A Kaixine magazine for the kids

Recently, Singapore was very affected by the haze from forest fires in Indonesia. It was so bad that we had to stay home during the weekends with all doors and windows closed and a/c and air purifier turned on. This was bad news for an active toddler. I needed to think of something to keep him occupied. Something that he will be interested in. Something that will exhaust his energy so that he will take his afternoon nap later. Eventually, we decided to do some Kaixine (开心) activities together. 

Kaixine is Singapore's first creative magazine for kids 4 – 12 years old. Vol 2 was put together based on the theme "outdoor" (lol, the irony. Poring over this mag while stuck indoor) and I especially love the cover illustration which includes bits of representations from the activities, crafts and stories in the mag. See the kite on the cover? That was what we did on a hazy weekend afternoon. 

Instructions are easy to follow.

Drawing a long line with a long ruler for the first time.

Insisted on doing everything himself

Didn't really know what to do when I told him to decorate the kite so he drew shapes. After some prompting, he decided to draw mei mei, which eventually ended up with a family portrait on the kite!

Now the fun part. To "fly" the kite... Indoor! 

After the energy-draining kite flying session, he was so ready for nap. But before that, we read a Kaixine story. 

Wordless so he gets to interpret the story based on the drawings. 

Lots of educational information.

There are also web exclusives which older kids can read online or downloads which can be printed out. Kaixine can be purchased online or at Books Actually.