It's All About Play

Cars

2008-10-12T14:05:00.002+08:00

Our trip to Singapore had been very fruitful. Not only did we learn some lessons, we bought some worth buying toys for the children which we don’t see in Malaysia. Now, whenever they are free, they would pick up the pieces and fix a car, a plane, a helicopter and the list goes on. These sets which include the nuts and screws coupled with the screw driver are really awesome.

One day, Karl fixed a car and I thought he is really good at this. Wayne can’t catch up yet and Nyn is obviously not interested in cars. Talking about cars makes me ponder. I am a person who does not know anything about cars except how to start it and stop it. Now, it makes me wonder if I can really handle a car if hubby is not around. What if my car breaks down suddenly? Can I find the best mechanic? Do you know exactly what to pay for repairs on your car in your town? I definitely do not know!

I panicked when these thoughts flood my mind and I’m beginning to think I should attend some courses or read more on cars. As I browse through the internet, I found a site which is very good. It actually has most of the information one needs to know about cars. You get notified before your car drops below its residual value, list your car for sale for free, find accessories and parts specific to your car, see reviews on 2009 cars and get automatically notified on every recall for your vehicle. Isn’t this wonderful? These are exactly what every owner or driver of a car should know.

I’m hoping that my sons would grow up to be knowledgeable and know more about cars since they love cars so much now.

What’s The Time Mr. Wolf?

2008-10-07T22:02:00.007+08:00

Telling time is one subject we ought to teach our children and I think I did not teach my eldest son well. To avoid the same mistake, I plan to teach my other two children how to read the clock.

I have in mind to teach them about time through games. Do you remember the game “What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?” For those who cannot remember, it’s a game where one person would become Mr. Wolf with his back facing the others and telling the children the time and the other children would take steps based on the time told.

Example:

Children: What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?

Mr. Wolf: Two o’clock.

Children would take two steps.

When the children are near Mr. Wolf, Mr. Wolf would catch one child and it’s that child’s turn to become Mr. Wolf.

Now, for a twist in this game, Mr. Wolf would take a clock (those that are used to train children to tell time) and turn the hour and minute hands to the time desired. He then shows the clock to the children and the game continues from here.

I can’t wait to try this on my children. Learning can be fun!

Sam Feels Better Now Book Review

2008-09-19T08:00:00.003+08:00

It’s pretty normal for children to have fear but what’s more important is to help them overcome the fear.

For the past few months, Karl had been living in fear, not to the extent of unable to sleep and eat but more towards feeling afraid whenever he is alone. He dare not go upstairs alone and dare not bathe if I’m not standing outside the bathroom. At first, I thought he was just not brave enough but after talking to him, I found out the reason or the trigger of his fear.

It was the “monkey in the window” that scared him. Every time he bathes, he would imagine a monkey sitting in the window looking at him and that monkey has a scary look. Well, how did the monkey come into his imagination? The source was none other than the computer game he played.

As a mother, I was glad that he told me about the “monkey” and about his fear. Searching for ways to help him, I came across this book “Sam Feels Better Now!” by Jill Osborne and thought I would read to Karl, hoping that we would both learn how to get the fear out of him.

This book is about Sam who saw something awful and was scared. His mother brought him to the therapist who helped him feel better. For me, this is a wonderful book that comes in just in time for me to read to Karl. The interactive story coupled with beautiful illustrations and some worksheets (as shown in the following pictures) is the mean to help children relate their terrible experience through activities like drawing, coloring, play and story telling. From there, we, the parents, learn how to help children handle their trauma. It also encourages children to attend therapy sessions if the need arises.

Now, Karl feels much better. He told me he is not afraid of the “monkey in the window” anymore. After going through the activities in the book with him, he sort of found a way to forget the scary monkey by replacing that image with something friendlier - the monkey in Kung Fu Panda! Phew, am I relieved!

So, if your child is feeling scared, try reading him this book “Sam Feels Better Now!” It helps.

Fun With Modeling Clay

2008-09-17T22:30:00.001+08:00

This was what we did during playgroup session one Saturday. Modeling clay has been part of our children's life. They just love to shape and mold the clay. So, this time around, we took out some modeling clay for the children and let their imagination run wild but the only difference is that we use CDs together with modeling clay.

My sample.

This belongs to one of the playgroup mummies.

A four year old girl's master piece.

Wayne and Nyn's work with some editing done.

This is Karl's

Bean Craft

2008-08-27T07:25:00.001+08:00

Here’s a very simple craft suitable for children.

This is not my idea, but a craft assignment my seven year old son had to complete to be submitted to his teacher in school.

Materials: Beans of different sizes and colors, paper plate.

This is Karl’s work.

This is mine.

My friend's children did this on a golden box instead of a paper plate and the end product was made into a candy box. Too bad there is no picture.

