Remember when we did a feature on Gymnademics?

Carter’s started with them! He’s been to two sessions now and is really enjoying it. I’ll be frank though, his first session there was just him being aaaalllll over the place. He couldn’t focus on anything the teachers were saying/doing, because he was just so fascinated with the room and all the fun things in it! But, when he came back a week later for the second session, he went through all the routines just fine, and was actually interested in the flash cards and activities.

It’s so nice seeing your child captivated during class, you know? Seeing him happy and soaking in all this information and activity makes my day! I think he really enjoys the fun and music during each class.

Gymnademics are giving away one Free Play Pass worth $40 (ie. 4 visits)! 

 

a Brunch with my Baby giveaway

You can submit some of the entries more than once a day, so come back tomorrow to get more entries in the draw.

Giveaway will run from 7 Feb– 13 Feb 2014 inclusive.
Winner’s entry(s) will be verified according to the entry criteria(s).

 

Free Play @ Gymnademics at Alexandra Retail Centre 
Wednesdays to Fridays
10am-4pm
From children aged 5 months to 5 years
1 hour $15, 4 hours $40

So what of their regular classes?

They go for a 1 hour duration and, believe me, will have you pretty tired out afterwards! It’s a lot of activity, coupled with learning exercises. Here’s a rough idea of what happens during Carter’s class:

First there’s flash card matching revision, from words learned last week. Hunter did a term of this last year and, believe me, you’ll be reaaalllyyy impressed by what they remember from the previous week’s lesson!

This is Carter matching up “sectional sofa” with the picture. I’m not sure if that was a fluke 😉

After that, it’s a bit of musical instrument playing (or banging) time. Both my kids have always gone for the little drum! Carter is an incredibly serious drummer (fat cheeks and all) and will studiously whack the stick onto the drum.

Then there’s word flashcards, based on the theme for the week. This week, it’s Electrical Appliances. As you can see, Gymnademics doesn’t ‘baby’ down words or concepts. They use adult (and pretty difficult!) words. And, again, you’ll be really impressed by how much your kid can absorb within a few classes.

And it’s onto musical activity again, this time with wooden sticks! The kids love to wave them high and low and bang around, creating a mega ruckus 😉

One of the most popular activities comes next – obstacle course/circuit. It is one phenomenal way to tire an active kid out 😉 There’s balance beam, tunnels, steps, slides, stepping stones – you name it!! Carter was a basket case during his first class (ran around everywhere!) but during his second class, he went through the circuit systematically.

Then there’s picture time based on the concept of the week. This week, it was Flying Machines! CARTER’S FAVOURITE. Needless to say, he was captivated, especially when the teachers whipped out a helicopter that had moving blades.

And then, flying trapeze!!! I’ve always thought this was brilliant fun, but I don’t think I’m allowed on it. This is Carter, being assisted (the teacher is holding his hands) on the trapeze. After 5 swings, he ‘flies’ into my arms! And, the idea is, with a bit of training, your kid can soon hold themselves up with no assistance. This activity trains their upper body muscles, and also increases oxygen to the heart due to the position.

Gymnastics time! Every week, they progress in their activity. In this picture below, Carter is practicising his hand stand. And, after a few weeks, he will be able to do an (assisted) forward handspring! I thought Carter would go ballistic being held up like that (I think I would!!) but nope, he was actually really calm and quite pleased with himself afterwards. Go figure.

A bit of calm down time, so we did daily activities to music. This week, it was using a cut-out doll to “jump on the bed” and a toothbrush to “brush teeth”, which kids are supposed to respond to when they hear the appropriate “boing!” or “brush brush” sounds. It’s ridiculously cute to watch 😉

The craaaaziest part of the session – relay race!! Kids have to grab a toy fruit/veg, and run a short distance to drop it into a container, then run back to you to collect the next fruit. This is MAJOR EXERCISE for kids, considering the amount they run and how small they are. And they really have so much fun running back and forth, giggling away!

A much-needed water break…

And then it’s parachute time, flipping it around to the music. Carter was pretty overwhelmed/scared when he saw it during his first session, but he loved it during his second session.

Story time, using flashcards. I’m not sure why Carter looks so transfixed by the picture of a Daddy ironing his clothes 😉

Magic box time! This houses a super fun hands-on activity, so it’s always a hit for the eager kids. This time, it was sticking on the matching number/colour. And Carter could do it after I showed him a couple of times! We’ve never done this activity before, so I was chuffed to learn of his new skill that I never knew he could do 😛

I love the catchy “Hip hip hooray, we learned something new today!” goodbye song near the end. I always get up and dance like a crazy person too 😉 And so do my kids! Both Hunter and Carter like to shake their booty and stomp around 😛

The class lasts for an hour, and frankly, I’m glad it doesn’t go any longer. I don’t think I have the stamina! It’s very go-go-go, and the kids lap it all up.

I really enjoyed Gymnademics for Hunter because, being a cautious child, I thought the high level of activity and gymnastics would help him out of his shell a bit.

And I enjoy Gymnademics for Carter because, a very active child, it gives him what he craves for and he completely knocks out afterwards. WIN.

Outlet Details
Address: Alexandra Retail Centre, 460 Alexandra Road #02-25, Singapore 119963
Telephone: +65 6271 7569
Email: arc@gymnademics.com
Opening Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm

I’ve been a fan of OXO products for about two years now, and actually own… errrrr… pretty much the entire product line. I’ve accumulated them over the months and one day I realised I own the range! I know, I’m such a sucker for cool kid products.

