Recently, I noticed that whenever Lil Pumpkin does something related to Science, she would write "JJ" on the cover.
At first I was a little puzzled over it... then I remembered that she has a set of science-based comic books, JJ's Science Adventures, where JJ is the acronym of the main protagonists' names, Joyce and Jonathan, who go on exciting quests to discover the secrets of science.
Did the comic books have such a great impact on Lil Pumpkin that she channels her inner "JJ" to help her complete her Science work??! haha
From Aurelia Tan, the same local author that brought us Science Made Easy with Doodles {a unique pictorial companion guide to the current MOE Science syllabus}, JJ's Science Adventure is a series of educational comic books designed to help readers master key learning objectives stated in the Singapore Ministry of Education’s Primary School Science syllabus.
The story goes that after receiving their birthday presents from their grandfather, Joyce and Jonathon {JJ} find themselves in possession of two bags which transform into Robo, a talking robot, and a teleportation portal. With a set of keys from Robo, the kids open the portal into sub-dimensional world created by the ‘World Maker’, an incredible invention by their grandfather to help them learn science.
Each comic book is based on a specific unit {e.g. Forces, Magnets, Heat & Light} and converts the learning objectives for that unit into a sci-fi adventure story that captures the interest of students through the use of engaging narratives and fully-coloured Japanese manga graphics.
In the adventure for Heat & Light, the twins journey into the World of Heat and Light where they solve challenging puzzle traps laid by their grandfather. Will they survive the constant sabotage by a minion sent by Mr Sinister and win the prize that helps them unlock yet another Science secret?
Like I mentioned before, Lil Pumpkin is a visual learner so enjoyed learning and remembering new bite-sized Science concepts via the cute drawings in the comic books.
And through the adventures in the comic books, she sees that Science isn't boring. On the contrary, Science is fascinating yet very relatable to the world we live in!! Definitely something she wants to explore more and dig into deeper!
The storyline is simple enough to follow, even for young Science learners like Lil Pumpkin. She particularly liked the "Did You Know" interesting trivia sections and "Challenge Yourself" sections where she could test herself on specific new concepts learnt.
As a parent, I liked that key learning points are highlighted to ensure that we can easily identify them as learning points to emphasize to our children. I reckon that the comic books are easy-to-digest for those in lower Primary, and is a fun revision companion for those in upper Primary that want to take their minds off all the "heavy textbook" reading. The book is also small and light enough to carry about and keep Lil Pumpkin entertained on the train or during waiting times.
If you're interested, JJ's Science Adventure {Heat & Light} comic book costs S$18.90 and is sold online here, in Elm Tree shop at Paragon & Downtown East, and in Junior Page bookstore at Alexandra Retail Centre {ARC} & KK Hospital. More information about the series can be found on Harvest Edutainment website.
For my own special friends & blog readers, I've TWO JJ's Science Adventure {Heat & Light} Educational Comic Book {worth S$18.90} to give away!! A perfect Science enrichment book for P2 - P6 students, or even for younger children if you'd like to introduce Science concepts to them.
2.Subscribe to my upcoming newsletter. Make sure the email add you used to subscribe is working as I'll be using that to contact the winner. Remember to confirm the subscription and check your junk folder in case the confirmation email goes there.
3. Like & Share this Facebook photo and tag 3 friends. Make sure your post is public!
4. Leave me a blog comment telling me your best exam study tip + FB name you used to like the page + name you used to subscribe to the newsletter. For those unsure of how to comment, choose "Name/URL" option then add your name and comment.
Bonus entry:
1. Follow @AiSakuraHaruka on Instagram
2. Repost this photo on IG & tag @AiSakuraHaruka #ASHxScienceComicBookGiveaway + your FB name + 3 friends. Make sure your post is public!
TWO random winners will be chosen. Just complete all 4 simple steps + bonus entry {if you like}!
Details: * Open to Singapore residents only. * Ends Sunday, 2 Sep 2018 2359hrs {Singapore time} * Incomplete or inappropriate entries will be deemed invalid and will not be included. * Winners will be announced by Wednesday 5 Sep 2018 on this blog post and notified via email with further instructions on how to collect prize. Winners have 2 days to reply, or the prize will be redrawn.
P.S. To date, there are 3 titles in the series: Magnets, Heat & Light, and Forces. Stay tuned for another giveaway next month for JJ's Science Adventure {Forces}!!
I was at a work talk, which was pretty mundane, but at the end the speaker was telling the story of The Three Bricklayers to drive home the idea of having the right attitude and understanding the big picture. Basically the story goes like this,
"Someone saw three men working. He asked the first man what he was doing and the man said he was laying bricks. He asked the second man the same question and he said he was putting up a wall. When he got to the third man and asked him what he was doing he said he was building a cathedral."
