It's All About Play

Kung Fu Panda Craze

2011-09-19T23:15:00.012+08:00

Kung Fu Panda 1 was an excellent movie and although it was only a cartoon, there were much to learn. So, when we heard that Kung Fu Panda 2 was up in the cinema, we were determined to watch in the cinema. It was equally awesome.

After the cartoon, McD came out with kung fu panda toys for happy meals and the children were eager to get those toys. We collected most of them and then my eldest son sketched each character in his notebook. I thought they looked good (they always look good to the mother) and I knew I had to post the pictures here.

Keep up the good work, Karl!

A Polystyrene Craft

2011-07-13T20:49:00.005+08:00

This was something my eldest son did when we bought our new refrigerator. He took all the polystyrene, did some cutting and pasting and came out with this. What is this, you may ask. I'm not sure myself but it looks like a sledge to me. What do you think?

My Car Repair Experience

2011-05-29T16:43:00.008+08:00

When it comes to car maintenance or car repair, I would pass it to my husband. He knows more about cars than I do. One day, he asked me to drive my car to the service center and to leave it there for repair as he had an appointment that day.

I drove there, took my number and waited. When it was my turn, the lady at the counter took me to a technician. I told the technician about how difficult it is for us to close the doors from inside and that I would appreciate if he could adjust or repair the doors for me. He looked at the doors and said it was possible to make some adjustment but afterwhich wind and rain would sip into the car through the doors. So, I called hubby and hubby thought that the technician was not professional enough. The lady then took me to try other cars of the same models and she tried to convince me that there was nothing wrong with my car doors.

Frankly, I hated all these because I knew nothing about cars and I do not know if they were giving me excuses or they did not know how to solve my problem. I returned home without doing anything and hubby went to the service center to see the manager. Now, altough the problem is solved, I keep thinking what would happen if hubby is not around. Maybe I would not give myself any excuses and would be able to handle everything including cars. Well, come to think of it, it isn't that difficult. I just have to go online to search for more information, compare prices and service and find the right service center.

DIY Stationery Holder

2011-04-20T12:12:00.000+08:00

What do you think of this craft? It's a stationery holder which we made from cardboards. It's pretty simple actually. What you need are some cardboards, glue and some paint.

The princess is not made from cardboards but a toy and we put it there to make the stationery holder look nicer.

Chinese New Year Craft

2011-03-05T10:09:00.003+08:00

This is a nice craft and it made a very beautiful Chinese New Year decoration. According to tradition, there should be seven fishes but we made five, symbolizing the five family members in our family. We did this during a Chinese New Year celebration. It was an activity for the whole family and we really enjoyed doing it.

Home on the Range

2011-02-25T06:12:00.007+08:00

People around me migrated one by one to other countries to pursue better lifestyle and better education for their children. Sometimes, I do wish I could migrate too for the future of my children. I love living in the countryside where the horses roam, in a house surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers and fresh air everyday.

How nice it would be to see my children running around outside the house, riding horses and ponies when they are free and if they do ask for a pet, I would say, “Here, take this pony or horse and give him a name.” I would then seek for pony insurance services to advice me on what type of pony insurance or horse insurance to purchase in order to keep them safe. With the high and increasing vet fee, it is essential for us to purchase horse insurance if we do keep horses. If any accident were to happen to the horse, at lease it is covered.

If only I could have my home on the range.

Our Very Own Safari and Aquarium

2011-02-18T21:03:00.003+08:00

It's always good to see children indulging in something other than the computer games. Art and craft has been my boys' favorite pass time besides the computer games. These two were done with certain help from me but the animals were their own creations.

My eldest son's version of safari

My second son's aquarium

Be A Smart Consumer

2011-02-17T15:00:00.001+08:00

What kind of consumer are you? Do you buy things without looking at the price? Do you compare prices for the same product among shops or do you purchase only when there is a sales? I’m the first type and my husband often shakes his head when he hears “I don’t know.” whenever he asked me “How much did you pay for that?”

Well, I think it’s important for every one of us to be a smart consumer. We can actually save a lot if we plan our shopping trips well. There are many people out there who would cut out coupons, print online coupons or get online coupons codes for their purchases and I think that’s a wise move.

There are basically two categories of coupons users. The first group of people uses savings coupons on their regular purchase. They purchase only products they usually use or need and will not go for products which they do not need. These people view coupons as their aid to cut down expenses.

The second group consists of people who would purchase products which they have always hesitated because of the high price. “Why not if the product is going on a 50% discount?” they would convince themselves. With coupons, they are able to try different products which they do not normally use.

Whether you belong to the first group or the second group, I personally think that spending some time searching for the right coupons definitely pays off.

Marriage or Pets

2011-02-17T11:15:00.004+08:00

Generation gap has always been there and the difference in opinion and interest often become the barrier between the parents and their children or the grandparents and their grand children. Let’s take marriage as an example. The older generations especially mothers would wish that their children find their other halves and if their children are still single when they reach thirty, they would panic.

