No Bambi for Sarah or Mommy

It was a good day and we were wrapping it up with snuggling and reading before going to bed. Silly mommy picked up Bambi from the library the other day and decided to read to Sarah and Sammy. The words and literature painted beautiful pictures for us... but I should have known....

We were reading well until we came to part when the the hunter fires into the woods and at mother's advice, Bambi ran ahead only to stop and realize that his mother has disappeared for good. The book was subtle to suggest that Bambi's mother had died by simply indicated that Bambi's mother was no longer found with the rest of the deer. Sarah looked at me and asked me cautiously, "Where is the mother?" 

Even though I knew, I said, "I don't know".  I couldn't believe that I could not find the courage to tell my 4 year old daughter what really happened. Kinda feel like Peter denying Christ.

But she knew. I saw the wave of emotions surge in her and she immediately hid under her covers. She was hiding from me - she was hiding her emotions from me. I felt a sudden wave of emotions too when I saw her reaction. Then after some pulling away of covers, Sarah abruptly pointed to a mosquito bite acquired during that evening's walk and buried herself in my arms and cried. My poor sweet daughter was trying so hard to hide and suppress her sadness...but I knew because I felt my tears welling within me." 

On a lighter note, our dear Sammy was also concern and he wanted to beat the bad hunter. 

No more Bambi. No more Dumbo. The realities of life are really painful sometimes. 

Cooking at Home

On the cooking front, it has been active as I find food outside laden with salt and all forms of artificial tasters which are really not good for our bodies. And organic vegetables here are really very affordable so that has been a non-variable in our family. Tried out a couple of new recipes. For the char siew recipe below, I have my friend Shaz to thank for. The yummy char siew recipe can be seen at her blog www.feedingmykidsbetter.com. I tried it out and it is really simple. I make extras so I can use it for several meals. 

My first attempt using shoulder loin.

My second attempt with organic soba ramen and quails eggs.

This final recipe is one I have been wanting to make and it is really easy and very healthy. And very inexpensive compared to those bought from supermarkets. Organic Hummus [sort of] with my flourless bread from the organic shop makes up my simple lunch on days I teach Sarah and Samuel. 

Recipe improvised from Healthy Heart Cookbook:

• 250g Cooked Chick Peas [Garbanzo Peas]
• 3 tbsp Organic Tahini
• 4 tbsp Lemon [subjected to personal preference]
• 3 cloves of Garlic
• A pinch of Organic Tummeric
• Put all ingredients into a processor and blend it really smooth. Garnish with paprika or parsley to serve

Second Attempt. 

I have since learnt to buy cooked chickpeas as it takes hours to cook your own chickpeas. And with all the right ingredients, it really takes a fast 10 minutes to have your very own organic hummus. 

The Difference between Sarah and Samuel and their Learning Progress and my Teaching Adjustments

   Sarah and Samuel are different. Before the age of three, both have demonstrated their academic inclinations quite distinctly. 

SARAH
Sarah is a very spatial person and thus very conceptual. That also accounts why she is pretty good with Mighty Minds. She has shown as early as two, an inclination towards Math. I remembered before she took her naps, she would love to count. She counted everything in her picture books. There were two books that she loved to count and which I believed help her. One was her fairy book and another is a chinese book showing objects arranged in circles. She was quite proficient in counting so wishing not for her to lose interest in mastering her counting, I asked her to count silently without pointing with her fingers. As she is a person who laps up challenges, she started to concentrate and count silently. I think those silent counting activities have enabled her to leverage on her inclination and caused her counting to improve significantly.

     On our way to her music class one day, Dan was just testing her about addition between numbers one through five. Initially, she was stumped. And being one who cannot 'lose', she wanted to opt out of the activity. Then when we changed the denominator to 'jelly beans', suddenly everything clicked. And she was amazingly quick to shoot off the answers [1+4, 2 +1, 3+2 etc]. Haha...that was amusing and amazing at the same time. 

    Just last week, I was teaching Sarah how to write the numbers 1 through 10. She has done it before sporadically, informally on bathroom walls with soap foam and with her Dora book. But this time, we ploughed through it officially [as I hope to train her concentration and discipline] and she completed it well. I printed the numbers from this site which has free handwriting worksheets. There are many practices but I chose this numbers in a jar. http://www.first-school.ws/theme/printables/number-worksheet-jar.htm so she could put the correct number of stickers onto her jar when she has completed. She has since after that handwriting session, picked up the Primary One Maths Books [which I bought the week before] and tried a couple of counting questions on her own successfully. I am looking forward to doing more formal Maths with her. 

