Thursday, June 30, 2011

Modular Approach to Chinese Programme

Up till now, I was under the impression that all primary schools adopt the modular approach for Chinese programme so that children with different abilities/interests in the Chinese language can be assisted and/or stretched. 

The differentiated approach is to begin from Term 3 onwards and children are placed in either the Bridging, Core or Enrichment class based on their performances in Terms 1 and 2. 
 
But after speaking to a few friends whose kids are in different primary schools, it doesn't seemed to be the case for some schools, which don't differentiate their pupils' abilities just yet. 

Anyway, M's school adopts the modular approach. 

All pupils will do the Core module. Those in the Bridging class will get more help to improve their oral and aural skills before progressing to the Core module and advanced pupils doing the Enrichment module will get to stretch their language ability after completion of the Core module.  

Based on his results in the mastery tests so far and his ongoing progress at home with me, I have expected him to be in the Core class, which would accommodate 80% of the P1 cohort. Though we know that he is one of top 3 in his class, we didn't know how he would fare compared to his cohort. I have learnt from other parents that majority of his schoolmates attend some Chinese enrichment or tuition classes since their kindergarten days, so I reckon these are likely the ones placed in the advanced class. 

Hence it was a big pleasant surprise when M came home on Monday (first day of new term) with a letter informing us that he has been placed in the Enrichment class.

I am very pleased for him. Though this may seem trivial, it is nonetheless a form of encouragement in return for the months of consistent effort he has put in. The part that pleases me most is that we did it without him attending any external classes. 

I hope this Enrichment module will be more rigorous than before. 

Anyway, it seems the honeymoon is officially over. Yesterday, he came home with his first page of Chinese homework. 




Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Progress Updates: Jan to May 2011

Being the one who sends N to school and fetches him, I have plenty of opportunities to speak to his teachers about his progress.

So at the last PTM (parent-teacher-meeting) in the last week of May, there wasn't anything new that the teachers could update me on. 

Basically Chip is a very keen learner who has a wonderful attitude in school. He loves to participate in class and is enthusiastic about all activities. He progresses well in all areas (academically, emotionally and developmentally) and both teachers considered him well-prepared and advanced academically. He has his circle of friends and interacts well with everyone else. 

It is comforting to know that I also don't have to worry about him and his academic progress, especially since I will have less time to spend with both boys next year.


Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Babymoon 2011


For 5 days in the first week of the June school holiday, we left the boys at home with E's parents and headed for our babymoon. 

We did this for every pregnancy, so it shouldn't be any exception this time round.

When I was expecting M, we went to Beijing in April 2004 and even walked the full 5 km of the Badaling part of the Great Wall of China. 

In June 2006 and 5 months pregnant, we brought M along to Bali for a wonderful vacation, just so we could have a last holiday memory of our little Poshie before we welcomed another little one.  

Earlier this year, we had booked a trip to Osaka when the grannies' travelling plans was confirmed, not knowing that we would be expecting again. But the March '11 triple disasters in Japan altered our plans and due to my physical condition, we ruled out many possible destinations and settled for Bali instead. 

After staying at the Conrad and Le Meridien in the previous visits, we decided to try the Grand Hyatt this time round. 

I was totally blown away by the beauty of the compound and mesmerized by the tranquility of its secluded beach. We are talking kilometres of beach to stroll on under the gorgeous blue sky. 

For a few hours after 1pm everyday, the tide began to change and there was this incredible shoreline filled with the most amazing creatures.



We spotted hundreds of starfish, different kinds of sea worms and sea urchins, puffer fish and even a blue-ringed octopus! E was so intrigued, like many hotel guests, that he returned to the shoreline for a few hours daily, hoping to catch more glimpses of other exciting sea creatures that were trapped in the nooks and crevices. 


Spot the blue-ringed octopus!

Can you see the well-camouflaged crab?

Something just feasted on a LOT of sea urchins!

I couldn't share the same enthusiasm after one afternoon so I was more than happy to park myself by the beach or the recreation pool in those hours when he was away, and be accompanied by mocktails, snacks and a riveting read. 