Toys and Games

2008-08-26T00:01:00.001+08:00

Toys and games are by far most children’s favorite as children love to play and have fun. I always see children reluctant to leave when they have the chance to roam the toy department in any shopping mall.

My children have lots of toys but I think most are gifts from their grandparents, aunts and uncles. I do buy toys but I often opt for educational toys and creative toys which my children do not get from others.

I believe fun learning makes children happy and happy children learn best. These toys and games are just the perfect tools to create a fun learning environment. So, if you happen to be in my house, you will find lots of such toys and games which help me with my fun teaching methods.

Informal Education

2008-08-24T18:57:00.006+08:00

The one-week school holiday has finally come to an end. I have been away from home for almost a week and glad am I to be home.

This time around, we went back to hubby’s village. The children were very excited to see my father in law’s new house’s construction progress. They kept asking about the completion date and we told them that if they are lucky, they (the boys) might be able to celebrate their birthday in that house.

The home lighting and home automation is under my brother in law’s charge. He has stayed in the US for many years and has seen more than we do. His choice of light fixtures would be rather different I guess, from what he said once that he would not buy fluorescent lights. I wonder if he would consider chandeliers. That would be pretty nice.

My father in law is someone who is very open and democratic who allows his children, especially those who are not married, to pick the design for their own room from furniture, bathroom sets, ceiling design to color of wall. Aren’t they lucky to have such a father?

As we stood in that house, looking down, my husband took the opportunity to talk to the children about construction and about safety. We always believe in informal education and what’s a better way than to talk to the children when there are natural teaching aid and visual aid? Oh, I do hope they learn!

Beautiful Rocks

2008-08-15T11:14:00.001+08:00

Remember my previous posts on rock painting? Here are some others which I tried.

Butterfly rock

Fish rock

Supposed to be a turtle or a tortoise

Ladybug rock with some touching up. It looks better than my previous attempt, eh?

Money Game Details

2008-08-09T20:04:00.003+08:00

Photos here

“Money” is one topic in the primary one syllabus and to teach my seven year old about money, I let him “make” his own paper money, consisting of coins and paper notes. He had fun making them and counting the total he owns too.

Then, it was time for a city tour. We pretended to visit the restaurant where my son could order his food and foot the bill using “his money”. Then, we went to the boutique where he bought his shirt and pants. Next, we went to the stationery shop, book shop, pharmacy, sundry shop and supermarket.

Our own version of supermarket

He had fun choosing and picking his favorite things and paying for them while I had fun looking at him learn the places in the city as well as addition and subtraction of money.

Babies Are Boring - Book Review

2008-07-23T23:40:00.001+08:00

Well, when I first received this book by Jon Ritchie, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I knew it would be interesting just by looking at the title of the book.

I was right! There are a great variety of children books out there but this one, “Babies Are Boring”, IS different. It’s like a breath of fresh air!

It tells a lot about life as a parent and it’s so true. I have been through all these moments.

"If you look back, there's a life you used to know. The time, the time, oh wherever does it go?"

Can you relate to this? Before the babies greet the world, we have so much time for ourselves, doing things that we like but where has the time gone after the babies arrive? We basically have NO MORE time for ourselves. Our time is spent cleaning up messes, changing diapers, making milk and other “tasks” that you and I know very well. This book said them all in a very interesting way with cute and attractive illustrations.

I can’t help it but smiled when I read about the moments we spent with our children.

Tired and exhausted we may be but that’s what parenthood is all about, isn’t it? Somehow, with all the sacrifices we make and all the effort we put in, there is always some form of reward.

“But somewhere, in between these things, few and far between... there are tiny, shiny moments almost too small to be seen.”

Those are the moments we are looking forward to, moments that make our effort and love worthwhile.

When I read to my children, I insert some role play that makes the whole story more fun and alive. They LOVE it! Now, every now and then, they would say: “Mummy, can we have Babies Are Boring?” and “I want to pretend to be the baby who sleeps and you the mummy who sings until you fall asleep.”

Who says children books are only for children? “Babies are Boring” is a wonderful book for toddlers as well as for parents.

Money Game For My Seven Year Old

2008-07-16T08:00:00.001+08:00

Wordless Wednesday

Explanation in my upcoming post.

Addition and Subtraction

2008-07-10T13:05:00.001+08:00

It was before the school holidays that Wayne had to sit for a test in school. Usually I would set some questions and test him.

Here's the questions I set for him

He was doing it, telling me it's easy but along the way, he wrote many numbers with mirror images. When it came to the last part: addition and subtraction, he was too lazy to think and told me he didn't want to do.

So, I thought for a moment and said, " Wayne, let's play a game." He was SO excited and kept asking: "What game, mummy?" Instantly, I knew my move was a right one.

