I finally managed to be a parent volunteer at my son’s school to accompany the students out on an excursion to the Mint Toy Museum, with two other parent volunteers. I had previously accompanied him on a visit to the zoo a year ago.
Parent Volunteer
I was assigned to watch over my son and another classmate. I had not been there before, so I did not know what to expect. The children were so cute. Some of them asked to sing, and they sang loudly, except for El, who had a mouse’s voice when he sang ABC.
Children at Mint Museum of Toys
When we reached there, there was renovation going on. It was quite dusty. We took a lift up to the fifth level and slowly made our way down. Each level was only as big as a HDB bedroom, and they were filled with lots of toys.
We saw Japanese toys, mainly made after WWII, where the American soldiers went home and started their own families, fuelling a demand for toys. There were robots, toy cars, and Astro Boy figurines.
Ultra Man
Apart from these toys, there were also toys made in Singapore. I do not have much of an impression of them.
There were Disney toys and posters, teddy bears, Batman, and many others. Since they were a Mint Museum, the toys were all in mint condition, and not meant to be played. Many children started losing their attention.
El reading his workbook intently
They were supposed to fill up a booklet, but the guide did not go through everything. El was very eager to fill up the booklet, and at one stage, he asked his teacher to bring him to the cases to find the items.
Teddy bears at stairwell
I was really tired out after the short trip. It was really hard to get the boys to be careful and not to touch the display. However, it was a good experience to see how my son interacted with his classmates. He was interacting better, instead of being left in the dust.
