children are, the MORE expensive things are. Like diapers, milk powder, clothes, books, toys, okay you get the drift. This time around, I gave myself a budget of under ten dollars to create a corner entirely from scratch. I think finding that corner of space in my teeny home was harder than actually sticking to the budget!

Ikea Trofast Storage Container - $3-$7 (Depending on depth)

Daiso Extendable Rod - $2

A cowboy (yeeehaaaaa) and a dracula to suck my blood (pun very intended!)

It is a really simple set up in a really small corner I managed to find in their bedroom between their wardrobes and bookshelf, and it took no more than $10 for me to set that up. The children love the accessibility of the dress-up costumes hung at their height (you can adjust the pole longer or shorter, higher or shorter!) which allows them to dress up at whim! Oh wait, we need a mirror too, that I probably need to get at Ikea soon!

Did I mention, they also love the animal headbands that we bought for $2 at Daiso too? If you have a girl, this dress-up corner is all the more for you, all that is lacking is a vanity table!

This is part of a series of playroom transformations at low cost, do read part 1, part 2 and part 3 for more ideas! Also, coming up next week, the last and final installment of this series!

Two superhero capes in two days? Supermom to the mission!

I am quite the strong believer of the best form of learning is when the children creates the interest themselves. Once the interest is visible, I have to jump in and make the best of their enthusiasm to create a learning opportunity.

Over the weekend, I witnessed my boys playing superhero with blankets tied around their neck, pretending to be Superman. While it was quite fun and interesting watching them role play together using things they could gather from around the house, I had thoughts running through my mind about how I could actually make their pretend play a tad more fun and personalized.

That night, I scavenged my house to look for scraps, and attempted to sew. This was not my first time sewing, neither was it my millionth time sewing. I am still a newbie when it comes to sewing. It was just a couple of months ago when I did some masks for my boys that I learnt how to insert a thread into the needle. I decided it was time to brush up my sewing skills, and this time sew for the boys a big bold cape to take their pretend play a notch higher.

A couple of scraps put together, letters cut, threads sewn, and two nights later, I was finally complete with the capes. Two in all, for both my sons. I hung them up outside their bedroom door, and awaited their surprised faces the next morning. You bet they were surprised, and even more so excited to get into their new gear and be super awesome about it!

Materials used:

• red cloth cut into two, approx 60cm x 40cm
• felt for the alphabets or logos if you want it different

Total budget: Just about $4 for both capes, with lots of spare scraps for the next sewing project! This was totally fun to do, and totally fun to watch. These kids have tons of imagination when it comes to dramatic play, we should really just let them entertain us with their creativity. Beats the television any day, I say!

A recycling project: The homemade iSpy book.

My boys love to play ispy. It's the only game that successfully diffuses tantrums almost instantly. Like if they are having a meltdown in public, all I have to do is say "ispy a red pair of shoes" and they would stop their crying/screaming/yelling immediately and start searching for the red pair of shoes.

In fact, ispy is such a brilliant tactic to keep children occupied when we are out or even at home because it is hassle free, with no extra baggage at all, and expense free too which makes it all the more brilliant! Apart from off the head ispy fun, I do from time to time buy those ispy books you can get at the local bookstore too, and the boys love them! 

Recently, I had an idea to create an ispy book from magazines that were left untouched at home. We always get those school newsletters, pioneer magazines, neighborhood newsletters and they always just go to waste after a minute of browsing. So I had an idea, and that was to create our own ispy booklets from cutouts of these wasted materials!

It's amazing how simple pictures can end up being different interpretations of the alphabets! Of course, certain letters are not easy to find at all (like Q, R, G) but with luck, and plenty of time spent analyzing pictures, I managed to find all 26 letters of the alphabet in one sitting, and browsing through 8 magazines. This cost me close to nothing, except for the album I bought from daiso for two buck. And I am pretty sure it's going to do a good job at keeping the children entertained, especially when we are out. Best part? We can always replace the pictures when the children finds it not challenging anymore!

My Three Year Old Med School Grad, how your child can play "doctor" and make a difference to underprivileged children with the Light-A-Dream charity drive!

