Halloween Playgroup 2007

Ibu HALLOWEEN PLAYGROUP 2007

As spooky, creepy, howling music emanated from the ibu drop-in centre doorway, a solo little witch arrived with her Mum at 9.20am, catching the Witches of Eastwick ( Karen, Tammie, Amelie ) by surprise! They weren’t even ready!

The Witches of IBU


Slowly but surely, Spidermen, Supermen, fairies, firemen, Peter Pan, Chickens, Pumpkins, Draculas and all other denizens of the Underworld arrived at ibu. Soon, they were arriving in droves. Baby Dalmatians, Power Rangers and more! Only one mum dressed in costume ( Amy ) but all the parents seemed ready to have some fun.

46 ibu children enjoyed a morning full of activity. The cookie decorating was a big hit. Shaped as Witches Fingers, the almond at the end of the cookie really looked like a creepy talon and after the kids had coloured it with food colouring, and decorated it with sprinkles, it looked truly horrifying!


The painting & colouring scary pictures section went down well, especially with the younger crowd who were more than happy to get their fingers in there and get mucky.



Apple bobbing saw many test their skills with their little teeth, but also a few going in head first, and Mums whipping out changes of clothes.



Camille the face painter did a great job as the kids queued up for their turn to have their faces transformed into monsters, fairies, butterflies, spiders and much more. Some were not too keen to have designs on their faces, but walked away with ‘tattoos’ all over their arms and hands instead. I can imagine many would not have allowed Mummy to wash it off at night!



After a quick treasure hunt to find 10 hidden party packs,




all the children settled down for a story telling session with Anne Ooi – ibu’s resident story teller. Capturing their attention and imagination, Anne did a fantastic job of calming the children down from the excitement of the day whilst keeping them raptured at the same time.






This was followed by the handing out of prizes for:

BEST ART: Antonio
BEST COOKIE DECORATING: Hattie
BEST COSTUME: The Fireman




By this time, most of the kids were very obviously running out of steam, not to mention their Mums and Dads! So, after a very busy day at ibu, tummies full from feasting on pumpkin pie, cupcakes, brownies and cookies and of course all the wonderful trick or treat goodies, Mums, Dads, and children packed up and started gravitating to the exit. No doubt many an ibu kid would’ve collapsed in his / her car seat on the way home.
What a day!! Happy Halloween!!

Written by Karen Loong-Thomas ( ibu Activities Coordinator )

C.P.R Talk 20th Oct 2007

On the 20th October 2007, ibu held a CPR Course for interested members. Interest was overwhelming, and many are currently on a waitlist for the next session. The 2 hour talk / practical session was a good basic starting point especially for new parents as it focused on dealing with First Aid and emergencies in infants and children.

Attendees were given a little handout / booklet to study on their own time.



Aaron, Lynette & daughter. The team from Scuba Zone.


Aaron showing us how to properly position the head & chin lift to enable full inflation of the lungs.

Antony trying his best to inflate the dummy by doing Artificial Respiration (A.R)

An ibu member trying CPR on the mannequin.

Lynette demonstrating the Child Heimlich Maneouver ( choking )on her daughter

Aaron demonstrating the Adult Heimlich ( choking ) Maneouver on Lynette


At the end of the session, we learnt that :

Adequate aid provided is better than perfect aid witheld! ( how true! ) and now with these skills, no matter how basic, ibu members will be better prepared should any emergencies happen.

Some comments from members:

" It was a great session. We got a lot out of it. Enjoyed the experential learning, working with a dummy. Would have liked a few more pages and quick comments on how to handle other first aid situations; cuts, grazes, burns, etc." Sabrina Lee

" Thought it was useful for me as I didn’t know anything about CPR. Gives a good idea of what needs to be done in emergency situation…Next time I’ll send my helper" Amelie Langdon

" I did find it quite useful in refreshing my cpr knowledge. Good to practice on Little Anne or Annie. Shows correct or wrong technique. Good to have a booklet to read through as they didn't really go in depth into other stuff apart from mouth to mouth and compressions. Guess, time constraints. All in all, important points and skills covered in a short 2 hour period" Tammie Morris

Mums On The Run 18 Oct 2007

10 Mums got together this time to enjoy authentic Sardinian cuisine at Sure Pizza, PPlaza Damas, Hartamas. Tel:62016014


A sampling of the tasty selection at Sure Pizza.


Our server Noh who was on hand with every request, ensuring a great meal.

Chef Paolo having a chat with 2 lovely ladies.

We'll be back soon Paolo, for sure!!

With desserts like this... who would'nt be back!


Some comments from the Mums:

"The pizzas are really great, and authentic Italian!" Taryn

"I thought the pumpkin Ravioli was especially good" Amelie Langdon


SURE PIZZA

Plaza Damas
Hartamas Shopping Centre
03-62016014

Family Day Out 22 Sept '07 - Lake Gardens Butterfly Park & Dinosaur Gardens

Only 2 families attended this outing today, however, it is a lovely place that one should try to visit at least once - with over 120 different species of butterflies!