"C" Based Activity - Construction

Remember the Gigo Junior Engineer we had bought for Sophie? She has been playing with it quite faithfully, with lots of help from Papa, Ah Gong and me.



It is really challenging to create anything with the parts. You have to imagine the end-product, understand and manipulate the tools to create each structure or item. I made her a couple of things (using the manual) and she absolutely loves them.



However, she is definitely more keen to play with the end products than actually making them. She is still at the stage of figuring out the use of each tool and parts.



Definitely a great toy for training motor skills and imagination. We need the practice, too!

"C" Based Activity - Birthday Card For Papa

It is Papa’s birthday today. Although we (Sophie, Alfee and Mama) had already bought him a present, I felt that he would like a birthday card from his little artist. However, I did not want to make it too challenging for Sophie to manage as well. So, we made a simple card.



I let Sophie doodle on a piece of cardboard so that I could cut out a birthday cake and candle. Then I chose a black cardboard as the background. Sophie insisted on doodling on it so I let her have her way (after all, it is her card for her papa).



I like the way she worked on this card because she was aware that she was making Papa a birthday card. In the past, she did her art pieces without any clue to what she was actually making.



Finally, Sophie used stickers to form her birthday wishes for Papa (with a lot of help, naturally).

Letter "L" Book

FINALLY...

"L" Based Activity - Left & Right

I planned to teach Sophie many pairs of opposite words (starting with “l”) but I decided to save it for the letter “o”. So, I merely taught her “left” and “right”.

"L" Based Activity - Little Bo-Peep

I am definitely looking forward to Sophie working independently. She was not keen to colour although she wanted to help as I was doing it. And frankly, I do not blame her. Colouring is really boring and time-consuming regardless of whatever people claim about its benefit in cultivating patience and motor skills.

Cookie Monsters

Auntie Ann came over to our place today just to teach me how the art of butter cookie making. I am quite hopeless when baking is concerned but she made it seem so easy. She even told me to take pictures for each step so that I would remember!



I was surprised that Sophie volunteered her services and did such a wonderful job! I guess she was bored waiting for us so she decided to be involved. What a pleasant surprise!

"L" Based Activity - Living Vs. Non-Living Things

Of course it was hard explaining the concept of "living" vs. "non-living" thing to Sophie. I was not really expecting her to undertsand or apply those concepts. I just wanted to expose her to these ideas.

"L" Based Activity - Leisurely Walk... Or Not!

We got out of the house early this morning and made our way to a park in Ang Mo Kio. We thought it would be good for Sophie to get some early morning sun since she wakes up very early. We were surprised to see so many people at the park, exercising and enjoying the morning air. Obviously we were all out of shape, we were soaked and tired even before we finished our walk.



Despite all, we actually enjoyed the “workout” and we hope we can do this every weekend.

Our Junior Engineer Wannabe

Sure, I hope Sophie would become a gentle and ladylike girl... but she loves the 2 sets of Gigo Junior Engineer we bought yesterday. I think she enjoys hammering, building, fixing and taking everything apart after that. Occasionally, I would feel guilty for not buying her toys because I want her make her own toys... this is an indulgence. Hope she would enjoy playing with them for a long time.

"L" Based Activity - Leaf Art

After breakfast, I took Sophie out for a “nature walk” around our condo. I brought a Ziploc bag with us for collecting leaves. I did not like picking leaves at all because I hate the mud and sand that came with them. However, I knew Sophie would love it so I just went along with it. In fact, she seemed to have enjoyed picking leaves a lot more than doing the art project. Processing the leaves took a while because I had to wash and dry them before letting Sophie handle them.



I took the opportunity to discuss the various shapes and colour of the leaves we had picked. I hope to encourage her to observe and talk about her experience more.



Surprising to me, Sophie was lukewarm about creating a picture with the leaves. Perhaps she was still not ready for creating a full picture. She could form butterflies and flowers quite well but she was not keen to complete the entire picture.

Magic Breakfast

Sophie is Papa’s way of staying in touch with the child-like aspect of his self. During breakfast, he was trying to trick Sophie into thinking that he could move the sunglasses without touching them. But she knew it was the wind almost straight away. Still, it did not stop Papa from trying again.

"L" Based Activity - Verbs (Lift, Leap, Lunge)

These were definitely harder words for Sophie to learn and she needed a lot more prompting and encouraging. However, she was quite happy to do the action so long as I played with her.

"L" Based Activity - Lantern & Light Again

Sophie’s enthusiasm prompted me to make another lantern for her. This time, we used cellophane of different colours. I even combined the primary colours to get secondary colours. She still loves it! I was happy she remembered how to set it up as well.

