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Family Venues – Publika Shopping Mall

Since Hercules’ had his trial classes at The Curious Academy, I’ve been trying to find ways to increase his physical engagement. I used to take him to various parks in the morning but (call me paranoid) after hearing all those kidnapping and snatch cases, I haven’t really been game to do it alone. I’ve been asking around for interesting jungle gyms but no one has come back with anything promising, yet.

As chance would have it, I was at Publika Shopping Mall to claim a free trial class at Gymboree when I discovered what a lovely little gem this mall is for parents with young children. I confess that I’ve never really liked Publika – perhaps because it was largely still a work in progress when I first visited it – so I have never bothered to explore the place. Well, I kinda hate the car park as well because it’s confusing and it looks so dreary. I digress… I decided to take a walk to see what there was because Hercules fell asleep while I was shopping for groceries at BIG (Ben’s Independent Grocer). Here’s what I noticed, in no particular order…

Publika – the Nice Bits for Parents…

After shopping at BIG, one of their service staff came running after me to help me with my shopping. I don’t know what the pre-requisite is for getting this service but I had Hercules in the carrier and was pushing a trolley. It wasn’t particularly packed with stuff either. I thought that was pretty helpful.

There were two kid-friendly eateries that I noticed. There is Marmalade (which I think a number of mothers will be familiar with since they have a branch in Bangsar Village 2) which has a little play area inside the cafe and a small play house outside for families eating alfresco.

It fronts the Publika “park” that contains a water feature, and small playground with a slide, two swings, see-saws and monkey bars.

The playground fronts Namoo Bistro on the Park which is a Korean dessert cafe. It isn’t enclosed so you still need to watch the kids if they are playing while you eat. The park is bordered on one side by one of the internal Publika roads where cars drive by. The playground looks pretty cool and funky but someone left their brain behind when they planned the materials. The slide is metal and way too hot to sit on when it’s been under the sun for a bit. I had to scream at Hercules to stop when he went charging for the slide.

For shopping, there’s the Baby Loft for organics, cloth diapers, baby carriers, and other stuff for Mums and babies. There is also Balloon Buzz for all your party supplies.

The Interesting Bits for Kids…

There is also a kids zone on the same level containing a number of establishments for children, like:

Brainy Tree – which is a center offering two enrichment programs following the philosophies:

I didn’t get time to go in and check out the programs they offer in detail but here’s what I found from their website: they offer two enrichment programs –

Brainy Puzzle:

“This international enrichment programme serves to assist children from ages two and above in discovering their multiple intelligences. The human brain works best when both the right and the left hemispheres are well developed. The left brain is generally more emphasized than the right brain, and to remedy this imbalance, Brainy Puzzle is developed.
Brainy Puzzle is a complete curriculum based solely on HANDS-ON experience incorporating different kind of manipulation and stimulation. These experiences help to enhance a child’s capabilities for both procedural and creative thinking, whereby it balances the development of both side of the brain for young kids.
Brainy Puzzle is NOT about imparting more KNOWLEDGE to a child via books or worksheets. It is about developing MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES and therefore empowering your child in problem solving.”

Brainy Wonderland:

“If you are looking for a fun and captivating way to encourage your child to learn Mandarin, our very own Brainy Wonderland is the place to be in. Children have an amazing aptitude for learning a second language at a young age, and this becomes even easier when they are having fun. The programme enables children (and parents) to learn Mandarin and the Chinese culture in an interactive and engaging setting.
Brainy Wonderland develops cognitive, gross and fine motor skills whilst being immersed in the Mandarin language. It’s language learning with a difference and designed for families of all nationalities. We capture the attention, interest and enthusiasm of your child while laying the foundations for fluency in Mandarin as they grow and develop.”

K’s Island Golf Academy

I think it’s obvious what they offer. Currently, there does not appear to be a local website established yet but the original K’s Island Golf Academy originated in Japan. Don’t know much else about their programs so you might want to walk in to see what they offer for kids…

Yu Kids Island

The original Yu Kids Island was in The Curve. Since then, they have opened three more branches – one in Tropicana City, one in Paradigm Mall and the latest in Publika.

Artis Kids Store

This is an art school offering the following workshops for kids (teenagers included):

Art – they cover 5 core learning concepts (creative imagination, colouring, drawing, sketching and paper craft). They have workshops for kids age 4 and above. They also offer fine art workshops.
Re-art – creating art from recycled stuff (up-cycling a craft).
Eat Craft – this is basically a cooking class.
Clay – pottery class.
Toddler – art for kids 4 years and below. It combines art with games and freedom of exploration.
Party – just like it says, you can throw your child’s birthday party here.

The programs run for 1.5 hours to 2 hours depending on which workshop you choose. They offer a “drop and shop” system so parents are not required to be present – good way to get your groceries done without the kids in tow. The studio looks pretty cool – check out the pictures here at Prayers, Hugs & Diapers.

