Venus Drive: Outdoor Haven at 12 noon... or when it's Hazy!

2 stops from Thomson Plaza

This is where we hang out whenever:

1. The dreaded HAZE is back and we want to be outdoors. The air there is MUCH FRESHER than any indoor place you can name... We have the thick canopy of trees to thank!
2. It's 12 noon and the sun is scorching but we want a cool, shady nature walk, NOW!
3. We have less than an hour to spare and we want a relaxing oasis in the middle of the day. Unlike MacRitchie Reservoir Park or Pierce Reservoir, the rainforest is 10 second walk from the carpark, and a few minutes away from the bus stop, so the little ones won't be tired out before we even get to the rainforest.
4. We want to get up close and personal with squirrels, monkeys, dragonflies, pondskaters, monitor lizards, a little stream, unusual trees and plants, without having a boardwalk to separate us from them, or high visitor traffic to scare animals away.

This trail actually leads to the HSBC Tree Top Walk, but we haven't managed to make it that far with the two little ones yet. It's 2.5 km (a 45 mins - 1 hr walk for adults) from the carpark at Venus Drive. But it's worth going in for a short stroll and turning back before the little ones get tired. 

Official Website:

National Parks Board

Opening Hours 

Venus Drive Rainforest Trail

All the time!

Tree Top Trail

Tue to Fri: 9am-5pm, 

Sat, Sun and Public Holidays: 8.30am-5pm.

Getting There:

Park at Venus Drive carpark. It's just further up from Sin Ming Ave, and near Singapore Island Country Club.

Buses: 132, 163, 165, 166, 167, 52, 980. 

Alight along Upper Thomson Road, opposite Flame Tree Park Condo.

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Homeschool Skit: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

A lesson we all enjoyed. Thanks Sally!

(1) Story time:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

(2) Dramatisation. 
Parent narrated while the children role-played the different stages of a butterfly's life cycle. The movement and story helps children to internalise the details, especially for kinesthetic/visual/auditory learners.

(3) Sewing a caterpillar.
(i) Thread fluffy balls together with a needle and thread.
(ii) Stick on the eyes.

(4) Painting a butterfly.
(i) Fold paper in half and open it again,
(ii) Dollop a generous amount (for a 3D effect) of acrylic paint on 1 side of the paper,
(iii) press the 2 sides together to create a mirror image, (iv) open it up and let the paint dry
(v) cut out the butterfly,
(vii) stick on the antennae.

The children were so into the Caterpillar and Butterfly theme that when we got home, we made beeswax models of the butterfly's life cycle!

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A 5-year-old prepares breakfast

It's a great feeling to be served breakfast 5 days in a row, by my helpful five-year-old.  Sliced fruits, beautifully arranged on a plate.

In the past, whenever I overslept, my two sweeties would bring out the fruits and set the table. And now, life just got better! Let's hope it lasts more than 5 days. 

Here's our favourite IKEA kitchen utensil - the apple slicer. It does a great job with apples and works on smaller guavas and nectarines too. 

IKEA Apple Slicer

A Servant's Heart

Sometimes, mums need to be pampered too! We used to call our daughter "princess" and son "prince", but we decided some time ago, that there would be no royalty in our house, and the most important thing to strive for was to have a heart of service, and not be a prince or princess. So whenever the kids put themselves before others, we would spend the next few days finding ways to have a servant's heart and serve each other. They would have to serve each other food, fetch things for each other, and give their sibling the nicer/bigger/yummier choices. It mades them happy to know that they were doing something kind, useful, and appreciated.  

Ever since they could walk, we would get them to serve birthday cake slices to everyone, before having a slice, even on their birthdays... no, especially on their birthdays! The two little ones are responsible for laying the cutlery for meals every day, and for clearing the table after dinner. It took months of training and sometimes our hearts would skip a beat as we watched them carry wobbly glass bowls and cups full of liquid to the kitchen. But at the end of it all, watching them clear the table and hearing them ask, "Mama, is there anything else you need me to do?" makes it worth every minor heart attack!

A few days ago, we had guests over at our house. The little girl stood by the kitchen door, looking at the guests and counting quietly. The next thing, she emerged from the kitchen with cups of water, one for each guest. Perhaps something had internalised and become ingrained after years of serving others. 

One of the problems with modern society is that there is often a lack of meaningful work for little children to do. I've seen so many little ones whose loving mothers and caregivers do everything for them, to the detriment of the child. I've taught seven-year-olds who needed to be told what to do, step-by-step, and who were at a total loss when instructions were not given. Most of them had doting, overprotective parents. At the other end of the spectrum, the children who could work smart and independently tended to have parents who were involved, yet allowed space (and risk!) for the children to do things on their own. 

It's true that it may be easier and faster to just do things for them and do the chores by yourself, but if you just invest some time to walk them through the process, you'll find in the long run that it's well worth the time spent!

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