Super Sleuth @ Corridor

I let Sophie try her skate scooter just outside our apartment. I want her to be more confident and proficient before releasing her into the "wild". She really looked like the Super Sleuth (Darby) but she has a long way to go before she can do it right.

"D" Based Activity - Dotty Dinosaurs

Auntie Jessy bought this activity kit for Sophie when she was two. I kept it safe and well, out of Sophie’s reach because it was meant for 3-year-olds and I did not think she could match colours and shapes. But I was wrong. Apparently, half a year is a long time for 2-year-olds to develop their understanding of concepts and skills. Anyway, she enjoyed shaking the dice more than anything.

"D" Based Activity - Dinosaurs Worksheets

We bought this set of Dinosaur Activity Pack very long time ago. I was hoping that Sophie would be more gender neutral in her interest then. As it turns out, her brain is programmed to be “female” and nothing we do would ever sway that.



This was the easiest activity in the pack – jig saw stickers. Sophie could identify the correct sticker to match with the given picture clue.



I thought she was pretty smart to assume that the dinosaurs and eggs are matched according to their colours. And I was very happy that she could hold a coloured pencil and drew lines relatively well. However, the second activity sheet with the dinosaur bones, was a lot harder for her. I guess she could not find similarities between each pair to consider them a match.



Sophie insisted that one of the “shadow” was a seal. No matter how I tried to explain, she refused to accept that it was really a dinosaur. Because of that, she totally lost interest in matching them.



Again, this was easy for her because of the matching colours and skin textures.


I was pleasantly surprised when Sophie could match the footprints to the dinosaur. I thought she would find it abstract. Apparently not for her.


This was the last activity sheet I gave her. It was quite easy because she only needed to point and count the eggs. I had a good laugh when she told me she wanted to crack the eggs to look for the dinosaurs inside.

@ Upper Pierce Reservoir (Full Gear)

After Sophie (Safety Patrol Wannabe) told us to buy her a helmet, that was exactly what we set out to do this morning. We thought of toy shops, sports shops and bicycle shops but fortunately we listened to Ah Gong and went to NTUC (AMK HUB) instead. We managed to get a functional and affordable helmet. We also bought a set of knee, elbow and hand guards (more for roller blading). We can never be too safe, right?



Before we headed for Upper Pierce Reservoir to try out our new gear and equipment, we did some dry runs at home first.



Sophie was still trying to push herself with one foot while the other stayed on the skate scooter. While she was getting better at that, she needed to steer the skate scooter to go straight. Apparently, it was not too simple.



Time to try out the tricycle. After Papa adjusted the seat, Sophie could put her feet on the pedal quite comfortably. However, pedalling was still an issue. Maybe she needed the open space for motivation.

So, off we went to Upper Pierce Reservoir to try out Sophie's tricycle. We tried the skate scooter but the path was much too rough to ride smoothly and we felt that she might fall more easily on that. So, we ditched the skate scooter for the tricycle. No matter how many times we have gone to Upper Pierce RFeservoir, we still find the scenery lovely.

We took turns to help Sophie learn how to pedal properly. Unfortunately, there was not much progress. And it was tough for me to keep myself bent in that position so soon, we all gave up trying. Maybe next time…

As we still have a bit of time left, we let Sophie run around. She always enjoys a good run around and I would always wonder why.



By now, I was clearly too tired to follow her around. Papa took her further to look at some interesting flora and fauna. She was quite happy to see a bee and a dragonfly in the flowers.



Somehow, Sophie also loves to balance on the roots of trees. She enjoys walking and balancing on them. Maybe she would like gymnastics?

Fish & Co (AMK HUB)

We went to Fish & Co. at AMK Hub for dinner this evening, mainly because we ran out of ideas and choices. Sophie had to eat around 5 pm and it was past 5.30 pm already. While waiting for our food, Sophie had a go at colouring with the activity sheet given by the waiter.

