Fly High with MNS !

No happier soul  than me
( all photos- courtesy of Ee Lynn)

I can fly! Of course I can. Just like the Little Red Engine, I kept saying to myself,' I know I can- I know I can- I know I can.'

So my worst fears were laid to rest - imagining myself spinning round and round, screaming like crazy to be let down, freezing in mid air and making an oaf of myself. Thankfully, none of this happened.

I was geared for the ascent up a tree via the Single Rope Technique ( SRT), a static climbing line system  used as a means of canopy access only. Judging by the queue, interest in tree climbing was encouraging. The members of the Caving Group, an interest group of the MNS (Malaysian Nature Society) were more than hands on to encourage first timers to give it a go. Onlookers cheered and shouted  words of encouragement to little ones as young as 7 years old  who pushed beyond their own comfort zones and admirably achieved their climb.

 I was nicely locked secure with strong metal clasps of  the harness and a snug saddle, not forgetting the important helmet. Once suspended, I swung a bit like a drunken sailor as my legs slipped into the foot loop. 'Hey, steady!' Calmed myself. Then listened intently to the instructor on the technique of the climb. My friend, Ee Lynn put it very nicely, 'If you can squat, you can do it.' She was there ready to catch me in action, camera in hand. Her encouragements gave me the push. 'Go for it!'. Getting  that kind of gung ho prod from a young friend, there was only one way to go. Up!

All smiles -  a camouflage for the wobblies in my tummy 

We have a lift -off!

Very soon my apprehensions fizzled away. It was the act of concentrating, putting in that extra ounce of energy on the sit and stand routine that got me going. I found myself inching a longer distance as as my technique got better. Somewhere higher midway, I let my eyes rove. Whoa! the view impressed - Taman Lembah Kiara in her green splendour.

Concentrating on the sit and stand  routine to get higher and higher until the destination

You can't catch me!

Hurray! The big overhanging branch was touch point. I arrived! Then it was smooth sailing down away from the majestic tree about the height of a two storey house. I waved merrily to the cheers and the smiles down below. My smile was the widest ever, as if my soul had been set free.

Arrived!

A wave to my fans down below

My buddy - she got me up there!

Such a wonderful end to an engaging early morning  start at the Malaysian Nature Society Open Day 2011 at the Kiara Park. I watched volunteer Ee Lynn having fun at her eco-friendly games stall and interacting with the public. We shared the same tent and according to schedule, I came on. It was storytelling  time with  kids. The fun was under the sea with Curious Clown Fish. On dry land we swam like the fishes and had a swishing ,watery time with the awesome marine creatures through songs and craft too.

Puffing up like the prickly puffer fish

Loving our stingray, catfish, shark and salmon...

Our Leatherback Turtle is back !

My turtle and her eggs

With a little play and storytelling I told the children gathered at the PJ library, the story of One Tiny Turtle. Wasn't I delighted when some days later, I read in the papers that a leatherback - the largest of the sea turtles- has made a surprise return to Rantau Abang beach after 32 years. Conservationists call it a 'miracle' for the endangered species . With renewed hopes, we welcome our rare turtle back to our Trengganu shores 'coz we nearly whacked it away for eternity due to poaching, pollution and overfishing. Seriously, numbers dwindled from up to 10,000 female turtles in 1950s to only 5 nests from 2 turtles without any hatchlings emerging in 2006. We have sadly 'over-fished' in our own waters, so to speak .

Happily this reptilian giant turtle dubbed the 'Puteri Rantau Abang' or Rantau Abang Princess was released back into the sea carrying a satellite transmitter which will help conservationists track turtle migration patterns. So long, 'princess'. Till you return to Rantau Abang.

Nicola Davies' One Tiny Turtle, illustrated by Jane Chapman is an absolute gem. The text scores highly as it makes nature facts so alive and interesting. The illustrations paint the undersea world of the loggerhead turtle from a tiny turtle to adult so beautifully. Every child will want to discover more and be in wonder of the turtle.

