LEGO Themed Restaurant: Bricks N Cubes

BRICKS N CUBES

As the cafe's name 'Bricks N Cubes', one can easily relate to Lego. It is located at The Cathay, accessible to all. Not only children are fascinated by Lego, many adults build and collect Legos. The bricks we see today was launched in 1958, which is more than half a century. Surprisingly, this 'toy' never loss its appeal even as the world develops. With the Lego Movie, LEGOLAND in Malaysia, I guessed the popularity of Lego has definitely increased somewhat.

There are many interesting things inside the restaurant, including the QR Code, Calendar & Tips Box that are made using Lego. To make it more fun, they can customize the tables and sofa seats to Lego bricks!

Ipads with Lego games and a kids corner with Legos and television will be definitely be able to meet the interest of different kids, while the adults can relax and enjoy cakes from Gobi and coffee from Indonesia.

We were invited to a kid's birthday party for their entertainment. It seems that the restaurant is experiencing shortage of staff (as with many restaurants in Singapore), as I overhead the staff told a walk-in customer that other than the party, diners have to wait for 1 hour for the food to be served. 

Overall, Bricks N Cubes is a cosy and interesting café for families.

  

Opening Hours: 

  Sun – Thurs: 12pm – 11pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 12am
Closed on selected public holidays

Address: The Cathay, 2 Handy Road #02-12/14, Singapore, Singapore 229233

Contact: +65 6735 7571

Email: enquiry@bricksncubes.sg





Travelling with kids and babies!

by Kien

Travelling with baby is tough. Travelling on plane with them can be… suicidal, especially if the baby or kid is not yours! (So do not sit at the first row with the leg room if you want a restful flight! because that’s where babies will most likely be!) 

Here are some tips to keep these little friends happy:

Talk to them - Get a conversation going especially if your kids know how to talk already. They love to hear more about you and your life! Of course, listen to what they have to say as well!

Know what your kids like! If your kids are kinetically-inclined, playing and folding the boarding pass can be fun too!

Let us plan the trip – We love responsibilities! If your kid is about 4 years old and above, pass him the guidebook and let him have a say on what to do, with your help of course. You can give suggestions to guide him along. (eg. animals, parks, playground, etc.)

Share your music – Well, I love music! Music can soothe them to sleep. You can even sing together with them, softly, that is!

Bring Toys and Books – Bring their favourite travel-size toys, and even a new toys to surprise them, which will keep them occupied for minutes, if not hours. Some other items that don’t take up much weight or space includes crayons, paper, stickers .

Sounds from a cookie pack can be like rattle to babies too!

Bring their favourite snacks and water – Yes, babies and kids get hungry and thirsty too! If you do not like airplane food, we can’t stand them too! Usually the security are kind enough to allow water for us to be brought onboard so fill ‘em up!

Have lots of different food and fruits to keep us happy and full!

Bring Medicine – I remember that I always get car sick when I was a kid. I am not sure about this, but has anyone administered anti air-sick drugs before flying to children before? (Whatever you do, seek with doctor’s approval of course! Other items like panadol, handy plus (band aids), etc are life savers!

Videos – I know some parents hates letting their kids glue to the LCD screen. But in case of emergency when the seat belt sign is on, this is a lifesaver! Do have some our favourite videos on your handphone and iPad just in case (when there's no wifi!).

Bedtimes – There are 2 sides to this though: You can plan the flight time according to their bedtimes. But there are still plenty of distractions that will throw our naptime off. (eg. Planes switch on their lights to serve dinner even if it’s like 11pm.)  Other babies will cry that wakes them up. The person next to you may watch TV and distracts the young one. Every kid is different so in this case, parents have to use their discretion to suit the habits of little fellows. 

Be prepared! – Bring lots of wet wipes, tissues and diapers, trash bags and extra clothes, within easy reach, rather than in the overhead compartment or your boot!

Dress comfortably but warmly – Planes tends to be quite cold especially at night so dress warmly and comfortably, yet easy to undo clothes. You don’t really need to care about being pretty on planes!

Air Pressure on the ears- Everyone hates that! One way to combat that is to drink water / milk while the plane is ascending or descending. I also found this device call Ear Planes in Sydney Airport that can be used to prevent this. This is available in adults and kids’ sizes and I quote the person selling it,”This is a very very good!”

Pack Smart – That’s a lot of things to pack right? Mummy likes to bring everything just in case, Daddy likes to bring the minimum. My stand? Pack smart! We don’t mind reading the book over and over again (BUT NOT CONTINUOUSLY!)  or playing the same game repeatedly. You can also use objects around you as toys! We love imagining things, this is so much better than the usual tech toy!

Activity in Jan 2011

Asian Children's Festival 2011: Bring your kids! Click here for schedule and more information!

Mr Bottle's Video (Updated)

Conflicts and Challenges: Increasing Children's Capacity to Learn and Experience Life, 22 June 2009

Here something useful for parents:

We are very pleased to invite you to join us for the upcoming NUS Lunchtime Forum – Conflicts and Challenges: Increasing Children's Capacity to Learn and Experience Life featuring Ms Susan Kaiser Greenland, J.D and Dr Lynette Tay Su-Mien. The forum will focus on ways to optimize children’s experiences in life.

Ms Susan Kaiser Greenland, J.D is Co-Founder and Executive Director of InnerKids, USA. She develops mindful awareness curriculum for and teaches programs to children as well as educators and parents. She was named a "Champion of Children" by First 5 LA and has played an important role in bringing secular mindfulness practice to children and teens in the West, and is committed to exploring the role, and beneficial secular applications, of mindful awareness in the real-lives of children and their families.

Dr Lynette Tay Su-Mien is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at NUS specializing in child and pediatric psychology. Her research and clinical interests lay in the translation of the available research knowledge in the area of child psychology regarding the interface between psychological and cognitive functioning and physical health into applicable skills for helping children and their parents when faced with childhood illness.

Event Details:
Date: Monday, 22 June 2009
Time: 12.30 pm – 1.30 pm
Venue: Auditorium Level 2, Lee Kong Chian Wing, NUS University Hall, Lee Kong Chian Wing, 21 Lower Kent Ridge Road Singapore 119077

Enclosed is e-flyer with the full event details. To facilitate the planning of this event, we would greatly appreciate if you could respond by sending your RSVP to stewardship@nus.edu.sg by 18 June 2009. You are most welcome to bring guests along. We look forward to seeing you at this event.