Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts

Sunday, April 15, 2012

DIY: Color magnets and teaching tracing

Learning Colors:

Adam is one month shy of turning 3 and has learned colors and shapes in school.
Sometimes, he gets his colors correct yet other times, he seems to totally forget what he learned and everything becomes blue. Or red. Or yellow.

I gave him a packet of M&Ms the other day at the mall, and I asked him to match all the colors of the M&Ms to objects he can find of the same colors before eating them.
He got them all correct - yellow T-shirt, orange shorts, brown chairs, green ceiling, blue Crocs, red cushions.
Which also meant he finished all the M&Ms.

But I can't possibly open a packet of colorful chocolates all the time and risk my child getting obesity, therefore I have to think of something which is relatively cheap and easy to DIY at home. And I found my solution - DIY color magnets.

I cut out the color squares from a sample catalogue.


I then mount the squares on magnet sheets and cut them out. On a scale of 1 to 10, the difficulty of this project was 0. And it cost me practically nothing to do.


They go on the easel or fridge. It's really fun and easy!


I made some more!


Learning to trace

the top-most line is so neat because it was drawn by me!





I'm starting Adam on some "homework" only now. I'm such a lazy Mummy. I don't send him for enrichment classes on weekends, and the most scholarly thing I've ever done with him at home is reading storybooks.
I must say for his effort (considering this is the 1st time he's tracing lines at home, he might have done it in school, I never asked), I'm pretty impressed that he actually followed the dots instead of doodling a whole chunk of messy colors on the pages.
My poor baby is growing up too fast!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Adam is enrolled for Nursery!

Come 2012, it will be time for Adam to attend Pre-Nursery (or N1).
Andy & I have been searching/short-listing high and low for a good preschool for our preschooler for some time now, in fact, ever since we moved - and we finally found one!

Today, I took the morning off and went with Andy to the new school to have Adam registered. Kiasu I know, but in Singaporean context, we are considered very late for registration, considering hordes of parents do it a year in advance!

We met the Principal who was very patient and friendly and didn't rush the whole process.
We then did a school tour of the huge premises.


The classrooms


The Principal placed emphasis on the importance of outdoor activities and play for children and I totally agree. Check out their magnificient outdoor area, which actually consists of uphill and downhill.


Uphill, it's a little garden corner with a rabbit pen


and flower beds where the kids do gardening


Kids out at play




The school is spacious, clean, has a seperate kitchen area and even a canteen for the children to have their meals, and of course the well-kept great outdoors.
I have to admit I'm really impressed and most importantly, I can now heave a huge sigh of relief :)
Next up - to buy white school shoes and new sets of uniform!

Monday, April 18, 2011

New home, new plans?

As we are edging closer and closer to the Big Move, I can't help but think of what are our logistic plans and our school/work plans gonna be.

First of all, I would like to announce that I have found a new job.

Yes. I'm going back to being a working mom soon. I have been headhunted to join a private O&G practice in a swanky hospital in town, and the doctor is going to be my direct boss. That means, no more serving bed pans, no more working shifts. I will be a private nurse assisting my direct boss only and my clientale base will be those of private paying-class profile. That is all I'm willing to divulge. And my new boss has been very obliging, she let me start work in May, so these few months I've been free to catch up on my school work and shuttle to and from our new house overseeing the renovation works. Is that cool or what!!
I'm really happy to have been offered this job, so yeah, I am really looking forward.

Secondly, in an unexpected turn of events, we now have not only one, but instead, TWO contractors working on our house simultaneously at the same time. Though they are working on different areas of the house, we're just really lucky my Mom is sponsoring one of the two contractors. So yeap, we may have outdone ourselves this time, having 2 teams of people working on our dream home. I've always counted my lucky stars :)

Thirdly, with us moving house and me landed a dream job offer, I am currently discussing with Andy whether to pull Adam out of his current playschool because logistically, it is not feasible for me to wake him up at 6am in the mornings just so I could get to work at 8.30AM sharp. Andy wakes up at 10am for work daily, so by the time he sends Adam to school, most of the school day would be over since Adam gets off school at 12.30pm. It just doesnt make sense for him to carry on in his current school anymore. I'm abit sad, because he absolutely loves school and wakes up looking forward to seeing his teacher and friends everyday. However, I believe this would be the best arrangement for us, for now. He's too young to start a Nursery/Kindy program proper, since he isn't even 2 yet.
So right now, I'm thinking of signing us up for weekend enrichment programs at Gymboree (for play) and Growing Up Gifted. I just realised we still have 2 free sessions at Gymboree which we never got down to utilising. This would be a good time to do it.