SAMUEL

Our little boy on the other hand has not had much personal sessions with me on counting. And he points his finger anywhere and many times on the same object, often resulting in double, and triple counting. Haha....
   But this boy has been reading well and is definitely linguistically inclined. At times, I think it has to do with his ability to associate words of the same sound together. And Sammy likes looking at letters and he would look at my mouth for assistance if he is stuck at a word. Just short of turning 3, he could read some pages of Jack and the Beanstalk and Percy the Pirate. He would sometimes find the early books of Peter and Jane pretty easy. And it has surprised us because I have spent lesser time with him on reading. But he picks up reading well through Leapfrog, Meet the Sight Words and flashcards using 'The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading'.
   A cute sight one night was when he wasn't ready to sleep yet but Sarah was. So whilst I was patting Sarah to sleep, I spotted him from the corner of my eye, cross-legged on his bed and bent over with Percy and the Pirate and reading to himself. His small voice reading big words is so sweet....

Yup, so that's where Sarah and Samuel is.
Non academically, both are enjoying hearty rides through the park on their skate scooter:)

  

Mind Unkinked: Relearning to Teach

I feel my mind thinking and reflecting much about the education system and asking much about my kids education. So two weeks ago, when my kids are under my parents care, I took a slow browsing trip to Popular Bookshop. And I am amazed at the range of assessment books that have been produced for the preschooler, the kindergartner and for the primary school child. Not surprising, the assessment books have titled themselves as 'Success', 'A*', 'Achiever'.. etc you get the picture. It's not difficult to see how these marketing techniques strike a chord with success stricken Singaporean parents. It was an educational browsing trip for me. But I was on a mission that day with several objectives - firstly, to understand the milieu of education now confronting Singaporean parents and students. Secondly, to understand the scope and range of knowledge a typical schoolgoing child is exposed to and expected to know. Thirdly, to purchase appropriate materials for Sarah and Samuel. 

For myself, I purchased the Singapore Model of Mathematics [a book that deals with the Singapore development, progress and success of the model method now widely used in US and UK and other parts of the world]. I also wanted to know firsthand how a child builds his/ her concept in maths from Primary 1 through Primary 6. Haha... I think I stumbled through Primary School Maths without knowing why I did what I did. And I got a pocket PSLE Science Guide book which provides an overview of the Science topics that a student is expecting to know for PSLE. The Science Book is interesting because a quick thumb through reveals the many curiosities that Sarah and Samuel has expressed interest in. 

Getting a bird's eye view of these subjects is important for me not because I want my kids to be ahead of their time. On the contrary, a bird's eye view would allow me to dedicate appropriate timing to academic and still allow the kids to pursue their other disciplines such as music, art, history, geography, literature, languages, God's word, nature, sports, outdoors, cooking and even doing household chores from 6 years onwards and not just from 13 years of age onwards. I think all these disciplines truly allows one to develop into a complete person and be an effective instrument for mankind and God. 

For the kids, I have been looking actively for materials for their 'Sky is Blue' lapbook lesson. And for me and the kids to arrive at the final conclusion means to consider the properties of light, the colors white light is made out of, what are the gases found in the atmosphere, reflection and absorption and wavelength. Phew...It will undoubtedly take a long time but what I find powerful and essential about this form of learning is that information learnt is purposeful and it works towards man understanding their vast universe. Learning is not sporadic nor arbitrary. But...the only material I found available was Primary 3/4 interactive Science textbook which deals with some properties of light. It was good enough for a start. In fact, I find more corroboration in my search with educators and parents in the States - where learning is fuel by curiosity and real problems rather than merely motivated by syllabus. 

So I spent a total of 2 hours at Popular, bought a 3 year membership card and spent quite a bit on maths and science books for my reference - of course not to forget, some Little Einstein Books for Sarah and Sammy's immediate interests. 

Mommy and Sammy

This past week was a reflective week... so many things to be thankful about and to be mindful about. To be mindful that my times and my son's times are in His hands - but what blessedness to know what loving hands we are in. To be thankful for a earthly husband and daddy who have made many bold moves into the new frontier to allow us to live a life of true liberty in both the physical and spiritual sense. To be thankful for a daughter who is like my best companion and a sister who is more anxious for his brother's safety and well-being than the brother himself. For our family and close friends who stuck with us and adjusted their lives to accommodate us. 

But I trust in you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my God.”

