Readers' Theatre (The Little Red Hen)

Some time ago, I started a reading club with a bunch of overworked but still very enthusiastic mummies. We made big plans and wanted to carry out meaningful activities for our little ones. But for the longest time, we did not know how to get it going and we procrastinated. So when Auntie Pei Ee suggested doing a Readers’ Theatre with her book, I almost fell to my knees and thank God for the timely intervention.

However, we got so busy with our Sydney trip that I did not have any time to work on it at all. Fortunately, everyone chipped in and helped to make the session work. Auntie Cindy and Auntie Jessy dealt with the food and I concentrated on getting the script ready and the art materials needed for the masks. Auntie Pei Ee was in charge of directing the rehearsals and Auntie Annie was to conduct the circle time with storytelling.

Honestly, I did the preparation only last night. I quickly typed and colour coded the dialogue before printing them out. Then I gathered all the file folders and art materials after I did a mental rehearsal of what we needed to do for the session. By the time I was done, it was past midnight but I was too overwhelmed by excitement and anticipation to sleep.

10 am – the time we were to meet. I took Sophie and Alfee to the function room with my helper. To my horror, the usual yoga group was there. I quickly checked with the security guard who assured me that they would finish soon after 10am. They left at 10.15am. Hot and not too pleased, I started rearranging the furniture. Fortunately, Auntie Cindy soon arrived with Uncle Damian, Clare and Isaiah. By 10.45am, everyone was there except Auntie Annie, Phoebe and Reuben, who were stuck at home because their locks were faulty.

Auntie Pei Ee started the session with storytelling of The little Red Hen and explained to the children what we would be doing fo the day. Then I took over the session and facilitated the group in making the animal masks. All the mummies and daddies got the chance to exercise their creativity as well, assisting the children with their masks.

Aunite Annie was still on her way after we had finished the masks, so we broke for snacks even though our pizza and McDonalds were not there yet. Fortunately, Auntie Jessy cooked some pasta for the children so they were happily wolving down everything together. It was quite a pleasant sight to see Sophie eating without me screaming by her side.

Finally, Auntie Annie came. We gathered the children and did a demo session for them to see what exactly they were in for. The mummies tok the roles of their own children so that they could model after them. It has been a long while since I last did a Readers' Theatre for any audience. It was quite refreshing. I must mention that Auntie Annie made a good hen!

Our Demo RT – Little Red Hen

Next we broke into groups and rehearse with the children. We had to shorten the lines so that our little ones could do it better. Given more time, I was sure they would remember their lines better. Finally, we let children do it with just one take.

Our Children’s RT – Little Red Hen (One Take)

Not the best, but it was good enough for first timers. The children, especially Sophie, were tired already even befoe that, so they tried their best. After their performance, we did a song for closure.

Old MacDonald Has A Farm (Closure)

It was after that that I managed to feel more relaxed and sit around for chit chat. It was quite enjoyable to run such activities for our children. In fact, we thought about doing this more often in he furture. Of course, we need to have better management of time and we must be more organised. Also, we need to teach the children to be good audience and the right protocol for performing.

Readers' Theatre (The Little Red Hen)

Some time ago, I started a reading club with a bunch of overworked but still very enthusiastic mummies. We made big plans and wanted to carry out meaningful activities for our little ones. But for the longest time, we did not know how to get it going and we procrastinated. So when Auntie Pei Ee suggested doing a Readers’ Theatre with her book, I almost fell to my knees and thank God for the timely intervention.

However, we got so busy with our Sydney trip that I did not have any time to work on it at all. Fortunately, everyone chipped in and helped to make the session work. Auntie Cindy and Auntie Jessy dealt with the food and I concentrated on getting the script ready and the art materials needed for the masks. Auntie Pei Ee was in charge of directing the rehearsals and Auntie Annie was to conduct the circle time with storytelling.

Honestly, I did the preparation only last night. I quickly typed and colour coded the dialogue before printing them out. Then I gathered all the file folders and art materials after I did a mental rehearsal of what we needed to do for the session. By the time I was done, it was past midnight but I was too overwhelmed by excitement and anticipation to sleep.