Artis Kids Store also has branches in Sunway Giza and Paradigm Mall.

While we’re on the topic of art workshops, there is also another art studio at Publika called The Studio@KL which we wrote about previously. Aristotle attended a few classes there and came home with a few lovely pieces for the house. Although it didn’t seem like it at the time, it turned out that he actually did pick up a thing or two about painting techniques because I saw the application of those techniques in some of his subsequent art work from school. That’s the irony of children – they never seem like they’re learning anything but they do.

Baby Jumper Gym

Contrary to what it sounds like, Baby Jumper Gym is actually a preschool plus enrichment classes. I thought at first that they were something like Fly Kidz so I went to check out their programs for Hercules.

Their curriculum incorporates:

Language and literacy – English, Mandarin and Bahasa (phonics, pre writing and writing skills, and early grammar)
Numeracy/Mathematics (counting, numbering, measurement, ordering, patterning)
Encyclopedic Knowledge
Photographic Memory/Linking Memory
Sensorial and Fine Motor Skills
Physical Intelligence
Science and Environmental Awareness
Practical Life
Aesthetic and Creative Art & Craft, Music and Movement
Chracter Building and Social Awareness

It sounds like a combination of Glenn Doman, Shichida, and Montessori. They also encourage healthy eating by providing the children wholesome, partially organic snacks and meals. They offer half-day (8:30am-12:30pm), flexi half-day (3 days a week), and full day programs (8:30am-6pm).

Their enrichment classes are held only on weekends and run from 1 hour to 1.5 hours (depending on the age of your child).

Gymboree Play and Music Classes

I think most mothers are familiar with Gymboree since they’ve been around for quite a while. If you’ve never been and would like to try them out, they offer free trial class.

Publika Security Features

With all the recent reports on kidnappings and other unpleasant happenings in shopping malls, security has become a hot topic. Publika’s design is a nightmare for security – lonely car parks, dark corridors (especially where the toilets are located on the lower ground level), and dim lighting for the lower levels. On the flip side, they do offer security escorts to your car and the building is patrolled by security guards to compensate.

Other Features

Since the boys are out of this stage, I confess I have not checked out the baby room (according to their website they have 3) to see whether it is of an acceptable standard. Anyone checked this?

If you could design the perfect mall for a family, what features would you insist upon?

The Book Depository – Online Source for Books

by Shen-Li Lee 4 Comments

I often joke that I am studying a course in parenting, but when I take a look at the collection of books I have about parenting, early childhood development and early childhood education, and the fact that I’m always studying several books at the same time, it’s hard not to see that there is an underlying truth to that joke.

Many of the books I have bought have not easily been found in the bookstores at the time that I was searching for them so I had to purchase them online and have them shipped to me. I have had some of them specially ordered in through Kinokuniya, Times, MPH and Borders, but the rest have been purchased directly from Amazon Books, eBay and Acmamall being my usual sources. Most books are generally from Amazon because they have the biggest range. eBay has been good for sourcing certain rare books that are no longer in print, and Acmamall has been good for purchasing books with free shipping.

Recently, I discovered a new online source for books called The Book Depository which offers a large range of books and free delivery worldwide. Not only are most of the books cheaper than Amazon, but I don’t have to pay Amazon’s shipping fees, and I can use Paypal to pay for them. Some of these books can also be cheaper than purchasing the books through the local bookstores which can cost as much as Amazon plus shipping charges.

So the next time you’re looking for a book that you can’t find locally, you should try The Book Depository.

Baby Rooms and Nursing on the Go

by Shen-Li Lee 6 Comments

Now that I have another baby, I have been on the alert for more baby rooms again. I’m glad to say that facilities have improved enormously since my days of nursing Gavin in shopping mall baby rooms…

1. BSC now has three nursing rooms

Mothercare on level 2, east wing
Level 3, west wing
Level 4, west wing

Mothercare has two cubicles – one purely for nursing and one that allows you to nurse and change diapers. The nursing room on level 3 of the west wing has an arm chair for nursing, a sink for washing up and some bench space for changing diapers. I didn’t check out level 4, which is the dedicated children’s area.

2. Pavilion finally got around to furnishing their baby rooms. When it was first completed, the only nursing room/baby changing room was one small and cramped room in Parkson. The other baby rooms in the complex were temporary hideouts for the cleaning crew.

Some time back, I took a peek and discovered that they are now nicely decked out complete with nursing arm chair, changing station, sink and attached toilet. The best thing about the toilet is that they have a child-size toilet perfect for potty training your toddler. Gavin liked it so much that he started asking me to take him to the toilets wherever we went and was always disappointed with the venues that did not have child-size toilets.