They were all doing the same thing. The first man had a job. The second man had a career. The third man had a calling.
At an organisational level, it's important for an employee to know that no matter how small our job is or how insignificant it may seem, we are all laying bricks to build the company up. There is a big picture in our daily actions, and what little we do still makes a difference.
On hearing that parable, I related it more to me being a mum and how I communicate to Lil Pumpkin about her studies, though.
As she progresses through her schooling years, her school load is getting more and more intensive. Every other day, I'm telling her to "study hard", or "do your homework" or "remember your revision" etc. Even I reckon that I sound like a broken record and find it sian to say it over, and over again...
I know Lil Pumpkin is a curious child and likes learning new things, but sometimes schoolwork or listening in class can be boring. Rather than just reminding her on completing the immediate task e.g. learn her spelling or finish her homework, I should remind her to see the end result and focus on the bigger picture i.e. gaining more knowledge, creating a life that she wants, being a useful citizen of the world, having the ability to positively impact others in the future etc.
Maybe then, she would be more self-motivated to strive on completing the challenging tasks at hand without me prompting, and not be disappointed if she has mini set-backs in her schooling journey.
Lil Pumpkin may be laying bricks every day, but if she can envision her own personal "cathedral", she will enjoy her school years more, and grow more through the process. Right? #mummymusings
It's easy to tell when Lil Pumpkin likes a book because she will go read it all by herself again, and again, and again... without any prompting by me. Like this Science Made Easy with Doodles book that's co-authored by local writers, Aurelia Tan and Dr. Koh Siak Meng.
It's not even a fictional storybook, but actually a unique pictorial companion guide to the current MOE Science syllabus that extrapolates all the important core concepts and condenses them into colourful & cute little drawings that make it easy for young students, like Lil Pumpkin, to understand.
Lil Pumpkin is a visual learner and has always been interested in arts and doodles, so this was exactly what she needed to introduce her to the key scientific facts, concepts and principles that she is/ will be learning in school, and help her to remember them better.
Wordy textbooks with little or no pictures just doesn't cut it for her at the moment (ી(΄◞ิ౪◟ิ‵)ʃ)
“Science Made Easy with Doodles” is a complete set of 18 doodles, for the nine Lower Primary and nine Upper Primary Science units in the Ministry of Education {MOE} Science curriculum. It covers Diversity, Cycles, Systems, Interactions & Energy in both Lower Block {P3 & P4) and Upper Block {P5 & P6}.
The book itself is A4-sized and wire-bound. Every page is fully colour-printed on a hardy artcard and laminated, so we don't have to worry about the pages getting crumpled or tearing if water is accidentally spilled on it.
It happened before though, as since it's so light and provides a quick and easy revision of Science topics, we like to bring the book out for Lil Pumpkin to read while waiting, and she accidentally knocked a cup of water over it during dinner. We quickly wiped it dry with tissue and there wasn't any damage or need to dry it much further.
Here are some examples of the cute doodles, which Lil Pumpkin likes to copy out sometimes and that's good I reckon because it helps her to remember better haha.
Each page highlights and summarises key teaching points of 1 unit. Just the fundamental information, nothing too in-depth or confusing. I love that all the abstract science concepts in this new school subject are broken down step-by-step, and presented clearly & succinctly for Lil Pumpkin.
Actually, I heard that quite a number of schools have also used the illustrations found in the book as learning walls for the students!!
If you're interested, "Science Made Easy with Doodles" book costs S$32 and is sold online here and in Junior Page bookstore at Alexandra Retail Centre {ARC} & KK Hospital. Check out Harvest Edutainment website for more information on the A2-sized wall posters and customised wallpaper that are available too.
For my own special friends & blog readers, I've TWO Science Made Easy with Doodles Pictorial Guidebook {worth S$32} to give away!! A perfect Science study companion for P3 - P6 students, or even for younger children if you'd like to introduce Science concepts to them.
2.Subscribe to my upcoming newsletter. Make sure the email add you used to subscribe is working as I'll be using that to contact the winner. Remember to confirm the subscription and check your junk folder in case the confirmation email goes there.
3. Like & Share this Facebook photo and tag 3 friends. Make sure your post is public!
4. Leave me a blog comment telling me your best Science tip + FB name you used to like the page + name you used to subscribe to the newsletter. For those unsure of how to comment, choose "Name/URL" option then add your name and comment.
Bonus entry:
1. Follow @AiSakuraHaruka on Instagram
2. Repost this photo on IG & tag @AiSakuraHaruka #ASHxScienceDoodlesGiveaway + your FB name + 3 friends. Make sure your post is public!
TWO random winners will be chosen. Just complete all 4 simple steps + bonus entry {if you like}!
UPDATE: The giveaway has ended. The winner is Petrina Pang & Katherine Ke. Stay tuned for more blog giveaways on Sakura Haruka! Check out my current readers promos too. Thanks for your support!
