April | 2013 | Life in the Wee Hours

Wikki Stix are colourful pieces of yarn dipped in food-grade wax. They can be bent into different shapes and can stick to each other and to smooth surfaces. We were sent a few packs of Wikki Stix to review and I let the kids decide if they were fun to play with. We unleashed the Wikki Stix on the kids (or was it the other way around?) and sat back and watched them.

Wikki Stix

Anya gets to work

Aidan makes a headband

Asher spells out his name

decorating an Easter egg

Heather makes a little ball

game where the Wikki Stix ball gets rolled under a rainbow

bracelets and rings for all the girls!

Aidan’s self-portrait masterpiece

With the Wikki Stix, you are only limited by your imagination. The kids had a lot of fun and they used the Wikki Stix in various ways: form alphabets to spell out a name; create accessories such as rings, bracelets and headbands; make 3D objects like a ball and rainbow which became components for a game; decorate an Easter egg template and ‘draw’ a self-portrait!

I was initially sceptical because I thought the Wikki Stix were just like the fuzzy pipe cleaners/ chenille sticks commonly used for crafts. But the fact that they stick to smooth surfaces really opens up many other possibilities for how they can be used. I also think Wikki Stix are safer than pipe cleaners because the latter have wires inside that tend to poke out! The only thing I didn’t like about the Wikki Stix was the waxy after-feel they left on my fingers but we did a wet wipe test and that solved the problem!

I think Wikki Stix would be great for long road trips or flights: the kids can stick their Wikki Stix creations onto the windows! I now carry a few pieces around with me so I can use them to entertain the kids in the restaurant before our food comes. They are a lot less messy than crayons and a lot more interactive than a smart phone for sure! And since they stick to smooth surfaces, they don’t fall onto the floor so easily and my back appreciates that! I’ll definitely think about putting Wikki Stix as party favours in my next party goody bag.

GIVEAWAY! :)

Wikki Stix is giving away five Primary or Neon colour packs worth $15.30 each! To qualify, simply do the following by 2 May 2013, 2359H:

1. Like the ‘In the Wee Hours’ Facebook page.
2. Like the ‘Wikki Stix Asia’ Facebook page.
3. Sign up for their mailing list. The link is on the Facebook page!
4. Leave a comment here telling me what your kid(s) would do with some Wikki Stix! Check out the site for some fun ideas!

DISCOUNT CODE! :)

Get 20% off online purchases! Just key in the coupon code ‘APR13‘ and click ‘Apply Coupon’ upon check out. This promotion is valid until 31 May 2013.

I’m planning to use the code to get the Bible Fun Kit! ;)

RESULTS! :)

Wikki Stix

Congrats to the following people: Kathryn Ng, Rina Lim, Wenli, Sharon Ng and Juan! I will be contacting you shortly. :)

Disclaimer: I was given a few packs of Wikki Stix for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

candy cane

I just completed 8 exhilarating weeks of circus aerial arts intro at Circus Swingapore. The assessment was last Monday and there was a time when I thought I might not pass. We were supposed to do a series of poses on the silks, trapeze and hoop and there were some poses that I wasn’t very good at. For example, it took me some time to figure out the candy cane pose in the picture above. I also had trouble climbing up the silks, which we were required to do as part of the assessment.

A few weeks before the assessment, I started going for practice sessions during the days between our actual classes. I developed calluses on my hands and various parts of my body were constantly aching. On the day of the assessment, I was a nervous wreck. I guess I’m very good at giving tests but not so great at taking them! Thanks to all the practice sessions I’d attended, I managed to do everything that was needed and I passed. Such happiness! I’m starting Level 1 next month and I’m so excited. Level 1 is apparently very tough and the passing rate is significantly lower than the intro level, but I’m looking forward to it.

Some learning points/ takeaways/ random thoughts:

1. It’s not the final outcome, it’s the journey leading up to it. When I first started the intro class, I couldn’t even make it up onto the hoop without someone to help me. I couldn’t make it 2 ft up the silks. In the process of attending those 8 intro sessions and the practice sessions, I’ve gotten a lot stronger and I can feel it! It’s a good feeling. I keep telling people, “Touch my arm! See how un-flabby it is!”

2. Technique is everything. There were some poses I struggled to perfect: candy cane on the silks, amazon on the hoop and trapeze. After talking myself through and trying over and over again to use the right technique for each of the poses, things fell into place. Poses that felt awkward or even impossible to execute initially became natural and easy.

3. Mind over matter. Sometimes, there’s absolutely nothing difficult about a pose but my nerves get in the way. I get self conscious, and I rush through it and screw it up. When I forced myself to relax and tried some positive thinking, I did so much better.

4. Just because I’m old/ a mother of two/ a boring teacher doesn’t mean I need to act my age/ be all mumsy/ only participate in practical activities. When something is fun, you’d naturally want to do it. This is the only class I didn’t find myself trying to find an excuse to skip now and then. Yes, it probably doesn’t have any real-life application. Maybe I could use my new, improved arm strength to climb up a tree and get away from an angry bear. The point is, if something is a drag, why bother to do it? And this is the complete opposite of being a drag; this is so much FUN.

Just a few of the poses we have to do: