Learning through play

Growing up in the little island Singapore is one mean feat. Children from as young as 0 years old are subjected to the obstacles posed by the education system. When i first heard of pregnant mommies signing up to be on the waiting list of famous pre schools like Nanyang Kindergarten or St James, I was speechless! In fact, if you are reading this and your kid is already a year old, you can jolly well forget about enrolling in the aforementioned schools because the chances are darn slim! Having said that, all these have made me anxious and being an educator myself, I have to ensure that my child gets into a decent school with good culture. that does not necessarily translate to a school located along Bukit Timah Road. =)

New Year resolution no. 1 was to ensure that I was on top of things for lil bunnikins and one of which was to get ourselves enrolled! So yup, that has been done. We are now on the waitlist. Now I can only hope and pray that she gets accepted for I'm certainly not keen in searching and mulling through the process again. Meanwhile, to groom her into the first female prime minister of Singapore, I've embarked and panned out our learning journey. I'm a big advocator of learning through play. Maria Montessori said that by the age of 3, the child has already laid down his personality as being human. In other words, his brain is 70% developed. In my own words: OMG! There's not enough time now that bunnikins is close to 2!!! Red Alert! Ok, chill. We should never translate our fears and stress to the child. My aim to to enable bb k to grow and learn in a stree-free environment. Well, at least before she hits upper Primary when I'm so sorry, due to the impending PSLE, you'll have to be drilled by your mommy dearest unless MOE decides to scrape PSLE altogether which in my opinion isn't that great an idea. I've never quite revealed to friends, for fear that they may think i'm an overtly kiasu mother, that BB k has been in a playgroup since 9months of age. My main motive is for her to interact with other children and to socialise instead of facing her grandparents the whole time and watching some Mandarin variety show and listening to old songs! No grudges against them for their influence in Mandarin is essential too. But, the move was necessary as I needed more exposure towards English coz I'm the only one conversing in English and that certainly isn't enough! Being in that particular playgroup also enhances my chances of getting into the kindergarten which is a stone's throw away from my home, so that kills two birds with one stone. As much as I hate the early morning traffic to our destination, I guess this is the choice I've made and I'd better zip it. 

At home, I try to do my part by providing her as much opportunities to learn as possible.  

“The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences.”

 Afterall, they are like a sponge! Of course there were days when I felt really lethargic and lazy, I would just leave her to do more free play. That seems to happen pretty often. GUILTY MUCH! Not that easy to strike a balance between work and baby. Anywayz, below are some of the stuff which did:

Mirror Play. Discovering herself. Of late, she has been enjoying this activity particularly during lunch time!

Paint work. This time on a paper plate snake. She absolutely loves texture and getting her hand messy.

Things don't come cheap these days and seeing the absurd prices of toys, I decided to make my own to train her gross/ fine motor skills. It kept her entertained for minutes! But cleanup is a nightmare!

Bunnikin's latest favourite activity- FISHING!

Dot dot dot dot dot....this activity is particularly good for their fine motor skills. Bb k gets easily frustrated however when she's unable to stick the dots. I've a fiesty lil one here who doesn't seem to have the patience. hmm wonder where did she inherit that from? But I can only sit back and watch her frustrations coz that's the whole idea. She need

“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”

With that, I appeal to you to cast a vote for bunnikins on http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thinkers-Box/262872183484?v=app_471354186257500&app_data=entry_id%3D18672431%26gaReferrerOverride%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252Fl.php%253Fu%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fa.pgtb.me%25252F7p1cDp%25253Fapp_data%25253Dentry_id%2525253D18672431%2526h%253DzAQFitW6b%2526s%253D1 

Thank you!

Spring Cleaning Jamboree

The wkend has been a horrendously busy one. Was preoccupied with getting the Cervarix jab and collecting my cheongsam which I wore during my wedding 2yrs ago. Sent it for alteration. Been reluctant to try ever since I took it back. It's apparent -- I'm in denial.