I know of a woman who keeps sighing when asked about her daughter who is not married. She even tried introducing men to her daughter but to no avail.

The younger generations have different thoughts. Marriage is not a must for them. If they do not find someone suitable whom they love, they rather not get married. Some of them opt to rear pets to keep them company. Having a dog or a cat seems so much easier and nobody would tie them down with commitment. Although they think that when they do not have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, they would spend less on dinners and gifts, having pets also requires expenditure. Besides purchasing dog insurance or cat insurance for your pet dog and cat, you need to purchase food and to ensure the pets’ safety and comfort. It’s nothing like purchasing a toy and chucks it at home when you go to work.

Having said that, you can always keep a dog after your marriage or when you get old, just like my uncle and aunt and I bet they bought a dog insurance for their dog and they enjoy the company of the dog since their children are not staying with them.

Well, no matter what happens, I think we as parents should try to talk to our children and understand how they feel. Our support is of the utmost importance.

Foam Stickers

2011-01-19T23:15:00.003+08:00

What do you think of these foam stickers made by my eldest? The cutting needs improvement but I love the overall look of these stickers. He saw some animal foam stickers in the stationery shop one day and when he came home, he asked for some foam and started making his very own foam stickers. The tiger does have a fierce look, doesn't it?

His Masterpiece - Hot Air Balloon

2010-12-10T22:37:00.000+08:00

This is not like the real hot air balloons, more of symbolic but to me, they are nice. Maybe the previous drawings are nicer but still, this is his creation, his idea, his effort and I'm proud of him. If you have not seen his other work on "Paint", click here.

His Masterpiece - True Love

2010-11-30T22:39:00.002+08:00

When I saw this picture, I laughed. In my mind, I thought: Where on earth did this idea come to him? It's kind of cute, isn't it? I love the girl's expression and gesture. The title made me laugh too. What's true love? He didn't know and that's what he has to find out when he grows up.

His Masterpiece - Space

2010-11-15T22:41:00.002+08:00

I like this picture, especially the colors. Boys like aliens and space and I wonder if his next drawing would be about aliens.

His Masterpiece - Giraffe

2010-11-09T20:36:00.001+08:00

This giraffe looks skinny, just like him but I love the falling leaves. This picture has room for improvement, don't you think so? Having said that, I can't even draw this with "Paint". It's so difficult to control the mouse.

Recruitment Services

2010-11-08T13:51:00.001+08:00

For a couple who intend to get married, money is something they worry about. My brother just asked me how much would one wedding cost and I really do not know the market rate. I got married more than ten years ago and the price of today’s things are much higher. He’s now saving and looking for a better job with higher salary.

I guess what he needs right now is some Recruitment services like those offered by Recruitment agency Harrogate, to help him search for a job he likes that pays well. With the wide database recruitment agencies have, they are able to provide good recruitment services to help people who are hunting for jobs as well as companies who are looking for the right candidate for the right position.

I do hope my brother could get an email or a call, telling him to go for an interview or good news from his boss saying that he will be promoted. Let’s just hope one of these happens soon.

His Masterpiece - Ocean

2010-11-05T10:28:00.000+08:00

This is another of my son's drawing using "Paint" and I like this very much, a shark chasing a whale, how cute! I wonder why he illustrated this picture this way. He must have a reason, I guess and I'm going to find out.

His Masterpiece - Bus

2010-11-02T00:05:00.000+08:00

If you have read my previous post in my parenting blog, you would know that my eldest son loves to use "Paint" to create images. I truly love the images he drew. Here's another one which I could not draw with "Paint" but he got it nicely done.

Recruitment Agency

2010-11-01T09:30:00.001+08:00

I have not been working for people for almost ten years and all these while, I have been working from home while taking care of my children. My friend did ask me if it’s a waste staying at home since I have a master degree. Well, that’s the sacrifice I decided to make for the sake of my children but when they grow up, when they are independent enough to look after themselves, I would want to work again.

By then, I’m not sure if any company would want to employ me. I may have to go through a recruitment agency. It’s rather convenient now to find a recruitment agency and to search for a job online. We can submit our CV online and see if our qualifications and experience match a particular job and company. Just like when you are searching for a job in Harrogate, you may just type Jobs harrogate and you can have everything listed.

For the moment, I’m happy enough to start my freelance party planning business. Although I don’t have high hopes as in targeting two to three parties a month, I’m contented to just plan a party once in several months. I have to start somewhere, don’t I?

Computer Support

2010-10-27T23:30:00.001+08:00

When it comes to the technology era, everything is computerized. Equipping ourselves with computer knowledge is essential to survive and to compete in the market today. Putting competition aside, knowing how to use the computer and the internet itself is a gift, don’t you agree?

The internet is the best place to source for information. We encourage our father to serve the net and now that he’s familiar with email and the internet, we thought we would get him a laptop. After all, the desktop he has at home is too old and moves too slowly.