A couple of months ago, we were lucky enough to attend a special no-charge program Mount Elizabeth Novena had put together to allow children to explore the many departments that make up a hospital, as well as the many responsibilities doctors and nurses face in their daily jobs. Doctor For A Day was fully booked as slots were snapped up the speed of lightning. I mean, duh! It is not everyday we get to role play doctors and nurses in a real live environment with the guidance of real field doctors!

Typically, this was a program best suited for five years olds and above. But our little man who is only three was privileged enough to enjoy this program despite his very young age with the guide of his older "doctor peers". The children were put into groups of ten, and brought to roam and experience various department settings within the hospital. This were recreated into child-friendly and extremely safe and fun rooms for the children to explore with simple hands-on activities. Off my mind, I could remember these rooms:

General Practitioner Room was where children were given scrubs to put on and were introduced to a real doctor, who showed them the simple use of a stethoscope, thermometer, etc.

The second room was the Accident and Emergency Room, where children were taught the real meaning of Emergency. How a mere fever would not constitute to a trip to the A&E, and how doctors in the A&E faced challenges in helping their patients be back on the recovery track. They also learnt how to do simple first aid like bandaging and using alcohol swipes for cleaning wounds and the appropriate manner of swiping. It was fun seeing how some played the role of a doctor, while others became patients. This was brilliant at letting the children understand and feel the different emotions at being a doctor and a patient.

The third room was the Nursing Room. Being a mother of two, I cannot be more delighted that the children got access to a nursery room, and experienced the function of a nursery room. They just made my job a little easier if we were to have a third child! Here, the children were introduced to infants, and how fragile these little beings were. Nurses taught them how to clean, powder and diaper change, and feed an infant. These kids even learnt how to swaddle an infant! Good lord, I learnt how to swaddle mine the day the nurse pushed my firstborn into my ward! Indeed, children these days are definitely more exposed. Mind you, the boys were not excused from this ward, and went on to take it like a man. Let's all hope this would make for more hands-on fathers in the future, yeah?

Room Four was the Operating Theatre Room! Here, the children were introduced to a very "sickly man" called Mr Smoke-A-Lot. He had an open lung with lots and lots of black sticky tar which the children had to perform "surgery" on by using tweezers and gauze to clean off. The doctor explained how smoking could cause such illnesses and some of the children continued to share what other illnesses could warrant a surgery or an operation so the children learn to take better care of their health.

These little doctors finally came to the last room or station, which was the graduating room. Here, the little ones would put on their prestigious white coats with badges that states their doctor vocations, and prepare for a graduation picture! It was that cute, everyone was excited for graduation, especially the parents! Our little ones have graduated from medical school!

The kids had a memorable experience, and even got to bring home souvenirs like a graduation certificate, a doctor badge, the graduating photo and a stethoscope! All in a day's work :) The doctors and nurses who participated in this initiative were approachable, friendly and amicable, definitely people we wish our children would model after in time to come. I love how this program helps children overcome their fears of doctors and hospitals by having a better understanding of how they work and the things they do. Doctor-For-A-Day was simply fun, educational, and a brilliant initiative by Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital!

Bummed that you missed out on Doctor-For-A-Day when it pioneered in July? Don't be!

Mount Elizabeth Novena has launched a 'Light a Dream' campaign for Christmas, with Doctor for A Day (Light a Dream) in support of their community project for underprivileged children. Registration is now open and this event is for children aged 5-10 years of age. Each slot goes for for $20, and you will get an interactive and educational journal for your kids! This paying fee will be utilized for a Christmas party as well as gifts for the underprivileged (Pathlight, Singapore Children Society, Children Cancer Society etc.), who would be coming for Doctor for A Day the following day. The cost would be factored into an Elves Christmas Workshop that will be conducted for these children, a "Doctor's Journal" which encourages them to eat healthy and other items. You can register for a spot here! I assure you that it is definitely a small price for an experience that will go a long way!