To be able to just be by myself, enjoying my own company and indulged in my own thoughts and reflections was such a treat! I may go as far as calling it a luxury since it is not something I get to do for long stretch of time normally. 

To top it all up, when we can end the day strolling by the beach hand-in-hand, be enchanted by the sunset and have our cheeks caressed by the constant sea breeze, how can we not feel romanced? :> 

We love this vacation. And we know our boys would enjoy it too. So we are planning to return soon. But next time, it will be with the entire family of five. 


Monday, June 27, 2011

Unwanted 'Pearls of Wisdom'

It is no secret to people who know me well that I'm not the kind who will just blindly heed any 'pearls of wisdom' from just anyone. If the advices are in contrast to my beliefs or parenting style, I don't hesitate to question them. 

It's not that I think I know everything there is to know about parenting, but I'm also not convinced that anyone, even one who has more years of parenting experiences than me or has read more parenting books or even written a few, will necessarily be the one who knows-it-all. Even if one is an authority in the field, he/she doesn't know MY kids as well as I do. And if you aren't an authority, uh... shouldn't you consider zipping up?

So to put it plainly, I don't appreciate unsolicited parenting advices. And I'm not apologetic about it. Especially not from a random stranger who doesn't know me and/or my kids, good intentions or otherwise. If they are coming from someone who knows us all very well, you better be prepared to stand your ground when I challenge your beliefs. 

But if I ask you for advices, then it is different of course. It means I have singled you out as someone whom I look up to, whom I think may have the wisdom/knowledge for the particular situation.

One of the things that annoys me the most is when another parent spits out a bunch of unsolicited advices about how to raise my kids and instill values in them. Or a parent with a mediocre brood trying to advise me on how I should nurture my kids. 

What makes them think they are qualified or will be appreciated? Duh. 






Sunday, June 26, 2011

Children Seasons 2011: Art Garden


I managed to persuade the whole family to go along. It wasn't hard to get Chip to go. All I had to do was to jog his memory of the fun he had with the green cushions at the place where the giant white bunny was. But it took some planning before the other two would agree to checking it out. 

E, who is generally not interested in art museums and certainly not the ones that we can find in Singapore, probably agreed because our itinerary that day included a Japanese dinner at Standing Sushi Bar which is at the vicinity of S.A.M. 

M agreed to go to the Art Garden this time because it was the straight after our Robot Zoo outing. 

Unfortunately, we all didn't like what S.A.M has put together for the Art Garden this year. 

At first the boys were really excited when they spotted the Paramodellic-Graffiti, but their enthusiasm was extinguished within moments when the attendants there told us everything in the gallery were only exhibits and can't be touched. (I understood from a blog I chanced upon afterwards that the blogger's kid played with the tracks/trucks for an hour!) I may try to return with Chip just to check this out again. 

We only caught one short film, My Father Is a Washerman, which disturbed Chip a little. He didn't like the scarecrow and had interpreted the film quite differently from what it was supposed to represent.  

The kids were not interested in Mummy Dearest, the Dancing Solar Flowers and Lightning Action. Neither were we impressed. 

They spent some time at Superhigh, simply because there were installations that they could move around. That was E's favourite spot because he could finally rest his feet. :D 

The Tree of Love and Fruits exhibits were a little more interesting in my opinion. But it is a shame that the fruit templates were so challenging for little fingers. E started M off by showing him how to make the first 20% of the cardboard apple, and M finished up the rest. But I had to make the whole apple for Chip.

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We left after an hour. Unfortunately, E was totally unimpressed. The boys were only mildly so. 



Saturday, June 25, 2011

June 2011 School Holiday....

.... is coming to an end.

When the grannies first arrived in mid May, I've made a list of things that the boys can do with them, and places for the foursome to check out together. Among other things, I thought it would be so much fun for the kids to go to the Rainforest Kidzworld, Sentosa and Changi Village with them. I am sure the boys would cherish memories of some long strolls and picnics with the grannies too.

But almost 5 weeks have passed and they have done NONE of these. Hmm...  it is really kind of disappointing and I feel a little sorry for the boys.