So, for his coming birthday, he’ll be receiving a laptop as his birthday gift. Since he stays far away from us, he is going to need computer support from someone nearby. I can think of a person whom he can call if he needs computer repair or computer support, an ex student of his who is the boss of a computer shop. He happens to be my ex class mate and I’m sure he’ll be able to help my father whenever he needs help.

Independent Schools

2010-08-10T06:11:00.000+08:00

I believe children learn best when they are happy. It is important to take this into consideration when we choose a school for our children. I remembered when my eldest son was four, he was not happy in his pre-school and he couldn’t response or communicate with his teacher and friends but when I switched him to another pre-school, he seemed to excel both academically and socially. He was happy.

When it comes to primary school or secondary school, there are not many choices around here in the country I live in, unlike the UK where there are independent schools as another option. Have you heard of Queen Ethelburga’s? It’s an awesome independent school, I would say. It has fine facilities, curriculum which prepares students to excel in life, friendly and professional staffs coupled with the opportunity for students to enhance their social skills. In short, students over there are happy and they do well in their studies and are successful in life. Isn’t this a school we want our children to be in? If only there are independent schools here in my country.

Burn Care

2010-07-30T06:22:00.000+08:00

Hooray, we are going for a picnic! This time, it is not a family affair but I’m organizing a picnic for forty kids and their family. There are many things to plan and the first thing that comes to mind is the safety of the children.

A first aid kit is what I must remember to bring. I have one at home. I always think it’s important to keep one at home in case of emergency. We never know what will happen especially when we have children.

My first aid kit is equipped with everything except for products for burn. Burn care is one important area we must not overlook. Although I have a fire extinguisher at home, I have nothing for burn care. What if we failed to put out the fire and one of us got burnt? Now, I’m beginning to worry and I think it’s time I take a look at the products of Burnshield UK. The Burnshield Hydrogel Dressing is what I should have in my first aid kit to make it a complete kit to put at home as well as one to bring along during trips and travels.

Burns are serious injuries. Although I doubt it will happen in a park where we will be having our picnic but I think it is better if I am ready with the burn care products, just in case.

Something for Dad

2010-07-20T22:54:00.001+08:00

Have you heard of an "exploding box"? This is what it looks like. It is like a gift box but when you open it, all the sides would fall apart (explodes). We did this as a gift for Father's Day. I did most of the work cos it's too complicated for my kids. The kids love this and before they gave it to their dad, they tried many times, taking off the lid and let it explode and put the lid on again.

I saw this on the internet and thought I would try it out. I love making it! If you want to know how to make this, just google for "exploding box" and you will get the step by step instructions.

The lid of the box

One of the 4 sides

Before the card "explodes"

After the card "exploded", the hearts would be dangling. You can either write your personalized messages on each square or you can insert pictures. (The hearts are actually stickers)

Invitation Card

2010-07-03T22:20:00.004+08:00

Several months ago, we had Wesak celebration and the organizing committee thought that it would be a good idea to have the children of Sunday Dhamma School write a personal message to their parents to invite them to join them on Wesak. So, we asked the children to make a card and to write down their personalize message inside.

Front cover

The card opens like a door

Inside

Personalize message here

Supplements

2010-06-21T08:30:00.001+08:00

My dad and mom like to visit the pharmacy whenever they come to Kuala Lumpur. I’m not sure why but I think the price here is lower than the price back home. They take lots of supplements, from Vitamin B complex, EPO, to glucosamine. It is mom who will frequently asked if I buy any supplements for myself and the children and she would tell me how important supplements are to keep us healthy.

Lately, the children and I fell ill several times in a month and I’m wondering if we should look into taking supplements to boost our immune system. While I browse through the net to look for an answer, I found many sites selling supplements. Let’s take Health Foods UK for example; there is a wide range of supplements offered there, from women’s health, men’s health, to vitamins, minerals and herbal formulas. There is even a helpline where you can call in for inquiry or advice. Very convenient, I would say.

Princess Crown

2010-05-15T11:16:00.003+08:00

This would be adored by girls who like princesses and this would be a door gift for all the girls who attend my daughter's princess birthday party. Initially, I was looking at the crowns sold in shopping malls but after some consideration, I thought those were very usual, no doubt they look beautiful. So, while browsing through the google images, I found this picture and I suddenly had this idea of printing it out, cutting it into shape and make it into a crown.

Materials needed:

1. Foam
2. Printout (I use inkjet paper, the color is sharper, nicer.)
3. Glue
4. Scissors
5. Decorative items (star, gold dust)

Fun With Paper

2010-05-05T13:10:00.004+08:00

This is a very easy craft. You only need different kind of paper (color paper, old magazine), scissors, glue and most importantly your creativity.

Here's what my middle child did: (I helped with the cutting and the rest is done by him)

Wedding Insurance Comparison

2010-05-03T06:48:00.002+08:00

It’s May again and this is the month we were married. Eleven years ago, when both of us felt it was time we proceed to another level of life, we did not spend much time planning for our wedding and we left the planning to our parents. If I were to choose again, I would rather plan my own wedding, my style.