Sophie nowadays looks at the menu and chooses her own food whenever we eat out in restaurants. She chose pizza. Actually, she could be just repeating what she saw on TV or something.

When the pizza came, it was a disappointment. It tasted more like pastry than pizza. There was also too much chewy cheese on it so Sophie had a great deal of difficulty eating it. As a result, she became fussy and lose interest in her food.

Then she discovered deep fried calamari from our plate. She insisted on trying the "donuts" and when she did, she loved it. For the rest of the meal, it was deep fried calamari all the way. My 2-year-old eats sotong!

@ Upper Pierce Reservoir (Tricycle And Bubbles)

After seeing the excitement on her face, Papa could not resist taking Sophie to Upper Pierce Reservoir again today. However, we had to do some shopping first. In fact, we went into a shopping frenzy to buy Sophie a skate scooter and a tricycle from Toys R Us. The only reason we did not buy any bubble solution - we already had some from her last birthday party. Okay, let me explain our sudden splurge before anyone begins to gun us down for being overindulgent.

We have always wanted to get her a tricycle but we could never find a safe and appropriate one for Sophie. Although she is tall for her age, she has not got her motor skills to pedal yet. Most of the tricycles in the market are for below 3 years old. So, she would have outgrown the tricycle by the time she could pedal well. The bicycle Ah Gong bought for her is too high and difficult for her to even try pedalling, so again we have to keep that for future use. Now, this particular tricycle is not for children below 3 years old because the distance between the seat and the pedals is quite far. It was perfect for Sophie though. Although she could not pedal, she has time to learn as she grows taller (until 5 years old). So, how could we not buy it? As for the skate scooter, it was purely Sophie's "want" and it was not expensive.




Sophie had to practice at home with her skate scooter. She really wants to be a "Super Sleuth" like Darby so she was working on it quite diligently. It was funny that we did not really consider a helmet for her until she insisted she should wear one. That was why we did not let her bring the skate scooter to Upper Pierce reservoir today. Too dangerous to fall without proper gear.



Instead, we tried out the tricycle. Too our disappointment, the seat was adjusted too high for her. Her feet could not touch the pedals firmly so we had to abandon our practice session and let her play with bubbles. But we were quite determined to adjust the seat and come back tomorrow.

Sophie did not really know how to blow bubbles but it did not take long before she started doing it proficiently. Of course, Papa also tried his best to teach his little girl the proper techniques.



Sophie truly enjoyed herself with her bubbles. She was all focused and her attention span was very long. She also made us very proud when she shared her bubble solutions with the children and adults she met. In fact, she never once held back. I think it is important for her to experience generosity (yesterday's experience) because she learnt how to be generous as well. She interacted with almost everyone she happened to meet and sometimes, I wondered if she was ever lonely at home with only me around.

Tough to be pregant and outdoor in the heat, but I must admit I also enjoyed the outing. I love to see Sophie happy and enjoying herself without running amok or acting crazy.

Meet Papa's Friends @ Marche

Papa wanted to meet up with his NJC friends so we tagged along. Surprisingly, Sophie hit it off very well with Uncle Melvin. I think it had to do with his IPad.

@ Upper Pierce Reservoir (Bubbles)

Papa wanted me to take a break from governing Sophie so he took her out to Upper Pierce Reservoir for a walk in the late afternoon. Upper Pierce Reservoir is one of our favourite places because it is relatively peaceful and quiet, partly because it is a small area.



We find that Sophie likes big spaces to run freely and she does not appreciate crowded malls or noisy play areas. Although she enjoys "buying" toys and other stuff, she tends to get cranky if we linger in confining areas for too long. Her energy is often well spent in parks and she is happy and cooperative after a nice session outdoors. That is why Papa likes to take her for walks, even in such unforgiving weather.