Well, it is all down to complacence and lack of planning really. Everyone kept thinking that there is plenty of time for the boys to get out to do stuff with the grannies, but in the end, the kids spent all their time at home with them. On the days when I thought we could probably head out somewhere together, the grannies would have made their own plans. So it was either we go ahead without them (which is a shame since they don't get opportunities to do such things with the kids that much longer) or postpone the outings (which we did often and ended not making it later on anyway). C'est la vie! 

Luckily, we had proceeded with our beach outings, play dates, park strolls, museum visits and lots of swimming in this June holiday. The kids must have been to the pool at least 15 times in the last 5-6 weeks! And they even had tons of fun at their newly-joined art and taekwando classes, something which I decided to check out with them only very recently, hoping to create some new experiences for them. 

I must find ways to make it up to them in the remaining weeks before Baby O arrives. Darn! I feel damned guilty about it. Shouldn't have waited so much.

The boys have no complaints though. They are happy to have so much time to just play Lego and watch DVDs with grannies. Not forgetting the frequent swims which they always enjoy. 

As usual, I shunned all academic kind of holiday enrichment classes, opting for more consistent coaching at home. Even for that, we slowed down significantly this month. I was so relaxed with Chip that we only did some Chinese reading now and again, plus some quick coverage on Maths concepts. I know Chip can afford the slack, since he is almost ready to tackle basic Primary one Maths. 

I spent about 4 to 6 hours with M per week working on either Maths or Chinese activities. This is definitely nothing compared to those kids I know who are put in holiday programmes that run 3hrs/day for 4 weeks! Even if a child is a slow or poor learner, the sheer quantity of knowledge that can be covered in a whopping (3x5x4) 60 hrs must have some benefits on an average kid. Still, I can't ignore the opportunity costs which I think outweigh the potential benefits, in M's case anyway. 

I reckon we've made good enough progress in a third of that time. A little respite, for me especially, is probably good before we step on the accelerator pedal in Term 3. 

Golly, I am so not ready to return to the hectic schedule. But as the mummy, I must. I have to, for the sake of the kids.  

Friday, June 24, 2011

To London, To London

The grannies leave in a few days' time. 

Chip has announced his plans to follow them. He asked grandpa to save a suitcase for him. 

His travelling plan is to sleep in the suitcase with Squiddy and Wiggy and travel with grannies to London. 

I asked if he would miss us. Yes, he said. But he will come back with grannies to see us all when Baby O arrives. 

What would he do in London? What if he got bored? He paused to think. He will play scissors, paper, stone and tick-tack-toe with grannies. He will play with his Squiddy and Wiggy. And he will play in the garden. 

Told him I will miss him too much. I want him to stay. He suggested sweetly that I follow them to London too. :> 

Aww.... my little baby and his big plans!  He is going to be absolutely devastated when he realizes in a few days' time that he can't follow them back to London. 



Thursday, June 23, 2011

Entering the 3rd Trimester

This is week 28. Baby is 1.2 kg now. Almost doubled her weight in the last 4 weeks. It is always comforting to know that baby is growing well. I can't believe I will be seeing her in another 12 weeks or so. Wow.

My total weight gain so far is 6.7kg and I'm rather pleased. I've not been as careful as I like with my diet recently but luckily the weight is not piling at a scary rate. There are no cravings on most days though there was a short period of few days last week when I kept thinking of durians. :P 

Lots of people still tell me that I don't look pregnant from the back. My tummy sticks straight out in a rather compact manner, similar to the previous pregnancies. An old woman I met at Chip's school predicted very confidently that I must be carrying a boy because of the shape of my tummy. Haha.... I took great pleasure to assure her that it was the case for all my pregnancies, so it probably has a lot to do with the way my body is shaped instead of my baby's gender. Unless of course, the scans so far have been wrong.

Still thankful for the bountiful of energy. I sleep pretty well, though I have been a little resistant to retiring early. Part of me kept thinking that I must cherish the remaining weeks of having the luxury to stay up late to do whatever I fancy. I know this is silly since I should also be cherishing the opportunities to sleep. 



Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Girls, Buns and Antipasti

With under 3 months to go before Baby O's expected arrival, I've made a mental note to head out more often for some well-deserved me-time, while I still can. 

So in this past week alone, I have had a wonderful 5-hours rendezvous with a really lovely girlfriend who brought me to beautiful dim sum lunch at Crystal Jade Golden Palace, followed by midday latte. Woo... I am still drooling at the thought of those custard buns! 

Later in the week, I organized a little ladies-night-out with another few like-minded mums for gorgeous Italian cuisine at Basilico @ Regent Hotel. 


Beautiful, mouth-watering antipasti that I couldn't have enough of.  And the hours of girly company, laughter and chats that must be so good for the soul. :>

Pleasures. Bliss. Simple Magic. 

Life can be so good! 



Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Awesome. Inspiring!

Woke at 6.30am today. 

Found this incredibly inspiring website BodyRock.TV this morning and watched about 20 short videos at one go. 




I can't wait to get back to doing some body-punishing workouts! 






Friday, June 17, 2011

Science-in-a-Mall

Our most recent close-up experiences with anything that was promoted as 'robotic' in nature was at our last Science Centre visit, which turned out to be quite an awful let-down.

So when I first came across this pamphlet, I wonder if my boys may be thrilled to check it out.





I was skeptical of the event's hardcore science and educational value, especially since it was marketed as 'science-in-a-mall'. But it would cost us nothing and is only a quick ride away, I figured we should go for it anyway.

We caught 15 min of the Science show, which was rather entertaining, though not really that educational to the boys. The exhibits were better with the showcase of a herd of robotic animals that have pistons for muscles and computers for brains. On display were a larger-than-life giraffe, chameleon, bat, platypus, grasshopper and rhinoceros.

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It was interesting to see the 'insides' of these robotic creatures, but I found the interactive segments to be a little disappointing. It would have been more eye-opening if visitors could do more than just pressing a few buttons and manouvering one or two joss sticks that didn't do what they were supposed to. Nevertheless, it was a free exhibit, so we can't expect too much.

After 30 min of checking out the different exhibits, M remarked he was 'a bit disappointed' with the scale. He was misled by the name 'zoo' and had expected more than just these few on display. In fact, he even imagined a few robotic animals on the move! :>

Chip seemed to have more fun, especially at the section where he could help fix the different body parts of a platypus. Quite a few kids there were either fooling around or didn't realize that platypus has a very unique anatomy. Each time Chip placed the webbed feet and duckbill onto the platypus body, these kids would take them out and tell him 'no, not dis one lah! how can? not duck, where got webbed feet?' 

After some attempts of correcting these kids who had insisted on fixing the wrong parts to the platypus' body, Chip grew frustrated and walked away grumbling about 'those silly children'. M was supportive of his observation and both boys walked out of Plaza Singapura holding hands and discussing how they much they dislike those kids who are so silly.










Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The Italian Menu

One of the most well-received dishes at home is an Italian-inspired one. Anything that includes pasta, pizza or lasagna is generally met with thumbs up.

Pasta is such comfort food that I can easily overeat if served a mean ol' pasta, like E's incredibly delicious carbonara which he cooks from scratch. In fact, it is safe to say that we all tend to overeat when E cooks because he is especially generous with the helpings.

But the biggest pasta and pizza lover in the family is definitely Chip. 

My 4-year-old is a healthy little boy with an amazing appetite for carbohydrates. Rice, noodles, potatoes, pasta, bread and biscuits get chomped down real fast. Meat, vegetables and fruits are not so welcomed in comparison. 

If I want to make him really happy or guarantee he eats well, I just have to serve him pasta with cheese sauce. He is happy to eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and supper too! Bring them on again the next day (not that we've ever served the same dish throughout the day!) and I'm sure he will still finish it all up in 10 min! That is how much he loves his pasta. :> 

Ask him any day what his favourite food is and his reply is always "macaroni with cheese", perhaps followed by "chocolate cake" as the really close second.

If cheesy pasta is not on the menu, he will accept pasta in soup, fried pasta in olive oil or just tomato-based pasta dishes as gladly too.