10 am – the time we were to meet. I took Sophie and Alfee to the function room with my helper. To my horror, the usual yoga group was there. I quickly checked with the security guard who assured me that they would finish soon after 10am. They left at 10.15am. Hot and not too pleased, I started rearranging the furniture. Fortunately, Auntie Cindy soon arrived with Uncle Damian, Clare and Isaiah. By 10.45am, everyone was there except Auntie Annie, Phoebe and Reuben, who were stuck at home because their locks were faulty.

Auntie Pei Ee started the session with storytelling of The little Red Hen and explained to the children what we would be doing fo the day. Then I took over the session and facilitated the group in making the animal masks. All the mummies and daddies got the chance to exercise their creativity as well, assisting the children with their masks.

Aunite Annie was still on her way after we had finished the masks, so we broke for snacks even though our pizza and McDonalds were not there yet. Fortunately, Auntie Jessy cooked some pasta for the children so they were happily wolving down everything together. It was quite a pleasant sight to see Sophie eating without me screaming by her side.

Finally, Auntie Annie came. We gathered the children and did a demo session for them to see what exactly they were in for. The mummies tok the roles of their own children so that they could model after them. It has been a long while since I last did a Readers' Theatre for any audience. It was quite refreshing. I must mention that Auntie Annie made a good hen!



Our Demo RT – Little Red Hen

Next we broke into groups and rehearse with the children. We had to shorten the lines so that our little ones could do it better. Given more time, I was sure they would remember their lines better. Finally, we t te children do it with just one take.

Our Children’s RT – Little Red Hen (One Take)

Not the best, but it was good enough for first timers. The children, especially Sophie, were tired already even befoe that, so they tried their best. After their performance, we did a song for closure.

Old MacDonald Has A Farm (Closure)

It was after that that I managed to feel more relaxed and sit around for chit chat. It was quite enjoyable to run such activities for our children. In fact, we thought about doing this more often in he furture. Of course, we need to have better management of time and we must be more organised. Also, we need to teach the children to be good audience and the right protocol for performing.

Sydney, Australia Day 9

Our last day in Sydney and we literally "nuared" our day off. We were exhausted and ready to head for home. Of course we would miss the holiday mood and cool weather, but it had been very challenging to entertain the kids for the past week or so. I am sure Sophie would miss the cupcakes as well. Despite all, I am really grateful for the opportunity to spend time with my family. We have enjoyed ourselves!

Sydney, Australia Day 9

Our last day in Sydney and we literally "nuared" our day off. We were exhausted and ready to head for home. Of course we would miss the holiday mood and cool weather, but it had been very challenging to entertain the kids for the past week or so. I am sure Sophie would miss the cupcakes as well. Despite all, I am really grateful for the opportunity to spend time with my family. We have enjoyed ourselves!

Sydney, Australia Day 8

Today, we revisited Circular Quay and the Botanic Gardens. We thought of having a leisurely picnic at the park and spend our remaining holiday all peaceful and relaxed. Indeed, the walk in the late morning was refreshing and quite enjoyable. We came across a huge fountain and stopped for a few shots.

That was when we saw a man basking with his giant bubble making gadgets. We thought it was a shame that Sophie was sleeping and could not catch his performance. As it turned out, he was just a petty man who would not perform or even let tourists take pictures of him unless he was paid. A lady tried to take a picture of him while he was practising and he abruptly burst his bubble and threw his gadgets on the floor before walking away. Poor lady! She ran away in fright!

Once we reached the Botanic Gardens, we went back to the place we like and set up our picnic area. I had dreams of sitting on somewhere like this while watching Sophie paint the scenery. Alas, that did not really happen in reality. She was much too distracted to paint anything. We had a bit of fruit (grapes actually) and Papa decided to buy some lunch for us. He took Sophie in hope that I could have some peace since Alfee was sleeping.

Unfortunately, my peace was shortlived. There were two sea gulls which kept edging closer and closer to us. They were so used to being fed by people that they thought they could get food from me. Luckily, there was no food around so they kept their distance for a while. Then when Alfee woke up so I had to feed him his cereal lunch. That was when trouble followed, suddenly two other huge scavengers birds flew over and the four of them kept coming towards us. They were huge with melicious looking beaks. I had to shoo them away every 5 seconds or so. Soon, they grew desperate and came forth in pairs, surrounding us. I had never felt so threatened by birds before! Meanwhile, Papa and Sophie was held up at the cafe because of the long queue. So, I had no reinforcement at all.