The quality of the materials used in OXO products are excellent, and the colours are vibrant, which appeal to kids.

This, below, is my existing OXO product lineup *ahem*. I did tell you I really like their stuff!

Rockabyelane are giving away one of three $35 vouchers to spend on OXO products!

a Brunch with my Baby giveaway

You can submit some of the entries more than once a day, so come back tomorrow to get more entries in the draw.

Giveaway will run from 3 Jan – 9 Jan 2014 inclusive.
Winner’s entry(s) will be verified according to the entry criteria(s).
Voucher may be used to purchase OXO products at Rockabyelane.com

And, here’s an extra goodie from Rockabyelane:

Get a 10% off STOREWIDE DISCOUNT at Rockabyelane with code: brunchwithmybaby

Valid until 17 Jan 2014.
Discount is valid on all merchandise storewide, but excludes shipping cost.

OXO is stocked at Rockabye Lane, a local online boutique that ships out speedily and packages arrive with a pretty little sticker:

You’ll see in the photos of the water bottles that there is a little hole thingy (I’m sure there is a lovely name the OXO product folks have come up with, but I’m sorry I don’t know it!) where your thumb can go through, or little fingers can grab onto. It’s a simple idea, but works really well – it’s easy and fuss-free to grab my kids’ bottles and go!

And, is it just me, or do you guys have SUPER ANNOYING PROBLEMS with twist-up-straw bottles? You know, the type where you twist  the top and the straw emerges? By problems, I mean when I twist the top to get the straw out, the whole top unscrews off the bottom. Hello water spillage. Not happy. A lot of brands have done this to me, but this new OXO water bottle does not. When I (or my kids) twist the top, the straw comes out easily. I think it’s party due to that thumb-hole thingy, which helps you hold the lid in place.

The water bottles are sturdy, completely leak-proof when closed, and my kids happily use them with no issues (ie. they don’t choke). All good in my book. My kids actually have around…. errrr.. more than ten (or maybe twenty) water bottles. It’s a creepy lil obsession of mine. I’m really satisfied with these OXO ones though, so all the others have been chucked into the cupboard and my kids just use these now.

The OXO snack box is my most-used vessel for the kids’ snacks. I pop in little biscuits, raisins, and puffs. I LOVE the design because I don’t like the silicon reach-in lids (the flaps always bend and don’t work properly after awhile) and the curved-in container keeps snacks INSIDE when kids tip the box. The opening is wide enough for little hands to reach into, and the box is shallow enough for little fingers to reach the bottom.

So.. what of all the other OXO products?

Here’s a quick run down from my personal experience:

1. OXO Freezer storage containers – these are marketed as containers to freeze your homemade baby food in, but I personally like them as small snack jars too. The lids pop on-off easily and they’re pretty air tight (they have a rubber seal around the inside edge). But as freezer containers, they work well as they snap in nicely into the tray, to keep things neat in your freezer. I use mine to freeze cooked fruit, and homemade soup stock.
2. OXO Freezer storage tray – I used these to death when both kids were babies and eating purees. I own a LOT of freezer trays and found this one to be the best. I pop out a cube or two of the veg puree to add into their food (excellent to make a pasta sauce with), and they slide out easily thanks to the curved bottom. The tray washes clean easily and has a slide-on lid so you don’t expose everything when you just want to pop out one piece.
3. OXO Straw cup – This was what Hunter was using before he got the new design. The cup was too small to last one day for him (they do sell a larger version, but we don’t have it), but I really liked the fat curved handles (so comfy to hold).
4. OXO sippy cup – I got this for Carter, because the grand plan was for him to drink his milk from it, instead of from a teat bottle. Unfortunately, he is more stubborn than me and refuses. We compromised on sticking a sippy spout onto his current milk bottle, but transitioning him to a different bottle/cup like this is still a work-in-progress. Hunter used to use it for drinking water though, as a transition before he started using a cup!
5. OXO drinking cup – this one is super cool, it’s meant to transition kids into using a proper cup, but has a transparent cover with lots of holes around the edge. So the water still free-flows out, but spillage is relatively contained. I’m going to get Carter to use this soon.
6. OXO Flip-top snack lid – this lid can clip onto either the small or large cups, to pop snacks into. I like the flip-top design but I don’t have the small cup to clip it onto, and my kids don’t eat that many snacks to warrant using the larger cup size. So this is a bit defunct for now! Very sturdy clip lid though, and I’d recommend getting the small version that’s super cute and practical, unless your kids eat a lot of snacks (or larger-sized biscuits).
7. OXO Snack box – This is better for younger kids or kids that don’t eat many snacks. It works well because the curved edge keeps snacks in even when tilted, and it’s small enough for kids to reach to the bottom. This is hands-down my most used snack box.
8. OXO Bowl (small) – I use this as a portable bowl in my diaper bag, because it has a lid to keep it clean. It has a heavier bottom so it doesn’t dip or fly off the table easily, and is really durable.
9. OXO Bowl (large) – This is for home-use, since it’s a larger size. Excellent for cereal or for pasta, and the heavier bottom (that’s non-slip) helps kids learn to self feed.
10. OXO fork and spoon – Oh by far one of my favourite cutlery for kids!!! And I own a drawerful from various brands. The design and functionality is, simply, perfect for kids. The metal isn’t sharp but well rounded, and the spoon has the perfect depth and size. The handle is chunky and non-slip, with a very useful curve in it when I’m feeding the kids (or even when they use it to feed themselves). It’s so good my kids use theirs on a daily basis.

Thanks Rockabyelane!