Details: * Open to Singapore residents only. * Ends Friday, 29 Jun 2018 2359hrs {Singapore time} * Incomplete or inappropriate entries will be deemed invalid and will not be included. * Winners will be announced by Tuesday 3 July 2018 on this blog post and notified via email with further instructions on how to collect prize. Winners have 2 days to reply, or the prize will be redrawn.
No time to waste at home though as I dived straight back to reality with mundane household chores like vacuuming, clearing the laundry {apparently they waited until I returned to fold all the clothes!!!}, re-organising Lil Pumpkin's study area etc. while on the office front, I've been kept busy clearing my pile of work and emails too.
Figured I should do some "blog work" too but since I'm too lazy to actually write about my trip now, I made 2 shopping haul vlogs instead because 1) I'm really, really excited about my recent purchases from Gold Coast haha, and 2) it motivates me to clear my luggage and unpack ( �?� )و
It's been a very long time since I last vlogged {latest one was my Bangkok Shopping Haul video in 2016 haha} so I stumbled a lot in the beginning. Was kinda conscious talking in front of the camera and made many bloopers so I had to restart a few times.
For you OG folks who have been supporting me and my blog since it started, you'd know that I do minimal video editing for my vlogs. Very raw, unscripted and #nofilter.. Each vlog video is done in one take and so sorry if there's too much awkward silences, mispronunciations, uptalking or speech fillers.. #oops
I hope to do more vlogs again {and get better at them!!} as Lil Pumpkin has expressed interest in doing so herself haha and I guess it's an interesting way to get her to creatively express her opinions about various things too. Possibly get her more confident in speaking aloud too.. one of the feedback we received from her language teachers is that she isn't too confident during the oral exams, which I find strange since she is a vocal child but maybe she just isn't used to having in-depth conversations or having to answer questions about certain topics.
Anyway, if you haven't yet, do subscribe to my YouTube channel and I've posted some trip pics & vids to Instagram and saved them on my Stories Highlights {see folder named "Australia"}... so follow me on Instagram and check them out too! (*⌒▽⌒*)θ～♪
The first vlog is about the stuff I bought for Lil Pumpkin during my trip. Maybe it's mummy's guilt for being away so long, but I reckon 80% of my shopping there was for her haha.. mainly craft kits, undergarments for school, accessories and casual wear.
I really enjoy shopping in Australia, especially at retailers like Kmart, Target, Big W, Best & Less etc. Such a wide variety of products and they are all priced very reasonably too, especially for their house brands!
For my first visit into Kmart this trip, I literally spent 3hrs there going through everything and probably would have stayed longer if they didn't have to close #truestory
For my second vlog, I talked about the stuff I found for myself at the kids section hehe. Yup, I do like to shop at the kids section too because of the different variety {sometimes they have waaaaaaay cuter stuff} and they are usually cheaper too. And also since I'm already there looking for things for Lil Pumpkin, I might as well keep an eye out for things I might fancy too haha.
For reference, I'm an Australian ladies size XS or S / 8 or 10, and can fit into girls size 14 or 16.
If you can't open the video, please watch on my YouTube channel here.
In case you're wondering, I didn't spend all my time shopping (•áµ•á´—ᵕ•)⁾⁾ᵖᵉ�?áµ’
Although I checked out the stores and my fave local markets at Eumundi, Carrara and Surfers Paradise, most of my time was spent relaxing at the beautiful beaches and I even went out of my comfort zone to try new things like jet-skiing and also fishing!!
Total noob but yup, I managed to put on live bait {eeeeks!!}, hook and reel in a few fish by myself haha. Yay me!
I loved being back in Australia and certainly feel re-energised by my time away, but it's good to be back home again too. Thanks once again to the boy for making this all happen ❤
Finally managed to get a little hair trim last weekend!! Nothing too drastic as I'm trying to grow my hair out... but just wanted to trim and neaten my wild mane a bit before my birthday hehehe..
I'm all for fun family time, good food and company, but as an extroverted introvert {yes, I believe that's a thing..}, I also have moments where I long for quiet time to recharge, refresh and reflect alone.
And that's what I intend to get. We carry so much love in our heart for others, we must not be afraid to give some to ourselves too and as per my past birthdays, I'm "getting off the grid" and heading on a solo birthday trip.
"If you want to give light to others, you must glow yourself."
I'm going away to chillax & find my glow again... and I think I know just the perfect place to bask in lots of happiness & golden sunshine get it. See you all when I return a year older, a little wiser and hopefully a lot brighter! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
P.S. Special thanks to the boy for understanding and being such a loving, hands-on dad with Lil Pumpkin so that I can travel without worries (♥ω♥ ) ~♪
When I saw My Baby Gift's new gender-neutral white & black collection, I screamed with delight and immediately thought of my sister and niece #auntylovesyou
Let's be honest. Not every parent like the traditional pink or blue for their little girls/ boys because it may seem too "loud" or too stereotypical. My sister is one of them and prefers muted, cool neutrals like white and grey when shopping for my niece.