In terms of practicalities, I find that the setup in Pavilion is probably about as close as it is going to get to the ideal “family” room because it is the most complete. Aside from the usual practicalities of being able to change your child’s diapers and nurse your baby, there is an adjoining toilet if Mummy needs to go. In most other shopping malls, it is very inconvenient for a mother to go to the toilet if she’s the only one out with the baby – there is not enough room to wheel in the pram into the cubicle and there is no place to put baby if you want to take your baby into the cubicle. I doubt many mothers would feel comfortable leaving their baby in a public toilet even if they are just two steps away in a cubicle where they can’t see their baby. Additionally, the toilet is separated from the nursing station so you don’t have to feed your baby next to the toilet. Last but not least, they have the child-size toilet for a potty training toddler. Most other shopping malls are usually lacking various features which detract from their practicality.

The next most convenient would have to be The Gardens – purely because of the quantity of family rooms. There are usually three family rooms near the toilets. Each room has its own sink, toilet chair and changing station. They aren’t often used (except for the one on LG near Cold Storage), so they are usually fairly clean. If they weren’t kept clean, it would be quite unpleasant to nurse in there.

Then again, since I’m more experienced with the whole nursing thing, I find that I no longer need the nursing room because I can nurse on the go. With Gareth in the carrier, all I have to do is drape the nursing cover over his head, help him latch on and we’re good to go.

Thinking Outside the Box

by Shen-Li Lee Leave a Comment

One of the qualities I have always hoped to encourage in Gavin is the ability to think outside the box. The problem with the current education system is that the focus tends to be on rote learning and following the leader.

I believe that children already possess a natural ability to think outside the box. However, as they grow older, this quality begins to diminish unless we can somehow encourage them to continue building it.

An Exercise in Thinking Outside the Box

Gavin has a pair of copy-cat Thomas Croc shoes which we bought from Target when we were last in Melbourne. For his birthday, one of our friends bought him three Thomas and Friends attach-ons by the original Croc brand. The attach-ons are supposed to be for attaching to the original Croc shoes, but we found they also fit onto Gavin’s fake Croc shoes.

Recently, after a trip to the Croc shop (my SIL2 was looking for a pair of shoes), Gavin discovered there was a whole new range of Thomas and Friends figures he did not have on his shoes. I bought him Toby the Tram Engine and he was so pleased with it that this pair of shoes has become his fast favourite for the past couple of weeks.

Ever since then, he has wanted to go back to collect the other Thomas and Friends figures that he remembers seeing. One in particular which he really wanted was James the Red Engine because James was one of the original characters he originally had but lost because it fell off his shoe while we were out and about.

My parents, who have been back in town recently, decided to pitch in and help him look for James so we’ve been in and out of just about every Croc shop in the Klang valley looking for James.

In the first shop we went into, we managed to find a few Thomas and Friends characters which were stored in these little round cylinders. Most of the characters were upside-down so my Mum and I would rummage through the jars with our index fingers looking for James.

Gavin spied what we were doing and decided to help us look. Instead of copying our actions, he covered the opening with one hand and up-ended the cylinder so he could look at the figurines from the bottom up. Since the figurines were all face down, that one action allowed him to see a many more of the figurines than simply rumaging through the cylinder with an index finger. How’s that for thinking outside the box?

We didn’t find James in the end, but we did get The Fat Controller.

Grandma handing The Fat Controller to Gavin.

Gavin supervises the addition of The Fat Controller onto his shoe.

In the end, grandma and grandpa promised to look for James when they went down to Singapore.

I Love EGG Maternity

by Shen-Li Lee 2 Comments

While we were down in Singapore, I noticed a few EGG Maternity shops around. The last time I was pregnant, it was difficul to find maternity clothes that I liked – okay, so my tastes are a little different.

I first read about EGG Maternity ages ago on one of those inflight magazines while flying back to Melbourne. I didn’t think too much about it back then, but having browse through their selections, I must say: I like!

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t agree to pay something like SGD95 for the short sleeved version of this top:

What can I say? Becoming a Mum makes you think twice about how much you spend on yourself – or at least, it makes me think. That said, I still really like their nursing tops.

I’ve often been asked why I don’t wear maternity dresses. Let me answer that question with a question – would you like to wear a poncho around? I mean, I’m pregnant, not tasteless. And besides, who says being pregnant means you have to be completely unfashionable? What I like about EGG Maternity is that their clothes are just pregnant versions of clothes I might wear even if I weren’t pregnant. For instance, I wouldn’t mind wearing something like either of these dresses:

What I like most about EGG Maternity is their fabric. It feels like jersey cotton but it’s so so soft. I’ve never been one to trade my comfort just to look good – and when I’m pregnant, I’m even less tolerant of being uncomfortable.

Wordless Wednesday: Pimp My Trains