Astronaut Training Camp at The Little Executive

[ Sponsored ]

I have always wanted my kids to be creative and imaginative. The  opportunity came with a Galactic Invitation from The Little Executive (TLE).

Boon Xin attended a 3 Days “Astronaut Training Camp“, which offers her (and parents) an opportunity to live an Astronaut’s life!

Astronaut Training Camp

 

I knew she is enjoying her class when she cannot stop sharing about her Space Academy and Diy Projects.

 

Hey, everything will sounds FUN when you have prefix Space, Galaxy, Cosmic, or Moon, Mars and Alien.

Space Helmet, Cosmic water(which is plain water), Galaxy Banana treat, Get it? We are not even talking about Houston or NASA yet haha.

Only Smiles and giggles in her Astronaut Training Camp. Boon Xin proudly displayed her improvised Space Helmet and Jetpacks! Parents will be impressed from Day 1 of workshop.

 

Kids learned about recycling too. Using everyday products to construct their space accessories. (Disclaimer : I told Boon Xin Nasa’s space “requirement” would be more stringent) 

Space Shuttle, from conception to construction. Kids let their imagination brought them to Jupiter and back! (just like TLE’s logo From Classroom to Boardroom)

 

Teamwork is highlighted at Astronaut Training Camp too. Engineers and commanders guide each other to mission completion. One can only feel, the other can only give instruction 🙂

 

There are some worksheets too, but mostly Fun and entertaining for participants.

 

Happy Diy projects, this is Alien slime (What!?) Parents are amused but kids will tell you about the ingredients and glow-in-the-dark effect. Cool!

 

 

Hey, they got to prepare dehydrated banana for their snack too. Although, I would still prefer my traditional goreng pisang. 

How do I know Boon Xin enjoys her class? She was so eager to share her projects with me while we walk back 🙂

Imagination runs wild, her “constellation scope” helps her identify another Star. She could bring a milo-tin drum to play some beats in space too.

There are some space-themed Movie screening too. Kids can better relate to space exploration and the science behind (instead of only LightSabers and Beam me up, Scotty). Perhaps I can bring her stargazing at Science Center soon.

Other FUN interactions:

1)What do Astronauts eat in Space? (Nutrition and space-friendly food, eg no hor-fun or the gravy will be floating around)
2)Do they float all the time in the International Space station? (Learns about gravity)
3) How do they sleep in Space?
4) Astronauts can stay in Space station for up to four years
5) Showering in space is quite elaborate (no Grohe showerhead, astronauts have to gently squeeze every droplets and soap.

Fortunately, I got YouTube to enlighten myself, example Nasa’s shower clip.

Many of the things which kids pick up are new to adults too. To impress my girl, I shared with Boon Xin two structures which can be seen from space, Great Wall of China (man-made) and Great Barrier Reef.

It was Fun to explore new things together with my girl 🙂

Her logbook indicated her favourite warm-up activity is MoonWalking, not the Michael Jackson version :p

Kids were simulating slow-motion MoonWalking on the Moon’s surface.
To quote Neil Armstrong : “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind“.

 

Coincidentally, on the way home, we came across this space setup at KKH. My little astronaut wanted to press the Intergalactic GPS for Mars.

 

At the end of Day 3, parents gathered to watch their kids present their best experiences from the Galaxy.  Boon Xin chose Alien Slime because it is gooey and fun 🙂

The kiddos were really immersed and intrigued with their Space Astronauts role!

They rollout their Spaceships, one for male and another for female. Suited themselves with spacesuit and jetpacks before “blasting off”.

Cute and adorable, parents were impressed with the space assortments, and we enjoyed the kids role-playing characters as Engineers and Commanders.

Today, it is a make-believe workshop. In a few decades, Space tourism would be as common as our bus, train and Plane commute today.

Video (YouTube link from TLE) : See the Junior Astronaut Space cadets in action!

