Category Archives: activities

Geri’s Game – A Pixar Short Film

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As a chess mom, I thought it was fun to introduce my 7yo son who’s participating in a chess camp this summer.

I am currently reading the book “Creativity, Inc” written by Ed Catmill, one of the early folks and current president of Pixar. He talked about how Geri’s Game was given to the director as an assignment to explore how to animate people better. A couple of minutes into the short film, you’ll probably forget that Geri is animated, not a grumpy old man.

Sneaky Squirrel

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Last week, I started playing the Sneaky Squirrel game with my 4yo son.  While the spinner introduces random elements to the game, he seems to win the game all the day.  For once, I see a confidant young boy who can stand up to his soon-to-be-7yo brother.  And it’s a good thing!

The tree shaped box stands up as one of the most clever designs.

sneakysqurrel

Then the squirrel squeezer makes a simple game just that more challenging for a preschooler.

squirrel

The spinner diagram is simply and containers colors, a snacky squirrel (lose a turn), and a sneaky squirrel (steal an acorn from your neighbor).

As a mom, I enjoy playing a board game where my child exudes confidence!

 

 

 

Budding cartographer

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My 4yo boy fell in love with this maps puzzle after playing with his daddy a few times.

GeoPuzzle U.S.A. and Canada – Educational Geography Jigsaw Puzzle is a fantastic way to introduce geography to kids.  It’s so adorable when my son says “Manitoba” in his sweet voice.  Now he knows the Canadian province better than any other states because it’s right in the middle of the puzzle.

geopuzzle

I highly recommend it and am looking forward to playing with other versions of the puzzle.

Yoga for kids

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In the past few weeks, our little E’s teacher Chandrika started introducing yoga to kids at preschool.

When my 3-year-old boy came home and demonstrated “ice cream” and “airplane” poses, it was incredibly adorable.  I immediately purchased a copy of Bal Yoga for Kids book and DVD, the same material used at school.   Now it’s becoming our nightly routine. Before I put the kids to bed, we stretch and do a few poses.  We end the night with the Namaste pose (legs criss-crossed with thumbs and index fingers touching to make a circle).

One great thing about this collection of video is that it introduces 30+ poses, 26 of them (A-Z) are based on animals or everyday objectives, e.g. ice cream, umbrella.  Not only are kids mimicking animal postures, e.g. extending two arms to form an elephant trunk, they are also learning A, B, C at the same time.

Here’s A for Airplane pose.

bal_yoga_airplane

I did yoga when I was pregnant with my first child.  While I appreciate the meditative aspect, I never quite appreciate it until recently.   This mother-and-son yoga time has given us another chance to bond.

Here’s a promotional video from the publisher:

I highly recommend this book/DVD/audio CD set!

Trips to the Apple Store

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loscerritos_hero_2xThis Christmas we got my mom an iMac and an iPhone 5.  She may be the most equipped grandma on the block.  Yesterday, we spent an hour waiting and configuring her newly purchased iPhone 5.  It was crowded but kids were in their own zone.

I always find trips to Apple Store is like going to a theme park.  It’s just as fun as going to the Legoland.  They love sitting on those foamed spherical chairs, exploring new apps, and periodically poking their heads up, like squirrels looking for nuts, to see what other kids are playing.

If you ever need a place to take kids on a rainy day, head to the local Apple Store.  Now if only they have childcare!