However, that does not mean she is shy or anti-social in any way. On the contrary, she loves people and she would always seek out others to play a game or two. This evening, she met a nice family who shared their bubbles with her. She loved chasing the bubbles around with her playmate. Although it was a brief encounter, she was very happy to have someone to play with. And that is primarily why we think we must manage Alfee's relationship with her well so that they will be good companions.

To The Playground (Reading)

We made a picture book based on our trip to the playground. This evening before Sophie's sleeptime, she atttempted to read it. She was not as enthusiastic as before when we did the one for our walk around Seasons Park. I guess she was a little bored by the topic or maybe I should wait for special events instead.

"D" Based Activity - Doctor Sophie, Duckie Sick

I have wanted to get Sophie some better “doctor’s equipment” for pretend play, but she seemed already with this set so I left it be. She was pretending that her toys were sick. And sometimes she would demand that we were sick too. Papa is a much better patient than I am, I believe. I am not much a playmate, unfortunately.

"D" Based Activity - Books

Progress is slow with Sophie at home. She is still coughing and barely getting better from her flu so I stopped all kinds of challenging activities. We are so tired of fighting so we just compromise on tasks we find absolutely necessary or agreeable for us. Perhaps reading is one of the easiest and most acceptable activity for both of us. We can hide in our air-conditioned playroom or bedroom to past time.

Some time ago, we bought MathStart (Level 1) by Stuart J. Murphy for Sophie and she has always been quite fond of most of the stories. I like the subtle ways that Mathematics concepts are introduced and used in daily situations. Today, I let her pick a few titles she would like me to read to her and concentrated on Double the Ducks and Bug Dance, since we are still stuck with the letter "D".

Recently, I also sent Papa to September 21 to get Sophie Let's Read And Find Out Science (Stage 1). Although they are a wee bit too difficult for Sophie to appreciate fully, I believe she will eventually grow more interested and learn a thing or two. Some topics (books) are by nature easier to grasp than others. However, I tried to get her interested (at least in the illustrations) in Dinosaurs Big And Small by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld and Ducks Don't Get Wet by Augusta Goldin. In fact, Papa was saying that this set is very educational and he has learnt quite a bit from reading them. Also, they are not purely non-fiction with tons of information, they are somewhat written in storylike style.

Unfortunately, they are quite expensive so we could only buy them in stages. We would have to hold back on Level 2 and 3 for MathStart and Stage 2 and 3 of Let's Read And Find Out Science. Then again, I wonder if they would ever be out of print... hmm...

"D" Based Activity - Dinosaurs

I took Sophie to Compass Point in the afternoon to get her some “D” related materials. I caved in when she ran towards the “submarine” and literally begged me to let her ride in it. Just a look at her excitement, I knew it would be a losing battle for me.

One of the “materials” we bought – rubber dinosaurs. I did not really want to buy expensive ones because Sophie was not very enthusiastic when she saw them. However, her attitude changed once we reached home. Suddenly she was very keen to play with them.

Training Chopsticks

This was Sophie's first attempt with chopsticks. Despite all the adorable designs we can find in the market, I still chose to buy Combi. She was quite alright with picking erasers until I started filming...

Ride Again?

My effort is working, finally. Sophie is no longer so obsessed with rides now. Sometimes she would even say “no” when I asked if she would like to ride on one. YEAH! Still, it is a 50-50 chance when I ask her. Good enough that she does not fuss about rides anymore.

"D" Based Activity - Dinosaur Prints

I roped in Papa to carry out this activity with Sophie. She was basically matching the dinosaurs to their clay footprints. She also showed her papa how she could fit her hand and foot into her own clay prints.

"D" Based Activity - Dot To Dot

We tried to do some homemade Dot-To-Dot today. I thought since Sophie si still young, I would make a very simplified version for her. I put four dot stickers (labelled A, B, C, D) on a piece of paper and tried getting her to join them. It was hard for her because she has to remember ABCD sequence before attempting to control her hand to draw the line with the marker.