Parents can only wait outside the classroom, so the kids are totally on their own. It was actually a good opportunity for kids to explore their independence and networking skills.

The fun observations we got from the 3 days course:

– When did Boon Xin learned to use WhatsApp? She managed to text Mum during tea break
– She sweet-talk teacher to let her use her phone for some “blog” photos (Yup, she is a blogger’s child haha)
– She is a team player, helping the smaller kids to complete their tasks

Thank you to our passionate Teachers, Jim and M.

Brovo Boon Xin! You are now a certified “Astronaut” from The Little Executive.

Commander :Astronaut on the deck!

We would like to shoutout “Thank You TLE” for the Fun invite. It was definitely a Fun and enriching workshop for Boon Xin.

The Little Executive’s Astronaut Training Camp is designed for kids 5 to 10 years old, a 3 Day course will cost $580 (9am to 5.30pm). Lunch and tea breaks are inclusive. Checkout more School Holidays curriculum on their Website and Facebook.

Address : 144 Bukit Timah Road S229844
Tel: 6908 1889
Email Address: knockknock@thelittleexecutive.asia

Boon Yee’s development at ThinkersBox

We are always a little bit concerned about Boon Yee’s development pace, as he is a year-end baby. We are worried that his development (both mental and physical) will be slower in his class, and he will have problems catching up.

Boon Yee does not feel stressed, it is us parents who are worried 🙂
Although we say our kids need not be top 10 in class, we certainly hope they will not be last.

When it comes to education and development, how many parents can honestly leave everything to fate?

If we parents have a choice to improve our kids’ capability, would we give it a try?

In his one year course with ThinkersBox, we have seen Boon Yee improved in the way he interacts, expressing confidence in his reading skills, and displaying more curiosity.

When Daddy read stories to him before, Boon Yee will just go through the motion.
He enjoys the story, the animation, but he will not pause to ask the meaning of a word or phrase. Daddy actually has to test him on his actual understanding of “this word or that phrase”.

After his stint at ThinkersBox, we are glad that he is expressing more interest and asking more questions nowadays.

Quoting from ThinkersBox :
At ThinkersBox, we develop children for success in life. We are not talking about school subjects or grades. We are looking at providing every child with the right skills to succeed beyond the classroom! As our world continues to evolve, our kids will face new challenges. Textbook knowledge and grades will not be sufficient in a fast-changing and unpredictable environment.

Beyond grades, parents need to provide our children with the capabilities to process, analyse, reason, judge and apply knowledge.

We need to teach our kids to think.”

With the right skills, kids can grasp concepts faster, understand new tools quicker, and absorb more information. If this skill-sets sound familiar, it is because we are now in the 21st century.

This is the Internet century, where Google knows everything.
Personally, Daddy feels that it is no longer about who-knows-the-most, but who can apply the knowledge and implement the skill-set to solve our everyday-life’s tasks.

We have also noticed that Boon Yee’s memory capacity has improved, he remembers things longer, and is less easily distracted. Boon Yee can now focus his attention on the task at hand, he understands why we need to finish our homework before we can play. Subconsciously, his efficiency is improving.

Boon Yee is still enjoying his nine-month Primary 1 experience.
Making new friends, adapting to new environment, but still trying to adjust to the concept of homework :p

Boon Yee had a profile assessment after 1 year with ThinkersBox, and we could see marked improvement in his scores. Refer to image below for ThinkersBox’s research based on a group of P1 to P3 students.

Do pop by ThinkersBox Website and Fanpage to find out how your child might benefit from their courses.

(image credit ThinkersBox)

ThinkersBox (IntelliBox) will be at Rise & Shine expo from 22-24Aug 11am to 8pm (booth Booth A13, A15). Parents who sign up for 12-months subscription at the booth will receive a $10 Popular Voucher.

* Our previous ThinkersBox experience with Boon Kang, Boon Xin’s Intellibox and Boon Yee.