inspiredkids: March 2012

15.3.12 - Toy creations

S made these toy creations.

Guess what this is?

The one on the left is a drill and can rotate, and the one on the right is a hammer.

A special car that can keep another smaller car inside it.

14.3.12 - Creating art and craft

Below are some things S created. He's really quite creative.

Stick insect - adapted from Mr. Maker's TV programme

Fish jumping out of the water

Robot holding a piece of artwork. The face of the robot was actually a small box that was opened partially.

S said that this is a scary castle at night.

And he made an oven from a small box.

6.3.12 - Field trip to Taman Warisan Pertanian

We went on a field trip to Taman Warisan Pertanian in Putrajaya. We started slightly late, after 10 am. Admission fee was RM2 per adults, RM9 for children age 3 and above (for their educational package) and we shared out the cost of the buggy.

The place was so large that riding the buggy was the best decision ever.

We save many local plants. However, it wasn't the season for fruits, so we didn't manage to pick up any.

Pineapple plants

A scarecrow in a paddy field

Misai Kuching

Cocoa fruit

Cocoa seed

E, who had an eye for collecting gifts from nature found this rubber seed

Then came the main highlight of our tour. We were shown how rubber was tapped and processed.

How rubber is processed.

Pressing the rubber (like making roti canai)

Putting the rubber sheet through a roller

Another time through the roller. It imprints lines onto the rubber sheet.

The sheet is then left in a pail of water to wash off the formic acid.

It is then left to dry and later smoked.

The smokehouse.

Inside the smokehouse. Just imagine the smelly smoky rubber smell!

This is how it looks like after being smoked.

Then we were had an activity where we learnt how to maker a rubber ball or something like an eraser.

Formic acid is poured into each container to coagulate the latex which have been mixed with poster paints.

Stirring the latex

It later hardened and became a springy ball. Later at home, I tried it on a pencil mark and it erased the mark, just like an eraser. We were told that the rubber would turn smelly after a day and we would have to throw it away. We were advised to remove any excess water so that the rubber would not to turn smelly. However, in our case, the rubber did not turn smelly, it had a nice rubber smell instead.

After that, the children tried their hands at grating coconuts the traditional way.

A man demonstrated how whistle is made from coconut leaves.

This is how the whistle looks like. It can make a loud noise.

After the tour, we had our lunch at the food court there.

Address: Taman Warisan Pertanian Putrajaya, No 7, Jalan P16, Presint 16, 62150 Putrajaya.

Tel: 03-8887 7772

Visitor Complex (Kompleks Pelawat )
7.00 am -11.00 pm - Weekdays, Weekend & Public Holiday

Orchard (Dusun Buah-buahan)
8.30 am – 5.30 pm – Weekdays, Weekend & Public Holiday

More info can be found at their website here.

9.3.12 - Making a one-eyed monster

The boys wanted to do a one-eyed monster that the learnt from watching Mr Maker on IPTV that came with our Unifi package. This was Mr Maker's one-minute challenge and he made it in one minute. We used clay for its body and legs and cardboard for the hand, a googly eye and a piece of feather. It was very simple and the boys created in very quickly.

8.3.12 - The Lorax movie

We watched "The Lorax"on its opening day, at GSC, 1Utama New Wing. I hadn't been to the cinema in the last 8 years, and this is the first time I bring the boys' to a cinema, although we had watched several movies at the planetarium before. E found the darkened cinema a little scary but went in along with his friends. Fortunately, he became more confident as the show went on.

It was a good message to remind us about taking care of our environment and conserving our natural resources.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr Seuss.

7.3.12 - Art Class (Session 2)

Session 2 of their art class.

5.3.12 - Learning about insects - nature walk at FRIM

We joined in with some homeschoolers for our fortnightly nature lesson. This time it was learning about insects and its environment.We went to Sg. Kroh waterfall area at FRIM.

We looked for insects under dead tree bark, wood, rocks, etc. Finally, we managed to get hold of a large ant, studied it and released it. The other children found ants, wood lice, and even a leech (pacat).

He drew a spider

He drew an ant

After that, the other children all played with sand and water at the waterfall area.

E however, decided not to join them. He sat down, took out his sketch book and started drawing. He sat down for a very long while, in full concentration just drawing, pages after pages of insects. .