In the end, I packed up and left the place with Alfee without them! I paced up and down the path in hope to meet Papa and Sophie when they came back. After some time, we found one another! What a relief! The food was not fantastic but we were happy to be reunited. We sat down on a beach to eat, only to be "attacked" again by the same birds!!! We took turns to shoo the birds. I think they were smart enough to know that they no longer outnumbered us so they behaved a lot less aggressive than before.

We got out of there before we had to start fighting with those birds. We walked around the Sydney Opera House and took more pictures. Sophie was completely at ease with the ground, sitting and lying anywhere she liked. All I could do was to roll my eyeballs out...

When it started to drizzle, we hid in the library. I also took the opportunity to nurse Alfee. We came across this model of the entire Sydney City underneath the library floor. It was great for Sophie to talk about where she had visited for the past week.

"Home" at last, I managed to "force" Sophie into working on the painting of Sydney, even though I did most of the drawing. She was not keen at all with painting. However, I felt that we must finish what we had started. And indeed, it was finished... by me, unfortunately.

Sydney, Australia Day 8

Today, we revisited Circular Quay and the Botanic Gardens. We thought of having a leisurely picnic at the park and spend our remaining holiday all peaceful and relaxed. Indeed, the walk in the late morning was refreshing and quite enjoyable. We came across a huge fountain and stopped for a few shots.

That was when we saw a man basking with his giant bubble making gadgets. We thought it was a shame that Sophie was sleeping and could not catch his performance. As it turned out, he was just a petty man who would not perform or even let tourists take pictures of him unless he was paid. A lady tried to take a picture of him while he was practising and he abruptly burst his bubble and threw his gadgets on the floor before walking away. Poor lady! She ran away in fright!

Once we reached the Botanic Gardens, we went back to the place we like and set up our picnic area. I had dreams of sitting on somewhere like this while watching Sophie paint the scenery. Alas, that did not really happen in reality. She was much too distracted to paint anything. We had a bit of fruit (grapes actually) and Papa decided to buy some lunch for us. He took Sophie in hope that I could have some peace since Alfee was sleeping.

Unfortunately, my peace was shortlived. There were two sea gulls which kept edging closer and closer to us. They were so used to being fed by people that they thought they could get food from me. Luckily, there was no food around so they kept their distance for a while. Then when Alfee woke up so I had to feed him his cereal lunch. That was when trouble followed, suddenly two other huge scavengers birds flew over and the four of them kept coming towards us. They were huge with melicious looking beaks. I had to shoo them away every 5 seconds or so. Soon, they grew desperate and came forth in pairs, surrounding us. I had never felt so threatened by birds before! Meanwhile, Papa and Sophie was held up at the cafe because of the long queue. So, I had no reinforcement at all.

In the end, I packed up and left the place with Alfee without them! I paced up and down the path in hope to meet Papa and Sophie when they came back. After some time, we found one another! What a relief! The food was not fantastic but we were happy to be reunited. We sat down on a beach to eat, only to be "attacked" again by the same birds!!! We took turns to shoo the birds. I think they were smart enough to know that they no longer outnumbered us so they behaved a lot less aggressive than before.

We got out of there before we had to start fighting with those birds. We walked around the Sydney Opera House and took more pictures. Sophie was completely at ease with the ground, sitting and lying anywhere she liked. All I could do was to roll my eyeballs out...

When it started to drizzle, we hid in the library. I also took the opportunity to nurse Alfee. We came across this model of the entire Sydney City underneath the library floor. It was great for Sophie to talk about where she had visited for the past week.

"Home" at last, I managed to "force" Sophie into working on the painting of Sydney, even though I did most of the drawing. She was not keen at all with painting. However, I felt that we must finish what we had started. And indeed, it was finished... by me, unfortunately.

Sydney, Australia Day 7

By now, we are really missing Singapore. In particular, I miss the play yard that I can put Alfee in and let him play with his toys while I nap beside him. I also miss the DVD collection and books at home that I can use to occupy Sophie. Both of us badly need to have "I" time.

In any case, we decided to make a trip to see Bondi Beach today. We did not intend to do beach activities so we left all our beach stuff at home. The cab ride was not very long but it felt like an eternity because Alfee was wailing in his car seat. Unlike Sophie, he absolutely hates car seat. It is against the law to sit him on my lap and no cab driver would allow it, the driver commented, "... better crying then caught by traffic police..." quite casually.