Boys were eating pasta with homemade tomato sauce, chicken and broccoli. 

Monday, June 13, 2011

Family Time



We tend to just take photos of the kids and forget about couple shots. We also have way too few family shots. Gotta make more effort in this area! 

Just two weeks left before my in-laws return to London and the kids back to their school routine. 

Boys are having so much fun bonding with their grannies. It's obvious the feeling is mutual. 

And E and I are cherishing our opportunities for more couple time as we count down to the final weeks before Baby O arrives. 




Thursday, June 9, 2011

Voracious Appetites

For the last few weeks, the boys have been bugging daddy to read these books to them at bedtime.





I bought the Universe book as a present for E a few years ago. He lugged back the Nature encyclopedia a few months back when he spotted it. Both books contain mind-boggling contents that even adults may have difficulties comprehending. 

Night after night, the boys descended on the daddy like wolves, hungry for knowledge. E, as usual, is ever so willing to feed their voracious appetites. 

While it is not about turning them into walking encyclopedias, a curious mind cannot be cultivated without the introduction to a certain level of facts and understanding them. The kids continue to amaze us with their abilities to remember the details and ask the most fascinating questions. It's all about having the exposure and opportunities.



Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Spicy!

Let me try a tiny, teeny piece. 

Woo... spicy! But not as bad as I thought. 

Aiya, I'm not a wimp. Of course I can handle the whole piece!


Eeeeeee........ Ahhh!!!!   

WATER!!! 



Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Elephant & Piggie Just for Laughs



By the time we came across this series, the books are already way too simple for Chip to read even on his own. 

But the stories make him laugh so hard and for that alone, E thinks it is worthwhile to pay 5 quid for each. We bought almost the entire series from The Book Depository which ships them for free. 

While E didn't feel the pinch, I certainly do. But I am consoling myself that we will have a new user for these books very soon. 

One thing for sure - I will be reading them very frequently to Baby O in a few months' time. At the very least, I know it will make me feel better about the purchase. 





Monday, June 6, 2011

An Almost Gold Star Report

We had our first parent-teacher-meeting in end May with M's form teacher, Ms T, who is also his English, Maths and Art teacher. 

The first thing Ms T said to us the moment we sat in front of her was 'wow, Marcus is highly intelligent'. 

I smiled politely and whispered a quiet 'thank you'. I wonder why I had felt a little uncomfortable when she exclaimed like that. 

A quick glance across both pages of his report book for Semester 1 and all I saw was ticks under the Exemplary column in all categories of assessment. There are no scores, ABC gradings or stars. Instead, I saw four columns - Exemplary, Accomplished, Improving and Below Expectations. 

Her next few comments were something like 'Marcus is really an excellent student in all areas! There isn't any area of concern at all. He reads so well!'   etc... 

We were told M is definitely top 3 of his class based on academic results. We asked loads of questions, such as M's performance compared to the rest of the class and his cohort, his behaviour in and outside classroom, the types of activities kids were involved in, how children are picked for various roles, how teachers stretched kids etc ....  

In the end, she didn't tell us anything new about M's strengths and weaknesses that we didn't already know of, though it was useful and very assuring to hear some concrete examples from her. 

In group work, M will confidently and enthusiastically assume the leadership role, unlike most peers who simply cruise along or are clueless on how to approach the tasks. As he has lots of ideas and is creative at problem solving, he tends to contribute a lot more than his peers. This had intimidated some of his group mates and one of them even told Ms T that he didn't want to sit next to M because he has all the answers. 

It's interesting that E's reaction to the above was so different from mine. He asked if M could be seated with the brighter ones in class so that they could continue to spur each other on. Understandably, Ms T didn't commit. 

But I think it is alright that M remains with some of the weaker children because it is equally important to learn to work with kids of different abilities. In his current group, it means M has the chance to hone his interpersonal skills, be persuasive to 'sell' his ideas and manage his peers, so that he can lead the group towards the goals. 

I must admit I love that E is like me, constantly looking out for ways to stretch M further.

