When you become a parent to a toddler, your vocabulary blossoms with a myriad of simple everyday words to pair with your little one!

Communication with the curious one (or little imitator!) brings a whole load of fun, especially when she can start responding to what you say and sometimes giving you the darnest response to put you in a fit of laughter!
Besides the things around you or your home, a new set of words that will surely make up your bub’s language bank would be animals. And oh what fun when they can differentiate one from the other, while mimicking the noises they make!
And because flash cards are usually one dimensional (I recently learned about animal 4D flash cards from mummy Jolin! How cool is that!), and going to the zoo regularly just doesn’t quite cut it, an educational animal show seems to sit nicely in the middle to offer a varied type of engagement with the child.
But of course, we are not suggesting sitting your kids down in front of the telly for long hours, but we fully understand that sometimes, TV time equates to time for adults to clean the house, do the laundry, iron that pile of clothes, cook a decent meal, catch up on work or even steal some winks – we know because we’ve been there and done that!
I used to fight the idea of introducing TV to Vera and my key concern was her getting hooked and her eyesight. Being a 4-eyed kid since I was 7 years old certainly has given me enough experience with bad eye habits and eye health!
A less guilty way is to introduce educational shows as part of their media diet with moderate time glued to that square box, and it’s all about choices when it comes to selecting the programs!
We were recently gifted with a fun pack courtesy of ZooMoo Asia, which includes a series of animal characters, videos, activity book and even an app to keep older kids interested!

What is ZooMoo?
As ZooMoo shares, “ZooMoo is a collaboration between world renowned filmmakers and early childhood educational experts. Hundreds of shows combine spectacular wildlife footage with a range of puppets, animations and strong narration to create a unique experience for little viewers.”
And by “little viewers”, they are referring to preschoolers and above. Well, in this case, Vera may seem slightly “underaged” but hey, researching about the available resources earlier wouldn’t hurt any one, right? :P
What’s fun about ZooMoo?
The ZooMoo library contains over 1,500 self-contained shows to keep your children intrigued and entertained. Feel free to watch some of the videos over here.


As the brainchild of some of the world’s foremost wildlife filmmakers and world renowned early childhood educationalists from the University of Otago, New Zealand’s premier university, ZooMoo is slated to be a catalyst for learning that engages both children and their parents.

Check out the rest of these “wild” cast here!
Have a go with the ZooMoo App

For older kids, the ZooMoo app brings edutainment on the go – entertainment + education! :P
The ZooMoo treasures include:
• Pictures of real animals
• Animal sound effects
• Videos of animals performing their amazing abilities!
• Feeding animals with collected food cards
• Posing and photographing animals.
• Albums for their own digital photographs and art.
Simply download it for FREE on iTunes or Google Play Store, and get ready to be enthralled by the bursts of content prepared for kids!


Exciting ZooMoo happenings in Asia!
Friends in other Asian countries, look out for the ZooMoo crew in your areas! LIKE them on Facebook to get regular updates on what’s up their sleeves and the interactive activities you can be part of too!
LOST is the latest video series, where Flash, the resident wildlife photographer goes missing while going around the world. He flys on an amazing hot air balloon and finds himself, well, lost!

Friends in Malaysia, shop at Sunway Pyramind and remember to redeem your special set of ZooMoo cards too!

Vera enjoyed herself with the ZooMoo stickers, thanks to the ZooMoo team! And, we took this chance to name her the animals too, as part of engaging with her as she went about getting herself busy :P
The Activity Sheet comes with full coloured fun including Join the Dots and Matching the Animals to name a few. These are great for preschoolers, and a lovely sit-down activity with parents too.


Readers’ special: The Hooting Post X ZooMoo Giveaway!
We’ve got ONE SET of ZooMoo Gift Pack for a lucky readers – will it be you? Receive these exciting ZooMoo premiums and goodies at your doorstep, and enjoy some indoors time with your kids. The perfect way to beat the haze, right? :P

How to WIN:
1) LIKE The Hooting Post
2) Leave a comment on our original Facebook post with why you should win this special ZooMoo gift set.
3) Tag as many friends as you like!
Terms & Conditions:
1) Contest ends on 19 September, 2359 (Singapore timezone).
2) This contest is opened to Singapore addressees only.
3) Limited to one winner per household.
4) Winners will be announced on The Hooting Post, and winners will be required to provide their contact details so the ZooMoo team can get in touch with you on the delivery/collection of your prize.
5) Terms and conditions may change without prior notice.
ZooMoo TV airs on StarHub Channel 306!
Which is your favourite character from ZooMoo TV? Tell us what your kids enjoy about these edutainment shows!
Follow our adventures on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and G+ too, will you? :)