Tiffany Basket

I love dramatic play (or what we call 过家家 in Chinese, which means “playing house” or “playing grown up”) since young. It has been amazing since my little boys came along, now that I have the best play companions ever to relive and actualize my childhood imaginations. It brings me great joy to see my little boys enjoying and learning in these play spaces I have created, be it previously at work or in our home, old and new. It has also been very encouraging to read the positive comments from like-minded “playful” mommies from the online community, so here is our first post to share more details about our first dramatic play space in our new home, that’s the FARMER’S MARKET!

When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality.

We all love the IKEA play kitchen and there is no end to it’s possibilities since turning it around, inspired by the many wonderful ideas online. In our first dramatic play set-up, the IKEA play kitchen was our cashier counter for farmer’s market!

Most of the props used in this play set-up was from our previous play kitchen. I kept away the cooking utensils and got more rattan baskets and shopping bags from my favorite store, DAISO! To make the play experience more authentic and to draw closer connection to the real word, we used a combination of foam and felt fruits and vegetables that looked so real my younger boy almost bit into one of the apples.

To encourage writing and learning of numerical concepts, I discussed the price chart with my older one and invited him to draw and write the price tags of some products. He wrote $2 and $1 for a handful of mushrooms and strawberries respectively. Sadly, I did not take any shots of the price tags before they were destroyed in play (it happens and it is perfectly alright). We kept the price numbers small to make the additions and subtractions manageable for a five-year-old. The process of buying and selling certainly presented a good opportunity to reinforce the concept of money and practise addition and subtraction.

While at play, we also encouraged my older boy to converse in Mandarin to practise saying the names of the fruits and vegetables in Chinese.

So, what else did we have at our stall? There were apples, pears, pineapples, carrots, radishes, pumpkins, strawberries, cabbages, etc, colorful enough for color grouping fun with my younger boy. I have been doing a lot of matching activities with my younger one, hence I was pleasantly surprised and yet not surprised to see him intuitively picking and matching fruits and vegetables to the illustrations on the price chart.

Both boys wanted to man the cashier counter, so Mummy J ended up the only customer!

We kept and stuffed some old newspapers into our monster cookie box to keep its shape and included it as a product from our farmer’s market. Loved, and still love these mini ziploc bags in the design of jug from Daiso! Popped in pom pom balls and we had fruit candies for sales as well!

The old house used to be cluttered with toys. The boys were spoilt for choice and ended up feeling bored from not knowing what to play. Now that we have the chance to reorganise the learning resources and toys in our new house, adhering to the principle that “less is more”, we kept away most of the stuffs and only brought out a few each time, and surprisingly, they could play with them longer. We kept the farmer’s market dramatic play set-up for close to a month, and the grand plan is to have a new theme each month for now, so stay around and look forward to more sharing of our play experience! Do drop by our Instagram @tiffany_basket too!

Reading about the past informs the present and predicts the future.

To encourage love for reading and local heritage, we have always been looking out for locally themed children’s books based on Singapore or by local authors. Here’s a listing to share with like-minded parents and educators! Most of these books are available for loan from our public libraries. To encourage extended learning beyond the text and familial bonding, I have also included some suggestions of hands-on learning activities that all in the family can enjoy together.

1. Singapore through Alphabets A to Z

By Rebecca Green

A is for Aunties…

H is for Hawker…

K is for Kopi…

Singapore through Alphabets A to Z is an interesting book for the young and young at hearts, it will definitely bring a smile to your face as you flip through familiar icons of Singapore. This would be good entry for our little babes and tots below 3 years old, who are just learning ABCs. You could introduce some of our national symbols, icons and landmarks to them, such as the Merlion, chilli crab, Jurong Bird Park, etc.

Don’t quite agree with the listing, how about getting the older ones in the family involved too and come up with your own A to Z list for Singapore?

2. Early Learning at National Museum of Singapore

Celebrate Singapore’s birthday with National Museum of Singapore! Get your hands on this set of early resources recommended for ages 1 to 6 and go on an artefact hunt together! Available for sales at Museum Label shop of National Museum of Singapore.

3. We Can

By Ben Lai

With it’s simple language and vivid illustrations, We Can by Ben Lai is another good book for the babies in the family. Through effort, teamwork and unity, we can become stronger together. Yes, we can! And, it’s the time of the year again to come together and celebrate our achievements, big or small.

Together, we can make Singapore a better place, for you and for me.

4. The Birthday Party

Written by Linda Gan, with illustrations by Patrick Yee

The Birthday Party is another friendly pictorial book for our baby readers. The story starts with an invitation to Singapore’s birthday party (that’s the National Day parade) and as the children followed the sea to find the party, they encountered many iconic buildings and landmarks of Singapore.

How about ending this storytelling session with a birthday card for Singapore? Try making one with your little ones.