Bondi Beach was really beautiful and freezing cold! We saw some people swimming and running around on the beach wearing minimally and we were huddling close to keep warm. We did not make it very far before we had to stop and grab a bite to shelter from the harsh winds. The food joint was child-friendly despite its space issue. I think the staff made the difference. There was a few steps to clear before we could enter the restaurant but we did not feel much pressure as the staff helped us all the way in. Though the food was not considered cheap, it was quite good - very local, very fulfilling!

When we felt that we could brave the cold again, we took a hasty stroll down the beach. We came to the cultural centre (or I think maybe our community club equivalent) and stopped again to hide from the winds. By this time, I felt pretty lousy that I could not longer stand the cold very well. Alfee fell asleep so I stayed indoors while Papa took Sophie down to the beach.

When they came back and showed me the video clips taken with our video camera (the files are too huge to upload), I decided I would not stay defeated by the cold. So, Papa carried Alfee while Sophie and I went down to the beach again. Sophie loved the cold winds and soft sand. It was not hot, humid and painful, like that of Singapore sand. I think the cold kind of suited Sophie. She looked really good in a jacket, especially when she did not have wet, sticky hair pasted onto the side of her face.

We heard from the cab driver that in summer, the whole beach is packed with visitors but right now, it is the quiet season. We actually love seaview that the apartments across the beach get. The housing there are pretty much as expensive as Singapore but I think the property tax might be higher. Honestly, we hope to find a better environment for the kids to grow up in. And Sydney looks very promising.

Sydney, Australia Day 7

By now, we are really missing Singapore. In particular, I miss the play yard that I can put Alfee in and let him play with his toys while I nap beside him. I also miss the DVD collection and books at home that I can use to occupy Sophie. Both of us badly need to have "I" time.

In any case, we decided to make a trip to see Bondi Beach today. We did not intend to do beach activities so we left all our beach stuff at home. The cab ride was not very long but it felt like an eternity because Alfee was wailing in his car seat. Unlike Sophie, he absolutely hates car seat. It is against the law to sit him on my lap and no cab driver would allow it, the driver commented, "... better crying then caught by traffic police..." quite casually.

Bondi Beach was really beautiful and freezing cold! We saw some people swimming and running around on the beach wearing minimally and we were huddling close to keep warm. We did not make it very far before we had to stop and grab a bite to shelter from the harsh winds. The food joint was child-friendly despite its space issue. I think the staff made the difference. There was a few steps to clear before we could enter the restaurant but we did not feel much pressure as the staff helped us all the way in. Though the food was not considered cheap, it was quite good - very local, very fulfilling!

When we felt that we could brave the cold again, we took a hasty stroll down the beach. We came to the cultural centre (or I think maybe our community club equivalent) and stopped again to hide from the winds. By this time, I felt pretty lousy that I could not longer stand the cold very well. Alfee fell asleep so I stayed indoors while Papa took Sophie down to the beach.

When they came back and showed me the video clips taken with our video camera (the files are too huge to upload), I decided I would not stay defeated by the cold. So, Papa carried Alfee while Sophie and I went down to the beach again. Sophie loved the cold winds and soft sand. It was not hot, humid and painful, like that of Singapore sand. I think the cold kind of suited Sophie. She looked really good in a jacket, especially when she did not have wet, sticky hair pasted onto the side of her face.



We heard from the cab driver that in summer, the whole beach is packed with visitors but right now, it is the quiet season. We actually love seaview that the apartments across the beach get. The housing there are pretty much as expensive as Singapore but I think the property tax might be higher. Honestly, we hope to find a better environment for the kids to grow up in. And Sydney looks very promising.

Sydney, Australia Day 6

We decided we must be more active today to redeem ourselves!!! We went to the Australian Museum. Honestly, we did not have much expectation on that place. We ran out of places to go and the reviews are good, so we just gave it a shot. To our pleasant surprise, it was a great place for the family. The exhibits are totally not like what we get in Singapore.

However, Alfee was asleep by the time we reached the cafe. We had a little breakfast and the little man still did not wake up, so Papa took Sophie for a walk around first while I waited for him to wake up. It was not crowded or noisy so everything seemed very pleasant and inviting.

