Showing posts with label children activities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children activities. Show all posts

March 20, 2016

Art in Island ~ World Class 3D Art Museum

Let your imagination run wild in the country's first ever world class 3D Art Museum ~ ART IN ISLAND.
Art in Island is comparable, if not better to other 3D Art museums in other countries like the Trick Eye Museum at Resorts World Singapore.

 My family loves 3D Art Museums: visitors are  allowed to touch everything, play crazy and take tons of pictures. 

Here at the Art In Island visitors may interact and have fun with the art pieces. 

  
Me and my husband had fun bonding time with the kiddos.  
We gamely took turns making silly poses and here are some of them:  

Art In Island is open TUESDAYS-SUNDAYS and HOLIDAYS
9:30AM to 09:30PM

Entrance fee
Adults - P500
Student - P400
Discounts given to senior citizen cardholders and PWDs



175 15th Ave., Brgy. Socorro, 1109 Marikina City
Contact Number: 421 1356
For additional information check out Art In Island facebook page at: Art In Island ~ Interactive Art Museum 


January 21, 2016

What is The Gruffalo?

The Gruffalo is a children's storybook, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.  
It follows the story of a witty, cunning mouse who triumphs over bigger and stronger predators by scaring them off with a monster he imagined called the Gruffalo. 
The book is an award winning book that has sold over 13 millions of copies worldwide.
It is a nice book for new readers, who would be delighted to read along Mouse's encounters.   
Here is some good news,
You and your child can join Mouse's adventurous journey in Tall Stories’ magical, musical adaptation of this award-winning book in 
THE GRUFFALO – LIVE!

Showing at the RCBC Theatre from January 27 to 31, 2016
Introduce you child to the magic and wonder of world class theater AND 
Let your imagination run wild!

There are lots of songs, laughs and scary fun for children aged 3 and up and their adults, in a show that’s toured around Britain and the world.
The Gruffalo - LIVE 2016
is brought to country by Concertus Manila, in partnership with ABA Productions and Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and Nickelodeon.

“In its four years, The Gruffalo - LIVE has grown into a major family entertainment event in both Hong Kong and Singapore,” says Matthew Gregory, Executive Producer of Hong Kong-based ABA Productions.“This show will provide a fun and educational experience that the whole family can enjoy. I truly hope that this will give children an opportunity to experience the magic of live theatre and expand their knowledge of the art.” 

Book your tickets at TicketWorld.
Call 891-9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph.
--------------------------------------- 
Production info:
Directed by Olivia Jacobs
Creative Producer Toby Mitchell
Designer Isla Shaw
Lighting by James Whiteside
music by JollyGoodTunes
and choreography Morag Cross.
Adapted from the book by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
Illustration © Axel Scheffler and Macmillan Children’s Books

December 27, 2015

KidZania Manila Invasion: For First Timers

My children have been asking for a trip to KIDZANIA since it opened in Manila a few months back. 

We finally gave it a go and bought tickets online via TicketWorld.  The boys were just so thrilled.

MamaSpeaks, welcomes you  to KidZania!

What is KidZania?
KidZania is an indoor role play city where kids can be anybody they want to be. It is it's own nation, where kids actually rule! And my boys are ready for some action.


Our timing was perfect. There were fewer crowd than KidZania's normal full house.   Waiting time was under 10 minutes (well except for the blockbuster Fire Station) ~ Lucky us. 

My 7 year old finished 11 activities (excluding lunch break, bus tour, opening an account and getting a passport) in his 9am-4pm shift. Not bad at all!



First stop ~ the Bank

At entry, the kids were handed KidZanian checks worth 50 kidZos.  Kids (yes parents wait outside, as for all of the other activities) must cash-in their check in the bank. 

  They can then open a bank account, to get an ATM card.  It is real fast and easy.  


Next Stop ~ Immigration

Before role playing, the boys applied for KidZanian passport. Applying for a passport requires parental consent and costs P250. I pre-applied the kids on-line, so the Immigration officer needed simply to retrieve their application from the database.


