Nido Science Discovery and Robot Zoo

We celebrated Mikeila's 2nd birthday but decided not to throw a party same as last year but instead just have a small gathering at home and visited SM Mall of Asia the day after her birthday. Where else could you go to MOA where toddlers can have fun and learn at the same time? At Nido Science Discovery Center and Robot Zoo of course!

Entrance to both Science Discovery Center and Robot Zoo is P500 per head. Children below 2 feet will enjoy the facilities for free.

Ticket already includes 1 Planetarium show which features a 40-minute science movie shown in a dome theater, way better than IMAX. If you have a toddler, better catch the show One World, One Sky (showing at 1:20pm, 4:40pm and 7:20pm). It stars sesame street characters like Elmo and Big Bird. Your kids will enjoy it for sure.

The Robot Zoo features giant robot animals which teaches you how animals move. These are great especially for picture taking though I hope they have more exhibits to showcase inside. It kinda feels "bitin".

Over all, a visit at Nido Science Discovery Center and Robot Zoo is a great bonding experience for your family. Be sure to check it out when you plan to drop by Mall of Asia.

Robot Frog

The kids busy reading in front of the giant squid

What's it like to be a chameleon

Raffy, Mikeila and giant grasshopper

We love this! Squid Race!

Interactive screen where kids can color the images

Giant Platypus

Giant Rhino

Seafood Pasta in Oil

Thanks to Wanda Cooks for this recipe. So simple but delicious. I made this for Mikeila's 2nd birthday and they loved it. :)

Ingredients:
1kg spaghettini or angel's hair (cooked per package instructions)
seafood (shrimp, squid and canned tuna, drained but reserving the oil)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 whole garlic (or more), minced finely
1 tbsp red chili flakes, minced finely
1 cup dried basil
1 cup dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

How to Cook:

• Warm oil, garlic and red chili flakes in a skillet. Cover and let simmer in low heat for 15 minutes. The oil should barely bubble and make sure the garlic will NOT turn brown.
• Add shrimp and squid and cook in medium-high heat. Add the canned tuna a few minutes after.
• Once cooked, add the basil, parsley and the oil from the canned tuna. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for a few minutes
• Pour over pasta and serve.

Win! Free Nido Science Discovery Planetarium Show and Robot Zoo Tickets

It's contest time! Baby Store and More is giving away not one, not two, but THREE tickets to the Planetarium Show and Robot Zoo at Nido Science Discovery Center, Mall of Asia.

Here are the mechanics:

1. Like Baby Store and More's Facebook page
2. Subscribe to Baby Store and More's blog posts. Link can be found at the lower right corner of this page, right below Favorite Links
3. Fill out the form below and tell us why you think you deserve to win the free tickets

It's that easy! The person with the most unique and inspired answer wins. Contest will run from October 5 to October 14. I will announce the winner on October 15 here in my blog and on my FB page. Remember that the ticket will entitle you to 1 free planetarium show and entrance to their much talked about Robot Zoo. The planetarium show alone makes it all worth it. If you have a toddler, I suggest you watch One World, One Sky. Your kids will enjoy it, I promise.

Good luck!

Parent's or Guardian's Name:
Email Address:
Facebook Account
Mailing Address
Kid's Name
Kid's Age
Tell us why you deserve to win 3 tickets to Nido Planetarium Show and Robot Zoo

This online form was provided by Freedback.

Top Android Apps for my Toddler

Kids today have been very lucky to have various types of learning devices and activities available to them. My two year old Mikeila loves to play with my smartphone and already knows how to navigate it. I saw this as an opportunity to teach her so I downloaded several (FREE) baby-friendly, educational or fun apps for her.

Here are the list of apps she loves (in no particular order):

• Kid Songs 1 & 2 - This is a compilation of children's songs coupled with moving flash graphics that your baby can sing along to. Mikeila developed a love for music and she already knows how to sing along with the songs like Clap Your Hands, Bingo, London Bridge, Alphabet Song, Happy Birthday, Finger Family among others.

• Sing Sing Together - Also a compilation of children's songs but each song has a dance move that your kid will enjoy doing.

• Smart books - Smart books have several apps available for download but what we love are Kids Stories, Kids Songs (this is different from the first one mentioned above), Skidamarink and London Bridge)

• Pango Book - an interactive story book featuring Pango and his friends. Mikeila and her cousin Alexa loves giving Pango a bath, blowing and popping balloon and apple picking with Pango

• Ant and Grasshopper (CluePoint Co, Ltd.) - another interactive book where your baby will help the ant from gathering food for the winter. You have the option to read the story yourself or let the recorded story teller read it for you.

• Read Me Stories - consists of The Lion and the Mouse, Is The Moon Made of Cheese and All Aboard!

• Abby Preschool Shape Puzzle - has several puzzle categories for your kids to choose from like toys, animals, fairy tales, vehicles, etc

• Dr. Panda's Restaurant - Teach your children how to cook soup, egg omelet and milk shake with this interactive app

• Baby Learns Numbers - consists of two games which teach kids about numbers. The fishing game is so much fun.

• 5 Pumpkins - 5 Pumpkins also have several educational apps like colors, numbers and shapes. Mikeila can already identify white, blue, green and pink! Cool! :-)