So many new things coming up, we're excited!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

End of School term

It's the end of Term 1, and Kai's teachers gave me a compilation of the art & craft he did in class.




A surge of happiness overwhelmed me and I feel so proud of my boy for being all grown up.
It's been a whole term of him sitting through 4 hours of school without me around and he actually even enjoys school. It's not easy for a child less than 2 and thank goodness we don't have to deal with clingy issues and seperation anxiety.

Great job Kai!






Mischief-maker 1 with his trademark MM2.




Thank you, God, for bestowing on me a wonderful and doting husband, and for giving us a happy and beautiful child. We hope that Adam will grow up to be a beautiful person, both inside and out.

I ♥ my boys.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Beat

These days, Kai is often raising his hand (always his right hand, don't ask me why) in a threaten-to-beat action and saying "Beat" in Mandarin. My apologies but I am not in the mood to look for a translated Mandarin substitute for the word.

And everytime, I would ask him (in Mandarin) "Who beat Kaikai?"
Kai: Teacher. *short pause* Beat.
Me: Teacher beat Kaikai??
Kai: *usually smiles sheepishly or smacks me lightly, or both actions simultaneously*

Last night, he did it again. When asked, he said it was Teacher at first. When asked again, he said "Daddy" and he grinned. The Daddy in question was of course, just beside us so I turned and asked "Daddy did you beat Kaikai?" Andy gave me a blank stare trying not to laugh and Kai grinned sheepishly.

This action has been going on for quite a few days now, so I asked one of the teachers at his playschool this morning. The teacher explained to me that every teacher adores Kaikai because he is lively and happy in class. After I got home, his teacher-in-charge called me and explained to me rather anxiously that the school has a no-hitting policy and nobody has ever smacked him before and that she has to clarify with me.

Ok, to make things a little clearer - in our family (including my in-laws), we do not practice corporal punishment. We do not even have a cane in the house and we have never laid hands on Kai. So if he was really smacked by anyone at all in school, I would at the very least like to know the situation preceeding the beating and be given an explanation.
I won't do drastic measures like sue or write to the press of course and his teacher really needn't be so anxious because I know how difficult it is to look after pre-schoolers and I won't complain to MOE and cause her to lose her job or anything. But surely I had the right to be informed?
But seems that my son is not beaten afterall.

What's up with the words & actions?

Friday, March 4, 2011

Kai goes to Uni

My mom-in-law has taken the day off today and left me alone "on the job" to take care of Kai.
I had to pay my school fees and the only next best person I can trust, Aunt LY, has agreed to go with us to uni and take care of Kai while I ran my errand.

Aunt LY and Kai at the school koi pond where she taught Kai about fishes, water, and plants.






I am eternally indebted to my Aunt LY for her selfless help, I am forever grateful.
She is truly godsend.

For a toddler who isn't even 2 yet, Kai can speak alot. In fact, he started articulating since he was around 12 months old, in simple double-syllables then.
Now, he can form simple sentences to articulate his intentions, like "Kai Kai 走走 (going out), Bye bye"; and he can converse bilingually eg "开, open"; "机机, Airplane" ; "ant, 蚂蚁" etc



I started him on board books and fabric books since he was a baby, talking to him, reading to him, and everything we see, use flash cards to match objects for him, like these below:









Now that he is attending half-day school, learning becomes a two-way process and is further enhanced.
In my opinion, there is no point packing your kids off to the most expensive or top-notch schools and let them come home to a helper or someone who isn't going to reinforce their learning at home.
I didn't have a child to let some stranger bring him up.

I am a very hands-on parent and I believe in doing as much as I can, myself.
And that's not because I'm a SAHM now, I did all those when I was still working Full-time and studying Part-time!! So working Moms should not be disheartened - nothing is impossible!
Learning is about the planned and unplanned. Even when we go for walks in the park with our dog, or to the supermart to grab groceries, chances for learning is aplenty.
Even when Kai is playing in the bath, I use a toy pail to teach him what is full/empty, what is clean/dirty, dry/wet.