"L" Based Activity - Lemonade

I guess lemonade is easy to make, but somehow it was never too straightforward when I did with it. I got Sophie to help me squeeze the lemon. She was not too thrilled about using the noisy machine though.



Then in went the water and sugar, but it tasted really sour no matter how much sugar I put in.



Nowadays, Sophie wants to do everything herself. She stirred the lemonade after I added honey to it. Still, it tasted too sour although she did not admit it. Of course, I ended up gulping the whole cup down.

"L" Based Activity - Verbs (Look, Laugh, Listen, Lick)

I introduce the verbs that begin with “l” to Sophie today. I laminated the words and put a magnetic tape behind so that I could put them up on her blackboard. I used drawings as cue because I did not want to force her to “read” although it would be bonus. I hope she could follow my instruction and do the action first.

"L" Based Activity - Lantern & Light

I thought it would be good to introduce the concept of "light" as we make a lantern with cellophane. Sadly, I had never made such a lantern before, usually I used wires and cellophane. Anyway, first time for everything! I cut shapes on a piece of art work done by Sophie previously (recycling) and pasted blue cellopahne underneath.

Then off we went to the see its effect with a battery operated nightlight. Sophie was excited and eager to try it out (as expected).

"L" Based Activity - Length

We printed handprints and footprints for measuring (length) today. I wanted to keep it simple and interesting for Sophie so I decided to forgo the ruler or measuring tape. Also, I picked familiar objects so that Sophie would find it more enjoyable.



It was not easy for her to grasp the concept of length although she could line the prints and count them.

Like I said, I wanted her to be exposed to the ideas and concepts, not master them... yet. Arousing her interest in learning is far more important to me than mastery at this point. In fact, she became very excited about measuring with a measuring tape (cannot read it though) after our session.

"L" Based Activity - Lacing Through Hands

I think Sophie has got the skills to lace and thread, as far as I am concerned. However, it is challenging to get her to complete a task because she gets bored really easily. Papa thinks she is too smart but I worry that she might encounter problems as she enters school. I am not sure if educators are patient or understanding enough for her.

Unplanned Self-Feeding

I thought I could just walk away for a second or two to get Sophie a drink. When I came back, she was helping herself to the fish porridge. Panic stricken, I ran back to the kitchen for paper towel and geared up for serious cleaning. I hate the smell of fish so I was not very excited about her taking initiative. Yet, I know it is time to let her "go" when food is concerned.

"L" Based Activity - Leaf Insect

I had wanted to make a leaf insect for Sophie using real leaves or something. In the end, I used foam sheet, corrugated paper and clothspin for the body, pipecleaners for the legs, plastic and cloth leaves (here and there), and buttons for the eyes. It took a while to complete because I had to tie the leaves one at a time. Anyway, it was definitely not something my little Sophie could do on her own.

"L" Based Activitiy - Ladybug

I like to challenge myself when art projects are concerned, thus instead of simply making a ladybug with paper plates, I included a fastener so that the wings can be opened up. In order to make a decent looking one, I had to plan how to get Sophie to do the different parts with minimum glitch.



I coloured the dot stickers black so that Sophie could paste all the spots while the rest of the body part dried. It took a lot of patience on her part and I was glad she did not lose interest. She insisted on pasting two “rosy cheeks” on the ladybug so I had to give her a much smaller mouth. Of course, she was thrilled to paste the huge plastic eyes on.



When the ladybug was dried sufficiently, Sophie began to play with it. I guess that would always be her favourite part of doing art projects.



All went well, except the dot stickers would not stay stuck onto the wings. By the end of the day, they all came off. I had to paint the dots on.

Don't Give Up... Try Again!

While making Sophie a ladybug today, the scotch tape holder came apart and I let out a frustrated groan. Sophie quickly helped me pick it up and said to me...

Sophie : Mummy, don't give up! Try Again, Sophie (will) help you!

Letter Of The Week - "L" For Laces & "l" For Leaves

We started on the letter "L" today after a trip to a neighbourhood craft shop for supplies. I like the shop because we could get materials in bits at reasonable prices.




I observed that Sophie is able to control her painting a lot better now and she has a clearer picture of what we are doing for art. She can also converse pretty well, considering that once upon a time, we thought she could not talk properly. It felt good to talk and work together during our art session.



We did the small “l” next while the capital “L” is drying. Again, we used the “leaves” and sequins bought from the craft shop.



Sophie can be so focused and careful with her work if she wants to. I enjoyed our session thoroughly.