The story goes on - turtle leaves for the seas again, eggs hatch in the warm sand, hatchlings wriggle out of the shells and head towards the sea, predators lurk above and below. Only one makes its way to safely to the ocean. Here's a text of the struggle :

In the dark, claws and beaks and grabbing paws miss just one young turtle. One day, she'll remember this beach and come back. But now she dives under the waves and swims. SWims and swims! Out into the arms of the ocean. Far, far out to sea, land becoms a memory waiting to wake in the head of the little turtle.' - One Tiny Turtle

Cover of the book One Tiny Turtle

It has been many years since my family last saw the leatherback turtle laying eggs. We waited in our car in the dark at Rantau Abang. An excited voice rang out calling for tourists like us to follow him. I remember holding our children's hands, stumbling in the sand, heading towards the nesting beach and following the dim light of the torchlight. It certainly felt like a night adventure, full of high expectations.

The guide signalled us to be quiet. Turtles are very sensitive to light and noise. There was a hushed silence as we stopped a distance away from our very important visitor. In the cool night breeze, the huge blackish, reptilian mound was already busy digging away the sand, making a hole deep and steep enough to deposit her eggs. How can I forget the egg laying? Never! It was an esctatic feeling to see the ping pong size eggs go 'plop, plop, plop, one by one. Amazingly white and glistening under the moonlight. When it was all over, the huge flippers swung and swept the sand to cover the precious eggs from predators.

With the young captive audience, I took the opportunity to be the big turtle. I 'reprised' the role of the turtle. All of them have not seen a turtle laying eggs nor have they heard about our very own leatherback turtles. My legs and arms were the hind and fore flippers. The children were amused and played along when I dropped the eggs! - so many and each time one dropped, they shouted 'plop!'.

It was a rewarding session. There was an air of excitement too as the kids drew turtles . We even walked like turtles in a song 'I'm just a baby turtle'! Kids wanna have fun as they learn - facts become so digestible! Lastly to the sounds of their laughter, as they headed for home, they were asked to find out more about the varieties of turtles we have that nest on our beaches - hawksbill , olive ridley , green and of course, the giant of them all, the leatherbacks.

Our turtles, our heritage

Tiger Blogfest 2010 - Kids get to know our Tiger

Cool tiger!

What I've found time and again, when storytime comes along, you gotta inject fun into the learning. Children are keen to learn and if we do some things right, we've got them with us - eyes, ears and mind open for as long as they're with you.

More so, this time when I've a 'mission' to accomplish. Earth Day is round the corner and together with over 100 bloggers, headed by the King Monyet, we're zooming in on ' Save Our Tiger' in our special Tiger Blogfest 2010. I had the privilege of 2 sessions with some kids in the MBPJ library and Times Bookshop , all within an hour each. Big task? Yes, but like they say, chunk it and for the young kids, keep it simple.

Truth be told, the kids fear the tiger for all the stories they hear. But then, there's a part of the story missing . Exactly why do tigers kill humans. What's the underlying reason/s for tigers to leave their habitat and create havoc? And what about Man's irresponsible acts of poaching tigers. For the young ones, this information is something new. Unheard of! I could sense some uneasiness to know that the tiger falls prey to man's bad acts.

To get to the core of the important message, I made up a simple song for all to sing.We sang about the Tiger Is A Cat to the tune of The Farmer In The Dell. Simple, catchy and easy to sing -along. Thumbs up for the Tiger - Save our Tiger ! screamed the kids. Here are the lyrics:

The tiger is a cat (x2)

Hi ho the derry o

The tiger is a cat

It lives in the jungle (x2)

Hi ho the derry o

The tiger is a cat

Hunted by Man (x2)

Hi ho the derry o

The tiger is a cat

Killed by Man (x2)

Hi ho the derry o

The tiger is a cat

Eat the tiger? NO! (x2)

Hi ho the derry o

The tiger is a cat

Save the tiger? YES! (x2)

Hi ho the derry o

The tiger is a cat

The tiger is a cat (x2)

Hi ho the derry o

The tiger is a cat

Then, it was time to settle down to a beautiful story Tigress by Nick Dowson, illustrated by Jane Chapman. Well, not before I encouraged the children to growl their best to kick off a tigerish start. Would you have guessed? A little 5 year old wanted to be a tiger alright and that got the bigger kids going. So, altogether, we growled!

I love the excellent text. It brings into focus in the 32 pages so much to know about the tiger without wordy prose. How is it possible? Well, the high standard of illustrations go hand in hand with the text so beautifully. I gathered from the children's attention that what misgivings they had of the tiger , it was slowly shedding away. On and off, at various points, I brought their attention to the similarities of the domestic cat with our wild cat - in nursing their young, their mother's ever tender loving care, and the way the mothers carry their litte ones in their mouths, nary hurting.

