Animal Magic 2...

Animals hold such fascination for so many babies and toddlers. It seems that little people respond more strongly to animal faces early on than to human ones - perhaps due to their less complex facial expressions. It's interesting to read that babies and their animal counterparts have evolved similarly proportioned facial features (large eyes, small noses and mouths, rounded cheeks) to hold a universal appeal, thus ensuring that the vulnerable members of any species are protected!

Orla adores animals, so we have been on a number of outings to indulge her passion. We visited Penang Bird Park, meeting peacocks, parakeets and jungle fowl... She loved gently stroking the backs of the tiny Scops Owls to make them 'dance' and bob, and thought that the ostrich was hilarious. That photo is a firm favourite in her album, and she has even created her own 'sign' to use when she sees one!

Taiping Zoo was another great hit. The advantage it has over the Bird Park is that the enclosures are much larger and more open, affording a better view and more comfortable environments for the animals. Orla was fascinated to see animals seen previously only in picture books or on her World Animals DVD - elephants, tigers and crocodiles drew enthusiastic signing and appropriate trumpetting, growling and snapping sounds, while the giraffes drew an awed and delighted "Wow!... Wow!"

You don't need to fork out for tickets for zoos and wildlife parks, however, to indulge your child's love of feathered, finned and furry friends. We are lucky to have a fantastic pet store here in Georgetown, filled with several floors of pets and aquaria. The tanks are filled with a rainbow of amazing marine and freshwater fish and there is a large pool where we can feed huge orange, white and golden koi carp. There are clean, bright tanks and cages holding blue macaws, reptiles, spiders, prairie dogs and ferrets, alongside the more common cats, dogs, hamsters and rabbits. On rainy afternoons, it's not uncommon to find half a dozen mummies and little people peering into glass tanks filled with mini 'Nemo' clownfish or cooing over baby hedgehogs curled up in warm straw beds...

Water, water, everywhere...

It's hot and humid here in Penang almost every day, so we're always keen to indulge in a bit of water play to cool down. Orla loves water - born under the sign of Pisces, she's a regular little fish! She nips down to the pool with Daddy most days, and is a confident and enthusiastic swimmer; she has no need of Mummy or Daddy to hold her in the water, but strikes out on her own with just a little air in the panels of her Floaties suit!

Of course, not everyone has access to a beautiful swimming pool all year round, or even to a garden large enough for a paddling pool during warm summer days. You may not have time for, or access to regular swimming lessons, but it's worth making some time to be inventive with water play. Children are fascinated by water and it has so much to teach them as they develop key skills.


From a sensory perspective, water is amazing stuff. You can't hold it in your hands, but it can cover you completely... it can change in temperature... you can mix it into other liquids to make them runnier, or to turn solids into gloop... you can even make water solid, through making jelly or ice! You can explore sounds with water, power a waterwheel, float boats, blow bubbles... the possibilities for fun experimentation are endless!


Orla loves to join in with 'grown up' water activities, too - she brings her little watering can down to fill from the hose while we're bathing the dog, and she likes to help with washing up, sitting with her feet in the bowl and washing plastic cups and unbreakable plates with a soapy cloth. Mimicry is an important part of development, and if you talk about what you're doing, too, you're expanding your child's vocabulary and understanding of language.