Butterflies and Biking

October 31, 2012January 31, 20151 Comment

Fall has arrived in Bangkok. The beautiful, blue sky fall. I would add “cool,” too, except for the fact that it was a balmy 95F last weekend, which in my book does not really qualify as “cool.” How about cooler? Ok, yes, let’s settle on that. So, the beautiful, blue sky, cooler-weather fall has arrived. And you know what? It’s a travesty not to spend it outside. There are lots of great options for a little trip away this time a year. Get your ancient Thai history on and head up to Ayutthaya for a day spent marveling at the palatial ruins.

Family trip to Ayuthaya soon after we arrived in Thailand

Take a two-hour drive to Hua Hin, relax on the beach, and try out the new water park.

Enjoying the walk-in beach pool at the Grand Hyatt in Hua Hin

Mosey on up to Khao Yai and enjoy the national park, wine country (just the country; not the wine), and let your little ones delight in feeding calves and goats and riding ponies at Chokchai Farms.

Logan feeding calves at Chokchai last month

Or, for an even closer option, spend a morning at Rotfai Park.

Beautiful day for a bike ride in Rotfai Park

Rotfai is nice and shady; perfect for biking and jogging

It took us two good friends (thanks Jane and Rob!) and a year and a half on the ground before we discovered Suan Rotfai. And since that discovery a few months ago, we’ve been to Rotfai five times. Nestled close to Jatujak Weekend Market, Rotfai Park is an oasis of shade, bike paths, and butterflies. It is serenity. There is plenty of space for your little ones to run around, practice their bike-riding skills, and take in nature. Aside from the shade, the best part about Rotfai is that you can rent bikes at 20 baht a pop (yes folks, that is less than 0.75 cents) – bikes for adults and kids of every age and size, bikes with training wheels, bikes with bike seats for children, bikes with baskets, bikes adorned with Hello Kitty – they have it all.

Step One: Rent a bike

After shelling out 20 baht for a bike, stroll through the park to the Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, an indoor type of arboretum, which is home to many beautiful butterflies, and your occasional fish, tadpoles, and frogs. Toddlers love this place. Parents should love this place. Kids can run free, up and down ramps, across bridges, around in circles, all the while admiring flora and fauna.

Step Two: Park your bike at the Butterfly Museum and wander inside

Step Three: Let your little ones explore the museum until their hearts are content

Beautiful butterfly

Butterfly deux

Butterflied-out, head around to the park’s playground, part of which is sponsored by Michelin and boasts tire swings, tire bridge, tire ladders, tire seesaw . . . you get the point.

Step Four: Visit the playground

Step Five (optional): Check out the park’s heavy equipment

Your best bet is to go to Suan Rotfai early. It’s a great thing to do as a family, but can be even more fun with a few families and several bikes in tow. I don’t dare try to give you directions to Rotfai because I would probably get you lost. Instead, I’m going to leave you with some additional reviews that provide maps and directions, including the official Suan Rotfai link: Bangkok.com – Bangkok Parks, the parent vine – Rotfai Park, and the Government of Thailand’s official Rotfai Park site.

Rotfai Park makes for an awesome weekend morning spent out with the kids this time of year. We highly recommend it. Get out and enjoy this gorgeous weather!

The Single Best Thing We’ve Done for our Toddler in Bangkok?

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Teach him to swim.

Thailand is teeming with pools and beautiful beach destinations. The weather is magnificent for swimming year round. We’re fortunate enough to have a pool in our apartment complex. With so much access to water, it would be silly not to enjoy it.

After arriving in November almost a year and a half ago, I was anxious to find activities for Logan. The problem was, he was only four months old and the only things available to us were playgroups. Sure playgroups are all well and good, but let’s face it – after two or three playgroups of drooling, grunting, pooping babies a week – Logan and I were both ready for something more.

Then I heard about a little organization called Bangkok Dolphins. And to be honest, our lives haven’t been the same since.

At the tender age of five months, Logan began infant swim classes. He started in a Tuesday class of about six children (with parents by their side), taught by an enthusiastic and endearing British swim instructor named Teacher Tom. Every Tuesday since then, minus a few missed weeks for vacation and runny noses here and there, Logan and I both have looked forward to our Tuesday swim outings. Logan has developed a love for the water, acquired the fundamentals of swimming, and has learned about water safety at a very early age. Walter and I have had so much fun swimming with him. I was even fortunate enough to meet some of my best friends in Bangkok (I’m talking about you, Natalia, Barbara, and Alejandra) during infant swim classes.

Watching Logan’s evolution over the past year and a half has been awesome. Here’s a little clip of Logan swimming at about 10 months of age.

And here are a couple of videos of Logan swimming more recently.

If you have access to a pool and/or swim school nearby, I highly encourage you to give your child the gift of swim lessons. Enjoying the water at home and on vacation has greatly enriched Logan’s infant and toddler years. Below are some pictures of our fun times in the water together over the past two years.

