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.

Out and about... part one

My mind has been occupied with other things for the past week or so... I have finally taken and passed my driving test after avoiding lessons for the past 20 years or so! The impetus to learn was, of course, Orla - it's been so frustrating having to plan a military operation whenever we want to go out. Will it rain before we get to the bus stop? - Rain in Penang is the equivalent of having a full bath of water dropped on your head in one go, so this is an important one. Maybe we should call a taxi instead? - but how long before it arrives? Do I get everything packed and ready and then spend the next 15 minutes twiddling my thumbs and/or watching Orla unpack it all over the floor? Or pack after I've called, only to find that the taxi's waiting outside mid- nappy change? No baby seat either, so I have to wrestle an energetic toddler (who wants to pull all of the driver's proudly displayed Manchester United regalia off the parcel shelf) into my seatbelt and pacify her with a boob until we get to wherever we're going. Walking isn't really an option - after daybreak it's hot enough to fry eggs on the pavements, which are so uneven, narrow and broken that even my all-terrain, LandRover pushchair is beginning to feel the strain. So finally being able to drive the car will open up all kinds of options for us.

Of course, we have had a few terrific excursions. Orla's fascination with nature and all things animal means that we have already taken trips to the zoo, bird park and butterfly farm. Check online for off-peak or family deals, or frequent users deals before you go - when I expressed my horror at the cost of London Zoo if we chose to visit in the summer, a friend who lives in London revealed that she is a memeber of the Zoo's 'Friends...' scheme - she pays about GBP60 per year and can go as many times as she likes, whereas a one-off visitor would pay GBP20 per adult during peak season.


Luckily for us, Taiping Zoo, a pleasantly managed and maintained park about an hour away from us, costs around GBP2.50 per adult. Even Giles, who is not keen on the concept of zoos and often despairs of the conditions for animals, agreed that it was a pleasant surprise. Orla was entranced from the moment we arrived until she drooped wearily on Daddy's shoulders, almost four hours later. A zoo is a great environment for little ones - they can see animals clearly, and seeing them 'in the flesh' encourages learning; once the animals are within their range of experience, they are more 'real' to children, who can then put them into context through memories the next time they see them in a book. Orla was thrilled by creatures she'd seen in her books or on her World Animals DVD. Since the zoo visit, she has learned signs and/or sounds for many different animals - she even trumpets like an elephant! We talked to her about the animals we saw - observations about what they looked like or what they were doing, how they behave and so on... She may not understand all we tell her at this stage, but I'm a firm believer in talking to babies like people, rather than like babies! I honestly think that Orla's communication skills and understanding have benefitted from Mummy's explanations of anything and everything!


The bird park was another hit. Sadly, many of the birds were in small cages; we'll visit the open aviary in Kuala Lumpur when we visit the city, which is a much nicer environment, both for the birds and for visitors to enjoy them. The great thing about the bird park, though, was that there were some birds that could be fed or gently stroked - we were both enchanted by a little Scops Owl, who 'danced' when his back was gently stroked and we had a close up view of the birds who landed on Daddy's hands to scoff worms from a pot we bought on the way in!


Similarly, our visit to the butterfly farm was a great success. Orla loves butterflies - she refuses to use the sign for 'butterfly' and insists that they are 'flowers' instead! There was a live insect and reptile show, which meant that again, we had a ringside seat for viewing all of the creatures. Apart from one hairy moment when Orla tried to squeeze the leaf insect that had been sitting on her knee for a couple of minutes, she was calm, gentle and completely fascinated by the small beasties. I hope that early experiences of being close to and handling bugs and minibeasts mean that she won't grow up with irrational fears and phobias; it's good for me, too, as I have to curb any shudders around spiders, scorpions and cockroaches!


We're hoping to visit a city farm and petting zoo when we go back to the UK for a visit in the summer. I'm sure that Orla will adore it - and will continue to learn so much from the experience. Books and DVDs are great for introducing things that children have no daily access to, but periodic visits to the Real Thing are what consolidates learning and cements meaning into memory.

Animal Magic!

Orla's current obsession is animals. She's mad about them - she has a Baby Einstein World Animals DVD which she wants to watch endlessly, and I've found a way of luring her away from the goggle box while still embracing her chief passion!

Following recent visits to the zoo, a bird park and a butterfly farm, all of which enthralled her, I decided to go through the photographs on my laptop to find animal pictures - I found dozens from lots of different holidays and day trips. I copied them all into one folder and put them on the 'slideshow' setting... The screen of my laptop is now a mass of little fingerprints after multiple excited viewings!

Phase Two was a trip to the developers. We printed off about 40 photos and have put them into a simple slip-in album which is Orla-sized for easy carriage! If she ever lets it go, I'll customise the album with labels for the animals' names and some animal stickers that I found for pennies in a stationer's. We have looked at the album together; I ask her questions about which animals they are, what sounds they make, etc, and we have watched the DVD with the album, too, looking for the photo of each creature as it appears on screen. We're even creating our own signs for some of the animals!

It took about an hour to find the photos I wanted while I was relaxing after dinner one evening. Obviously, the album content can be adapted to accommodate your little one's particular passion.

Because we live overseas and far from family, we've also put together a mini album of family pictures so that Orla can identify and talk about her grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins... She can also find the image of the person she wants to talk to on Skype!