Nature: Dangers of Plastic

We spent some time today going through some Youtube videos about the dangers of plastics to the environment and other living beings.

We started with the Midway Film, which has gone viral online. It was a shocking documentary preview about the stomach contents of dead birds on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific. It definitely impacted the kids, who asked to see it again.

We looked at more videos about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Warning: Some of the videos contain swear language, so steer clear from those.

This one, below, is one of the safer and informational ones we watched:

So apart from the emotional impact, what do we do about the newfound knowledge?

Well, we can't really live without plastic in one form or another, but we can definitely reduce and reuse it. We talked briefly about how we can cut down on unnecessary purchases, especially of cheap plastic toys, as they eventually go into the trash pile somewhere. And we gained a greater appreciation for the world God has blessed us with and learned more about how to take care of it better.

Science: Kaboom!

A mom from a Facebook group organised a cool get-together for kids interested in making things go Boom!

We gathered at a local park, where there was lots of space for the experiments. The kids started with a safety talk on how to handle explosives responsibly. Kids got to check out gun powder and its history, too.

 Then they worked on their own paper banger.

Of course it got loud and exciting after that, blowing up watermelons and aluminum cans!

What a way to end the weekend with a bang!

Toys: Learning through Play

Since we've had a no-TV rule during the weekdays, my favourite refrain is "Go and play!"

Play has so many benefits to a child. It exercises their creativity and problem-solving skills. One good piece of advice I've received was, "Don't buy toys with batteries."

Blocks are great fun for all ages. Here's Boy's robot. I like the way how everything is symmetrical, yet not identical.

Art: Favourite songs from Les Mis

Girl embarked on this little project on her own.

Her original effort was a bit rough, so Mummy had to help her to plan and redesign the layout into something more befitting her idea and concept.

The final product!

When she first asked me to print out coloured pictures of the characters in the Les Mis movie, I dithered. Thankfully Girl approached Daddy, who happily obliged. Thank God for Daddies :-)

Garden: Pre-made Compost

Decided to try out some pre-made compost from the local hardware store. It serves as fertiliser and only needs to be applied once in 6 months.

Baby assisting me to apply the organic fertiliser

Homeschool: Puzzle time!

This week's Young Scientist lesson was on puzzles!

Since we received a jigsaw puzzle as a gift recently, thought it would be a good idea to let Boy work on one.

Growing Up: HFMD

This is the second time Boy got HFMD. Who knows who he got it from! Especially since he doesn't even attend school. But it was just after the CNY holidays, so it could be from any of those places we visited. Bummer!

It was tough and draining for us all — fever, vomiting, solitary confinement and difficulty in eating.