Have A Spectacular Celebration At RWS This Lunar New Year!

Media Invite

This Lunar New Year, have lots of family fun at Resorts World Sentosa!

Interesting programmes are happening at Universal Studios Singapore and S.E.A Aquarium for the whole family to enjoy the festive celebrations! We spent a day just soaking in the whole CNY atmosphere over the weekend, and had so much fun! Enjoy the photo trail and video clip at the end of the post!

S.E.A Aquarium

Make sure your kids grab an activity card at the counter near the entrance so that they can get stamps during their walk through the aquarium and have fun learning! Once they’ve collected all the stamps, they will receive an ang pow with chocolate coins! =D

Here’s one of the stamp station!

Along the way, watch out for divers doing their daily work – Cleaning the tank, feeding the fishes etc.

Make sure you catch the special underwater dragon dance performance – The Sea Dragon Rises! (1.30pm & 3.30pm daily at Open Ocean Habitat and additional 11.30am show during weekends at Shipwreck Habitat)

There are storytelling sessions by The Sea Goddess for your kids as well at Ocean Dome. I must say she’s a pretty good and engaging storyteller! The kids can also take a photo with her after the session. :)

Universal Studios Singapore

Catch the Dim Sum Dinettes’ special CNY performance in cheongsums and a Chinese song! You can watch snippets of that in the video clip later.

Catch the energetic Fu Fighters at the New York Public Library as well!

My favorite part of the programme this year has got to be the Majestic Dragon Trail, which starts at New York, passing through Sci-Fi City and all the other zones before ending back at New York. The most fun part is following this trail through all the various zones and meeting all the different characters in the different zones – It’s one mega Meet-and-Greet! We met Bumblebee, Shrek & Fiona, Puss In Boots, etc. So much fun!

Enjoy this video clip I took in USS – Make sure you plan a trip there this festive season and don’t miss the chance to soak up the joyous atmosphere! =D

OSIM uHip Review

Product Review

I have to say that this is not a typical product review vlog as OSIM’s new product, uHip, is so easy to use that there is no need to explain or describe too much about it. So, I’m just going to share 3 things that I like about the OSIM uHip, and perhaps, these are the same reasons why you should get one for yourself:

1. It is EASY to use the uHip.

I dislike complicated things because I am just not too good at such. The OSIM uHip is a simple equipment that massages and relieves pain on various parts of the body and you can easily choose the setting you want, based on your preferences. Everything is very intuitive –

Need firming of your butt? Select the ‘Firm’ option and place your butt into the uHip.
Need some massaging on your tummy area? Select tummy and place the uHip on your tummy.

It cannot get more straightforward than that.

2. It is CONVENIENT to use the uHip.

The uHip can practically be used anywhere. Use it while you are doing some work on your laptop, or when you are watching TV. That’s a pretty awesome way to maximize your time usage – Multi-tasking at its best. For busy working mums like me, that’s the perfect solution.

3. It is RELIEVING to use the uHip.

Probably the most quantifying reason why the uHip is a useful product to own. As a full-time working mum who sits at my office desk typing away for 8 hours or more everyday, I suffer from frequent backaches at the end of the day when I get home. The uHip helps to relieve the pain and aches, like a pair of hands massaging away gently. And like many mums who are constantly battling with cellulite at the usual areas such as tummy and thigh, the uHip can also help to tone the areas without taking up too much of our rest time (we know how precious those are!).

Get your uHip today from any of the OSIM stores islandwide, or check out their website for more information.

Disclosure: The J Babies received a complimentary unit of the OSIM uHip as well as OSIM vouchers for review purposes. All photographs, videos and opinions presented in this post are copyrighted materials of The J Babies.

Jayne’s Journey Of Learning Phonics

Objectively speaking, I am not exactly a kiasu parent. I only start to worry about my kids when they seem to be having a really difficult time hitting the milestones they should be hitting. Otherwise, I prefer to let nature take its own course. I do believe that every child is unique and has different learning abilities – Some are just academically advanced and self-motivated, while others need more time and motivation. I remember Joey started to read on her own when she was 5 years old and while I was a little concerned that she was not able to read even simple words at the beginning of the year she turned 5, she miraculously started reading proficiently a few months later, without any help from me. That is why when Jayne didn’t show any signs of reading at all last year (when she was 5), I was cool and collected. I thought she would start reading suddenly too, just like her sister did. But when the year end came and she was still struggling with phonics blending, I thought it’s time she gets some help.

I had a talk with Jayne’s school teacher, who shared the same sentiments as me. She said that Jayne had no problems pronouncing the phonics sounds of every alphabet individually, but she had problems blending them. Knowing how to blend is the only pathway to knowing how to read words and sentences. And the reason why she couldn’t was because she missed school way too often. When Joey was having Year-End school holidays, she also skipped school and had her own vacations. It so happened that every time she missed school, the lessons were on blending. So, the teacher encouraged me to coach Jayne on blending at home so that she could start reading soon. By the time we reach 2015, I was a little panicky all of a sudden. She’s turning 6 and in a few months’ time, I’d be registering her for Primary One, and she doesn’t know how to read yet?? I started to get really concerned.

Thank goodness I remembered that Jan & Elly English Language School had approached me last year on a review opportunity and I thought it was a perfect chance to train Jayne on her phonics skills. Jan & Elly English Language School is a school that specialises in teaching English language, with a heavy emphasis on phonics to facilitate quicker reading and better pronunciation. I brought Jayne to Jan & Elly branch at Greenwich V, and did an evaluation for her. The results were as expected – She was strong in individual alphabet sounds, but she was not confident at blending. The teacher taught her a few simple skills on the spot and she could get it immediately. The saving grace is that at least she is a fast learner.

So Jayne embarked on her journey of learning phonics at Jan & Elly English School last Saturday and she was extremely excited about it. :) Take a look at this mini footage I captured of her 1st lesson:

I observed the class for the last 10 minutes of the lesson and my first impression is that the class size is small, so every kid could get a lot of attention from the teacher. The kids seemed to have a good relationship with the teacher and were enjoying themselves during the lesson as well, so that is a good sign. I also like it that there was some homework for Jayne to bring home and do, so that I can revise with her. Apart from a Phonics textbook, every kid will also complete worksheets produced by Jan & Elly English Language School at every lesson. The more they practise, the better they get. :)

I am looking forward to see Jayne improve in her phonics and then get hooked on reading in a few months’ time. Follow us on this journey - Exciting times ahead! :)

Jan & Elly English Language School
http://www.jan-elly.com/branches
https://www.facebook.com/janandellyschool

P/S: The J Babies was provided with 10 lessons at Jan & Elly English Language School for purpose of this review. All photographs and viewpoints expressed are our own. No other monetary compensation was received.