hOLiday plaNs witH kidS

was reading the papers the other day and came across a 2-page spread on how it was the year-end holidays again and parents were trying to decide how best to keep their kids entertained (yet still keeping it educational i'm sure --- us being in sg and having that kiasu/must win/be #1 mentality) these last 6 weeks of 2009.
there was a whole bunch of activities available and recommended... from mini camps and sleepovers, to museum visits, fun classes, performances......
I WANNA BE A KID AGAIN!!! I WANNA GO SLEEP WITH THE PENGUINS! I WANNA GO TRY BELLY DANCING! I WANNA GO ON THAT ICE-CREAM TOUR WITH BEN & JERRY'S!!!
the children now are sOOOOooooo lucky. i never had such options when i was little... not that i'm complaining or anything. i always had the parents and the sisters at home for company. we'll play lots of lego and go roller-skate and spend evenings after dinner at the playground back in subang. and we went on roadtrips across msia often enough back then. but oh! visits to museums tailored for kids! and chocolate-making classes for kids! wo yaaaaaaaaaoooooooo :(
anyways, the news article got me thinking of what i'll do when i do have little monster(s) of my own :p
depending of 'cos on the time and age of the monster(s), here's my list of top 5 activities i'll love to get 'em involved in during school holidays:

• activities/ workshops at the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden - simply bcos i love that place!!! i love that it's such a quaint lil garden just for kids! the playgrounds, the treehouse, the many fruit trees and flowers and streams......
• music and dance classes - nothing too taxing really. just one-off short programmes to expose them to different music and dance activities. like the Belly Dance for Childrens thingy going on at some CCs now (how cute!!!). im not trying to turn them into professionals so no need for intense, regular, long-term classes... just things they can pick up for fun!
• visits to museums!!! the national museum, ACM, toy museum... i think visits to museums are definitely great family outings, especially when the museums have activities specially tailored for kids! (thinks: Children's Season at the National Museum of Singapore. Mozart - A Child Prodigy!!!)
• kiddy cooking/ baking classes? and visits to food "factories" - one of the things i liked very much on roadtrips DownUnder was going in and out of different food "factories" or "companies" such as the Fudge making places, candy stores, ice-cream places and chocolate companies. it was all so fun! plus you get to taste heaps of yummy-licious junk.
• movie marathons - okay, this i guess we can do at home. but i'll love to make an occassion out of it. the whole family in pjs and fluffy pillows and popcorn and... and a good home entertainment system! ha!

*dreaming
oh well, one can dream right?
abrupt end cos i'm done dreaming :p