In western countries, people actually buy wedding insurance and make sure every single detail goes right during their wedding. They would do a wedding insurance comparison before they actually pick one that suits them. If I knew about the existence of wedding insurance or should I say if there is such a thing in the country I live in, I would also want a wedding insurance comparison. After all, we want our big day to be financially protected and to be a memorable one, don’t we?

If you are planning for your big day, you may want to browse through my-weddinginsurance.co.uk for your wedding insurance comparison. It may be the one you are looking for.

Memory Foam Mattresses and Toppers

2010-04-27T09:28:00.002+08:00

I have heard of memory foam mattresses and how they help people to have a proper sleep at night. One of the many ways to stay healthy is to have adequate sleep but just getting adequate sleep without quality of sleep is not sufficient. Quality of sleep is a crucial element to ensure a healthy life and well being of a person.

For people with back pain or joint pain, memory foam mattresses would be what they need at night as they conform to one’s body weight and shape, providing a more comfortable sleep.

Some people may not be able to afford memory foam mattresses but with the availability of memory foam mattress toppers, they can enjoy the high level of comfort just like the mattress while paying a much lower price for it.

These mattress toppers can provide excellent support if they are placed on a firm mattress which is of good quality but if the mattress is not firm enough, we will not get the all the benefits of the memory foam mattress toppers.

So, for people who wake up every morning with a stiff neck or back ache or for people who waking still feeling tired, you should consider changing your mattress.

Bedroom Furniture

2010-04-27T06:10:00.004+08:00

Bedroom furniture plays an important role in determining the look of one’s room. I love bedroom furniture which can be moved around and not fixed at a particular place. From time to time, I would shift and rearrange my bedroom furniture to give my room a new look and every time I did that, my children would go “Wow, mummy, your room looks new!”

Some may not like the idea of shifting and rearranging bedroom furniture. “Why give ourselves extra work?” some may say but to me, flexibility is more important and the effort needed in reorganizing bedroom furniture is worthwhile when, at the end of the day, we feel comfortable being in our room.

Memory Foam Mattress

2010-04-27T05:55:00.004+08:00

Are you using a memory foam mattress? I’m not and I wonder if the mattress I’m using has something to do with the occasional stiff neck I get when I wake up in the morning. I have always thought that either my pillow or my sleep position is causing the stiff neck until I came across this website about memory foam mattress.

It says that if we have stiff neck or back when we wake up in the morning, it is because our mattress is too soft or too hard. This reminds me of Goldilocks who chooses the baby bear’s bed which is not too soft and not too hard. Smart girl, isn’t she?

A memory foam mattress contours to your body shape and weight, enables a good blood circulation and promotes a more restful night and a good sleep. A good night sleep is what I need most right now. The memory foam mattress is dust mite resistance, which is good for people with Asthma and it comes in various sizes from single to king size.

So, if you suffer from a stiff back or neck like me or if you want to make sure your posture is correct during sleep, consider switching to a memory foam mattress today.

Girls

2010-03-31T12:06:00.002+08:00

When I was pregnant with my third child, I prayed that it would be a baby girl but if the baby turned out to be a boy, I know hubby and I would also accept happily. So, when the doctor told me it was a baby girl, I was overjoyed and I prayed that she would be healthy, pretty, good, kind and smart. That’s a lot to ask for, isn’t it?

My prayer was answered and I delivered a baby girl who grew up to be a lovely and lively girl today. I love to doll her up at times (usually when we go out) but would tell her that it is not her beautiful girls’ clothing or hair clips that make her pretty. It is her personality and her smile that make people like her. Sometimes, she would request for dresses and night gowns, high slippers and watches like those possessed by her friends but most of the time, she would receive a “NO” from me. To me, we don’t have to follow others or own whatever others own. It is how we appreciate what we have that counts.

Spot the Objects

2010-03-30T18:13:00.002+08:00

We did this activity during earth hour, at the car porch. This is a very simple activity but it teaches a kid how to focus.

You do not need any materials for this activity.

I started by saying: “Children, can you find objects that are round? Point to me and tell me the name.”

The kids would find as many as possible.

Then, count with them, “We found 10 things which are round in total. Now, when you were looking for things which are round, did you notice any rectangular things around you and count them?”

The answer would be “No”.

“Why did you not notice objects of other shapes? It is because you were focusing on things which are round. If you focus, other things do not bother you. “
My eldest son immediately said: “Oh, I know, the things which are round symbolize our homework. We must focus on our homework and don’t let other things distract us.”

“That’s right, my dear, if you focus, you can always do well.”

I hope he who got the right answer would have this focus everyday.

Pass It On

2010-03-29T18:10:00.001+08:00

We did this activity during earth hour, at the car porch.

This activity or game involves candles and it is played among family members. Every member in the family is given a candle each. The game starts with one of the parent lighting his or her candle, then pass the light to another parent, then to each child, asking them to observe the light on the first candle.

The mother would say:

“Does the light on my candle become smaller when I pass the light to daddy?”