I'm usually more of a "vibrant colours" kinda person but I must admit that a neutral palette makes everything seem more stylish, chic and contemporary. Plus, when you do add bright colours as accents, it makes the colour more dramatic & pop even more!
Unfortunately though, when searching for newborn or baby gifts, a lot of them come in those colours.
Even My Baby Gift started out with personalised newborn & baby gift hampers for girls and boys in pink and blue, which we did get for Baby J {girl} and Baby R {boy} previously to welcome them to the world, but I'm glad they've added this new white & black unisex collection to their online boutique.
It will certainly appeal to parents like my sister, or even to those that wish to gift a hamper to would-be parents who do not know the gender of their kids yet!
Oh, Alissa told me that sometimes she personalises baby gifts with the family name, rather than the name of the child, so that it may be kept as a family heirloom and future siblings can use it too. I think it's a brilliant idea and would certainly work well with this classic, gender-neutral white & black collection!
Lil J isn't a newborn or a baby {although she always will be to my sister like how Lil Pumpkin is to me?! heh} but a cute little toddler coming to 3 years of age.
She will be attending preschool childcare full-time soon and I reckon that getting her some personalised gifts with her name from My Baby Gift will come in handy because of, you know, lost prevention... hahaha （⌒▽⌒ã‚ž
Every parent knows to label their child's personal items once they start going to school. Stick-on labels can get torn off or drop off after some time, and even permanent ink smudges or fade, but with My Baby Gift personalised items, the child's name {maximum 10 characters} is carefully embroidered on the gifts, and not just "printed" or "embossed" on as some personalised gifts are... which in turn makes them more long-lasting especially after multiple washes.
Note: The default embroidery thread colour for the gender-neutral collection is black. However, if you'd like to have the child's name embroidered in another colour, it is possible at no extra charge.
Her specially-curated hamper came with the award-winning personalised Multi-Stars Blanket, a matching personalised Multi-Stars Pillow, a personalised Towel Bib, and another of their best seller - the Birthday Bunny with Lil J's name and birth date!
Yes, the Birthday Bunny now comes in chic white & grey as well to match the gender-neutral collection. I hope that this sweet, fluffy friend will keep my niece company and provide comfort for her in the new environment ❤
If you remember, Lil Pumpkin has one as well and was quick to snuggle up to Lil J's bunny when I opened to check the hamper. The bright girl was also quick to point out that this new bunny's ears didn't squeak when pressed like the earlier version she has. Didn't notice until she mentioned hehe..
My Baby Gift personalised blankets, pillow, towels are big enough for toddlers aged 3-4 years old too! Since Lil J usually wears long pants and socks at her childcare due to her eczema, she doesn't need a very thick blanket... but something lightweight and compact to pack in her sleeping bag daily.
I like that the grey colour will not show dirt or stains easily too. Same goes for her pillow which has a 100% cotton cover that's easy to remove and wash.
This is the 3rd time we've gotten stuff from My Baby's Gift and as usual, I'm pleased and amazed at their fast and efficient service. Just 2 working days from order to delivery of lovely, personalised gifts!
However, if you require next-day, same-day or weekend deliveries, that is possible too with extra charge. They also deliver overseas via TNT and that takes about 1-2 working days. Find out more information about their personlised gifts and hampers from My Baby Gift website. Be sure to check out their sale page for a good deal!! You can use the flash promo code below for extra discounts too.
They just revamped their website to make it more user-friendly, and added new items like personalised jumpsuits, body suits with pants sets, burp cloths etc. to their shop. My Baby Gift really is one of my go-to places when I need to get something unique and memorable for family and friend's dear newborns, babies and toddlers. I just wish I knew of them while Lil Pumpkin was still a wee bub herself!! (*^▽^*)
Promo: Quote "NEWSHOP" for S$10 OFF any purchase from My Baby Gift to celebrate the launch of their new website. Valid even for sale items, until 31 May 2018 only.
Last Thursday we bought the Creative HansVision PX2131 Chinese electronic dictionary for Lil Pumpkin. Apparently students in Primary, Secondary and JCs are now allowed to use e-dictionaries during the compo paper for PSLE, GCE N(T), N(A), O and A-Level Examinations so schools allow them for use during class and school exams too.
However, exactly when they can start using them in class and during school exams will depend on the school. Some schools only allow kids to use them from P4/P5 onwards, while others, like Lil Pumpkin's school, lets them use them from P3 onwards.