"D" Based Activity - Dough For Play (Part II)

Although the dough was not completely dried, I decided to let Sophie have a go at painting them. She could not hold back anymore.









Sophie was definitely getting better at painting. Despite my complaint about her attention span, she could concentrate on her task if she was actually interested in it enough.

Unfortunately, we had another round of drying to wait for. I almost feel like using my hairdryer on them. But I wanted Sophie to learn PATIENCE. In the end, I just accerated the drying for the "Gingerbread Man" and decorated it with glitter glue for her.

Sick Again...

Sophie has got a secondary infection, probably from me. I have got a bad sore throat and I reckon I must have passed it to her. She was not fully recovered from her previous cough so her immune was down. Now she has nasal congestion as well. It is very hard because she cannot breathe when she sleeps. And the backflow of phlegm makes her cough even harder. It was bad enough for her to develop a moderate fever to go along with it. All in all, both of us are having a hard time with each other, especially. I am so sick, groggy and short-tempered while she is so cranky, demanding and temperamental. Despite her TCM and my prescription, we are struggling to recover with minimal disruption to our daily routine.

"D" Based Activity - Dough For Play (Part I)

We have Playdough but nothing beats DIY dough, especially when one could be involved in the process of making the dough. Today, we made some "No-Bake Craft Clay".

Materials Needed
Cornstarch – 1 cup
Cold water – 11/4 cups
Baking soda – 2 cups
(I doubled the proportion so that we could have more dough.)

Procedure

Combine cornstarch, cold water and baking soda in a saucepan.
Stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the mixture thickens (like moist mashed potato).

Remove from heat, turn out onto a plate and cover with a damp cloth until cool.

Knead and shape, then air-dry before painting with tempera paint and lacquer to seal (I did not because I did not intend to keep them for long).

We started out with making a handprint and foorprint. Sophie loves to draw and make prints with her hands and feet so naturally, she enjoyed doing this.

Sophie then surprised me by using the rolling pin on the dough. Although she could not really flatten it perfect, she had got the right idea.



She had some issue with the crumbs but still, that did not stop her from the task. She looked like a little baker, especially with her apron on.



I deliberately chose a “duck” and “dolphin” cutter for her but I let her do whatever she liked. The remaining dough was used to create dinosaur footprints with her rubber dinosaurs. I wanted her to match the dinosaurs to their footprints. The drying part was very tricky. From experience, I knew it would take days to dry completely in the house.

Hippo

Sophie, the cheeky girl, stuff her mouth with fruit to pretend she was a hippopotamus.

Sophie's Singing

Sophie always either stares blankly at her Chinese teacher at Cherrytots or run around amok during circle time. She does not really join in the singing or fingerplays. Today, I just want to prove that she knows her songs even if she is not motivated to sing in class. To be honest, I am not too excited about the Chinese circle time either. I think they need to improve on the quality of Chinese teaching, especially when the toddlers are not very keen to learn the Chinese Language.





Of course, I cannot say Sophie was very accurate in her pronunication but at least she can sing.

"D" Based Activity - Dolled Up

Sophie is really into pink nowadays. It is an automatic response to choose pink for every and anything she wants to own. Today, she put on the hat that Naenae bought for her, complete with pink camisole and red schoolbag and we took a picture of her. the hat would come in handy when she starts Nursery 1 in July.

Rides... Rides... Rides...

Sophie is suddenly obsessed with mechanical rides and we are quite torn about it. We think it is a complete waste of money yet she really enjoys it.



We understand that if we deprive her totally, she would only become more and more obsessed. And her interest does not always last very long. Thus, we decided to let her ride, even if she does not ask for it. So far, she is still asking for it though.

YAMAHA Mascot

YAMAHA’s mascot was around when we visited Uncle Simon today so we took a picture with it. I think it was an apple. I am never too thrilled to see mascots or clowns but Sophie was quite tickled though.