“No” would be the response.

“The light symbolizes LOVE. When I was married to daddy, I share my LOVE with daddy, just like I pass my light to daddy. When you were born, (pointing to the eldest child), daddy and I give you our LOVE but our LOVE for each other did not get less. Then, when you were born (pointing to the middle child), we give you our LOVE but the LOVE for kor kor is still this much and the same goes to mei mei. When mei mei was born, we shower her with our LOVE but the LOVE for the two kor kor remain unchanged.”

My children gave me a hug saying: “Happy family.” And a tear rolled down my cheek. Although they are playful and naughty at times, my love for them has not changed and although they get scolding from me from time to time, they still love me very much, that, I can sense.

Updating My Blog

2010-03-15T11:52:00.004+08:00

Lately, I'm getting lots of spam comments on my blog and I wonder if it is because of the lack of updated posts in my blog. This is a blog to update about all the fun things I do with my children but as you can see, since my Eczema flare ups, I was not in the mood to do anything with them. My mom says that I should not let my Eczema stop me from accompanying my children and that if I use that as an excuse, I am indeed selfish. She has a point there and to think that I have been so selfish all these while, thinking only of my own hands and feeling stressful and miserable about it, I need to stop all these feelings and tell myself that life should go on and that my children need me.

I'm not trying to avoid anything but I really need some time to get over this and to pick up my long lost momentum on fun learning again.

Shoes For The Page Boy

2009-10-03T17:50:00.003+08:00

Just the other day when I was told that my son would be a page boy and I have a few days left to prepare, I called Jacss to ask her about the shoes her twins wore when they became page boy and ring bearer.

If I had more time, I would have done some online shopping for shoes but as I told Jacss, it’s a little rush and I need to get the shoes in a day or two before I attend the wedding. I quite like startriteshoes.com as it offers a great variety of shoes for boys and girls from casual to formal and the shoes look stylish and comfortable. What I like most about startriteshoes.com besides its shoes, is the community where we can get precious parents’ advice on just about anything on children and parenting.

So, for the past two days, I had been shopping for shoes. Thanks to Jacss’s suggestion, I manage to find a pair of shoes for my eldest son. It was a light brown Kickers leather shoes and I thought the shoes look right on my eldest son’s feet. Although I prefer a black pair as black could match any color, the size was just not right. My middle child was lucky enough to get a passed down pair of black leather shoes, just nice to match his black pants and vest and I hope he would make a great page boy tomorrow.

Foam Fridge Magnet

2009-08-30T07:34:00.002+08:00

I was thinking of a craft for the children and since I have some foam in the cupboard, I thought I would use them.

So, here's a craft with foam, magnet, color pen and glittering glue stick. It's rather simple.

1) Trace your child's hand onto the foam and cut it out.

2) Stick the cut out hand shaped foam onto foam of another color and cut according to the shape leaving a space so that we can see the double layer effect.

3) Punch or cut some smaller shapes (any shapes) and glue them onto the hand shaped foam. You can use stickers if you like.

4) Write words using color pen or glittering glue stick. If your child can't write, cut out alphabets from magazines or foam and stick on it.

5) Glue magnet behind and your fridge magnet is done.

"Love brings us together" and "I'll lend you my hand" are two quotes I rather like and this would be a great gift for parents. Imagine your child telling you "I'll lend you my hand" and when you put this up on the fridge, it reminds your child of his or her promise that he or she would help you whenever possible.

All For Our Children

2009-08-02T21:24:00.001+08:00

I guess many parents of today place importance in education and they would do anything for their children when it comes to things related to education.

When it comes to starting a new year in school, parents would bring their children for back to school shopping and children would get everything new. New uniform, new shoes, new socks, new bag, new pencil case, new pencils, new erasers and new sharpeners to start the year right. Sometimes I think children of today are really different from our generation. We don’t get everything new, do we?

When it comes to children school shoes, I always prefer to get a comfortable pair and one that is easy to wear for my children. Startriteshoes.com offers many suitable children school shoes. Usually, I would buy two pairs for each child, a pair for a week.

Startriteshoes.com has also launched a new social community, very suitable for parents like us to get some parenting advice. There are many discussion topics which I find very useful ranging from education and school to hobbies and activities, from nutrition and health to walking and crawling as well as from baby names to first shoes.

If you are a parent, be sure to join in the community and get some tips.

Subtraction

2009-07-14T14:10:00.002+08:00

Subtraction can be easy but when a child doesn't understand the concept, it can be a problem.

One day, Wayne came to me asking me to teach him how to solve a subtraction question which his dad has given him. It was a little difficult for his age as it involves "borrow".

This is how I taught him:

The top right number represents YOU. In this case, you have 6 sweets in your pocket.

The bottom right number represents your brother (kor kor). One day, kor kor come to you and say, "Wayne, please give me 8 sweets."

Do you have enough to sweets to give him? NO!

The top left number represents mummy. So, you ran to mummy and ask mummy to lend you some sweets but mom only has sweets in packets. Each packet has 10.

