2024-11-16 Sat Cloudy to rainy in Hong Kong
in a word
Today is Saturday, in the afternoon, my mom and I took our two babies to the “Kids T.A.L.K. LOL Party 2024”, a large-scale event organized by the Narcotics Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force in collaboration with the Domestic Conflict and Sexual Violence Policy Unit, which combines elements of sports, music and art, with the aim of promoting the important messages of anti-drugs and child protection to the public. important anti-drug and child protection messages to the public
Prelude to the event: multi-channel publicity
As early as a week before the campaign started, I learned about it from a variety of sources. Among them, the posters in the MTR stations were the most eye-catching. The posters of the campaign were displayed in the windows of the Sai Ying Pun and Causeway Bay stations, where I commute to and from work. Every time I enter and exit the MTR, I like to stop by and look at the posters, and the posters in the MTR in Hong Kong are very rich in content, not only advertisements, but also a lot of information about the local life, movies, concerts, Cantonese Opera, charity activities, etc. The posters in the MTR were full of cartoon pictures. This event poster was full of cartoon pictures, and at a glance it looked like an exciting event for kids, which instantly ignited my interest. I followed my usual habit of taking pictures of the posters, and then recognized the QR code on the posters when I arrived home to learn more about the event schedule.
In the middle of the week, a report of the event appeared in the Daily Headline, a free newspaper picked up on the side of the road, which was more complete than the posters and the official webpage. In addition to highlighting the 500-person parent-child yoga session, which was intended to break the Guinness Book of Records, it also mentioned that there would be 40 different booths at the Carnival, which is so great for parents and children to play, and the chance to get various prizes, which made me more and more excited about the event. This makes me look forward to the event more and more.
Afterwards, I realized that several Hong Kong parent-child activity bloggers I follow have also posted about this activity, some with pictures of live participation. From now on, I can brush up on first-hand information on parent-child activities through them without going out.
Also, for the purpose of writing this article, I searched for event news and found a few event information summary sites along the way, and I think klook is the best, with detailed event descriptions, time and place, activities, etc., as well as jump links to the official website (this is much better than the closed WeChat and Xiaohongshu ecosystems).
Travel Preparation and Planning: Toward Happiness
After seeing all this tantalizing information, we decided to go on Saturday. There was a parent-child yoga event for 500 people at 3pm on Saturday, but unfortunately, the quota was full and we didn’t sign up. So, we woke up when the baby woke up at 3 o’clock, walked to Pokfulam Road and took the 930 bus, which made two stops, the first one at Water Street and the second one at West Kowloon, and then walked to the Great Lawn of the Arts Park. According to the baby’s daily power consumption of more than an hour, we arrived at 4:00 pm and went home for dinner at 6:00 pm. This arrangement would not make the baby too tired, but also enable him to fully enjoy the fun of the activity.
West Kowloon Scenery: Wonderful Sea View
We arrived at West Kowloon around 4 o’clock. The place was even bigger than I had imagined. After getting out of the bus station, we strolled along the seashore, with the seascape unfolding in front of us like a picture scroll, and all kinds of boats moored at the seashore, which seemed to be coated with a layer of golden glory under the light of the setting sun, which slowly sank to the west, and the sky was gorgeous and colorful. The sea breeze gently brushed against our faces, bringing us a slight coolness, and it felt like nature was gently caressing us, which was very comfortable.
As we walked, we first saw a concert site, it wasn’t time to enter and many fans were waiting in line. They were talking and laughing with anticipation and there were people selling posters of the singers. There was a small grassy park next to the venue, and a number of people were walking their dogs in it, the dogs running around happily while their owners chatted leisurely, a cozy scene.
There are also people camping with tents along the beach, they either lie down in their tents to rest or sit outside to enjoy the sea view and have a good time. Looking across the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island, the kind of prosperity contrasts sharply with the tranquility of this side, making people marvel at the diversified charms of this city.
Further on is the Forbidden City of Hong Kong, which is a magnificent and imposing building that seems to be telling an ancient story. After the Palace, the large lawn is the place where the Hong Kong Police Force organized the activity.
Opening of the event: picking up stamp cards
Upon arrival at the site, first head to the information desk at the entrance. We were warmly greeted by a staff member and were given the option of choosing a stamp card with a different color lanyard. Each card has 11 stamping points, the requirements of the two promotional vehicles in the stamp a chapter, and then in the a area of 5 stamps, b area of 5 stamps, a total of 11 stamps will be able to go to receive the prize. The babies were very excited when they saw the stamping cards and couldn’t wait to start our stamping journey with the cards.
