Wondering how you’re going to keep the kids busy this school holiday? From gardening ideas to easy-peasy STEM experiments, FairPrice Xtra has done the hard work for you…
Yes, it’s that time again – school’s out! While we love spending time with our kids, we always have a mild pre-school holiday panic thinking of ways to entertain them. From researching ideas to dashing to town to get all the bits we need – it’s a lot to handle! But what if we could tie it all into the weekly shop?
Well, that’s where FairPrice Xtra steps in. This Singapore hypermarket has us well and truly sorted this school holiday, with all our groceries, plus a whole host of goodies to make a fun-filled break. We’re talking about all the essentials for cool science kits, gardening activities galore, and snazzy new board games. So if you’re looking to get the accolade of super mum this hol, read on…
STEM EXPERIMENTS
Disguise learning with these super fun STEM experiments at home, with only the bare supermarket essentials required…
1. Make your own bioplastic!
You read that right; it’s not just the littlies that will be wowed with this experiment, which sees the humble ingredients of corn starch and veggie oil transformed into cool plastic shapes!
Shopping list: FairPrice Soya Bean Oil 1L ($3.65), Flying Man Brand Corn Flour 400g pack ($0.70), Bake King Liquid Food Colours ($1.15), Vesta Biscuit/Cookie Cutter 10pc ($2.50)
Ingredients: 8 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp of vegetable oil, food colouring, cookie cutters, glitter (optional), medium-sized ceramic dish
Other items: 8 tbsp tap water, access to a microwave
Mess level: Not crazy! We’d recommend a kitchen table as you’ll need easy access to the microwave.
What to do:
1. Combine the cornstarch and water into the ceramic bowl, followed by the vegetable oil, and stir until everything is well combined.
2. Add a few drops of food colouring and mix (for a tie-dye design, add multiple colours and swirl into the mixture gently. You can also add glitter at this stage, too!).
3. Microwave your mixture for 2 mins 30 secs. It should come out jelly-like and hot (make sure the adults do this part and put it to the side for 10 mins to cool).
4. Then let the kids loose with the cookie cutters! The consistency will firm up gradually, so set aside overnight, and voila, you’ll have plastic shapes the next day!
The science in a nutshell:
Kids mesmerised? You’ve just introduced them to a clever little material known as bioplastic, which is a great green alternative to plastic. Although there’s much hype about it now, it has a history, with the legendary Henry Ford (aka Ford Motors) experimenting with soybean as a form of plastic back in the day for his cars. Check out his fab book for all the deets: ‘Full of Beans: Henry Ford Grows a Car’.
2. Make magic milk!
Shopping list: FairPrice UHT Milk – Low Fat 1L ($1.75), Bake King Liquid Food Colours ($1.15), FairPrice Dishwashing Liquid Detergent – Lemon 2 x 750ml ($2.55)
Ingredients: 375ml of milk, a few drops of food colouring (various colours), 1 tbsp dishwashing soap, cotton buds
Other items: Shallow bowl, a small container
Mess level: There might be a little bit of spillage, so old clothes are recommended!
What to do:
1. Pour the soap into the small container.
2. Pour the milk into the shallow bowl, and add a few drops of food colouring to the centre of the milk.
3. Dip the cotton bud into the soap and place it in the middle of the food colouring and see what happens! (The colours should start to spread towards the side of the plate!) The kids can also get creative with swirls and see the effects!
The science in a nutshell:
This is a chemical reaction at its best with the prettiest results! You’ll notice when you add the food colouring (pre-soap) not a lot happens – the food colouring is held in place. Add the soap, and that changes dramatically! You’ve just set off a chemical reaction between the soap and the fats in the milk (which are super sensitive to change). This creates a swirling colour effect – nice!
GARDENING FUN!
As well as visiting one of the fab farms across Singapore, you can get the kids to channel Old MacDonald at home through these fun activities…
1. Regrow veggies from scraps!
We all hate food waste, so not only is this activity great fun for the kids, but it’s also doing our bit for the planet – double win! No longer will you be scrapping those leftover veggies into the bin; it’s time to get planting…
Shopping list: Scraps of spring onions, garlic and/or onions
Other items: For containers for your new plants, upcycle tetra packs or plastic bottles – milk bottles work well!
What to do: Opt for veggies from the onion family because these are some of the easiest scraps to grow, with quick results! Here are a few tips:
Spring onions & onions: Simply chop the roots off and save 2-3 inches of the stems (help kids with the cutting). Place them in water (you don’t even need soil!), and by day three, you might see some shoots! For traditional onions, it’s a similar story. Cut off the end of an onion, and place it in a shallow amount of water or soil. Presto – the kids have their own veggie garden!
Garlic: Our kitchen staple, garlic, can also be a fun one for kids to do and monitor as it’s super easy. Simply place a few cloves into a small pot of soil (use one of your upcycled containers), pushing about a quarter of each clove into the soil, and wait for the shoots.
Top tip: With all the above, soil is more effective – but it’s sometimes more fun for the littlies to see what happens in water! Get the kids to keep a daily record of changes to their seedlings by keeping a plant diary and taking some pics along the way!
2. Grow your own plants from seed!
As well as using veggie scraps, you can also get the kids into gardening with these fab DIY kits from Fairprice Xtra. No need to shop around; everything you need is provided in the kit! Entertaining and easy – we like!
Shopping list: Canister Collection: Kitchen Herbs ($15.95), which includes soil, seeds and containers (just add water!)
What to do: As well as all the ingredients, you’ll find all the instructions provided too! These are a fab idea if you want to get kids thinking about where our food comes from. It’s also perfect to see the plant life cycle in action. Finally, it gives kids responsibility, which is always a great idea. So, put them in charge of watering and monitoring the plants. You’ll be using the herbs in your cooking in no time!
BOARD GAMES GALORE!
As much as we love watching a family movie and don’t mind the kids using the iPad now and then (no mum guilt here, thanks), we are mindful that our kids are growing up surrounded by tech. So close the laptop, turn off the TV and your phone, and get back to family time with a board game. We all know new games go down a storm, and so does FairPrice Xtra. From Sushi Jenga and OK tiles to Charades for Kids – you won’t be bored this holiday season!
COOK UP A STORM WITH THE KIDS!
Having a battle at dinner time and stuck for inspiration? Wait until you see the amazing dishes that FairPrice Xtra have rustled up. You might not be able to travel, but you can bring a little Changi Airport magic to your plate with this creative teriyaki chicken recipe. Not only is it super easy to make with the kids, but it also looks mighty delish!
Phew, more than enough to keep everyone busy! Worried about the post-fun cleanup? Don’t fret; FairPrice Xtra knows how messy kids can get. Why not take advantage of its super offers on cleaning essentials, too? And at the end of the day, a little bit of mess is fine in our book if we’ve got super happy and entertained kids. Enjoy the holidays!
This post is in partnership with FairPrice Xtra.
Credit for STEM experiment inspiration goes to Happily Ever Reading and Living Life and Learning.