Fun With Kids: Make Mother's Day card, animated series for pre-schoolers, The Invisible People picture book series

SINGAPORE - Make family time all the more special with these ideas and activities.

Learn to make a pop-up flower card for Mother's Day, join a storytelling session and find out more about the biodiversity of Jurong Lake Gardens.

These activities are part of the Bazaar In the Garden @ Jurong Lake Gardens line-up on April 23. Register for these free online classes for kids by the National Parks Board.

There are sessions for adults as well. Horticulturist Wilson Wong will share how you can grow edible plants and answer gardening questions.

If your family has a fish tank, check out five colourful plant species that you can add to it.

Get details about the free workshops here the NParks website.

Cartoon Network has launched Cartoonito, a new morning time belt with programmes curated for kids aged two to five.

You will find animated series such as Alice & Lewis, Mush Mush & The Mushables (above) and Sesame Street-inspired Esme & Roy. The pre-school content is chosen to encourage curiosity, courage, humanity and creativity in the little ones.

Alice & Lewis, for instance, teaches young viewers that there is always a solution to everyday worries. The lovable characters in this computer-animated show are inspired by British author Lewis Carroll's classic fantasy tale Alice In Wonderland.

Cartoonito is available on StarHub TV Channel 316 and Singtel TV Channel 226, and on streaming service HBO Go in South-east Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

They are hard at work everywhere you turn yet they can remain invisible.

First-time local author Ames Chen has partnered illustrator Jayl Chen to come up with The Invisible People picture-book series.

There are six stories that showcase the lives of a domestic helper, security guard and other unsung heroes. Each ends with activities related to the occupation and Chen's thoughts about the workers.

In one of the books titled Ah Gong's Uniform, she recalls interviewing a cleaner at a foodcourt and asked: "What is the hardest part about being a cleaner?"

Chen says: "I expected her to lament about standing for long hours or clearing dirty tables. Instead, she replied: 'It's when parents or grandparents pull their little ones away from me when they get too close. I hear them whispering words like dirty or smelly.'"

Chen, who has three kids aged seven to one, says her eldest accompanied her on many of the interviews for the series.

"The series was written for young readers because their greatest strength is in viewing the world around them optimistically, and I believe in their ability to effect change in society," she adds.

Depending on the titles, each retails at $10 or $14 and is available at its publisher Graceworks' e-store.