The dinosaurs section was quite interesting but I doubt Sophie actually learn much. She does not seem to like much about these ancient reptiles except maybe if they were like that in Danny and the Dinosaur.

It was wonderful that the exhibits for children were mostly meant for them to touch and play around with. Sophie enjoyed touching all the "animals" and playing with the puzzles. We found it interesting as well since we are not the sort who reads those small prints in museums.

I like the exhibiton on exotic birds with usual but gorgeous feathers for domination and courtship mainly. It compared those creations of nature to our humanly attempt to amulate and mimick them for the very same reasons. It was a pity that Sophie and Alfee are both too young to appreciate the information.

We like the skeleton section. It is informative and educational for all of us. I made Sophie guess what animals were those based on their skeletons. She has rather good visual discrimination and imagination. she could guess most of the animals correctly (those animals she knows). Papa tried to pedal on the bicycle to let Sophie see how our bones move as we cycle, but I guess Sophie was just keen on cycling the real thing.

We spent a long time in the kids' play area. It was a huge space, complete with diaper changing and nursing facilities.

Children are free to roam and play with the puppets, toys or read the books. At certain times, the staff would also conduct mini workshops like painting for the little ones. Sophie loved the space. She was very reluctant to leave.

When we did eventually left the museum for some snacks. Sophie threw a big tantrum about buying a cupcake! She was determined to eat a cupcake and nothing else could pacify her. I chided her and told the shop assistant to tell her they did not sell any cupcakes. Immediately, she burst into tears so dramatically that the shop owner took out a small cupcake lookalike (muffin) and gave it to her. Although we eventually paid for it, I felt quite bad that THEY felt bad enough to bribe her into behaving. All this happened while Alfee was sound sleep.

Back at the serviced apartment, we ended the day with a couple of good shots of the three most significant people of my life!

Sydney, Australia Day 6

We decided we must be more active today to redeem ourselves!!! We went to the Australian Museum. Honestly, we did not have much expectation on that place. We ran out of places to go and the reviews are good, so we just gave it a shot. To our pleasant surprise, it was a great place for the family. The exhibits are totally not like what we get in Singapore.

However, Alfee was asleep by the time we reached the cafe. We had a little breakfast and the little man still did not wake up, so Papa took Sophie for a walk around first while I waited for him to wake up. It was not crowded or noisy so everything seemed very pleasant and inviting.

The dinosaurs section was quite interesting but I doubt Sophie actually learn much. She does not seem to like much about these ancient reptiles except maybe if they were like that in Danny and the Dinosaur.

It was wonderful that the exhibits for children were mostly meant for them to touch and play around with. Sophie enjoyed touching all the "animals" and playing with the puzzles. We found it interesting as well since we are not the sort who reads those small prints in museums.



I like the exhibiton on exotic birds with usual but gorgeous feathers for domination and courtship mainly. It compared those creations of nature to our humanly attempt to amulate and mimick them for the very same reasons. It was a pity that Sophie and Alfee are both too young to appreciate the information.

We like the skeleton section. It is informative and educational for all of us. I made Sophie guess what animals were those based on their skeletons. She has rather good visual discrimination and imagination. she could guess most of the animals correctly (those animals she knows). Papa tried to pedal on the bicycle to let Sophie see how our bones move as we cycle, but I guess Sophie was just keen on cycling the real thing.

We spent a long time in the kids' play area. It was a huge space, complete with diaper changing and nursing facilities.

Children are free to roam and play with the puppets, toys or read the books. At certain times, the staff would also conduct mini workshops like painting for the little ones. Sophie loved the space. She was very reluctant to leave.

When we did eventually left the museum for some snacks. Sophie threw a big tantrum about buying a cupcake! She was determined to eat a cupcake and nothing else could pacify her. I chided her and told the shop assistant to tell her they did not sell any cupcakes. Immediately, she burst into tears so dramatically that the shop owner took out a small cupcake lookalike (muffin) and gave it to her. Although we eventually paid for it, I felt quite bad that THEY felt bad enough to bribe her into behaving. All this happened while Alfee was sound sleep.

Back at the serviced apartment, we ended the day with a couple of good shots of the three most significant people of my life!

Here are some shots from Sophie's camera...