Every Day is a Chance to Learn: July 2016

Wednesday 27 July 2016

Holiday in Australia! Part 3: Phillip Island Chocolate Factory and Chocolate Fun Learning Activities!

We visited the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory and C had loads of fun! C and I are chocolate lovers, and it was a wonderful place to learn how chocolate is made!

We started the tour learning about how and where cocoa trees are grown, and the process of how cocoa beans are converted into chocolate.

C handling a cocoa pod.

There are many interactive exhibits, where kids can touch and feel the cocoa pods, dried cocoa beans, and also have a hands on experience of using the machinery that processes the cocoa.

C having a feel of how dried cocoa beans feel like.

The machine that roasts and dries the beans to stop
the fermentation process, to allow proper storage.

A winnowing machine that
crushes the beans and separates
the shells from the cocoa nibs.

A pressing machine to extract the cocoa oils called cocoa butter.

Here's a summary of how Chocolate is made:

C with her cousins. The huge picture behind is actually
made out of 12,000 pieces of chocolate! It's an image of
a lady called Dame Edna.

A chocolate village where a list of hidden treasures can
be found!

The kids' favourite part of the chocolate tour was the amazing 3D Zoetrope! It's a device that uses a sequence of images to create an illusion of movement, like a movie does. This Zoetrope is really enthralling, and shows a scene where cute little penguins are made out of pouring chocolate into moulds.

Here's a video of it:

There was also a really fun side show alley, where we got to play challenging games to win chocolates!

The Side Show Alley.

Ski Jump & Whack a Penguin.

Laughing Pelicans &
Pengdulum.

The Chocolate Factory also had other fun rooms that allowed us to explore different textures and aromas, cute penguin robots that deliver free pieces of chocolate of your choice, chocolate waterfall, and a window through which you can view how chocolate is prepared in the kitchen!

Overall, the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory was a fun and interesting visit for the kids! :)

Meanwhile, here are some of the other activities we did that were inspired by this visit:

Marble Jump

Inspired by the Ski Jump from this side show alley, we created our own Marble Jump, where we created our own ramp using a paper roll. We varied the angles to get the best jump for the marble, to land it into the Piranha Cup.

Our own Marble Jump! We created a ramp for a marble
to be launched into a Piranha Cup!

C all excited to launch the marble
down the ramp!

Ready, Set and Go!

Chocolate Math and Alphabet Fun

The chocolate pieces were printed and then cut out. C used them to complete the math equations as well as the alphabet activity! :)

Click here to download Chocolate Math and Alphabet Fun!

Chocolate Tasting

C was given two pieces of chocolate:
one piece of milk chocolate and one piece of dark chocolate.

First, she was asked to tell the difference just by looking at the two pieces of chocolate.
Next, C tasted them both and decided on the difference between the way they tasted, as well as the texture.

The milk chocolate was sweeter and creamier in texture, while the dark chocolate was a little harder and slightly bitter. C very quickly decided that she preferred the milk chocolate!

Milk Chocolate vs Dark Chocolate.

While we appreciate our little chocolate reminiscence, I will be updating more about our Australia trip next time! :)

Saturday 23 July 2016

Holiday in Australia! Part 2: The Nobbies, Penguin Fun Facts and Penholder Activity

When we were holidaying in Australia, one of the places we visited was The Nobbies. The views here were spectacular, and with the strong winds, it was literally a breathtaking experience. We strolled along the boardwalk, which provided a great view of the south coast of Phillip Island.

The boardwalk and the distant Seal Rocks.

C and I were thrilled to be here at
The Nobbies!

One and a half kilometres away were the Seal Rocks, which is home to Australia's largest Fur Seal colony. Apparently, penguins could be seen resting here at The Nobbies during certain times. C was extremely excited as her favourite animal is the penguin!

The beautiful coastline.

An overview map of Phillip Island and Western Port.

The signs read:

"Western Port is an area rich in biodiversity.

The bay has saltmarsh, mangrove and seagrass communities that form important feeding and breeding grounds for a diversity of animals.

Western Port is part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and has three marine national parks. The bay is also a Ramsar site which acknowledges the international significance of the wetlands in the area."

The three marine national parks mentioned are:

- Yaringa Marine National Park

- French Island Marine National Park

- Churchill Island Marine National Park

Little wooden boxes for the penguins.

We also noticed cute little wooden boxes in the grass patches. These are actually meant for the penguins who return to land after hunting in the oceans. But we didn't see any penguins as they only return after nightfall. Well, there was the option of visiting the Penguin Parade nearby, where the penguins return every sunset each day. We will make it a point to return and watch the parade on our next visit! :)

C and my mum spending a moment together.

Despite not catching a glimpse of any penguins, it was still an amazing experience for C and I. And the most awesome thing of all, was spending time together as a family. One of my favourite photos that day is the one where C and my mum held hands, walking down the boardwalk TOGETHER. :)

Meanwhile, here are some fun facts about Penguins!

And here's a cute little penguin activity to share.

Make Your Own Penguin Penholder

You will need:

Scissors

Glue / Tape
Black Paint / Markers / Colour Pencil
Paper Roll

Print template and have your kid colour or design the body of the penguin! It can be all black or to make it more fun, leave it up to their imagination! :) Cut out the parts of the penguin, use glue or tape to stick them onto the paper roll.

C having fun sticking on the eyes of the penguin!

C adding the beak.

The penguin's wings that act as
flippers as penguins swim in water.

Tadah! The penguin penholder is done!

A useful way to recycle paper rolls
while kids can have fun!

Hope you have fun and I will be writing about our visit to the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory in my next post! :)

Wednesday 20 July 2016

Holiday in Australia! Part 1: Myuna Farm Visit & Feed the Bunny Math Activity

It's been a while since my last post, because we were away on a holiday in Australia! C had so much fun and as it's winter now down under, the weather was a cool and wonderful change from hot and humid Singapore!

The beautiful sunrise in Australia
to welcome us!

It was my first time flying alone with a young kid, and it sure was a challenge when our flight out was delayed for almost a whole hour! Well, the good thing is that Changi Airport has loads of attractions. C and I even took the skytrain to explore other terminals before heading to our boarding gate!

Social Tree. You can take a picture
of yourself and choose a cute and fun
outfit to add onto your image!

C had so much fun looking at the
beautiful fishes in the Koi Pond!

Butterfly Garden!

Emergence Cases of the Butterflies.

C trying to catch a butterfly!

Myuna Farm

One of the best things in Australia is the vast land space and the beautiful nature that comes along with it. C and I loved waking up to the wonderful singing of the birds! The first place on our holiday itinerary was Myuna Farm. (Thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law for making all the plans for our trip!)

The farm was a great place to teach C to care for animals. We were given two big loaves of bread to feed the farm animals along a feeding trail. C and her cousins had so much fun feeding the chickens, goats, lamas, deer and sheep!