5. Jayden and Janelle Book Series

By Seema Dadlani-Ramchand and Harsha Dadlani-Dhalani

Happy 50th Birthday, Singapore! is a good social story for our little ones who are attending the National Day parade for the first time. Let’s Celebrate features Racial Harmony Day and talks about how this uniquely Singapore day is celebrated in schools.

Check out the rest of Jayden and Janelle book series, such as Bus Ride to the Library, Picnic under the Supertree.

6. Prominent Singaporeans Book Series

Missing an image of The Runaway Who Became President

Recommended for children ages 5 to 8, the Prominent Singaporeans book series feature war heroine, Elizabeth Choy, Mister HDB, Lim Kim San and former president, S. R. Nathan and more. There are so many positive qualities and values we can learn from their growing up experiences and journey to prominence and success. Encourage your child to share what they learn from each personality.

What can we do to make our home, our neighbourhood and country a better place for everyone?

Where Are All the Birds

Our favourite has to be Where Are All the Birds, featuring Dr Goh Keng Swee in his younger self as Swee, the curious boy who was always searching for answers to his questions about the world around him, and how this inquisitive spirit helped him formulate solutions to better the lives of Singaporeans. Be curious, don’t stop asking questions!

7. A Boy Named Harry Book Series

By Patrick Yee

Continuing on the topic of prominent Singaporeans, you could also read A Boy Named Harry, Harry Grows Up and Harry Builds a Nation and introduce one little ones to Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

8. What’s inside the Red Box?

Written and illustrated by Phua San San

This is our favourite! What’s inside the Red Box? is a story about a box that holds big dreams for a small country! It gives little children a peek into the dreams Mr Lee had for the nation.

Share with your little ones – what are your dreams for yourself, for the family and for Singapore? Try making your own red box and fill it up with birthday wishes and dreams for Singapore!

9. Lonely Planet Kids – Singapore City Trails

How about exploring our city-state with your little ones this National Day using Singapore City Trails by Lonely Planet Kids?

This is a good travel guide for the well initiated parents who don’t have time to research or revise their history lessons. Still too tired, get your tweens and teens to borrow the book from our public libraries and plan an itinerary for the family! Go car-free and include public transport, perhaps go somewhere that gives you the opportunity to check out our new MRT stations. Let travelling starts from home! The next time you have friends visiting from overseas with kids, you can recommend this book to them too.

9. The Little Singapore Book

Written by Sim Ee Waun and Joyceline See Tully, with illustrations by Diane Ng Rose

Not a school textbook but definitely a local classic not to be missed. Written for children ages 5 to 10 years old, The Little Singapore Book introduces young readers to our history and culture through fun facts, interesting stories packed with rich detail and a fresh perspective. Being mothers themselves, Ee Waun and Joyceline certainly have parents covered for an engaging storytelling time ahead! Check out it’s official page here.

Available for sale at Kinokuniya, Popular and Epigram bookstores, Museum Label shops at National Museum of Singapore and Asian Civilisations Museum, and other online bookstores, such as LocalBooks.sg and Closetful of Books.

10. The Great Singapore Sale

Written by Maurice Yeo, with illustrations by Gracie Chai

The Great Singapore Sale is a quirky and humorous book about Singapore, re-imagined – the animals of Singapore are under threat! Humans are invading their homes, so they are fighting back. Behind the imagination is a deep reflection and call to action for us to protect our environment and preserve our heritage.

How would you imagine Singapore to be another 10, 50 or 200 years later? Set your tweens and teens on an imaginative journey and get them to draw or pen down their imaginations of Singapore.

11. The Fearless Twins and the Magical Kaleido – A Narrow Escape

Written by Shekinah Linn, with illustrations by Tan Siew Wei

Bring this book along if you are planning to take a ride around town like Toby, Tammy and their fun-loving Uncle Al, and try spotting these national monuments featured in The Narrow Escape.

What is a national monument? In Singapore, national monuments are buildings or structures protected by a law called the Preservation of Monuments Act. No one is allowed to tear down or change national monuments. They are preserved for adults and children to appreciate. A building has to be at least 30 years old and important to our history and society to be selected as national monument. There are 64 national monuments in Singapore.

12. Attack of the Swordfish and Other Singapore Tales

Written by Charlotte Lim, with illustrations by Alicia Tan Yen Ping

Do you still remember Attack of the Swordfish, Badang the Strongman and other local myths and legends from our primary-level Social Studies lessons in the past? From mythical creatures to heroic acts, Attack of the Swordfish and Other Singapore Tales is an anthology of traditional stories that celebrates the richness of our oral tradition. Don’t wait to tell these fascinating tales, before they are lost, to our young.

Try getting your children to create their own fantastical creatures inspired by the flora and fauna of our local landscape, you will be amazed by their creations!

Thanks for reading, hope this listing is useful for you! Watch this space for more children’s books based on or related to Singapore’s history and heritage. Feel free to get in touch if you have any other books to recommend.