I cut the questions into strips (see following picture), folded the strips and put them all in a hand made bag. I told Wayne to compete with Nyn and my maid. It was like a lucky draw where Wayne had to draw one strip, look at the question and solve the equation. His eyes were sparkling when he managed to solve the equation. Then, when it was Nyn and my maid's turn, Nyn would draw, read and my maid "tried very hard" to solve and pretended that she cannot. She then asked Wayne to help and my "helpful" boy willingly helped his "kakak".

The strips of equations

Strips folded and put in a bag

Mission accomplished. After the test, I was very sure that he had no problems with his addition and subtraction. A little worried that he would expect a "game" during the test, I told him that we can only have games at home but during test, he had to sit still throughout. He nodded.

The result of the test? GOOD! He came back with 100%.

Fun With Personalized Early Reading Kit

2008-06-29T22:40:00.001+08:00

“Fun” is how I would describe our week.

No outings.

No movies.

No playing in the playground.

No shopping.

No buffet either.

We were home, reading and learning with some personalized learning products!

It was amazing looking at my children enjoying themselves with the activities I have set up for them using the learning products and I would love to share them with you.

This early reading kit consists of a set of labels, a set of flash cards, two books and a writing pad. The children were so excited when they saw Nyn’s (my daughter’s) photo and name appear in the books and cards.

We first had fun in a so called “treasure hunt”. The children were given a label each and they had to look for the object stated in the label and stick the labels to the objects. Then they were made to spell and pronounce the words.

Sticking labels to objects

Next, we brought Nyn for a tour with Karl (my eldest son) as the tour guide and Wayne (my middle child) as the assistant. Karl would ask Wayne to read each word in the label and have Nyn to repeat after him. Karl learned how to teach while the two little ones learned how to read and associate words with objects.

Showing Nyn the labels and letting her associate words with objects

Now, Nyn would go “M.O.M, MOM” and "D.A.D, DAD" each time she sees our computers. She never knew how to read or spell these two words prior to this. How cool is that?

Can't be sticking these labels on our foreheads, right? So, we we stick these two labels on things which belong to us - our computers!

Next, we played the “matching game” where we match the flash cards to the labels. Nyn was assigned to do this and she was beaming with pride every time she made a perfect match!

The flash cards

The children were excited about the books as well. They kept handing me the book and asked that I read to them.

The Books

Book - Level One uses simple sentences which are repetitive. The highlighted words are the same words that appear on the labels and the flash cards. Book – Level Two uses more complicated and personalized sentences with the same highlighted words as Book – Level One. These books had become our bedtime story books replacing all other books at the moment.

I can't tell you how happy I was when I found this learning kit. Prior to this, I was thinking about making my own book, using my children's names and photos and that would mean a lot of effort and time on my part. So, when I found this, I was smiling and grinning!

Comparison of sentences in Book - Level One (Left) and Book - Level Two (Right)

The writing pad is a good mean to introduce writing to the children. Children would be able to see that writing can convey messages besides speech. Although I have not used this, I am pretty sure that my children would love this writing pad.

Writing Pad

What I love about this learning kit is the repetition which enhances children’s learning ability as well as the personal touch where the children can associate objects in their house which they see everyday to the words printed. For me, I had fun selecting the words and taking photos that match the words and most of all, seeing my children enjoy learning!

Education doesn’t only mean classroom teaching and text book learning. Sometimes, informal and fun learning can have very good effects too. Fun learning makes children happy and happy children learn best. See Me Read Learning Kit is a fantastic tool to bring out the fun element in learning. For just USD79.99, you can have the complete set of personalized kit like mine.

Our First

2008-06-26T22:13:00.001+08:00

This is our very first attempt and it turned out to be pretty good. The color was chosen by my little daughter and we had fun doing it.

Cookies? No!!!

The cooling process.

It ended up in our bathroom wall.

Rock Painting

2008-06-17T22:09:00.004+08:00

Got this idea from a friend too. She is so kind to supply me with the rocks as well. Thank you so much, Jackie.

Materials needed: A rock and some paint.

This is Wayne's rock. He loves this color!

End product. To make it look nicer, you can outline it with opaque correction fluid (Liquid Paper) and spray with a gloss spray.

Does it make a good father's day gift? These rocks can be used as paper weights and that's what we did in playgroup and in Sunday Dhamma School.

Fun With Boxes and Paint

2008-06-11T17:04:00.005+08:00

During the school holidays, we had some fun with boxes and paint. It's quirky but I love keeping boxes. Now, I get to use some of the boxes in my storeroom.

Got this idea from a friend who made a three tier chest drawer with some boxes. After some modification, we made a four column chest drawer out of boxes and paper mache. The children enjoyed applying glue onto strips of paper and painting (with me holding their hands).

