How to Sharpen your Colored Pencils?

We have participated in a half day course on coloring with Raja Pensel Warna, Uncle Uneh. It was held in Dewan KIPSAS with more than 100 participants. We have no idea at first who was this Raja, until he started sketching and coloring. 

I was accidentally came across the flyers of this short course and I thought this could be a good expose to the girls, since they like coloring and drawing. Iris even wanted to become a great artist when she grow up. So we decided to join and yes, it was a day well spent. Uncle Uneh also told us that a knowledge is required to excel in any thing-profession, hobby, etc. 

Here are some great tips on coloring given by Uncle Uneh:

1. Use any hard smooth surface to support the coloring/ drawing sheet. He advised us to use mounting board. 
2. Use the same brand of sharpener to sharpen the colored pencils.
3. Only sharpen the colored pencils up to 90-180 degrees. Otherwise, it will shorten and ruin your colored pencils quickly.
4. Keep back the colored pencils in place so that it is easier for the next use.

He also gave us some tips if we join any coloring contest:

1. Color all the coloring sheet. Don't leave any uncolored space.
2. Be creative enough and add something to the picture. If there are no clouds in the sky, add some. Add birds or hot air balloons or just a necklace around the neck. But he suggested that we draw something that related to the organizer of that coloring contest. For example, if the organizer is Astro Ceria, so draw a picture of hot air balloon/ flag with Astro Ceria logo on it. Include anything that relates to the sponsor. It surely makes your piece to top three.:)
3. Keep the neatness in your piece.

Now go out there and go win yourself a coloring contest!

Unik + Aneh

We wish you good luck for your own colored pencil brand, Uncle Uneh!

Patiently waiting for Uncle Uneh to start the show.

The kids showing their masterpieces.

How talented these kids are, with only a half-day course, they can easily master the coloring skill!

You must be so proud of yourself, right Iris?

Obviously I drew the tree for Iyra, and she colored it. She did the eyes and well, the shades was not bad for 3 years old girl!

Thank you Uncle Uneh! We are now Puteri Pensel Warna!

Our Connie Doll

Fanny

'Fanny' by Holly Hobbie is one of my girls' favorite books.  It is about a little girl names Fanny who wants to have her own Connie doll for her birthday.  Connie doll is Barbie-type doll with thick mascara and blushers and superficial and all-glamorous dress.  But her mom says no because she doesn't "like the Connie dolls look. They're just too...much.", and so Fanny makes her own Connie doll.  She replicates Connie using glue, scissors, fabrics and whatever she has in hands.  But it is not Connie she made, but Annabelle,- a companion doll she always wanted. Annabelle has real yellow yarn hair, with pink pajama top and the widest grin a doll could ever have.

Inspired by this book, my girls decided to make their own Annabelle. It was fun to find out that their two hands and creative left brain can actually turn a plain canvas into the best doll! 

Iesha painted her doll.

Iyra dried out the painted canvas.

Iyra chose the googly eyes for her doll.

Iesha painted her doll in pink and red and blue.

  

Their own Annabelle dolls.

Does Orange Sink or Float?

Does orange sink or float? That was the big question for our recent experiment (not so recent-lah, it was four months ago, hee forgive us). I asked the girls their guesses whether the orange sink or float. All of them answered that the orange will sink. The answer is not so simple as it is. So we decided to find out the answer. 

What we need:

1. An orange

2. A bucket of water

What to do:

 1. Fill a bucket with water. 

 2. Place an orange in it.

 3. Observe whether the orange sinks or floats.

 4. Then take the orange out and peel all of the rind away.

5. Try the experiment again, and see if the orange behaves any differently! 

Results:

The unpeeled orange sink, while the peeled orange floats.

What really happened?

It is because the rind contains little picket of air, which essentially keep the thing afloat- but when they're gone, the entire piece of fruit simply submerges! Iris simply similarized the orange as a person who swims with and without the life float. Brilliant simple comparison!

How to Get the Kids Involve in the House Chores

Getting them involve? Honestly, I always have hard time doing this. Frankly speaking, I am kind of nagging mother when it comes to doing chores. I know that it would give a negative spin in 'nagging' term, but well, yes I nag a lot. I believe that nagging would make them stay focus and understand of what they are doing.

I have tried some of the tips and tricks on how to get the kids do the house chores. I have read a few articles on it and I have tried some. Honestly, the tips works few times, but most of the times, it just didn't work. So take your time and try new tips and tricks. It is best actually to teach them to do chores at the early age and try find out what are the suitable chores at the particular age. Don't force, just nag.:p

So here are the tips that might pretty work for your kids. Let's try!

1. Stop the show
2. Time your child's performance
3. Consider giving kids an allowance
4. Use structure
5. Don't turn chores into punishment
6. Use a reward system

For further reading on each point, please refer here.

In Loving Memories

A duckling and the two chicks

Our beloved teeny-weeny turtle

They have lefts us, but the memories remain. We missed you guys.

Clean Up the Beach

A beach clean-up activity

We have moved somewhere in East Coast Malaysia, where the coast have always have beaches nearby. And so our new home, with the beach only 15 minutes by walking. The girls are so excited knowing that they can be the beach girls in an instant.

Who does not love beach? With the comfy sand, and the music of the wave and the sky and the birds flying, what are not to love? But sadly, 'our' beach is not as clean as it should be. There were litters everywhere. We can see the rubbish deco-ed the coastline. And it made the girls so sad they decided to have their first comprehensive environmental education activity by themselves.

They started to gather all the rubbish they found. They were sad seeing the mountain of rubbish they collected. They started to think the 'what if'. "What if the fish think the plastic bag as jellyfish and eat it?",  "What if the mermaid collect all the bottles and polystyrene plates and furnish her castle with those things? When the litters finally pollute her castle?".

It was an unplanned activity, thus we did not bring any big plastic bag to put all those rubbish. Don't worry our new friend, "Miss Ariel" (they named the beach after their favorite mermaid), we surely come again any time soon. Till then, take a good care of yourself and don't worry, we will make up you later. With our best mascara and blusher. :)

Here are some tips to organize a beach clean-up (Source: Here)

Before Clean-Up

1. Pick your location
2. Contact your crew (family and colleagues)
3. Get supplies (gloves, litter bag, closed-shoes)
4. Keep safety in minds (of broken bottles, etc.)

During Clean-Up

1. Set up
2. What to tell volunteers
3. Document the clean-up (take photos, etc.)

After Clean-Up

1. Share your results (upload it in Instagram etc.)
2. Say thanks (to those who joined)
3. Encourage others to do so in future

Let's keep the coast clear!