Our virgin trip to Pulau Ubin over the weekend was a fulfilling one. Not only did smarties learn about nature and having a great family bonding time in the outdoor, we discovered new things about smarties too! So why did we mention adventure? It was because we did not do any pre-planning at all. Daddy and gor gor have their own bicycle to ride on but mommy and mei mei didn’t. We didn’t even know how we would organize ourselves when we reached. The first half of the day we went exploring separately where the girls will be on one team and the boys on another.
The only thing that we were super well prepared was the insect repellent. When we arrived on the island, instead of spraying on insect repellent, we used the coil and hanged on our bags. Yes, the most effective way of repelling mozzies than the spray-on or the stick-on. There wasn’t even a bug near us after we hanged that on our bags! Everyone was looking at us in awe while “slapping” themselves away.
1. Spending quality one on one time
Once we were all ready, the boys decided to cycle the left half of the island. The girls too went to the left half of the island as well but on foot. It was a fun and relaxing walk with all fresh air to ourselves and we spotted a group of youngsters (younger than me, therefore, youngsters) awaiting to canoe. Asked mei mei if she wanted to join but she wasn’t interested.
While the other side of the road, we spotted someone patiently waiting for the fishes arrival.
Walking further, we discovered many different types of plants. There were butterfly pea and some mysterious plants that we didn’t know what that was. Although there was constant whining of tiredness during the 2 hours of walking mainly looking at bushes and trees, we spent a good time exploring nature together with my full attention on her instead of sharing it with her brother. I can totally feel her as I was feeling tired too having to walk under the hot and humid weather but I saw a little strong lady right in front of me enduring the walk the with me without throwing a big fuss and I really appreciate that.
2. Development of self-confidence
With the unlimited space, children have the freedom to be as active as they would like. Being active helps them to have a positive level of fitness and also to build strong bones. Bet most parents would love to have their kids burn off that extra energy and calories too. Over here, my main purpose of this adventure is to build their self-confidence through unplan cycling and to satisfy their interest in exploration in the wild.
After a hearty lunch, the girls’ team decided to rent a bicycle to explore the right half of the island and mei mei was super excited to be in the passenger seat. Even the rain didn’t deter her from enjoying the ride. I told her I was worried about the wet ground as I haven’t been cycling for donkey years. In return, she replied to me with this:”Don’t worry, mama. If you are scared, I will hug you from behind. I’m ready! Let’s go!”. Gosh, she has more confidence in me than me!
3. Pushing their boundaries and explore
We arrived at Chek Jawa Wetlands and the rain started to get heavier as well. Smarties were a little worried at first but decided to braved through the rain and explored the area. They were walking ahead of us searching for “treasures” such as mudskippers, crabs, etc.
They were several interesting finds during the exploration and smarties were really satisfied with it although they hope to find more. It was nice to see them pushing their boundaries exploring the place under the rainy weather. (Psst…they hate rainy days due to a previous bad experience they had. Read more about it here.)
4. Independent learning
When we arrived at the Chek Jawa Visitor Centre, smarties and friend started checking out all the stations and information provided. They were all taking turns, reading through the information and discussing what they have discovered.
The visitor centre was pretty well-maintained and the information board were really bright and colourful. A mini magnifying glass was also provided for visitors for better viewing of those super mini sea shells!
Very soon, it was time to return our rented bicycle and headed back home. The benefits of outdoor adventures were endless and smarties had an amazing time on the island. They even requested to be back on a sunny day so that they can explore more in the future. We will definitely plan for that. While heading home, we caught sight of a few fishermen displaying their catch of the day. What a fabulous adventure!
Where would be your most memorable outdoor adventure with your kids? What did you learn during the trip? We definitely welcome you to share in the comments below 🙂