Lilypie 4th Birthday Ticker

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Helsinki children museum

The Easter is just on the corner, also means spring is getting closer and closer :-P Last Saturday Helsinki Children Museum had yearly Easter happening, where kids and parents came to make their own Easter decorations.

The museum is not that big with 5 rooms filled with some historical photos, farm animal models such as horse, cow, pig, birds, bugs and so on. Opposite of the museum there is a horse stable. In such a snowing day, horses were staying outside. I wonder whether they feel cold or not?

Bobo was extremely happy, "touch this and touch that".


(heppa)


(let me try)


(bird watcher)


(enjoy the ride)

Chicks, bunnies, eggs, green grass are typical Easter decorations. During the Easter season, people love to buy seeds and growing the grass, then put own favorite decorations. Or get Narcissus flowers eagerly waiting for its booming. Yellow and green are Easter's colors.

It's another marketing season for candy in the supermarket after the Christmas. Different kinds of chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs filling the shelves. During the Easter weekends, kids would bring along Easter decoration made by themselves visiting door to door. While singing traditional Easter song they wave the Easter decoration branches to symbol getting rid of all evil spirits. After that they are expected to get candies in exchanging of their decoration.

There are special food dedicated for Easter, such as mämmiä, lamb...


(I help you mammy)


(sweat chic family)


(decration branch)


(handwork)

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Books

It's our desires to let Bobo read more, since I haven't done that enough myself :(

Like most Finnish kids, Bobo loves Muumi World, Micky and Friends, Winne the Pooh, Maisy the Mouse and Hucle Cat and Lowly Worm (Mato Matala in Finnish) . Sometime I am amazed how creative the books are! They teach kids about almost every subject in the life, such as colors, shapes, numbers, words, objects, daily life activities, religious, scientific, natures and so on. I always believe it's the best way to learn by combing with books and real life. You can see how excited kids are, when they are reading something they love! It's also important to show your emotions (happiness, proud...) to kids once they have achieved something.

Bobo loves Muumi puzzle books, though she cannot yet finish the whole jigsaw on her own. One day we were in the book store, she pointed me those bigger puzzle games and said, "these are not too difficult to Anniina" :-P heheeee.

Recently, we have been reading a lot about Maisy the Mouse.
Interactive books, you can drag, you can rotate. It is absolutely fun!

Check this book out! I bought it from a book sale... It's about Maisy's home, the whole book has only 2 pages which makes up 3 rooms of Maisy's house; the kitchens, the bath room and the bed room. You can tight the front and back covers to build a 360 degree room space. There are additional small paper objects, like plates, towel, clothes etc you can just put into the book slots. It's like a doll house but made of paper. You can play it connecting with daily life, isn't it a wonderful book?

Bobo seems to think Muumis should live there too.


(Kitchens)


(Bathroom)


(Bedroom)

Monday, March 10, 2008

别动 (don't move) !

Long time no see...

I haven't forgotten my little blog yet, just because I have been SO busy. Gosh, finally it is getting better after February project manager exam. Now I am officially a certified international project manager (level C) :-P http://www.ipma.ch/certification/Pages/default.aspx

With my evening business studies have only 2 courses to go, I already can see the sunshine bursting out from the dark winter.

Bobo has developed dramatically on her language skill. She is able to communicate with Daddy in Finnish quite well. Chinese seems to be a big challenge. She hasn't been keen to speak in it. I have been encouraged her to at least say some simple words, like
苹果, 西瓜, 桔子, 葡萄, 芒果, 巧克力, 冰淇凌. These are the things she love to eat. I have emphasized if she says these words in Finnish in Shanghai, 外婆 won't understand so you won't get any of them. Usually after that she is happy to repeat them.

Our apartment is a four floor building, we live in the second floor. Each time going out and coming back, we are worrying about the stairs. Constantly I have been telling Bobo, don't move I will carry you. If you fell, you will get "Pipi" (hurt in kids slang).

Last Saturday coming back from library and shopping, Bobo suddenly said to me "
别动" (don't move in Chinese). At first I wasn't sure what the word was exactly, then she repeated "别动" and started to climb the stairs. At the same time she looked at me to make sure that I don't follow her, what I always been doing while she climbs the stairs. I decided to let her have a go, though wasn't sure if she can make it. With one hand tightly holding on the railing, Bobo finally reached the second floor. "Jiippi!" I cheered. Bobo gave a happy big smile in return.