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Fave New Children’s Author

September 23, 2012January 31, 20153 Comments

A typical night of reading in the Braunohler household

I’ve been on a hiatus from my blog-writing lately as I try to figure out how to juggle a two-year old and four-month old with a little bit of sleep and time for friends somewhere in between. However, I’ve been eager to share my new favorite author with you. Undoubtedly, many of you may have heard of The Gruffalo, a fantastically creative story about a little mouse who takes a stroll through the woods. We only recently (six months ago) discovered The Gruffalo and after falling in love with the story, purchased many more books by the same author, Julia Donaldson. We have also come to love the following by Donaldson: The Gruffalo’s Child (might even be better than The Gruffalo itself), Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale, What the Ladybird Heard, Tiddler, and The Spiffiest Giant in Town. The beautiful and vibrant illustrations and creative story-telling in Donaldson’s books will captivate your little one(s), taking them on a wonderful journey. When you do something for your child this week, let it be to pick up one of Donaldson’s books. You won’t regret it. For those of you who can’t make it out to the bookstore or a public library, I’ve linked to Amazon above. A child can never have enough books. Enjoy!

Our awesome collection of Julia Donaldson books

Love Your Mother Earth

April 19, 2012January 31, 2015Leave a comment

It’s never too early to start teaching your tods to love and care for the environment. Earth Day is April 22nd, and here are some awesome ideas to try out with your little ones in honor of the special day.

Logan in a gardening state of mind

1. Earth Day Mural

Instead of throwing away scrap paper, junk mail, used stamps and/or craft items, etc., use them to make an earth day collage or mural. Super simple and creative!

2. Eco-Friendly Crayon Melts

This crafting activity is perfect for a hot place like Thailand! It teaches your tods about solar energy and the results are super-cool.

Directions:

Gather some wax crayons, aluminum foil, cookie cutters, and paper plate, and find a very hot sunny spot.
Start by peeling, breaking, and/or shaving your crayons into small pieces (crayon shavings melt the fastest).
Cover your plate in aluminum foil.
Place the cookie cutters on the plate in a sunny spot.
Add the broken/shaven crayons to the inside of the cookie cutters, as shown below.
Keep yourself and your tod busy for at least an hour to allow the crayons to melt (I say this is a great activity to do while swimming for an hour or two with your tod in this Bangkok heat).
Let the shapes cool inside, then pop them out of the cookie cutters.

3. Puffy Paint Earth

Make the planet Earth with your tod using shaving cream! It might get messy but it will definitely be fun!

Directions:

Gather shaving cream, white glue, green paint, scissors, a marker, blue paper, a spoon, and container or bowl.
Start by mixing your paint. You will need 3 parts shaving cream to 1 part white glue, and green paint. Use as much green paint as you need to get the color you want. Your tod will have a blast mixing this!
Draw a circle on your blue paper.
Let your tod paint! He/she can do this the sophisticated way with a paintbrush, but more likely will choose to scoop paint on to his/her hand and slap it down (per the below).
Let the painting dry and cut out out the circle (“planet Earth”). The paint will dry nice and puffy.

4. Bagel Bird Feeder

How tods love birds! This is fun and simple and will garner so much delight from your little one when the birds discover it hanging from your balcony or tree.

Directions:

Gather a day old bagel, honey or peanut butter, birdseed, and string or ribbon for hanging.
Spread the peanut butter or honey onto the entire bagel.
Roll the bagel in the birdseed (most of the bagel should be covered in birdseed).
Tie the ribbon or string through the hole of the bagel.
Hang the birdfeeder from your apartment balcony or a tree in your yard.
Wait for the birds to come!

5. Grow Bean Seed in Cotton & Water

Turn your little ones into young gardeners. Watching the seedlings sprout is sure to elicit excitement in your tod!

Directions:

Moisten enough cotton balls to cover the bottom of a cup or plastic bag. The cotton should be damp but not dripping.
Place the cotton balls at the bottom of the cup or plastic bag.
Place the number of bean seeds you want to germinate on top of the cotton.
Close the plastic bag or cover the cup with plastic wrap. Place the bags or cups in a sunny window and watch for germination.

Let the Water Fights Begin

April 17, 2012January 31, 20151 Comment

It is hot this time of year in Bangkok. So hot, in fact, that all you want to do is submerse yourself in water – be it a pool, the ocean, a cold shower, or even a water fight.

Over the past week, our tod has been learning the joy in what is Thailand’s Songkran Festival – a holiday that Thai families and friends celebrate by visiting temples and splashing water on each other to wish each other good luck, which over the years has evolved into a nationwide water fight and a popular reason to travel and party. Songkran marks the beginning of a new solar year and the summer season in Thailand. It is Thailand’s most anticipated festival every year . In you are in Thailand and you venture out of your abode during Songkran, you and/or your mode of transportation are guaranteed to get wet. Three to five days of nationwide water fights to celebrate not only the new year, but this heat? Brilliance, I say.

Below are a few photos of how Logan celebrated the pre-Songkran Holiday.