A passport gives your children a citiZen  status.  CitiZens get special benefits such as discounts and higher pay.  

Naturalized CitiZens for instance gets:
  • 5 kidZos discount on redemption items at the Department Store
  • 5% discount on National Store and Photography and
  • earns extra 2 kidZos per activity

A passport is a good investment, especially if you plan of coming back for more of KidZania.



Third Stop ~ City Tour Bus



A ride on board the tour bus cost 1 kidZo each. Taking the tour bus before doing any activity was a good call, as it gave us a good vista of the town for easier navigation afterwards.

 Parents wanting a break, would appreciate the Parents' Lounge located at the Mezzanine level. Here adults can charge their gadgets, or have coffee.




The boys had a blast playing make believe.  Here are pictures from from the activities they did.

As a radio talent at the DZMM/MOR Radio Station 



As a baker at the Goldilocks Bakeshop 



As construction workers




 Developing treats at the Oishi Creative Hub


 Flying a plane as a Pilot at the Cebu Pacific Hub



 As a patrol police officer at the KidZania Police Department (KZPD)


There are dozens of activities kids can try, a shift is not enough to finish them all. 

Here are the other activities we would come back for:

As a dentist  ~ just look at the make believe child seated on the dental chair. She looks life like.


As a fireman at the Fire Station ~ would definitely do this on our next visit.


As a court observer in the court house




Things to remember when visiting KidZania:

1. Activities may either earn your kids kidZos or cost them. Work activities earns, while activities that teaches cost kidZos.


 Use the map you receive upon entry as guide to check if the activity earns or costs kidZos.

2. Check the census plaques (like the one below), which are helpful guides to learning about the town's different activities. It contains information on age requirement, length of activity, number of visitors who may join the activity and whether the activity will earn or require spending of kidZos. 


Note: CitiZens pay 2 kidZos less or earns 2 kidZos more than published rates.

3. A visit to the KidZania website will  help you choose activities pre-hand.  Prioritize your child's personal interests, but try to encourage him on other activities outside these interests as well.

4. Get your tickets online to avoid disappointments.  You don't want to go there learning there are no more tickets left. When getting your tickets via TicketWorld you would notice that there is a ticket availability indicator (green means light crowd, while red means full house) ~ if you are not particular on the date, I suggest you delay your trip to a less crowded day.

5. Bring your camera and take lots of pictures.  Have fun and enjoy an educational bonding day with your kids.

6.  Most of the activities are for children ages 4-14 years old, however, I noticed that my older child (age 12) was not so keen on joining most of the activities. I think he has already outgrown role playing. It was however, perfect for my 7 year old, who was all over town.


Thumbs Up for KidZania Manila ~ Perfect place for Kids is a perfect place to dream and play!

We had a wonderful day at KidZania ~ we would surely be back for more.




 KidZania Manila is located  at the Park Triangle, North 11th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Tel No: +632 711-KidZ

For inquiries check KidZania's media pages:
instagram: @KidZaniaManila
twitter: @KidZaniaManila

September 25, 2015

SINGAPORE-MALAYSIA ITINERARY 2015

My son opted for a LEGOLAND Malaysia trip to celebrate his 7th Birthday.  We were there just last year, so planning this one was easy.  

The plan was simple, reach Malaysia via Singapore, stay overnight in LegoLand Malaysia (LLM) leave and stay one night at Sentosa in Singapore for a quick visit to Universal Studio.

Here is our itinerary:

Day 1 - LEGOLAND Malaysia - Water Park
  • 5am - Early flight from Manila to Changi Singapore
  • 10am - Arrive at Changi Airport
  • 11am - Travel to Legoland Johor Bahru, Malaysia via a pre-arranged private taxi.  We used SGMY taxi services, the same one we used in our last visit.  We had a very good experience hiring them last year ~ easy and really hassle free!
  • 1230pm - Arrived at LLM Hotel.  Check-in is at 4pm, so we just deposited our luggage and got our 2 days combo tickets. 