The outside of our chest drawer.

The children chose their own favorite color for their individual compartment.

Karl wanted a house on grass and he wanted the sky orange with white clouds. So, that's what I have drawn using a square paint brush.

Our end product.
The tissue boxes were too nice to do paper mache.

Away

2008-05-24T23:15:00.005+08:00

I'll be away for awhile. Upcoming posts:

~ Money Game
~ How I test my middle child addition and subtraction
~ More on flash cards
~ Educational games
~ Others

Flash Those Cards

2008-05-21T22:36:00.002+08:00

How do we use flash cards in a fun way? Do you still remember my post on “Learning Chinese”? There are several ways to use flash cards to enhance the recognition of words.

Here’s one:

~ Line up the flash cards on the floor.

~ Read the sentences in the book (see my previous post on the book I use).

~ Let our child hold a balloon stick and point to each word while we read out loud. (This is to ensure that the child recognizes the word instead of memorizing it)

Here’s another:

~ Line up the flash cards on the floor.

~ Taking turns with our little ones, try to make it into a game where each individual find two words to form a word with meaning (In Chinese, some words cannot stand alone. They must be combined to form a word)

~ The winner is the one with the most word.

Here’s the third:

When they are bored, let them play snake and ladder and at the same time, learn some words. How do we associate snake and ladder with flash cards?

~ The person who turns the dice must be able to read 1-3 words (you set your own rule) from the flash cards before turning the dice. If they can’t read, they lose a turn.

~ Flash 1-3 cards prior to the turning of dice.

~ Cards that the children can’t read would be skipped and put at the very bottom.

~ Go through words that they are not sure of at the end of the game.

To be continued……

My Mother's Day Gifts

2008-05-21T00:01:00.002+08:00

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

A Cat and A Dog Makes My Household Complete

2008-05-15T10:50:00.001+08:00

Yup, I’ve got a cat and a dog at home. What’s so special about these two pets you may ask? Well, you don’t get a SINGING CAT and a SPELLING DOG very often, do you?

Animal Glitter Graphics

Animal Glitter

Have you guessed? No? Read on.

The singing cat can sing whenever I feel sad and she always cheers me up with her voice and her close snug against my arms. Her eyes, yes, her eyes can make anyone’s heart melt.

The spelling dog is one special dog that goes for spelling competition. He would always spell on the stage and gets a medal for doing extremely well.

Have you guessed this time?

The singing cat is 2 ½ years old. She is the youngest and she is my honey angel. Yes, she’s my little daughter whom I love dearly. She likes singing and music.

The spelling dog is 4 ½ years old. He is the middle child and he is my sweetheart. If you remember, Wayne is the most difficult child at home and he refuses to learn his spelling. Now, with this new role – “the spelling dog”, he loves spelling. I see the transformation with my very own eyes, from “Mummy, I don’t want to spell at home. I’ve learnt in the school.” To “Mummy, can you please say: Spelling dog, please spell JAGUNG (corn in Malay)?”

We love role play. This time, the role play turned out to be favoring me, giving me a chance to instill the interest of spelling in my middle child. He learns without stress and I’m dancing around happily when he can spell many words correctly. Woohoo!

Learning Chinese

2008-05-12T22:46:00.001+08:00

Teaching Chinese is never an easy task for parents who speak English at home with their children. With the help of these tools, I manage to turn the phrase: “I don’t like Chinese.” To “Mummy, I want to learn Chinese today.”

This set of Chinese books has the same concept as “Peter and Jane” where words are being repeated to enhance the vocabulary. The books come with flash cards and an optional CD (good for parents who do not know Chinese).

These books are categorized into several series:

First 100 words – 8 books

Second 100 words – 8 books

Third 100 words – 4 books

Forth 100 words – 4 books

Fifth 100 words – 2 books

Sixth 100 words – 2 books

Seventh 100 words – 2 books

Eighth 100 words – 2 books

What I normally do is to go through the books once with my son and teach him the new words using “han yu pin yin” (pronunciation of the word using English alphabets). Then, I would have him read to me again covering the “han yu pin yin”. What I notice in many children is the ability to memorize words. They can read to you the whole page without even looking at the book! When that happened, we know that they can’t recognize words.

So, the flash cards come in handy to help or test the children to recognize words. There are several fun ways to use the flash cards. All we need is a little creativity to turn learning into games.

Check out fun ways to use flash cards in my upcoming posts.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-10T08:18:00.001+08:00

Glitter Mother's Day Graphics

Fun With Glittering Glue Stick

2008-05-07T16:57:00.003+08:00

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Wordless Wednesday - Teach Chinese With These

2008-05-01T00:45:00.000+08:00

Look out for my next post on how I use these.