Letter "B" Book

Cloud

We tried to learn the word "cloud" today. We were not very successful with the painting but Sophie seemed to have got it right.

"B" Based Activitiy - Bossy

In the morning, Sophie tried to run away when I was changing her clothes for school. I tried to grab hold of her but ended up pulling the plush toy (Goofy) in her arm instead.

Sophie : Mummy, don't pull Goofy's hat!

At school, a younger toddler dropped a glass and broke it while Sophie was having a snack.

Sophie : I told you (to be) careful... see the glass (is) broken!

Little Alfee's Detailed Scan

XD at 20 weeks

We did a detailed scan today. Everything is good and we got quite a good look at Alfee. At the end of it all, we received a CD-Rom of all the images captured during the scan. However, this is my favourite. It is Alfee's profile and he has his hand right in front of his face. I strongly believe that he will turn out just as playful and cheeky as his sister. Strange enough, I finally feel that Alfee is on his way into our lives after this scan. Prior to this, I was still trying to cope with the morning sickness and all. Now I am eating better (putting on weight quickly) and I am thinking of him more. Our new EDD is 30 August. I hope I will get everything ready by then.

Ocean & Rainbow

After seeing how Sophie taught herself to read “OCEAN” in the bathtub, I felt motivated to look for a new way of teaching her words. We painted an ocean scene on an index card and then I pasted the word “OCEAN” on it. Next, we drew a picture of a rainbow and pasted the word “RAINBOW” on it. We talked about the pictures and the words until Sophie was able to remember them.

More Painting

We were still crazy about the paint cups and brushes. Sophie was thrilled to have 9 paint colours to work with while I love the opportunity for teaching her colours without her realising it. For her, painting is not just intrinsically fun or interesting, she loves the process and enjoys talking about her work.

O-C-E-A-N (Ocean)

Without fail, Sophie would point to the word "Ocean" at the side of the bathtub and say each letter before reading it. And the best part is, I never tried to teach her that at all, except when she paused and waited for me to read the word for her.

Domo-Kun Biscuits

Sophie was bored during her snack time at Cherrytots, so she started playing with her biscuits. She bit off one side of each biscuit and created "Domo-Kun". I hope Sophie gets to "cross over" to the nursery side as soon as possible. She is hungry to learn more and interact more with the older children although I will definitely worry more if she attends school without me.

Eat

We had lunch at Astons (Suntec City) today. Before I could stop Papa, he had already given Sophie her own bowl of corn and a spoon to feed herself. One thing led to another, Sophie was soon eating spaghetti on her own. That is why I always rope him in educating Sophie. We have different strengths and he can definitely help Sophie self-feed sooner than I can.



Of course, I had to stretch her boundaries a little (my strength). I ripped off some lettuce from my burger and encouraged her to eat them. And she did!!!

No Last Song... Keep Guitar

Papa has his own unique way of teaching Sophie how to communicate her needs and wants.

Mummy's Girl

One of those really rare childhood photos I have got. We do look alike, don’t we?

"B" Based Activitiy - Baa Baa Black Sheep

After being “rejected” and told to “come back next season”, Sophie practised hard and finally managed to sing the “Baa Baa Black Sheep” with minimal glitch.

Painting

I always believe that proper art equipment and facilities (correct technique also, but not so applicable to young children and open-ended art or free expression) can make a lot of difference in the end product. I got Auntie Ann to bring in a set of paint cups and matching brushes from Amazon for me. Before anyone start to raise their eyebrows, I must clarify that I have never seen this particular set in Singapore market and existing models (sets of 4 to 6 cups) are expensive as well.

Sophie was so thrilled to start using the cups for painting. For the first time, she could not mix all the colours together (no palette!) and her works look a lot better. She could also put the brushes back into their cups according to their colours. Double the fun! I am leaving the cups (with covers) out so that she could paint more freely. The only problem is she cannot mix the paint and learn about secondary colours.

"B" Based Activitiy - Breakfast

The focus was on breakfast and self-feeding last Monday. Papa has always been more tolerant and forgiving when food mess is concerned. And I thought it would be great if he could take over the breakfast so that I do not have to watch Sophie make a mess. Breakfast is also good for training since we often easy food that can be spooned or picked up easily.



The focus today was on “bread” for “breakfast” as one of our “B” based activities. Clearly, I am much less willing to let Sophie feed herself. I was concerned with her oily fingers and eating habits. Although I tried to control myself, I could not help it at times. Of course, I did not know Papa had the camera on…

"B" Based Activitiy - Big Red Barn

We started on "Big Red Barn" almost a week ago, but it took me so long just to complete just the cover. Then I had a bit of problem searching for pictures online so we finally finished it today.