My times are in your hand;

Psalm 31:14

July 15 - I Will Never Forget

I will never forget as I sat and wait at the doctor's bench
I will never forget as I called Daniel and sense something amiss in his voice
I will never forget as my church friends came and prayed with me the night before my first operation
I will never forget the kindness of the doctors who operated on me
I will never forget how Samuel was fast asleep in my womb throughout the 3 operations I have had
I will never forget the tears shed in secret by members of my family
I will never forget the tears shed in secret as I cried to the Lord in the middle of the night
I will never forget the gifts of love that people freely gave to me
I will never forget the prayers uttered and plead from sincere hearts just to see me well
I will never forget how one prayed that God would give some years from her life to me
I will never forget the regular prayer meetings we had with family and friends
I will never forget the times God took care of dear Sarah while the family was all busy with my illness
I will never forget how God spoke to me as I walked along the beach
I will never forget the promises He gave me to cling onto as we went ahead with chemotherapy
I will never forget the journeys to KK as I went for my treatments
I will never forget the many bandanas I had to cover up my bald head
I will never forget the gentle strokes on my back as I sat for hours in the chemotherapy room
I will never forget the home-cooked lunches my mom and mom in law would prepare for me
I will never forget those who sat by my side during the hours of my treatment
I will never forget the smile shown by the fiercest nurse around and her parting words, "We are all praying for you"
I will never forget the smses I received and the comfort it gave me and Daniel
I will never forget my walks along the beaches with my husband and my daughter [and my son in me]
I will never forget how hearty my appetite was during my pregnancy and chemotherapy
I will never forget how I did not throw up, not even once during my pregnancy and chemotherapy
I will never forget how my blood counts would plunge to dangerous lows at each third week of my treatments
I will never forget how the scan revealed that my baby was to be a son
I will never forget how the Lord placed the name 'Samuel' in our hearts
I will never forget how my heart aches for just a chance to carry Sarah
I will never forget the many people who turned up in the hospital on July 15 three years ago
I will never forget the scene as the operating door separate me from my loved ones
I will never forget the kind hands of all who was part of the surgery team
I will never forget those precious words, "Your son is doing fine and he has been moved to the normal ward"
I will never forget the impish face of my son and his head full of hair
I will never forget how God kept His promise to me
I will never forget how I would testify of this good thing that was happening to me
I will never forget how in all, God reached out to me through everyone and through all things
I will never forget that God is who He said He is - Faithful, Sovereign, Just and Merciful
I will never forget...
Let me never forget and let all who see and hear never forget

Isaiah 35

1. The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;

the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;

2 it shall blossom abundantly

and rejoice with joy and singing.

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

For waters break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert;

The joy of an unkinked mind - eyes will be opened, ears will be unstopped, legs will leap like a deer and tongue will sing for joy. 

Lapbook on Sheep

Fresh from our trip to the farm, we did a lapbook on sheep. This is what we covered and intend to cover
1) Life Cycle of Sheep
2) Names of Male, Female, Baby Sheep
3) Phonetics - Using 'eep'
4) Uses of Sheep
5) Vocabulary related to sheep
6) Bible - Parable of Lost Sheep and Verse
7) Chinese Character for Sheep

Cover Page [Sarah's own arrangement]

1st page

2nd page in the making

Great Fun at Kluang

Daddy Daniel found this farm in Kluang which has literally everything - from sheep, to goats, to horses, to porcupines, to passion fruit, to bees and even grapes. It was fun. Even mommy who has a phobia for four legged furballs enjoyed herself. 

Our Morning Routine

[these lovely cards are free printables from www.livinglocurto.com. Don't you just love great design:)]

I printed these cards a while back. But recently, Sarah has taken a keen interest in looking at the sequence and we have been following it as religiously as we can [or whenever we have our routine mornings]. I do believe in the importance of developing good habits at a young age and it makes mommy happy to see the habits forming slowly but surely.

This is for Sammy boy

And this is for Sarah Jie Jie.

After this, it's off to their breakfast smoothies and lesson time with mommy.

Reformation of Their Minds: Nature and Discovery

[pardon my cynicism in the following paragraph]

I remembered P4 Science where I had to memorize this small palm size book on Pond Life. It was tedious. The insects and plants all looked pretty similar [in my opinion] in the photos and I really wasn't interested in Pond Life, nor the Leaf Community. I was never in awe of nature or even how all things work together in the eco-system. That made my learning even more difficult.

Why do we even have to learn about plants or wild life? How is it relevant? Why do the examinations even test it? Are schools really interested in producing botanists, zoologists or scientists? Sure, our teachers made some commendable attempt to lug a busload of kids off to the Science Centre but I half suspect that our teachers were not even interested in wild life to begin with. In our economic driven country, I am surprise that nature is even featured in its pragmatic plan of Singapore education. Perhaps its a feeble attempt to incite the interest of future botanists and zoologists - not that these careers are even encouraged in our country.

Do we encounter the need to identify poisonous fruits and plants? Not if we are stranded on a deserted forest struggling for our survival and it would really help if we had on hand an encyclopedia of jungle plants and fruits. But with ipad or the handy iphone, do we really need to have these facts on hand? The only thing Singaporeans are concern when they see a pond=body of water is if it is breeding aedes mosquitoes...haha

After I posted this entry, I went on to read the MOE Science Syllabus and realize that it is well written. And in 2008, there seems to be a theoretical commitment to move away from traditional transfer of information towards a student directed inquiry. That's encouraging...but I think it will take a long while because I think that most of the implementers [Principals, to HODs, to teachers etc...] may not be fully understand the true goals of education. They are too caught up in the rut of trying to make education appear successful. And Education still seems like a superficial means to move through the ranks of society.