One area of concern we have is if M shows any signs of boredom. Ms T assured us it is not an issue at all. He is always attentive and even attempts to help the others along. He is never disrespectful or insensitive and doesn't complain about the lessons being boring or refuse to participate in certain activities. In her words, M is such a sweet and obliging boy and is more mature than most kids his age. 

Ms T suggested we consider signing M up for Odyssey of the Mind next year, given his strengths in creative problem-solving. I'm aware of this programme and had considered signing him up for it this year. But we missed the deadline due to the haphazard nature in which the registration information was disseminated. I may still consider it for next year before his workload picks up, but it seems like a LOT of WORK on the parents' part and I wonder if I will be up to it next year, with the new baby, routine change and all. But the exposure and experience alone will be such an eye-opener for M. For that reason, maybe I should make it a priority. 

Other than the above, there wasn't much more to report. M's school isn't those academically pushy ones, at least not at lower primary levels. So he has a lot of slack currently and can afford to smell the roses and just enjoy school. 

He tells us he loves his school and enjoys going to and being in school. I know he likes his tennis lessons and he has friends not just from his class, but also from other P1 and P2 classes because of his participation in this CCA. Already, he has developed a sense of loyalty and pride of being part of his school and its big family. I'm relieved and really proud of my baby, who is certainly growing up fast into a responsible and sensible little man. 






 

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Baby #3: The Karate Kid

I just mentioned not long ago that the baby doesn't seem too active in the recent weeks. 

Hmm... it is such a different story today. She has been kicking, turning, somersaulting the whole day!!!!!  

I felt her in the middle of the night when I had to get up for a loo visit, then she greeted me with an unmistakable movement the moment I rose in the morning. 

It felt like she hasn't stopped a second ever since. What's going on?!

As I am typing this, she is still stretching and pushing my tummy. My gosh! She is strong! 

The sudden non-stop activity inside me today was certainly distracting enough. I ended up googling and reading up about what to expect during pregnancy, diet and health tips, fetal movements etc etc....  

I used to read everything I could lay my hands on when I was carrying #1. By the time I delivered #2, I felt like a walking encyclopedia in this department and could shoot off answers to any questions asked without hesitation. It is good to refresh my memory today and I'm glad I haven't forgotten much. 

At least, I remember to start on the BiOmega two weeks ago. Already, I'm imagining its goodness reaching my little bub, though I know it will be at least another 2 weeks before she really needs it for growth.






Saturday, June 4, 2011

Our Perennial Favourite


Sentosa's Palawan Beach.

For hours of sand and water play.



Before heading to Vivo City for more play and lunch. 


Photos taken in April 2011.

Despite the wide array of shops available, we almost never shop at Vivo. Once in a while, I would be tempted to browse, but the crowds inevitably put me off. We usually prefer to spend time at the restaurants before heading home for a swim. 

We were back at Sentosa-Vivo today. Though the kids had so much fun, I am getting bored of our perennial favourite destination. It's time to convince E to be more adventurous and check out the other beaches.

Once in a while, I will entertain the thoughts of driving. Though both E and I can drive, we HATE driving and have zero interest in (owning/driving/maintaining) cars. But with #3 on the way, it will definitely make a difference if I can just whisk all kids and our barang barang into the vehicle. Perhaps we will be more willing to explore. 



Friday, June 3, 2011

Goggles and Squiddy



He greeted me in school one day with this pair which made me laugh out loud. Very cute! :> 

Unfortunately, his only effort was in the colouring/decorating. That is so typical of school crafts. The teachers are too involved in the final artwork. I like it better when the kids' creations are entirely their own. Anyway...... 


And here he is! 

Everyone, please meet our latest addition - Squiddy, who hails all the way from Las Vegas. 

E bought it at the Shark Reef Aquarium when he was in Las Vegas for a business trip in April. Chip was so into ocean creatures at that time, especially sharks and cephalapods. So this orangey, alien-looking toy seemed like an apt souvenir. :> 

My first reaction upon seeing it was 'yikes, it's so ugly!'. After weeks of watching my baby cuddling and kissing it everyday, I still don't see the charm in it. But the baby loves it and that is all that matters. 




His Squiddy inspired drawings. 


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