Speaking of Cervarix, am utterly pissed with my Gynae who didn't do a good job at educating me. As age catches up, I thought I should do a little "servicing", thus did a full body checkup over December. It's found that I do not have chicken pox immunity (despite having vaccinated twice!), and no Hep B immunity. As such, the gynae (Y from TMC) suggested that I take both vaccines again, together with the cervical cancer vaccine. Naturally, as a layman, I abide her suggestion only to learn from my family doctor that what she had given me was a Hep B and A jab called Twinrix, which was totally unnecessary since the test did not cover Hep A! Apart from that, Cervarix didn't seem to be the popular vaccine used by many. I was told by the gynae that it suited me best. Probably suited her pocket. Call me cynical, but I'm very skeptical over such specialists now. My family doctor wasn't a wee bit pleased as well. Now that the first jab has been taken, I'd need to continue with the same brand for three times. Yup, both Hep B and Cervarix has to be taken three times. The best has yet to come. According to my family doc, the reason for the negative result on chicken pox immunity could be that I'm not even responsive towards the vaccine! NO ONE TOLD ME THAT! N I spent hundreds for two jabs! Imagine the shock I was in! Mouth agape and i was rambling incessantly to sweetie that the gynae wasn't responsible enough to tell me that I could be unresponsive, even for Hep B! Of the two visits, I learnt nothing much from her. Each time she'd say "so dearie, what can i do for u today?".....how would I know what can u do for me? Shouldn't YOU be telling me? especially after being told of the situation?? Simply put, SHE SUX! if it weren't for sweetie, I wouldn't have gone to her. Sweetie golfed with her once u see and we thought we could get a good deal! Well, WRONG! Feel so cannibalised now.

Started the spring cleaning jamboree on Saturday night. First stop -- Study room's shelves. Cleared away a whole lot of papers and reorganized a bit. The whole episode lasted till 4am! Was happy to find new owners for some books. It's an overwhelming loss yet strangely liberating. Looking to recharge and start things afresh however, the will is strong but the mind is weak.

To welcome in the festivity, I put on a few more artsy fartsy touches to the humble abode i call home. Sweetie helped a fair bit and I must say, the end result is extremely satisfactory. This Dandelion picture's placed right in front of the main door such that, you'd be refreshed the moment you step into my home. It's really quite rejuvenating to see the petals "fly".

Apart from the flowers, this self-made "enter" mat will definitely en-amour many. Inspired by the cushions I made a month ago. Am madly pleased with my deft fingers!Just so you remember -- The cushions I made!

Chinese New Year seem to be a chore for many...seems like it's the only time in the year that we seriously give our homes a good spruce. Despite being a rather neat and tidy person, I still find myself busy with chores. There's endless things to do and I'm just not in the mood......Been feeling extremely lethargic of late. Perhaps it's the weather? Perhaps it's me? I'd like to think of it as the "side-effects" of being vaccinated. Afterall, my body is now battling with unknown bacteria. I should rest!!

My Alter Ego

The heavens had turned gold with the rays of the morning sun. Golden fingers of sunlight smite through my window. In the cold morning air, I shivered like a drenched cat in the rain. It's times like these when you wish you can forever curl up into a ball under those cosy sheets. The past few mornings have been great. Opening my eyes and cuddling up to my love one. Each time the morning dawned frosty and bright. Didn't need to switch on the fan at times. Wish such weather conditions can continue to prevail in tropical Singapore.

The past few days had been good. Long wkend! :) I can certainly get used to this, but sadly, as the year comes to a closure, so does my leisure. Well, I'll try to absorb the festive mood rather than to wallow in sorrow. In fact, I'm tryin to steel myself for more action in the coming year. This hols had been pretty productive so far. Had fruitful undertakings over the weekend.

Always had a penchant for the Arts. Regretted heeding mum's advice not to be enrolled in the Art Elective Program when I was younger. Not everyone was given such recognition n chance. Unfortunately, she denied my opportunity. I used to satisfy my thirst for art by painting the sunset or trying my hands at knitting, (which failed terribly due to my lack of patience) during my school hols. This time, my alter ego surfaced int he form of cushions. Probably inspired by my Mac, I've paid much attention to its keypad, thus the recent flow of creativity.


My living room suddenly took on a more artsy look with my new handmade cushions! I pride myself for them! Now, the sofa's my absolute favourite spot for chillaxing! Can't wait for the coming wkend (it's only the beginning of hte wk and I'm thinking of wkends...tsk tsk) when I'll be lying on my coach and the caressing breeze would cast a spell on me, rendering me helpless and bringing me to myy Sunday siesta.
Adore the little blackboard to the max! Cute much? (Condemn me for the usage of the word "much"...seems like the latest slang for most teens. Such grammatical error should not be condoned!) Sweetie is heartened (or at least I'd like to think he is) by my efforts in decorating his little coffee corner.

Speaking of talent and the Arts, Kseniya Simonova is someone not to be missed. She is a Ukrainian artist who had just won Ukraine's version of "America's Got Talent". With a mix of dramatic music and a light box and loads of imagination, she placed her sand painting skills to good use. oh, by the way, she's not only talented, she's a Chio BABE!

Amazing Sand Drawing @ Yahoo! Video



The clement, glorious day is now setting into a nest of purple clouds. Wish it didn't had to end......