It is not a necessity. Students are still allowed to use the traditional paper dictionaries to help them write compositions like before, but given this time and age where kids nowadays are more geared towards technology like mobile-phones, tablets and computers, they would probably be more comfortable using e-dictionaries compared to paper dictionaries {which I still personally prefer!} where it is quicker and more convenient to bring around.
However, for paper dictionaries, you have to be precise in knowing the number of strokes or exact hanyu pinyin for each Chinese character. There is no "auto-correct" or any intuitive help that an electronic dictionary provides.
I guess that can be the reason why you would or wouldn't start your child on an electronic dictionary. It doesn't "force" them to count the number of strokes or know the hanyu pinyin before they need to check the meaning of the words. So, it is thus useful for a child who struggles in this area, and yet it provides no motivation for them to improve on them either.
Anyway, I'm not going to discuss whether to get a paper or e-dictionary in this post. Maybe another time.
But since I posted on my Facebook page & Instagram that we got Lil Pumpkin the PX2131, a few parents requested for a review on this particular model so I'd focus more on that here instead.
Background of Chinese e-dictionaries in Singapore for use in exams
Since 2007, the Ministry of Education {MOE} allowed the use of electronic CL-CL dictionaries during examinations for all levels from PSLE to pre-University starting 2007.
There's a list of approved Chinese e-dictionaries compiled by Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board {SEAB} for PSLE. Approval for use in national examinations is valid only for 5 years for a specific edition/version starting from the examination year following the year of application. Vendors need to apply for an extension of the validity period of the approved dictionaries, which they do so don't be afraid to get one now even if your child's PSLE is after the current approved period.
From this list, you can see that there's only 3 major players in the market - Besta, Creative and ZZ. A quick check online shows that Besta and Creative are the more established brands, while ZZ is a new company and their dictionaries were only added into this list from this year. All 3 are local, Singapore companies {but ZZ originated from China}.
The first approved Chinese e-dictionary {HansVision PX2051} was a collaboration between Creative and Ministry of Education for our students. Then Besta started their All Pass series targeted for students to bring into exam halls and ZZ was established in 2016 and started selling their versions last year.
Why did we get Creative HansVision Chinese E-Dictionary PX2131?
We bought Lil Pumpkin her Chinese e-dictionary the night we found out that she could use it for her P3 compo exam paper, which was a week later. We wanted to get it fast so that she'd have time to get used to the e-dictionary in time for her exams.
Just so you know, we didn't really have much time to do a comprehensive comparison of all the available models out there. I assume that the internal software {Chinese dictionary, vocabulary bank, Chinese idioms list, hanyu pinyin search functions etc.} is about the same across the board. However, I asked around, read some reviews and we narrowed down to the model we wanted to get her based on some factors that were important to us.
Firstly, the e-dictionary had to have a handwriting input function as that's the main way Lil Pumpkin searches for words in the dictionary app she uses at home. At the moment, she rarely searches for words with hanyu pinyin mainly because 1) most of the times she already doesn't know how to read the characters, that's why she needs to search haha, and 2) it is just quicker to write it out then to type out the hanyu pinyin.
Basically with this factor, it eliminated almost all of the Creative HansVision models except for PX2131 as that's the only one that has a handwriting input function. Even the latest PX2181 model that was released this year does not have a stylus / handwriting input function {see comparison table at end of post}!!
Besta All Pass 3 {the older versions are out of production and not in sale anymore} and ZZ models were still in the game though.
Secondly, we wanted something compact and light for her to bring to and fro school. Creative HansVision PX2181 and Besta All Pass 3 fit this criteria. ZZ e-dictionaries are apparently modified car navigation devices. They are newer, touchscreen, coloured, have bigger writing surfaces, use built-in batteries but are also heavier, bulkier and require frequent charging {and they also didn't have the Wildcard Search function - see below for details}.
Thirdly, we wanted to buy from an established brand because it's for use during exams. I mean, I don't want her to bring it to exams then suddenly it conks out and won't work!
Although I like that ZZ e-dictionaries are touchscreen, coloured & have a bigger writing surface, there is not much track record on how long they can last without charging, how they heat up, how they will hold up against kids bringing them around in their school bags or kids inevitably dropping them from their desk every now and then {fyi, their screens are made of glass, compared to plastic for Creative & Besta} and whether their resolutions will distort or become pixelated over time... like how quite a number of parents complain about Besta All Pass e-dictionaries, even up to recent months for All Pass 3.
{image from a parenting forum}
{image from Besta Facebook page}
Yup, even with the clam-shell case design, some parents complain that their kids' Besta e-dictionary screens crack or have black lines across. And the stylus doesn't have a slot in All Pass 3 e-dictionary itself {it's stored in the provided case} plus the handwriting input function isn't as sensitive as Creative HansVision PX2131...