Anti-Drug Awareness Vehicle: Shock and Awe Education
The first thing that caught our eyes were two publicity vehicles. We chose the anti-drug theme publicity vehicle to queue up, and when we got on the vehicle, the staff gave us 3D glasses, and after putting on the glasses, we watched an anti-drug short film. The content of the short film is very shocking, it vividly shows the hallucinogenic effect produced by people taking drugs. In the scene, the originally calm environment suddenly becomes exceptionally terrifying, the bottles around them fly up as if they have been given life, followed by a big snake lunging at the person with its bloody mouth open, as if it is going to devour the person in the next second. There are also shocking scenes of drug addicts walking along the road, their eyes dazed, unable to tell which way they are going, staggering into the middle of the road, and then being knocked down by a speeding car. This short movie profoundly warns us that drug abuse is an extremely dangerous thing, which will cause irreparable harm to ourselves and the people around us, and that we should never get involved in drugs. Through this visual way, it makes us more deeply realize the importance of anti-drugs, and also gives the children a vivid safety education lesson.
Fun anti-drug publicity in Area A: Knowledge and fun at the same time
After watching the anti-drug video, we came to Zone A. Most of the stalls here were set up by secondary school students. Most of the stalls here were set up by secondary school students, which were supposed to be the stalls organized by the Police Force as part of its daily in-depth publicity efforts in schools. The games here were relatively more complicated, and I felt that they were more suitable for the participation of elementary school children and above.
I took my baby to experience the small pool and golf games combined with anti-drug propaganda first, the children need to answer some questions about anti-drug knowledge in the process of hitting the ball, which is both interesting and can learn knowledge.
I also took part in a drug-searching game, in which seven kinds of drugs were hidden on a table, and I was required to find more than four kinds of drugs within one minute. These drugs were cleverly hidden in various corners. Some were hidden in the leaves of trees, blending in with the surrounding greenery and hard to be found; some were hidden in the cracks of table drawers, requiring careful observation to find; and some were hidden in the corners, which could be missed if we were not careful. This game not only tested our observation skills, but also made us more aware of the ways in which drugs may be hidden and raised our vigilance against drugs.
In addition, there are dart games where hitting different places will lead to corresponding questions to say which type of item it is. Some items are mixed up with everyday cookies and the like, which are easily confused and need to be carefully identified. These games incorporate anti-drug knowledge, so that children in the process of playing games, unknowingly learn how to identify drugs and enhance the awareness of self-protection.
We wandered in the A booth, but also met “a brother” Commissioner of Police in the visit, the Commissioner of Police’s special car license plate number is “1”, so the jianghu person “a brother”.
Stage and Lawn: Colorful Activities
After playing in Area A, heading west is a large stage. There were many seats in front of the stage and a big screen at the back, which was one of the center areas of the event. At the beginning, there was an animated movie playing on the big screen, and many children were attracted to it and sat on the seats to watch it with great interest. The cheerful music and wonderful animated images immersed the children in a joyful atmosphere. After 5 p.m., the stage was graced by several resident singers. They came on stage in turn and each sang a couple of beautiful songs.
The big lawn in the middle next to the stage was the venue for the parent-child yoga activity. Although we did not sign up for the parent-child yoga, we could imagine the lively and cozy scene, and when we read the news later, the 640 people here broke the world record of “the most number of caregivers and cared for at the same time in an outdoor group yoga”. There were also games around the lawn. The anti-drug mascots were “Micky”, “Don’t Eat DUCK” and “Ghost Mouse”, and the four mascots of the Family Conflict and Sexual Violence Policy Unit were The four mascots of the Family Conflict and Sexual Violence Policy Group were “Tak Tak”, “Po Po”, “Siu Kin” and “Siu Sin”, and they interacted with everyone. Many children laughed and played on the lawn while their parents accompanied them, and the whole scene was full of laughter.
Child protection in Area B: a loving parent-child zone
Continuing west, we came to Zone B. The theme here was child protection. This is a child protection theme, with stalls from child welfare organizations, more family-oriented and child-friendly, and games more suitable for little ones.
We first let the babies participate in the carousel game, there are various colors on the carousel, each color corresponds to a different requirement. The babies turned to the orange color, which required them to say “I love you” to mom and dad. The babies quickly took the initiative to say “I love you” to mom, and everyone around them was amused by the babies’ innocence and cuteness, and the babies were so happy that they got the small prizes.
Area B has more games for little ones, such as kickball, lasso, ocean ball, kitten fishing and so on. Little ones have a great time here and their laughter echoes throughout the area. These games are simple and fun so that little ones can easily participate and enjoy the games.
There are hospitals, welfare agencies and civic organizations that give out health cards in addition to small prizes. For example, the card from the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals gave a free counseling number and QR code, making it easy for people to call for help in case of psychological problems or family conflicts. This made me feel the heart of the event organizers, who were not only concerned about the joy of the children, but also the physical and mental health of the parents. The two babies were so excited to see the cell phone shaped information cards that they held them in their hands to make phone calls, and I also asked the baby moms to put the help numbers into their cell phones, so that they could ask for help next time before they were crushed by their babies.