 
 

  • I pre-booked the LLM  Hotel and got the ticket via the LLM website.  The 2 days combo ticket allows multiple entries to both the LEGOLAND Themepark and LEGOLAND Waterpark for 2 consecutive days.
  • 1pm - Lunch at PanCake House at the Mall of Medini.
  • 2-5pm - LL Waterpark.  I packed our wetsuits and change of clothes in a separate bag, so we don't have to open our other luggage. We got a CABANA like we did before.


  • A half day cabana rental costs MYR180. Each cabana has two deluxe chair lounges and seating chairs, two complimentary towels, safe deposit box, mini refrigerator and a table.  It also has free wifi access, plus bottled water and soda.
(Check out our LL Waterpark trip from last year:  LLM Waterpark)       
  • 4pm  - Left the waterpark to check-in and rest for a while before dinner. The boys were tired from the early morning flight and swimming.

 


  • 6pm - Dinner at Burger King the Mall of Medini.
  • 7pm - Early retreat.  

Day 2 - LEGOLAND Malaysia - Theme Park

  • 8am - Breakfast at the Bricks




  • 930am - Off to LLM Theme park. The park opens at 10am, but LLM Hotel guests are allowed to enter 30 minutes earlier. Note: We had to check-out before leaving the hotel. Our bags were deposited at LLM Hotel's luggage storage. 
  • 6pm - Left LLM Hotel. I have arranged for an SGMY taxi pick-up at LLM and drop off at Movenpick Sentosa Singapore
  • 730pm -  Check-in at Movenpick Heritage Hotel our home for the night. Dinner was at the Imbiah Station, which is just across the hotel. 


Day 3 - Universal Studio Singapore (USS)
  • 830am -  Early check-out. Left our luggage at the hotel luggage storage for pick-up.  Before leaving we requested assistance from the concierge for a taxi booking at 330pm to take us to the airport.  
  • 9am - Breakfast at McDonald's Forum Mall, Resorts World
 

  • 10am - USS Theme park. I realize that USS is more enjoyable off peak season.  We were able to cover more rides this time, compared to our December USS trip, that considering we only stayed 5 hours this time (compared to our 9-9pm last time). 




  • 3pm - Left USS.
  • 330pm - On the dot, left the hotel for Changi for our late night flight.
  • 8pm - Flight back to Manila. 
It was a busy and fun packed 3 days at LLM and USS.  

I will post updates of our SG-MY 2015 trip on our budget and will try to provide additional tips, that hopefully will help you in planning yours.


Meanwhile, you can also check below blog post from our SG-MY trip from last December 2014: SINGAPORE-MALAYSIA ITINERARY 2014

 




July 18, 2015

My Minion Assistant ~ I Heart MONDE mamon-it-yourself!


Are you looking for a fun activity to do with your kids? 

I was out doing grocery today and found this cute and cool (not to mention timely) Mamon-It-Yourself concept by Monde at only P70/pack








 My boy was ofcourse extremely delighted to see my purchase, having watched The Minion Movie just recently. 




The Minion master came prepared with Minion glasses and the only Minion shirt he can find.


He opened the package immediately and hurried to create his own Minion mamon.


Each pack comes with six (6) mamons and decorations enough for two (2) Minions.


TIME TO START


MATERIALS:
  • mamon = check
  • frosting = check
  • fondant eyes = check
  • Minion master hands (not included in the pack) = check 





There is an instruction at the back of the decoration pouch, but the Minion master was all too excited to read it and proceeded straight to creating his Minions.










EATING TIME!


VERDICT
  • So cool of Monde to have thought of this gimmick. My boy loved this activity and can hardly stop smiling while creating his own Minion mamons.
  • There are six  (6) mamons in the pack, but decorations was only enough for two (2) (as you can see we were unable to finish our second Minion  :C ).  I hope Monde provided enough décor for all six (6).
  • If the pack came with complete decorations for six (6), this activity would have been perfect, for a Minion Themed Birthday Party.