I decided to keep it simple this time. I merely want to introduce some barn animals and their babies. However, I included actual words this time because I notice that Sophie is starting to name letters in words. I think she is beginning to see words as strings of letters. Although she cannot read, it is quite an important step towards reading.

Although "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" has nothing to do with a barn, it talks about barn animals and Sophie loves it. However, we did read Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown. It is interesting how it captures her attention even though it does not really appeal to me.

"B" Based Activitiy - Buttons, Butterfly & Letter B (Jumping Clay)

It has been quite a while since we last did any threading. Sophie was not very keen and frankly, neither was I. However, I thought it would be good to see if she could actually thread better now so I let her try today.



I came to realise that I have not been giving Sophie enough affirmation and encouragement in her learning. She often feels more motivated if I make it fun and give her lots of cheering.



This is probably the best time for Sophie to learn anything or brush up her motor skills. Prior to this, we were quite frustrated every time we tried because she was just not ready to master the skills. Now, it only takes a few attempts for her to master the skills.



First attempt at threading and Sophie tried to “change the subject” by singing and doing everything else. Even when she did manage to thread a few, she was still hoping that I would let her off.



Sophie also likes to “mess up” deliberately to avoid making mistakes. So, I tried to break the task up into tiny bits (one hole at a time) to make it more manageable for her.



In the end, I had to make it game, asking her for “help” to complete the task. I would try this again to see if her confidence has got better after this.



Until today, I still cannot get Sophie to complete the letter with jumping clay. She would do a little and leave me to finish everything. But it is ok for me.

"B" Based Activity - Blotchy Butterflies

This was supposed to be an easy piece of work. After all, you just put some paint on a piece of paper and fold it over to create a symmetrical blotch. However, Sophie never fails to make a seemingly straightforward task extremely challenging… for me!



Fortunately, she was very enthusiastic and reasonably cooperative. She loved the “butterfly” effect. And she became a little more willing to follow my instructions because she wanted to create the pictures.



Although Sophie was getting better with the task, she also gained more confidence in the process and insisted on having her way. She put a lot of paint on to the paper so much of it got pressed out of the paper in the end.



In order to resolve that problem, I had to give her bigger pieces of paper. It was great that she started doing it her own way, putting paint further and further from the centre fold line. She also created some designs instead of simply leaving paint on the paper. I liked it that she checked with me before going through the steps.




After a while, I realised that Sophie was trying to put ALL the colours onto the paper. I was uncertain if the effect would be good, but I decided not to stop her… more like I gave up trying actually.



Although I took many video clips, we only took around 10 – 15 minutes for the entire session. It happened too quickly for me to process any thoughts. As I watched the clips, I realised she was slowly learning the way to do it right. Yet she was also bold enough to try out new ways and challenge me as she grew more confident. Indeed, Sophie never ceases to amaze me at times.



I hope she would watch these clips when she is older and appreciates her own learning process. Perhaps, she will also have a better understanding of her own learning style and use it to her advantage in the future.

Alfee, My Son

Alfee is most certainly different from Sophie when she was in my tummy. Even before I officially found out about his gender, I had guessed that he would be a boy. When I had Sophie, I wanted a boy but luckily she is a lovely girl. I thought I could have another girl so that Sophie would have a sister for companion. Well, obviously I did not have much say in that. Everyone says it is a blessing that my second child is a boy because now our family is complete. Although I am only lukewarm about this perspective, I know Alfee will bring a lot of new experiences and joy to us. After all, it must be quite different raising a boy.

"B" Based Activitiy - Counting Bears

We are still learning to count. It is really frustrating for me when Sophie would not work with me.

Drawing Face

Sophie’s motor skills are improving dramatically. She could actually draw a face when she felt like doing so. She could accurately place the facial features if she felt motivated enough. Today, she drew a “face” quite accurately before her playful self took over.

"B" Based Activity - Behaving Badly

Good Friday

It is Good Friday but poor Sophie was still not feeling too well so we tried to keep her at home. Fortunately, Ah Boh, Uncle Simon and Nae Nae came over to visit her. She had such a wonderful time playing and showing off her singing. The moment she started singing, everyone whipped out their cameras to capture the moment. It was so amusing!

"B" Based Activitiy - Beanbags

Sometimes, I wish Sophie was "easy" to teach like some children who learn by staring at flashcards. She is constantly teasing and playing so it takes a lot of patience and understanding on my part. On good days, we managed it well. On others, we ended up crying in each other's arms.