So, she took one packet and give it to you.

Now, you open the packet and give kor kor 8 sweets. How many sweets are left in that packet? 2.

How many do you have in your pocket originally? 6

How many sweets in total do you have left? 8

So, that's the answer on the right (unit column).

Back to mummy, mummy has 3 packets originally but after giving you one packet, how many packets does mummy have now? 2

That's the answer on the left (tens column)

SO, your answer for 36-8 is 28.

He understood and was so eager to try the next question. Way to go, Wayne!

WiggleTime

2009-05-21T12:49:00.012+08:00

I’m sure all of you have heard of The Wiggles, The World’s Premiere Children’s Entertainment Group but do you know that they have launched a fun and interactive online world, http://www.wiggletime.com/, just for preschooler? Parents can be sure that each game played on WiggleTime is carefully designed to help children learn cognitive, physical and social elements through play. Children learn best when they are happy and we as parents can be sure that our children are safe from any sort of bad influence as the site is ad free.

When I introduced WiggleTime to my children, they were very excited about it. What attracted them most was the red car that you as the player can ride in to go to your favorite destination. Along the way, you could see beautiful scenery. You can hop in and out of the car anytime when you see your favorite character’s house. At every destination, you would have fun playing different games and watching video clips. The games are all played in stages and it gets more difficult and challenging. A virtual toy would be presented as a reward and you get to keep it and play with it.

My eldest son finds designing the flag for the pirate ship interesting and he is obviously a person who likes art and craft. My middle child loves the herding game and the game is not as easy as you think. In this game, you have to herd the animals to their own home and you can’t get too close to the animals or they would move away from you. My youngest daughter loves to play the matching game where she gets to match the animals to the corresponding starting alphabets and she would laugh when all the animals which are successfully matched dance around.

My eldest son's favorite game

My middle child's favorite game

My little daughter's favorite game

WiggleTime caters for the parents as well. I get to see the progress report of each of my children and get lots of tips from the parent resource center. There is also a message board for us to socialize with other parents to exchange ideas and share experience in parenting. Isn't it great?

Interested? Register for free at WiggleTime.com today and get yourself started! If you want more, you could subscribe at USD6 per month and take advantage of the full potential of WiggleTime.com.

What are you waiting for? Let’s wiggle!

The Recycling Song

2009-05-05T21:27:00.005+08:00

I'm sure most of us would talk to our children about recycling. The most commonly taught would be the 3Rs and the recycle bin.

When I talked to my children about recycling, I found that they had problems remembering which item goes into which bin and so, I made them remember by singing the recycling song.

The song goes like this:

Let us do recycling
Let us stop global warming
Thinking green in our neighborhood
Reduce reuse recycle
Brown bin glass
Blue bin paper
Orange bin plastic and aluminium

(Tune: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
(Lyrics changed and amended by yours truly)

Through songs, my children tend to learn faster. What about yours?

Shop Online And Win

2009-04-20T07:08:00.004+08:00

Teaching our own children is a difficult task and we don’t seem to be as patient as we ought to be. However, I opt to teach my own children and guide them through without sending them for extra classes.

The internet often becomes my research tool as well as my teaching aid. My children cannot really differentiate different types of clothing and often call them all “baju” which means clothes in Malay language. So, when I shop online for clothing, I would save some images to show them.

A site which I came across is Roman Originals, a discounted online shopping site for women of today. The range of clothing is fabulous, catering for all seasonal change and sold at affordable prices. With free delivery to UK and Northern Ireland for purchase above £75, you can shop at the comfort of your home with just a few clicks and stand a chance to win £250 in their weekly contest!

Online shopping is really becoming the trend of today. Roman Originals provide a size guide for women to refer to before making an order and this is a wonderful gift for those who shop online because it ensures a proper fit since they are not able to try on the clothing.

The evening blouses are now on discount and if you are looking for one, be sure to drop by Roman Originals today. Besides evening blouses, there are many more to see. The dresses, skirts, jackets, knitwear, suits, trousers, blouses and coats are all beautifully designed.

Visit Roman Originals and see with your own eyes and I’m sure you would fall in love with some of the clothing offered.

Coloring

2009-04-15T07:00:00.001+08:00

You know what? While I accompany my children at the study table when they color or do their homework, I took a page or two to color as well, one to pass time and two to test if I can still color like I used to in my younger days.

Well, I think it's still in me, the interest is still there.

My children love my coloring and asked that I teach them. So, can I save some money on art classes? I wonder.

Treasure Hunt

2009-04-12T17:01:00.002+08:00

It was vegetarian day and I know my children would not enjoy their meal. Vegetables although healthy, are not what they like to eat.

My mother was very clever and she tricked my children into finishing the whole bowl of rice and vegetables while having fun.

The treasure hunt went like this:

“Everybody, find something green and put in your mouth.”

Followed by,

“Now, find something black and eat it with rice.”

Continue with other colors.

The children finished their food in no time. Thanks mom.