As for myself and many others, our parents made commendable effort to seek out places of retreat for the families beside the sea, in the parks, at the nature reserves, at reservoirs, at the zoo. I remember my many trips to West Coast Park and I enjoy every one of them...but I believe we can go further. These trips would trigger off our natural interest in creation but I believe, it will not last. These seeds of interest needs to be carefully cultivated through purposeful discussions, readings and exploration, lest it be choked with the pragmatic weeds of expediency, examinations and just a lack of time. Catching dragonflies, monitor lizards and beetles and tying them with string and making them our temporary pets are a great source of fun....but we should not stop there. There is so much to explore and probe and question and appreciate and enjoy. 

As I give Nature a new chance with clearer views on education, I am more convinced in the virtues of studying nature. In fact,  Nature and Discovery is one of the major areas that we will be embarking on. Firstly, it is very relevant for us. Where we are living, our home is literally teeming with nature. Every other day Sarah or Sammy would point to an insect and ask what it is - from ladybugs, to mole crickets, to grasshoppers to butterflies - I sure hope we don't find a snake in the house. Secondly, I really want the kids to take time amidst all the technological advances, to appreciate what God has made. Lastly, importantly, it is through the abundance of nature in where we live that I hope to train the mental muscles of:

• Observation [of details]
• Enquiry [and eventually Systematic Enquiry and Classification]

I decided to help Sarah with her line of questioning by coming up with a list of questions. I hope that in due time, she would be able to probe independently as she encounters nature in her own time. As for Sammy, I need to stop him from destroying the specimens that we have caught. Hahaha....

I am all ready with my fave buy from Kluang: Rain Boots [RM12.99]

Relearning about Learning through my kids: Part One

I am fascinated with Sarah and Samuel as I observe them and listen to them. Why? Because they are epitomes of unadulterated learning. Their questions about life are unchecked, unaltered but hungry, honest, sincere, perpetual (haha) and really display intelligible inquisitiveness. I think that's how God meant it to be - for children to be natural learners, curious about the world around them. 

During one of our long journeys in the car just before her 4th birthday, Sarah was just staring out of the window and she asked, "Mommy, why is the sky blue?" You would have guessed that her mommy who have lived 3 decades more would have known the answer. I tried furiously to dig into the recesses of my mind to see if I remembered - I think it was something to do with wavelength and colors and hue...Finally, after some quiet mental debating in my mind, I conceded and told her, "Sarah, that's a very good question. And Mommy doesn't know. Let me find out about it". 

When I did finally sit down and googled, I was surprised. I thought that google would simply reconnect a part information in my brain which was lost through the tonnes of other information [relevant or irrelevant] in my mind and resurrect something which I forgot. But as I read through various searches, I realized that the answer to this question is nothing short of complex and it was new to me. It was a combination of understanding what the atmosphere is made up of, the colors that make up white light and wavelength. I read again and again to understand it enough to explain it to my 4 year old. It was tough. I realize that a complete explanation would entail enough information for a lapbook lesson. [I am trying to come up with a 'Why the Sky is Blue' lapbook for Sarah]

That question did a few things to me. Firstly, it made me go on a trip down memory lane about my own education. I heard this question many times - but almost everytime, I dismiss it. Why didn't I find out the answer? Why wasn't I even interested to find out? Why didn't I ask the question myself? Disturbing thoughts...Perhaps, somewhere along the line in my growing up, my curiosities were suppressed, my questions found no answers through limited resources....I really don't know. But I know that 'I Stopped Asking' and thus I really stopped learning. 

Observing Sarah and Samuel go about in their world is a breath of much needed fresh air for me and it always causes me to reflect. I only hope that I would be able to provide them the space and encouragement to exercise their mental muscles of inquisitiveness and enquiring, in their lifelong journey of understanding and living in the vast world that God has created.

One night, Sarah in her pre-dawn stupor looked at me and asked, "Mommy, why does the sky turn dark?" I now no longer settle at the answer, "The Sun has Set". But explain to her, that the earth turns slowly around a point and where we are in this part of the earth, we have turned away from the sun. And the earth will continue to revolve till we meet the sun again, and that is when morning comes again. 

And yet another night, she asks, "Mommy, why does the earth turn around?" In other words, why does the earth spin on its axis? For that, I can only say, "Because God made it so". To that, Sarah says, "Oh. thank you mom" And she goes off to sleep.