So with all these in mind, we chose Creative HansVision PX2131 as Lil Pumpkin's first Chinese e-dictionary!! *throws confetti*
I say "first" because I expect to have to buy a few times in the course of her studies haha since parents say these e-dictionaries don't last thaaaaaat long {2 years tops?}, she might lose it and better versions will be out by the time she takes her PSLE. But still, I hope that this e-dictionary will last her a couple of years.
Quick Review
You can see the full specifications in the table above or from Creative HansVision's website. The English and Chinese manual is available here. See comparison between PX2131 and PX2181 {2018 model} below.
1. Box set & accessories
One unit comes with Creative HansVision PX2131 e-dictionary, a retractable stylus, black earphones, a mini paper cleaner, 1-year warranty card and 2x AAA batteries. Cost is S$59.
Hard cover case {black only} can be purchased from Popular bookstore at $6.90 or Creative HansVision at S$5. Additional stylus can be purchased from Creative HansVision at S$3. For purchase from Creative HansVision, you may call to order & have it delivered to you, or buy direct from their service centre: A Genuine Technology, 1 Rochor Canal Road #05-67 Sim Lim Square.
2. Design
I was surprised that Creative HansVision PX2131 e-dictionary is so small haha... like a mini calculator? Some say like a BlackBerry phone. But good that it's light and compact for Lil Pumpkin to bring around.
Buttons are pretty small for adults, or those with fat fingers hehe, but for kids like Lil Pumpkin they are reasonably easy to press. For the screen, I would prefer it to be bigger as sometimes the complicated characters seem too cramped and she is not able to distinguish the different strokes properly. However, it is big enough for her to write her characters and read most of the time. Back-light is a hit too.
Unfortunately, it does not come with a cover. You have to purchase a hard protective case separately. However, the PX2131 seems pretty hardy and unless the kid is going to sit on it or drop it face down, it doesn't really need the cover for protection. The on/off button is also not protruding like the rest of the buttons so it's not likely to get switched on accidentally too.
There is a stylus slot for the accompanying stylus at the back, and a headphone jack at the side. It's a very simple, no-frills design which I actually like so that Lil Pumpkin won't get distracted when using it to study. With her phone dictionary app, it's easy for her to lose focus and start fiddling around with other apps or games.
3. User-friendliness
Lil Pumpkin {currently P3 student} spent less than half an hour to learn how to operate the basic functions from her daddy. She would need more time to practice using it efficiently though.
This is a Chinese-to-Chinese dictionary so there's no English meanings given and even the buttons are labeled in Chinese. It is daunting {even for me!}, but in a way I'm glad as it "forces" Lil Pumpkin to recognise and widen her vocabulary. Basic knowledge of Chinese words like 开关 {on/off}, 目录 {menu}, 说明 {help}, 输入法 {input method} etc. required. There's English help if you press 【说明】.
4. Pronunciation Function
You can check the pronunciations of just the character{s} searched, but the full reading of the meaning{s} or examples of use is not given. It would definitely be useful to have the latter.
The voice is clear, and only works when listened to with earphones though.
Very handy to have so many different ways to search for the Chinese words meanings and readings, for single and multiple characters. However, at her current Chinese language level, Lil Pumpkin will not likely use all now. The Wildcard Search is extremely helpful, but I suspect 部首 Search will be used the least. If it lasts {and hopefully it does!}, this e-dictionary will be even more useful at higher levels and is acceptable for use at O' & A' Levels too.
6. Special Handwriting Input Feature The screen is relatively sensitive i.e. you don't need to press too hard for it to pick up your writing & you can write without a stylus. However, Lil Pumpkin still writes her Chinese characters quite big and slow and sometimes she needs to do it a few times to get the correct words because after she finishes writing the radical, pause to check, then write the second part of the word, the dictionary suggestions would have already popped up and may not contain the word she was looking for.
Do note that this e-dictionary does not have a "true touchscreen". It's useful only for writing the characters, but you cannot choose options or navigate by touching the screen. I hope they improve on this for later models though.
7. Battery Life Hard to say since we got it just a week ago but since it has just a black & white screen and simple blue back-light, I don't expect it to eat a lot of battery power. The screen will stay lit when it is powered on, and the e-dictionary will automatically power off if there's no activity for 20 mins.
Anyway, 2 x AAA batteries can be easily changed from the back. 8. Value-for-Money We paid S$65.21 {S$59 + S$6.90 less 10% for Popular members, no discount on PX2131 as it is NETT price}. It is not terribly expensive as an electronic teaching aid, and with the functions it comes with, plus I expect Lil Pumpkin to use it for at least 2 years, I reckon it is value-for-money.