Kids Costumes

2009-04-04T17:47:00.005+08:00

Having children who attend kindergarten, I have the chance to attend school concerts and I’m always the one who gets excited over their performance compared to my husband. For me, it brings back my memories. I used to perform on stage when I was younger and I have loved every moment of it.

Every time there is a concert, the children look beautiful in their Kids Costumes and they get their parents all excited and busy taking photos and video. Before the concert, the teachers would be busy searching for suitable costumes and some even custom make the costumes.

In western countries, people get to dress themselves up in Halloween Costumes and Easter Costumes and they look great! I really wish we have parties like those in western countries. Then, I would be able to shop online for costumes and accessories. Isn’t it lovely to see our children dressed up as the characters that they love? My little daughter would look pretty if she dresses up as Belle, her favorite princess.

Make Your Own Fridge Magnet

2009-03-27T07:00:00.000+08:00

This was another of our "Holiday Project". It was a gift from my sister, a very lovely gift indeed. We had fun mixing the plaster, pouring it into the mold, adding the magnet (with hubby's help) and when it is done, we painted the sea animals.

The two boys actually did the painting themselves but their end product had been touched up a little. The star fish belongs to my little daughter. She selected the colors herself and with me holding her hand, she had fun painting it.

Now, all these lovely sea creatures are "swimming" on my fridge, making my fridge look more colorful.

Make Your Own Greeting Cards

2009-03-23T19:17:00.012+08:00

I have always loved art and craft when I was young. When my children reached the age when they could color and draw, I didn't really see any interest in them but as time passed, they began to like art and craft.

When we knew we were going to stay home this school holiday, I bought this set and had them exercising their right brain a little to create and make some greeting cards.

Here are some of their "creations":

If you look at the color and the elements chosen, you should know whose this card belongs to.

A card for a friend.

Boys would like this.

Go "Green"

Do you like this bouquet of flowers with a heart?

This is nice.

See the word "Pikachu"? My son created this for his "Pokemon".

Daddy and Christmas?

If you like art and craft, this would be fun. Off course, if you are more creative, you can do a lot better with your own choice of paper, glitters, ribbons and colors.

Creativity Part Two

2009-02-26T07:56:00.007+08:00

People who created these obviously use a lot of their right brain. Imagine using paper to create these. Brilliant, aren't they? (Pictures received via email).

Which one do you like most? For me, I like the last one most mainly because it's my son's creation! He does have a little bit of creativity, doesn't he?

Creativity Part One

2009-02-23T09:29:00.007+08:00

When my children fight over a few pieces of LEGO, I told them: "If you can make something out of the pieces that you have, you are creative! So, you don't have to fight over a few pieces and say you cannot build something just because you are short of that very piece."

This is what I call creativity: (pictures received via email)

These pictures are great! Don't you think so?

Happy Chinese New Year

2009-01-24T09:44:00.005+08:00

This is a festival children get all excited about. Here's wishing all the children a very happy Chinese New Year and may they be blessed with good health, good grades and great happiness.

Word Recognition

2009-01-15T07:01:00.002+08:00

There is this song that we once knew. It goes like this:

Oh where oh where has my little dog gone, oh where oh where has he been, with his tail …..

Well, I’m not talking about songs here but a few days ago, I was trying to teach Wayne how to read “WHERE” and “THERE” and after a few attempts, he didn’t seem to be able to recognize the words.

So, I use the above tune to teach him but changed the lyric a little. Here’s the lyric I have changed:

Oh where oh where has my little Wayne gone
Oh where oh where has he been
W. H. E. R. E. where where where
W. H. E. R. E. where

Oh there oh there is my little Wayne
Oh there oh there he is
T. H. E. R. E. there there there
T. H. E. R. E. there

Boy, it was effective! Now, not only Wayne can spell the two words, even Nyn can spell!

It's New Year!

2009-01-01T14:39:00.004+08:00

It's new year and that means Karl will be in Primary 2 and Wayne has one more year to be trained before he enters primary school. Nyn would enter class of 4 years old in kindergarten and all of them will be in morning session this year.

I wish my children would study well and be healthy and happy for the entire year. Happy new year to all of you out there.

Happy New Year Glitter Pictures

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

2008-12-24T11:40:00.007+08:00

Tomorrow is the big day! It's Christmas! My children love Christmas and I do hope that it would be a joyful day tomorrow!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Glitter Merry Christmas Graphics

Holiday Program For Wayne

2008-11-20T20:56:00.005+08:00

This holiday would be a period for Wayne to brush up his reading and writing. He desperately needs that or should I say that's what I think he needs? Off course, this would last for two weeks I guess.

My brain isn't working well and what I can do now is to take out "Peter and Jane" series and guide him through. Let's hope I can think of something interesting to make learning fun.

Cars

2008-10-12T14:05:00.002+08:00

Our trip to Singapore had been very fruitful. Not only did we learn some lessons, we bought some worth buying toys for the children which we don’t see in Malaysia. Now, whenever they are free, they would pick up the pieces and fix a car, a plane, a helicopter and the list goes on. These sets which include the nuts and screws coupled with the screw driver are really awesome.