I am very fortunate to have able help from my MIL and Aunt LY, so that I don't have to worry about the chores and it also frees up quality time for me to engage Kai in meaningful activities.


Teaching is not just about the classroom. In fact, learning starts from home.

Monday, January 17, 2011

SCHOOL: Weekly Report

Today, Teacher Joyce gave me a written report of Adam's progress in class last week.
The theme was "Myself" so he made a hand mirror, pasted hair/eyes/nose/mouth on a round vanguard "face" and learnt about things pertaining to the theme. He was able to follow actions made by teachers, and learned sharing of toys and equipment with other classmates.

I am honestly very impressed with the way the school's curriculum is run, if you ask me.
To be frank, I didn't have much expectations from them at first, being PCF-run and all, also because their fees are very cheap affordable!
But everytime I go to fetch Adam, the teacher will give me a low-down of what he ate/did that day and his general well-being.
This enables me to reinforce his learning at home.
They also keep all his art & craft and will give it to me at end of the term.

A little more about Sparkle Tots: The principal of the centre has a Degree in ECT, the staff are qualified with either CPT or DPT (cert/dip in Preschool teaching).
Also, at Kai's centre, the staff have been working there for years. The low staff turnover is important because children get attached to a caregiver and you wouldn't want your child to be in a school with high staff absenteeism and resignations.
So parents, if you are considering PAP/PCF childcare centres, you won't be making the wrong choice.

As a matter of fact, my good husband was the one who researched about Sparkle Tots and told me about it. I was initially looking at all other privately-run centres around our home and when we visited those bungalow ccc, the "teachers" spoke in broken English and most were foreigners from China or Philippines. No doubt these centres always do up fancy websites stating their mission, how they know every child is special, aim to develop an all-rounded person and all the fluff, but would you buy those stories and entrust your child to them?
I know I wouldn't.



The only downside about PCF is that the one near us is run as a ccc, so if you want purely nursery or kindy classes few hours per day (Kai is starting school proper next year in a church kindy), then some PCFs wont work for you because the kids there mostly go for Full day classes and their lessons continue after nap-time so if you kid goes for only half-day, he will be missing out the later parts of the lessons.
And me, not being a fan of too much classroom teaching, believe that children learn the most and best from home. Also influenced by my Psychologist brother, I do not want my child(ren) to be "institutionalised".
I let Kai attend classes, but I reinforce his learning at home according to what Teacher Joyce has taught by repetition, flash cards, asking him questions to test his awareness etc.

Anyway, back to the topic. Next week's theme is My School/ My friend :)

I leave you with some tips on preparing your preschooler for preschool:
- Bring your child to the class as often as you can before start of the school term. Let him/her mingle with the existing children and get used to the environment

- Talk to him often about his new school, teachers, friends. Get him mentally prepared, even if you think he doesn't understand.

- Take leave for the first few days to one week of school (if you are working). Accompany him at first, help him to settle in, then gradually over the week decrease your help and existance by leaving class earlier than you did the previous day. Gradually fade your existance from being with him/her, to just sitting in a corner of the room.

- When dropping him/her off at the gate, always say Good-bye and tell him/her what time you are coming to fetch him/her. This gives your child some closure and something to look forward to at the end of the school-day. It's better than sneaking away for fear of crying because it is worse if your child looks around and suddenly, you've disappeared and wonders where you have vanished to. It makes them feel abandoned and fearful of leaving your sight.

- That said, kids will be kids. Children cry - that's the universal law. It's OK to let your child cry initially when he/she is still not used to the new environment. As long as his/her behaviour has not changed drastically to be withdrawn, quieter than usual, not interested in learning, or throwing tantrums for attention, anything apart from the norm, then crying is quite normal.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Off to schooooo


2nd week update: My happy bubs lugging his own school bag to school early morning.
When I dropped him off at the gate, he was apprehensive. Then when I wanted to leave, he started clinging to me by pulling my t-shirt, holding my hand and making sure I was in sight.
Teacher Joyce had to carry him and distract him while I sneaked away.

Immediately after I felt like crying. I think I'm such an emotional softee. I seem to be the one suffering from seperation anxiety instead!

Yesterday, he learnt about body parts, outlined his hand on a vanguard and made a puppet with the cutout. He ate all his cornflakes for breakfast and I am so happy.
Can't believe my dear baby is all grown up now.
Tissues for the poor Mommy please!