Tigress takes the children from the cub stage to adult independence. The young tigers at 18 months will have to find new homes for themselves. With excellent brevity, it comes to a lovely ending as the majestic grown tiger seeks its own life in the jungle. I certainly recommend this stunning , nature storybook to parents. Such a lively book to get to know about the tiger and familiarize its behaviour.

Have fun with a juice carton - a tiger lives there!

Tigress at play and work!

I brought along a craft - tiger, of course! Out of recyclable juice cartons, the kids made their own hand puppet tiger. Very soon, the tiger earned its stripes!! - all lovingly from torn strips of black colour paper and then glued. The 2 sides of the carton were used to to write messages FOR the tiger.

Parents too can play - kids learn tons through play

Some parents were around and I really appreciated their presence. For the fact that it is bonding time and they are fully aware of what a session like this can reap the benefits of informal learning through play. Talking about play. Initially the kids were shy to don the masks. Me, big tigress took the lead. Then, shyness was lost and we had roaming tigers!!

Will our tigers be able to roam free in the jungle? The answer lies with with each and everyone of us. Ignorance is not bliss if we are to save our tiger for now and posterity. Yes, the kids need to know and love our tigers .

As a storyteller and a parent, I say besides the general public awareness campaign, let's invest in our kids. Granted, some are too young to know the implications. But when the love of nature, also our heritage is planted, it will only grow through the years. Storytime 's over but the knowing and learning has begun!

My friend, the tiger

WWF Malaysia

49, SS23/15

Taman SEA

47400 Petaling Jaya

Tel: +603 7803 3772

Fax: +603 7803 5157

Get Krafty!

Last month, as I walked into Times the Book Shop ,Pavilion, to my utter surprise,I saw MYSELF beaming from cheek to cheek and as gay as the kids zooming around - on a poster.Great stuff ! 'Grandma's ' on the loose !! If only my kids were with me! Gosh! where's my pen to autograph for a few fans?? It will happen, one day...

Weekends see me doing my rounds of storytelling for kids. That keeps me out of mischief and spreading some cheer too. For sure, some parents are delighted to have their kids under my wings for them to recharge their own batteries. After stories, there's always craft time for the little fingers to explore themselves and be creative.


There are kids that just dive in to do , others will watch and then, after the initial uncertainties, they too are immersed in tackling the craft at hand. In a world of their own , their heart and soul work to produce their art.

When I told The Bharunda Bird, a timeless story from the Panchatantra, I made the 2 headed bird. Several children wanted to know how I got the 2 heads to move. I showed them a little gadget, the paper fastener that made the bird move.

There was more colour following the story. The kids dived into making the most colourful Bird of Paradise mask. I had prepared a big box of colourful paper , cut into strips and odd shapes for them to decorate. Really, the next thing they could do was just turn up at a masquerade ball!!!


In July/ August, we swam with the fishes in the warm waters of the coral reef. As the story unravelled, I plonked laminated hand drawn pics of the sea creatures, held faithfully by the blue tac . The background cardboard displayed a coral reef. Just right to set the scene. Among the sea denizens were - a hermit crab, blue sea slug, eel, spotty fish, fiery dragon fish , cuttlefish, puffer fish.

A baby clownfish was just dying for adventure in the story, The Curious ClownFish. Well, he had a gala time but sea life also has its spills and thrills. Baby Clownfish was frightened out of his wits when Eel gnashed and bared his teeth at him. Heart pounding , poor Clownfish spun away and twirled and swam furiously back to the warm arms of the anemone. Home!

Hope you can spot baby Clownfish among the rest. The kids sang a few songs about the fishes and they made a paper plate fish , mouth open wide. It caught a tiny fish too!!





With the younger ones, the classic, The Lion and the Mouse make them want to be the mighty lion and the grateful little mouse all at the same time!! The toilet roll mouse is an effective prop. When all the bits are glued together, the fat, well-fed looking mouse, as craft is always a winner!



Talk about a dull time with kids? No way! Only thing, 'Grandma's' legs got to keep running to keep up with the young 'uns! Go, Grandma, go! Keep telling!

