Week 6 : Weekend Learning

It was Total Defence Day yesterday and I totally forgot all about it. I only got mildly curious when I heard sirens around noon. I did a quick google and realised I have missed that out this week. I didn't go through with Sophie what Total Defence is or its 5 pillars. However, I managed to find out that there is an interactive exhibition at National Museum of Singapore so we took the kids there today. Consider this as a learning journey or some sort of supplementary class. 

This is the interactive exhibit. I'm sorry, but I'm disappointed. It's interactive because you can choose to learn about 5 different characters according to your… mood? I don't really get it and neither did Sophie.  Perhaps I should have studied it before bringing her here. We looked lost and confused in there. In fact, the whole museum was quite messy. We didn't really know where to go and what to see. Honestly, I am not much of a museum person so maybe it's just me.

Traditional game stalls were probably the most appropriate for the kids. The rest were too wordy or abstract for them to appreciate. I think they should have made the exhibit a little more child oriented if they hope to see more children learning about TDD. We also visited the gallery with paintings from the 50s to 70s. Sophie likes Liu Kang's painting of some Burmese temples (thinking they were castles). We also saw an installation art which Sophie found very interesting. There were a dozen or two human shaped cardboards in a gallery and images of individuals were projected onto them. 

 

Frankly, I haven't got the faintest idea what this vehicle is suppose to be. It look like those 'taxis' you find in Thailand. Sophie wasn't very keen to sit in it but she complied because I told her I needed pictures. There was a screen inside but she wasn't at all interested.

We found a 'Reflection Wall' and Sophie eagerly went forward to leave a note there. She wrote 'I'm thankful to my parents' and 'I love Singapore'. She also helped Alfee to write his note although I'm skeptical that he actually meant it. He claimed to be thankful to God and love Singapore too.

Next week, I'll try to explain to Sophie what all these actually means to a Singaporean. Perhaps we might even go to the National Museum again for the Forum Theatre (which I just found out) and the TD Walking Trail (which I don't really fancy). 

Week 6 (10/02/2014 - 14/02/2014)

Monday

We started out well. Sophie was very attentive when I taught her about the first nomads. She was so keen that she made extra effort in her handwriting. She even took initiatives to draw after copying the notes. I love the dress she drew. She explained that her dress was made with animal hides stitched together, thus it looks patchy. She was particularly fascinated that lizards and snakes can be eaten. 

We went on to finish the pointillism art that we started last week. We did a little work on the sun and the ocean. I think that was all she had patience for.

Alfee was restless while Sophie was completing her work. So, I told him to try some dot painting too. He started with quite decent dotting but it very soon (before I could take pictures) became something totally different. After painting, he told me it's a fallen tree which I thought he was quite right. 

Tuesday

I thought today we could carry on with the topic on the first nomads. We didn't really. Instead, we did cave art. It was quite an impulsive decision, I admit. I took a plastic box and taught Sophie how to create a cave wall with simple paper mache techniques. It took a bit of effort and time but I thought it looked fairly decent. 

Until my FB friends commented that it looked like 'bak gua'. It remained as 'bak gua' until I added baby powder, glitter and some sponge painting.

I told Sophie to deliberately create layers of drawings and overlapping. She wasn't too comfortable with that but the effects were quite pretty. I love art. 

Wednesday

I know Sophie really wants to tag along with me to fetch Alfee home. It's her only chance to go play outdoor. I haven't been able to get the outdoor part of our homeschooling going. I didn't manage to find a group that we can join and we are so restricted by our location. However, the weather is really hot these days and I find it near impossible to manage the kids under such harsh conditions. Yet I still took her with me...

Alfee was still not getting soccer. He doesn't chase after the ball and I doubt he actually wanted to. He's very hot and bothered in the field and I don't blame him. Well, I hope he will learn to like soccer. 

We all learnt how to be 'kind' this evening. Rose, our helper, gave us purple chicken stew for dinner. I really dislike it because it cost me my appetite. The colour didn't affect its taste but it was relatively tasteless too. None of us commented on it even though Sophie was obviously reluctant to eat it and Alfee, like me, barely touched our food. I did complained to my friends though. I think it's time. 

Thursday

In the morning, Sophie had swimming with Uncle Shawn. We are targeting 'Bronze' so she's practising her backstroke diligently. Sophie has come a long way, we feel. She started off really all grouchy and whiny about swimming. Each lesson was a painful (and hot) experience for us. Now, she could swim better than us. I am proud but I'm not letting her know until after she takes the exam.

Friday

It is Valentines' Day today. Unlike previous years, I didn't use it as a theme for learning. I must be getting tired or plain lazy. In fact, my whole unit study on Chinese New Year has been systematically "slaughtered" as well because the kids didn't show much interest in it at all. What a waste! I mean I understand that there will be good days and there will be not-too-ideal ones, but this hasn't been much of a school week at all.

In the evening, Alfee and I spent some time reading while waiting for Sophie at the CC. She seems to be doing well in her Chinese class after I insisted we change the time slot. The teacher is a lot more solemn which is very good for my gregarious Sophie. I don't particularly enjoy waiting for her although I do appreciate the time I get to spend with Alfee.