Friday, January 7, 2011

My Darling's First Day at School

Today our darling son is finally well enough to go to school!

Woke up early morning, his hair still standing up and he's eating his muffin for breakfast.



"Mommy we're going to be late can you stop asking me to pose??....."



Off to school! Hand-in-hand with Daddy :)


Adam's personalised Tux name tag :D





Today's theme was Birthday Party, so they sang a Birthday Song, learnt what is a cake, candles, and party, and he colored a Birthday cake. With his name written on it. I feel so proud!



Thankfully, the class is bilingual and the teacher : student ratio is 2:5.
I must say at this moment, Andy & I are very happy about the curriculum and the conduct of the school/teachers. Learning Mandarin is a bonus because as we all know, it's a difficult language and the earlier we start, the better.
According to Psychologist Jean Piaget, the cognitive development of children at the pre-schooler age (2-7yrs) are mostly focused on language development, role-modeling, play-pretend.
Therefore, parents with kids this age group should not be overly anxious if their Playschools don't seem to be "teaching them enough through books and hardcore classroom learning".


In due time, Adam will be going to either St James Kindy or Marymount Kindy.
But right now, this will be our plan - to put Adam in a drop-off program with our shortlisting criteria as follows:
- Must be near our home (for safety reasons, no need to cross any major roads, and easy for Andy's mum to drop-off & pick-up)
- MCYS approved centre with qualified & committed teaching staff (This centre has staff working for years, ie. low turnover rate, which is important because children get attached to caregivers easily and build trust and learn from role-modeling at this age.)
- Cleanliness and hygiene standards
- Not too much rigid sit-down classroom setting
We're currently sticking to this plan until our new home is settled, and until we have our logistics arrangements sorted out.

And nope, there were no tears from my big boy. Not sure about next week though!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Sick on New Year!

While most people ushered in 2011 counting down at parties, for us, it was homebound.
First, Adam is fighting Bronchitis with antibiotics and 2 other types of med, then it was my turn to fall sick with a very bad throat, giddiness and nausea.
I coughed so hard I nearly threw up.
Adam too. coughing & coughing. Even in his sleep. He coughs till he's awakened by the phlegm choking his airway. Very sleep deprived & not the least bit funny. This must be the worst New Year in history.
I was literally worried sick.

Anyway, I've recovered 90% by now, but poor Adam is still coughing even after 5 days of antibiotics. I'm bringing him to the doctor's again tomorrow, which also means, he's going to miss the first few days of school! :(
We were so looking forward to school and now I am so disappointed.

Hope my little soldier recovers soon enough so he can go make friends. I'll keep everyone posted on his first day.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Theme: GREEN




Just last weekend, it was Yellow... But this Saturday, Kai had a penchant for anything green. He wore green to Gymboree, and he wanted to go on the green car ride outside Gymboree.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

More Gymboree

Andy & Adam came to fetch me from work today.
Look at the outfit Daddy picked out for our son :

I havent seen this shirt since months ago, wonder how Daddy dug it out?
I'm surprised he can still wear it!

Adam absolutely looooveees the cable cars everytime we're at Harbourfront. He never fails to point out to them excitedly and repeat "nai nai" (nice nice)


We should probably get him on a cable car ride soon. Or two :)


Before he walks even 1m, he will keep hugging my legs and give me this puppy look which has "Mummy please carry me, pretty PLEASEEEE" written all over his forehead. How can refuse??


Class starts. My boys march forward with their er, balls.







The 2 men I adore most in my life sharing some male bonding:




my Charming Little King. Cest la vie!


Our Level 3 class is coming to an end, and will also mark an end to his Gymboree playgym which we attend once a week.
This is because in Jan next year when he turns 20 months old, Kai will be attending playgroup, and it's gonna be a 5-day week, 3 hour drop-off program.

It will be yet another new milestone for us, because it would be his first time being in a classroom setting without us accompanying him.
I am nervous!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Playgroups in the East

Andy & I have been searching for a suitable Playgroup for Kai for the past 2 weeks, and the outcome has been disappointing :(

Our criteria are:
- daily 2-3 hour sessions
- must be near our home so MIL can drop him off and pick him up.
- must be clean and the children happy
- must not be too much of classroom learning, and more of play, music, art & craft and preferably outdoor activities
- Teachers turnover should not be high, and they should be happy in their job

is that really such a tall order? I thought that was common sense, yet so hard to fulfill.... -__-
Initially, I've thought of sending Kai to those chi-chi centres but to be realistic, unless I'm a SAHM, I can't really do that because there would be nobody else to bring Kai there.