Get CRAFTY !

Yesterday was my weekend storytime with kids. I had 2 sessions, one at the MBPJ Library and the other at Times The Book Shop , Pavilion, KL. That kept me and the kids busy

After a telling of a Slovenian folk tale, 'How The Sun Was Brought Back To The Sky', the kids made a paper plate sun. Cool looking sun - with sunshades too! Who's feeling the heat?



Kids love to make things and it's rather easy to get them going especially when one leaves them room for creativity. So, give them space to create and they are happy souls.



Once their fingers and mind work, it's the child at his best. It's never difficult to find something to praise their artwork. It works wonders too.



I can see the instant sparkle of delight on their faces. The shyness begins to fade. There's a new confidence in their art, whatever the adults may say. And they go off with the proud craft in their hands.

Today, a little boy was so happy with his paper plate sun. He swung round and round, arms outstretched, holding the sun in his hand and singing. Was it the grouchy sun turned happy? He was in a world of his own!

In another session, there were chicks to make, sitting snugly in a nest. For the chick - a body, head and wing put together elicited cheerful 'cheep! cheep!' How did the kids make the nest? It was a nice tangle of crepe paper. Just gluing them on a half size paper plate did the trick. The finishing touch for them were the eggs.

'How many do I put in?' one asked, eyeing the colourful cut outs. My reply, ' As many as you like!' He picked his favourite colours , glued them joyfully and there were at least 4. A happy soul.

My Story - Paradise Lost.

On 22 March 25 excited kids came with their parents to attend my storytelling session at the British Council, Jln. Ampang.

The kids 6 - 9 year olds had registered their attendance . At the doorway, having their names ticked off the list itself signalled something special.

The story theme was environmental. And World Forest Day celebrated on 21 March was a nice tie -in with my story written a couple of years back.

For a start, I asked myself. How do you bring the vast rainforest into a classroom? The beauty can't be replicated. How about the smells and the experience of trudging the moist forest floor? The task is impossible.

That's when I decided to create a collage to give my best shot for a great visual impact.

Home is where we want to be!

Well, the kids told me they have not been in a rainforest. For those who have trampled into the forest at FRIM, they actually had.

So there was a getting to know the rainforest in the chant.'There are layers in the forest'. We stood on toes to reach the sky for the emergent layer. The canopy must be the biggest umbrella in the world! So, arms outstretched, we made huge umbrellas. The understory layer below housing the snakes . For that we crouched a little. Then ... we sprawled flat on the floor for the forest floor layer. Oh! did we disturb the armies of ants marching with food to their queen?

It was indeed a swinging start to the session. Next, a quick 'dressing up' - I slipped into an eco- green shirt, slung a water bottle on my shoulder and held a pair of bins. Then I invited everyone to sing 'I've Been Walking In The Rainforest'. We marvelled at the parrot, iguanas, leopards, the ferns, the twisting, curvy lianas.

So, with knowledge of the rainforest, it was time to listen to my story, Paradise Lost. I wrote it in verse. The collage was propped on an easel. 'My' rainforest in its full glory was ready to do the story for me.

But all is not well as the story unfolds. Loggers, hunters come ...... decimation is their game. The animals cry out. Soon their homes are lost. Victory lies in the hands of the humans. They scar the land and when their handiwork is done and dirt dusted off their clothes, their heavy machines lumber out of the barren land.

But, listen, do you hear a pleading cry??... somewhere??

The collage worked nicely for it was laid bare by the kids who played loggers, hunters. The kids stripped the greenery and the inhabitants off the collage.

'ZAP! ZAP! GONE! GONE! they shouted.

Gone Forever

Then it was straight into the song 'Rock-A- Bye -Rainforest' by musician Hayes Greenfield

Yes, the kids in front of me do realize it's human actions that mar and destroy the beauty and awe of our rainforest. I overheard an instant soft lament ,' Oh, the animals. Pity!'

So sad,' one other echoed.

These kids may be small but they learn. Fast too. My story does not have a cheerful ending but the truth lies there. These small ones can handle the truth.

To round off the session, they made an elephant out of recycled milk/juice cartons.
Happily they used their favourite colours to make their elepant their very own.

Milk carton elephant

An hour well spent. I'm glad I got to tell my story. And to play with the kids.