What Sassy Mama Wants: How to Keep Busy Over School Holidays

School’s out, mama!

What’s on the agenda this school holidays, mama? Whether you’re looking for fun activities or just some cool summer-specific shopping, we’ve got a good mix of things to keep you and your kiddos occupied. Check out everything we’re loving this month!

This striking new coffee table book illuminates the intricate beauty of more than 100 flowers from Gardens by the Bay’s award-winning conservatories: the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest. Photographer Man Cheung pushes the boundaries of how we view plant life, opening up new worlds of detail and wonder in this captivating photo book. Why not study up ahead of time and then visit with the kiddos so they can look for their favourites?

Find it: Available in stores and online at multiple stockists for $37.30.

Keen for your kiddo to learn Mandarin this school holidays but wary of schlepping them to lessons all over town while racking up high taxi bills? Check out Connected Learning, mama! They specialise in interactive, fun, online Chinese lessons for children (Primary 1 onwards) from the comfort and convenience of your home. Children can simply log on from home for their lesson, using a computer, laptop or iPad. Even if you’re traveling there’s no need to worry about missing lessons!

Find it: Available online from $210/month for Primary 1-3 levels to $260/month for Secondary 1-4 levels.

Want your little ones to experience the magic of creative play, mama? The clever folks at Centre Stage School of the Arts have just introduced a new drop-off class for 2- and 3-year-olds called “Out of the Box Creative Arts Play”! Designed to nurture development and important life skills, the new programme is a total blast for little ones, who’ll learn through such mediums as dance, singing, puppetry and much more. As the only Drama UK-supported school on the island with 3 convenient locations (including one at East Coast!) and 17 years’ experience in Singapore, Centre Stage School of the Arts is a fab place to get your children’s creative juices flowing, mama. Check out their full slate of summer holiday programmes, too!

Find it: Register online for the ‘Out of the Box Creative Arts Play’ classes at $80/session and find out about their holiday programmes here.

We can’t get enough of the super-cute personalised cards from Paper Culture, and are extra smitten with these ‘To Space and Beyond’ ones that are perfect for birthdays or a cool upcoming summer party! Make it an intergalactic hit with luxe, 100% recycled paper with free professional designer assistance and a choice of 3 thickness options.

Find it: Available online at Paper Culture from US$25.90 for 10 cards to US$159 for 100 cards (they can make up to 1000 and more!).

Planning a picnic, mama? Save the hassle of carrying one too many blankets and be sorted with this waterproof picnic rug from Quechua. They’re soft and comfy on one side and completely waterproof on the other, so you don’t have to worry about soaking through wet grass patches! Plus we love that it’s easy to roll up and carry like a little bag.

Find it: Available online at Decathlon for $13.90.

This miniature flamingo float is too cute, mama, and we can’t wait to put our littles in the pool with it. There’s even an adult flamingo float to match. Who’s ready for a pool party?!

Find it: Available online at Letsfloatsg for $80.

Let your kids’ sailor dreams come true with this fun DIY party box! These non-toxic, easy to apply and remove temporary tattoos will have your boys and girls feeling cool at the pool – and they’ll last for days despite swimming and bathing!

Find it: Available online at Hipvan for $23.40.

Got a long flight or car trip in your future? We’ve long been fans of Australian premium baby food company Rafferty’s Garden (they kept the tinies full and happy at one of our recent Mama Meet Ups!), and our toddlers absolutely love them on-the-go. With all sorts of yummy fruit and veggie combinations – all made in Australia from the freshest, most premium ingredients – these pouches are major crowd pleasers for bubs 6 months of age and up.

Find it: Available exclusively at Fairprice Finest.