Pierce Reservoir

If we haven't already fulfilled our outdoor/nature quota for the day, The Place to go would be Lower Pierce Reservoir to watch the sunset.

It's not a far walk from the main road or car park to the grass and water. We like Lower Pierce Reservoir because it has a cosy, kampong feel.  Most of the people there are regulars who go at the same time every evening, so after a while, you'll start to recognise some of them and smile at them!

Children will usually be hopping on the rocks, peering at small creatures hidden among the rocks, or rolling on the grass.

There are always some men fishing with rods or catching bait using little underwater cage traps, and they are almost always happy to show the kids what they are doing and admire the prawns and fish that they have caught.

Dog owners are more than happy to let our children pat their dogs and play 'fetch' with them. Our little boy has no qualms about approaching a dog twice his size and asking the owner, "May I pat you your dog?" Our little girl sometimes gets rashes after playing with dogs (especially the slobbery ones!) and we discovered that Apple Cider Vinegar REALLY helps to stop the allergic reaction within minutes! But I digress.

If you're lucky, you'll get to see the two resident White-bellied Sea Eagles flying back to their nests before the sun sets. And also the occasional kingfisher. 

The kids are quite happy to invent their own games, throwing pebbles into the water or going fishing using any sticks they find, so it can turn out to be a romantic evening for the parents to cuddle up and watch the sunset together. 


Official Website:
National Parks Board


Getting There:

By Bus
163, 167, 169, 855, 980

By Car
Lower Peirce Reservoir Park is located off Upper Thomson Road, near the junction with Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.

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A train-themed birthday party

We had a Gruffalo-themed birthday dinner earlier this year. For the little boy's birthday, he requested a train-themed dinner!

It was fun and easy to make using construction paper, a loo roll, 4 bottle caps and a full tissue box - so the tissues could be the smoke!

Our tissue-box train pulled carriages of food, chugging over edamame train tracks and past vast banana leaf meadows.

After dinner, the children had a craft session to make their own tissue box trains!

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Mid-Autumn Festival and making snowskin mooncakes!

I'm so blessed to be part of a loving and multi-talented homeschool co-op! We made vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free Snowskin mooncakes during our Mid-Autumn-themed lesson. Each mum contributed something - I did the Chang'E and Mooncake Rebellion stories while the other mums prepared the ingredients, the lantern-making craft, the poems, songs, and food.

On my own, I would NEVER have attempted to make mooncakes, but the other mums prepared the glutinous rice snow skin paste and the lotus paste, and all we had to do we to knead them, shape them and put them into the molds. It was so therapeutic that I brought the extra dough home for a repeat session! Sadly, I don't have pictures of the homeschool co-op mooncake session. We were too busy having fun and eating as we made them, and our hands were too gooey to take any photos! Here's the recipe and step-by-step instructions on making no-bake Snowskin Mooncakes.

On Mid-Autumn night, we gathered for a potluck dinner at Bishan Park, followed by lots and lots of fire play with lanterns, sparklers and candles! It's not often that children are allowed to play with fire, and they were entranced. Which means that we mums had lots of time to do what we needed to do - stuff ourselves and talk. And Talk. And TALK! It's a highly important activity. It keeps me sane, makes me feel understood, gives me new ideas, and let's me know that I'm not alone in this sometimes overwhelming world of motherhood!

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How do snails do it?

How do snails do it? 

Very. very. slowly.

Sometimes, I'm amazed by the little things that children observe but adults miss. The little ones are constantly pointing out the squirrels, garden lizards, frogs, insect nests, and critters that are all around us in the neighbourhood. We spotted this amorous duo making love under the pale moonlight near our apartment. We watched them for a good 10 minutes, but they barely changed position!

We often go for slow nature walks together (covering 200m in 30 minutes!) and we take our time to drink in every detail and see who can point out the most number of exciting things! I think it does help the little ones to get into the habit of taking in details and being observant, a skill that would come in handy when they enter the world of comprehensions and cloze passages.

Beauty and wonder is all around us, if we would only take the time to slow down and look. How many beautiful sights do we miss while hurrying to our next appointment, or worse, walking with our eyes glued to some mobile device? 

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