Day Out With Naenae & Ah Boh - Peach Garden / Changi Airport

Sophie eats at 10 am, naps by 11 am and wakes up around 1 pm (on good days). Thus, if we wanted to have lunch outside, we had to feed her first and take our lunch later. Lately, we have been trying out the KFC porridge. Although it was not Sophie's favourite, she was alright with it.

We had lunch at Peach Garden (Thomson Plaza) with Naenae, Ah Boh, Uncle Simon and Auntie Adelene. I packed some fruit along so that Sophie could eat something while we ate our lunch.

After our lunch, we headed for Changi Airport to beat the heat. Papa likes the air conditioned environment which is relatively good for Sophie to run around.



We came across a playground and Sophie was literally begging us to let her play. Instead of stopping her, I relented on the condition that we would only stay for 10 minutes and she could not protest when it was time to leave. Evidently, I became the playground monitor for everyone there. I was disgusted by some parents who simply dump their kids there, relax one corner and let them play without supervision.

Personally, I treat every playground experience as a learning opportunity for Sophie. I teach her to play safely, turn takings and even befriending others. Some parents did not even bother to teach their kids to obey the basic rules (no footwear). With younger kids around, they let their old kids play rough. Honestly, I feel that these parents need some rehabilitation.



During dinner, Papa played with Sophie while I finished my food. It was funny that the silliest thing could tickle her so much.

Playing With Dinosaurs

The Botanic Gardens

The weather has been either far too hot or too unpredictable for outdoor activities. Sophie is not always in good shape for strenuous activities anyway. Today, we decided to adopt the "Just Do It' attitude and take her to the Botanic Gardens. It was a tough but rewarding trip because Sophie got to experience nature and we could all spent some time exercising as a family.



At the entrance, we were greeted by many hungry pigeons and Sophie was definitely not very comfortable with the sight although she must have been equally fascinated by it.

No matter how many stories about spiders I read to Sophie or pictures of spiders I show her, I cannot be more effective than a live spider in its web, just above s trickling brook. It took a while for her to actually spy it, but when she did, she was very thrilled.



It was great to see Sophie's enthusiasm and curiosity in each and every thing she encounters. She could be fascinated by something as "trival" as shadows. I guess we were like that once, but we must have forgotten all about it.

I am really not a very outdoor sort of person, so I get a little squirmish whenever I encounter insects of dirt etc. However, Papa was quite impressed that I would take pains to show Sophie everything along the way. I made sure she took notice and tired my best to name whatever we saw.



Sophie would occasionally get obsessed with stairs and she simply had to climb up and down. It took us quite a bit of effort to coax her back on track without grabbing and dragging her.



Sometimes, we compromised and let Sophie choose her own path to take. Although I was not completely comfortable with that, I think it is good to let her have her way at times. It would help her build some confidence in making decisions and nurture her inquisitive mind.



Fortunately, Papa could still run with Sophie. I was getting really too tired and hot to move any faster. I guess all kids love to run. I let Papa take over as he led us back to the entrance - the longest possible way.

At one point, we were so exhausted that we took shelter at the Band Stand. By then, I had lost my sense of humour.



Sophie was also very tired but she was still active and eager to play some more.

We almost did not want to move out of the shade, but we had to get home soon to be in time for Sophie’s brunch and nap. It did not help when Sophie preferred climbing up and down the stairs, again.



After some serious lecturing about how hot and tired we were and how she ought to try her very best not to aggravate the situation, she tried to appease us with her irresistible “cuteness”.



Soon, even Sophie was too tired. Papa had to use his last bit of energy to carry her back to the car. It was amazing we made it back in one piece, considering that we are all in bad shape physically.

Street Cafe (City Hall)

This could have been an ordinary dinner at Street Café (City Hall), but today we found out that Sophie has suddenly got interested in colouring. And of course the standard of food has dropped so we would not be going back.



Evidently, I had no passion for feeding Sophie. I had no idea that was how bored and grouchy I looked. Papa must have found me amusing.