If you buy in school, or during their roadshows it might be even cheaper. Initially, I was surprised that the PX2131 was so low-tech, even though it's one of their latest models #firstworldproblems But then again, the exam e-dictionaries are meant to be low cost, most likely to make them accessible to all students from all family income levels. You can see that all of them are around S$50-100 each and at this price range, so I can't expect a whole lot of applications or functions like how I might be used to with a smartphone.
9. Does the child like it??
As you can see from the video above, Lil Pumpkin likes her new e-dictionary because she finds it helpful, and also because I think it's a novel study toy for her haha.. Yesterday, Lil Pumpkin had her P3 Chinese compo exam and she said that she used it, mainly for checking how to write words using hanyu pinyin input.
Her classmate has the Besta All Pass 3 which she played around with and liked that design too because "it can open and close", and "has a small box at the bottom to write in".
That "small box" is actually smaller than PX2131's writing surface and not as sensitive though, according to some users. I told her that if they improve on their technology & flaws, we can consider getting it next time as I prefer their clam-shell case design too. My old JP-EL e-dictionaries from Casio were like that too.
P.S. I heard from some parents that there are no display models at Popular bookstores for Creative HansVision e-dictionaries. Only for Besta e-dictionaries which has their own counters {promoters only work 1pm - 9pm though} in Popular.
However, we bought ours from Marine Parade Central's Popular and they had display models for customers to play around with for PX2131 and the latest PX2181. From what I gather, main difference is PX2131 has the handwriting input, while PX2181 doesn't but has the newest function of inputting the four tones of classical Chinese phonetics (四声) and non-stress voice (轻声) for a faster search. E.g. cheng2jiu4 will get the result �?就
If you wish to try out all Creative HansVision models, then go to their main office at 63 Hillview Avenue #03-09 Lam Soon Industrial Building. I called their office a few times to ask questions about the products and they seem quite friendly.
*Note: This is not a sponsored post or advertorial. All opinions are my own.
During the March holidays, I brought Lil Pumpkin to ice-skate at The Rink, JCube. It was one of our most fun thing we did ever, I reckon!
Lil Pumpkin said that she wanted to skate during the March hols but I can't skate for nuts. I can't really balance that well you see {only learnt how to bike in my 30s haha} and I want to do activities with her, not just watch her do it, so decided that the next best thing to do was to bring her ice-skating as there are very helpful skating aids to assist people like me, who can't skate, enjoy the experience..
There are 2 places that you can ice-skate at in Singapore - The Rink at JCube and Kallang Ice World at Kallang Leisure Park. Both places use real ice in their rinks.
You used to be able to ice-skate at Marina Bay Sands {MBS} on a pseudo-ice synthetic surface. However, since 22 Dec 2017, the rink at MBS is now permanently closed and has been taken over by a new digital art exhibit that lets visitors create art with their footsteps, watch fishes swimming underneath their feet, or set off fireworks.
I heard that the pseudo-ice surface was really slippery compared to real ice, and not many people liked to skate there because it didn't feel like ice-skating at all, and it was very open since it was right smack in the middle of the mall so no loss over it closing I guess.
After researching, I decided to head to The Rink with Lil Pumpkin even though it was much further away from home compared to Kallang Ice World.
Although Kallang Ice World has free skate aids and is more private as only paying visitors can see you skate {The Rink is open for viewing to all}, some reviews on Tripadvisor said that staff service is horrendous, skates are too worn and the place is in dire need of upgrading. Oh dear.
Didn't want to risk it and since we were at Kallang the day before for rock-climbing already, we headed to The Rink for that day's 12.45pm session. It took us about 1.5hrs to reach there via public transport.
The Rink is Singapore's first and only Olympic-size ice skating rink. Our National Skating Associations {NSA} train there and it also hosts events and activities such as recreational ice skating, and international tournaments in ice hockey, figure skating, speed skating, and ice curling so the ice rink must be kept to a certain standard for sure.
We arrived about 12 noon and since The Rink is on Level 3 of JCube, I went to get lunch for Lil Pumpkin first from McDonald's at Level 1, then go to Daiso on Level 2 to get us some gloves as I couldn't find our pairs at home.
Went to buy our tickets about 12.20pm from the sales counter there was no queue. The guy staff was helpful and explained that ice-resurfacing was going on now for about 15-20mins so we could buy our tickets, but it's better if we enter at 12.45pm after that as your 2 hr 15 mins time limit starts the moment you enter the admission gates and the time you use to wait for the resurfacing will eat into your play-time.
Note: After people skate a while the ice melts and gets chipped off so ice-resurfacing is done to clean and smooth the rink's ice surface.
Lil Pumpkin had her lunch while waiting and when we went back to enter at 12.45pm, there was already a long queue at the sales counter. Thank goodness we bought our tickets earlier!!
But then even after we entered, we still had to queue about 5-10mins to exchange our shoes for our ice-skates. On hindsight, we should have entered about 12.30pm to get our skates and try them on as that takes up some time, especially with the holiday crowd.