Did I mention it was our first time there, and the hospital is spanking new, and absolutely luxurious. The place is easily accessible via the train (Novena station) and is just minutes away from shopping malls to get things you need out of convenience. This Christmas, Mount Elizabeth Novena have set up a photo wall with LED lights featuring angel wings and stars which people can interact with the photo wall and take a picture. Post these photos on their Facebook wall, and YOU will be eligible to win a set of S.E.A Aquarium tickets (2 adults, 2 children). There are five sets up for grabs. The competition would be launched on 1st Dec, the 5 photos with the most Facebook likes will win the tickets.

Another way that you can contribute to the Light-A-Dream charity drive is with the Tree of Transformation-Gallery of Hope. The hospital got in touch with Pathlight, whom have kindly agreed to get their children to paint on 60 light cubes. These light cubes formed the Tree of Transformation in their lobby, as well as a gallery (Gallery of Hope) of the other art pieces that do not make up the Tree of Transformation. The design on the light cubes are also available as a downloadable template which people can fold into an actual gift box / christmas ornament. Each light cube is available for purchase by the public at www.lightadream.org. Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital commits a dollar-for-dollar donation for each sale of the light cube. If you are keen to find out more about 'Light a Dream', please kindly go to www.lightadream.org to find out more details.

We are big supporters of children with special needs and underprivileged children, and we definitely hope that we can garner enough awareness and support to make this initiative a roaring success!

Sharing simple number books we learn to rote count with.

I have lost count of how many books I have read to the kids. Some that I really like and the kids have taken a fancy to, I read them over and over again. Actually, the kids are more than fine with reading the same books over and over (and over and over and over) again. Husband and I do take turns with the bedtime stories though. No wonder they say, babies are most comfortable with routine. More often than not, it is mom and dad who crave for something fresh, hence the need to shop for more books! Those books that I find a bore, and they do too, we just shove it to the back of the shelf, leaving space in front for the favorites.

Everyday, we go through the routine reading of of their favorite books. These are just some of the number books that my boys have grown to love, which in one way or another have taught them the basics of numbers and rote counting. The best are still those, which rhyme, or can sing a tune or two with... and definitely those with tens of kisses to exchange!

One to Ten and Back Again by Nick Sharratt and Sue Heap

The best part of this book is that it counts from One to Ten, and from Ten to one. Hence, it is almost like reading the numbers twice in a row, instilling better memory for the numbers one to ten.

Ten Tiny Tickles by Karen Katz

Karen Katz is a favourite among most mommies, and I am no different. I love this number book by her simply because with each page, you get to do the activity with your own baby, allowing them to relate to it even better. I read this to ahmed every morning when he wakes, and he loves how with every page turned, he gets more tickles!

Spot Can Count! by Eric Hill

How can anyone not know who Spot the dog is? Spot, every household's favourite! Well, at least he was my favoruite back when I was still little. And now that I am all grown up, it's time to read Spot's fun adventures to my little ones. The boys love going around from page to page, opening those flaps to see who and what is behind it. And in this book, behind those flaps lay the answers to how many animals there are on each page. What I like about this book, he gets to learn those numbers along with learning the animals they have on the farm. Two-in-one, a good deal I say!


My Very First Book of Numbers by Eric Carle

Unlike the first three picture books, this book by Eric Carle is not a story book. Rather, it teaches the numbers in a very interactive way. With each number, you get to turn the bottom half to match the pictures shown.  Anything with flaps and matching, it's a hit with the kids!

Nutty Numbers by Dr Seuss

I admit, I am quite biased when it comes to Dr Seuss. I love his books, all of it. I love how how it rhymes with every sentence. I get to read it in a nice tone when it rhymes! Well, it's even better when it comes with flaps that manages to capture the boys at full attention. Like I mentioned, they love interactive flap books.

Of course, those I listed aren't the only number books in our library. They have plenty of others that I find quite trashy but allow them to play-read them on his own. (He is reading Goodnight Moon, 1,2,3 in this picture) In any case, any book that gets the boys seated down and concentrating on the content is a good enough book. Those I listed are just my personal favorites, I guess (from a mother's point of view) :)))

Other number books that I am eyeing and would love to add to our library:
The Most Amazing Hide-and-Seek Numbers Book
Daddy Hugs
The Twelve Days of Kindergarten
1, 2, 3 to the Zoo