If any Mommies have any recommendations for Playgroups pleaseee please let me know!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Bargain-hunting with Meena and Gymboree with Kai

Woke up at 7.30am together with Baby Kai... on a Saturday?!?! It was raining, really chilly and the perfect excuse to sleep in late but my son thinks otherwise. So I made a date with Aunty Meena to go bargain-hunting at Pigeon Warehouse sale :)))

Kai & I took a warm bath, dressed up and went to fetch Meena and my godson Vetrin. Loaded all the adults and children in my Baby Mobile and ready to head to Macpherson. Perfecto!


The sale was like something I've never been to before - we queued to get it, shoved around with mostly the preggy women, then queued somemore to pay up and leave. Woah.
Thankfully, praise the Lord, I ran into my ex-polymate Huixian and her hubby Ming Qiang and I bumped my small purchases with them. They are expecting a baby girl come November.
It's always fun shopping for newborn stuff, dont you agree?
Buying nappies, receiving blankets, hooded towels and teeny clothes never felt soooo retail-therapeutic :)

I carried Vetrin and showed Kai, and he loves the baby so much. He smiled and wanted to gently touch him. I think Kai needs a sibling. Heheh

Afterward, Kai had class at Harbourfront - our weekly routine. Kai is always happy to attend school. He loves the children and the activities. Wait till he goes to Primary School.. hahaha

My darling son playing on the carousel...


which gave me a really wild fantasy - how nice it would be to throw a birthday party for him at a Carnival, complete with gazebos and carousel, with servers giving away popcorn and cotton candy for the children while they went on the free rides.
The parents can relax while having a picnic on the grass and watch as their children run after bubbles and eating cotton candy.

Well maybe for Kai's next birthday we should rent a bungalow chalet, set up a gazebo, rent toys and cotton-candy machines, and give out mylar balloons to the children. Life would be grand :)

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Doodle



We had lunch at Marche's today after Kai's Gymboree class.
He's having fun doodling in his own good time, leaving Daddy & Mummy free to eat our lunch. However, once the Strawberry sweet crepe came to the table, he kept pointing to em strawberries and stuffed himself silly.
In the end, Mummy ate the crepe while Baby A ate the strawberries.

Now, he's gotten really expert at pointing to things he wants and if you deliberately give him something else, he will point to it again and again until you get the right item.

Realised that on Sunday AMs, the class is made up of mostly boys. think we'll be switching to the Sunday AM class in future.

And I did a simple search on Google, found out that Gymboree has a branch in Tsim Sar Tsui, Kowloon HK. That means Kai can still go for playgym come our holiday :)

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Saturday at Vivo City

Kai bounced back to being his cheeky self, all thanks to Chris' recipe of boiled apple & almonds, plus my Mum's Manuka honey ^_^
So Gymboree was on our to-do list on Saturday again. Whee!

"I'm all right now and ready to go!"

First we stopped at Marche to fill our hungry tummies.
Kids had free color pencils and drawing sheets to keep themselves occupied. I love love their sweet crepes. I always eat them whenever I'm at Marche's. Yum!~




Another must-have fav: potato rosti




After lunch at Gymboree: the class was slightly smaller that day and most of the kids were new, 'cept for Vera a pretty likttle princess who was there last week as well.


Kai loves the A-frame.





During the class sit-down and sing-along-songs session, Kai hit his classmate in her head with a toy he was holding. It was entirely accidental and unintentional of course, and I apologised profusely to the girl's parents. Both Andy & I felt horrid about it. Luckily, the parents were quite candid and forgiving about it and didnt get angry or anything.
-__-''

Kai is by now, quite literally a walking disaster.
He bumps / knocks into things and terrorise the dogs by pulling them out of their resting place under the sofa. He gets himself cuts and bruises all over his face.

At night, Andy & I watched "Back Up Plan" on DVD and we both had a good laugh over some of the funny scenes, like those of J.Lo getting her ultrasound done, and her friend giving birth in the water tub.
Andy then told me while he was looking at Kai sleeping soundly on our bed, "all babies are angels"...
I guess that's what parenthood is all about - it's "awful awful awful awful... then something magical happens"