Despite Lil Pumpkin's objections about getting skating aids {"No need Mummy, I know how to skate!!"}, I rented 2 Snowman skating aids for each of us.
So glad I did as they were a lifesaver!! They cost S$10 each for 2 hrs rental which is a little steep but well worth the money as we could enjoy skating, without worrying about falling or hanging on to the rink edges for dear life.
I was thinking of getting the Seal skating aid {S$15 for 2hrs rental} as one person can skate while the other person sits on it to get pushed around but Lil Pumpkin didn't want it at all.
Oh well. It's more fun when the both of us are skating together anyway.
Lil Pumpkin had roller blading lessons twice in school before as an after-exam activity. But ice-skating is a whole new experience for her... and me too!!
She was really excited to try it out though and at the beginning wasn't steady at all {again, thank goodness we had the Snowmans!!} but just about 30 mins in, she was ready to try and skate without the aids.
Actually after trying out a few times without the aid, she was adamant not to use it and wanted to go around the rink without it, even if she had to go slower.. she also encouraged me to try and skate without the aid which I did, but I still preferred to use it hehe.
I must say though, that Lil Pumpkin has good balancing skills {unlike her mummy haha} and picks things up pretty fast. By the end of the two hours she could ice-skate around the rink herself without any support, even though her technique isn't very efficient. The video above was taken just before we left The Rink at the end of our session.
We didn't take any breaks and spent the whole 2 hours on the ice rink. A good thing that I rented a locker {S$2 for one-time use} too so didn't have to worry about checking on my bag if I had placed it on the spectator stand with nobody else to look after it and risk losing my valuables.
It was pretty crowded since it was the March holidays, but there was still enough space to skate around comfortably and most visitors were also amateurs and did not skate around too fast or recklessly.
Confession: I'm reeeeaaaaallly paranoid about us falling down with our hands on the ground and someone skating over and slicing off our fingers with the ice-skates' blades accidentally!!
I saw on their website that from 1 Apr 2018, The Rink started selling a multi-visit savers pass with a 6 months validity period - the Skater's Play Pass.
With it, an adult admission ticket is only S$9.80 {U.P. S$14} and a child ticket is only S$8.40 {U.P. S$12}. Pretty good value-for-money and if we lived nearer, I think we would get it and go more often as we really did have a fabulous time for our first visit!! Will definitely be back again!
Tips:
Check the public skating sessions schedule in advance before going. I suggest visiting just after the ice-resurfacing sessions to enjoy your full play without interruption.
Minimum age for ice-skating is 3 years old, but kids between ages 3-5 years old needs an adult with them on the ice.
Smallest skate boots is size Euro 27 and biggest skate boots is size Euro 47.
Each admission ticket allows for one-time entry into The Rink. If you exit and would like to re-enter again, you will have to pay for another admission ticket.
Toilets, snacks and drinks vending machines are available on premise.
Rent a locker if you have nobody to look after your belongings. Better safe than sorry.
If you're not sure whether to rent skating aids or not, you can skate a while and get them later from the sales counter. No need to get them when you purchase the tickets.
Penguin aids are for really small kids {below 1.2m}, Snowman and Seal aids are for bigger kids and adults.
Remember the unit number of the skating aid{s} that you rent. Although you can paste a name sticker on them during rental, once you let go of them in the rink, people tend to want to "borrow" and will skate away with it.. so with the unit number it's easier to recognise in the crowd.
At least 2 staff are in the rink at any time {wearing yellow tops} and will help you up if you fall down, or help you to find your skating aid if you happen to lose it in the rink.
During peak periods, rent your ice-skates early as your shoe size might run out if it is very popular e.g. adult sizes 8-10
The Rink sells socks at S$2/pair for adults & kids, and gloves at S$2/pair for adults & S$2.50/pair for kids. Socks are mandatory but gloves are optional.
Wear long, thick socks as the skates might be abrasive, especially if you're skating for long periods. No need for thick winter coats, but a thin windbreaker or fleeced long-sleeved hoodie and long pants/ tights would be comfortable.
The Rink also rents out helmets at S$5 each for 2hrs, but nobody wears them. I actually brought Lil Pumpkin's scooter/bike helmet for her to wear but she didn't want to when she saw that nobody else had one on.
For convenience, you can purchase tickets and rent equipment one week in advance on The Rink's online website. For online purchase, you will receive a redemption voucher via email which you need to print and redeem your admission ticket at The Rink’s self-ticketing kiosk.
The Rink at JCube
2 Jurong East Central 1, #03-11, JCube
Open daily usually 10.30am - 4.30pm *Check public skating sessions schedule on website for details as it differs daily due to NSA training sessions.
Website: http://www.therink.sg/
Note: This is not a paid advertorial or sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