During the event, there were also some organizations distributing questionnaires, and the questionnaire I made asked parents about their usual stressful situation with their children, such as whether they often feel stressed or occasionally stressed and other questions. I left my cell phone number and the test results were transmitted to me via Whatsapp afterwards:
你好，多謝你於較早前參與了和諧之家的「和諧站」活動，並填寫了「親職壓力測試」，現向你傳送測試結果。
根據分析，你的親職壓力程度屬於「低」。顯示你暫時受到輕微程度的管教壓力。建議你除了照顧孩子外，亦宜安排時間做自己享受的事情，照顧好自己，才能更有空間和力量照顧孩子。你亦可下載「和諧親子kit」應用程式，與孩子一起學習處理情緒。
**此乃初步評估，若面臨情緒/壓力問題，請尋求專業協助。
It turned out okay, and the advice was good not to give all the time (both the baby mama and I would unknowingly kidnap each other from that angle), but also to do what you enjoy and take care of yourself.
Twister Blind Box Claiming
After we played in Area B for a while, we rounded up 11 badges and were able to claim our prizes. There were two options at the prize collection area, a shorter queue for the balloons and a longer queue for the Twister. I went for the Twister line while my baby mama got in line for the bouncy castle with her two babies.
Although the line for the Twister was slow, it was in good order. Nearly before you get to the prize claim, a staff member reviews the winning cards and marks them ahead of time to save time for follow-up. I have two prize cards, the first ball for each family is a blind plastic ball twisted out of the machine, and the second ball is randomly given by the staff from the bag. This is less fun, but saves time in the subsequent queue, which is still very efficient. Luckily I came alone to collect the prize, if I came with a baby, one can spin the game machine, one can only take it directly, I think it will make a scene again T_T, after getting the ball, there are also staff to help open the ball, take toys, guide to take the prize card to the counter to redeem the prize, you can see that they are trying to improve the efficiency, really very attentive!
Bouncy castle, ocean ball play
The bouncy castle is ten minutes a game, even entry to exit about fifteen minutes, each time the maximum capacity of fifty people (adults and children together). When I was queuing up for the blind box, I saw the moms with their babies queuing up, and when I was done with my prize, I was just in the queue, and there was someone in charge here who wouldn’t allow me to cut in the queue, so I switched out the moms and took the babies with me into the bouncy castle and the ocean ball area.
It was quite crowded when the place was full, 50 people was really the maximum. The babies were bouncing around inside and I was especially worried that they would accidentally bump into each other and have a stampede.
Bouncy castle is divided into three parts, the middle slide slide down a lot of ocean balls, both sides of the lollipop, small trampoline and other facilities. Both sides of the gas inflated enough to stand stable, the middle part of the gas is obviously not enough, like me, such as the heavier people stand up, feel the feet can step on the ground below, the babies are not easy to stand stable. Several times I rushed to carry the baby to the outside of the gas more adequate place for them to play, to prevent the slide rushed down the children stepped on, baby mom outside with a camera, excited to take pictures of us, the babies are very enjoyable to play the process, while I have always been vigilant, always keep an eye on the babies’ safety, after all, a person with two babies, for fear that they go out of sight, the danger occurs.
The fun continues: on the way home and at dinnertime
The bouncy castle was played until six o’clock when the sky started to drizzle. We decided to end our fun for the day and hurry back. We first took a minibus to reach the MTR Kowloon Station, then changed to Tung Chung Line to Island Line to go home. On the way, the babies were probably tired of playing, they were all quiet and rested against us.
It was already past seven o’clock in the evening when we arrived home, as soon as we entered the door, we could smell the smell of food, the worker sister had already cooked dinner. As soon as the babies saw the dining table, they ran over to it like little hungry wolves and sat at the table, watching cartoons while eating dinner.
Joy of Toys: Baby’s Favorite Chalkboards
After dinner, the babies couldn’t wait to dump the toys they received in the activity on the floor and play with them. Tonight’s toys are really rich, there is a small pen container in the shape of a car, the babies drove it around on the floor as if it were a car, and their mouths imitated the sound of a car. There is also a bath towel with a mascot design on it, which can be used in the bath tonight. There are also a variety of toys, such as water bottles, mugs, cartoon drawings, postcards and the like.
However, the baby’s favorite is the little blackboard. This little blackboard with a pen to draw, but also “a key to erase”, I think this little blackboard is very suitable for us, usually the baby at home to draw on white paper, drawing a few strokes and then throw the paper, a lot of waste of paper. With this little blackboard, not only can the baby enjoy drawing, but also to avoid wasting paper.
I accompanied the baby to draw a small car car, small animals and so on, the babies smiled a lot. Looking at the happy smiles of the babies, I think today’s activity is really meaningful, not only let the babies have fun, but also let them learn knowledge and harvest toys, it’s really an unforgettable parent-child trip!