One day, Karl fixed a car and I thought he is really good at this. Wayne can’t catch up yet and Nyn is obviously not interested in cars. Talking about cars makes me ponder. I am a person who does not know anything about cars except how to start it and stop it. Now, it makes me wonder if I can really handle a car if hubby is not around. What if my car breaks down suddenly? Can I find the best mechanic? Do you know exactly what to pay for repairs on your car in your town? I definitely do not know!

I panicked when these thoughts flood my mind and I’m beginning to think I should attend some courses or read more on cars. As I browse through the internet, I found a site which is very good. It actually has most of the information one needs to know about cars. You get notified before your car drops below its residual value, list your car for sale for free, find accessories and parts specific to your car, see reviews on 2009 cars and get automatically notified on every recall for your vehicle. Isn’t this wonderful? These are exactly what every owner or driver of a car should know.

I’m hoping that my sons would grow up to be knowledgeable and know more about cars since they love cars so much now.

What’s The Time Mr. Wolf?

2008-10-07T22:02:00.007+08:00

Telling time is one subject we ought to teach our children and I think I did not teach my eldest son well. To avoid the same mistake, I plan to teach my other two children how to read the clock.

I have in mind to teach them about time through games. Do you remember the game “What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?” For those who cannot remember, it’s a game where one person would become Mr. Wolf with his back facing the others and telling the children the time and the other children would take steps based on the time told.

Example:

Children: What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?

Mr. Wolf: Two o’clock.

Children would take two steps.

When the children are near Mr. Wolf, Mr. Wolf would catch one child and it’s that child’s turn to become Mr. Wolf.

Now, for a twist in this game, Mr. Wolf would take a clock (those that are used to train children to tell time) and turn the hour and minute hands to the time desired. He then shows the clock to the children and the game continues from here.

I can’t wait to try this on my children. Learning can be fun!

Sam Feels Better Now Book Review

2008-09-19T08:00:00.003+08:00

It’s pretty normal for children to have fear but what’s more important is to help them overcome the fear.

For the past few months, Karl had been living in fear, not to the extent of unable to sleep and eat but more towards feeling afraid whenever he is alone. He dare not go upstairs alone and dare not bathe if I’m not standing outside the bathroom. At first, I thought he was just not brave enough but after talking to him, I found out the reason or the trigger of his fear.

It was the “monkey in the window” that scared him. Every time he bathes, he would imagine a monkey sitting in the window looking at him and that monkey has a scary look. Well, how did the monkey come into his imagination? The source was none other than the computer game he played.

As a mother, I was glad that he told me about the “monkey” and about his fear. Searching for ways to help him, I came across this book “Sam Feels Better Now!” by Jill Osborne and thought I would read to Karl, hoping that we would both learn how to get the fear out of him.

This book is about Sam who saw something awful and was scared. His mother brought him to the therapist who helped him feel better. For me, this is a wonderful book that comes in just in time for me to read to Karl. The interactive story coupled with beautiful illustrations and some worksheets (as shown in the following pictures) is the mean to help children relate their terrible experience through activities like drawing, coloring, play and story telling. From there, we, the parents, learn how to help children handle their trauma. It also encourages children to attend therapy sessions if the need arises.

Now, Karl feels much better. He told me he is not afraid of the “monkey in the window” anymore. After going through the activities in the book with him, he sort of found a way to forget the scary monkey by replacing that image with something friendlier - the monkey in Kung Fu Panda! Phew, am I relieved!

So, if your child is feeling scared, try reading him this book “Sam Feels Better Now!” It helps.

Fun With Modeling Clay

2008-09-17T22:30:00.001+08:00

This was what we did during playgroup session one Saturday. Modeling clay has been part of our children's life. They just love to shape and mold the clay. So, this time around, we took out some modeling clay for the children and let their imagination run wild but the only difference is that we use CDs together with modeling clay.

My sample.

This belongs to one of the playgroup mummies.

A four year old girl's master piece.

Wayne and Nyn's work with some editing done.

This is Karl's

Bean Craft

2008-08-27T07:25:00.001+08:00

Here’s a very simple craft suitable for children.

This is not my idea, but a craft assignment my seven year old son had to complete to be submitted to his teacher in school.

Materials: Beans of different sizes and colors, paper plate.

This is Karl’s work.

This is mine.

My friend's children did this on a golden box instead of a paper plate and the end product was made into a candy box. Too bad there is no picture.

Toys and Games

2008-08-26T00:01:00.001+08:00

Toys and games are by far most children’s favorite as children love to play and have fun. I always see children reluctant to leave when they have the chance to roam the toy department in any shopping mall.

My children have lots of toys but I think most are gifts from their grandparents, aunts and uncles. I do buy toys but I often opt for educational toys and creative toys which my children do not get from others.

I believe fun learning makes children happy and happy children learn best. These toys and games are just the perfect tools to create a fun learning environment. So, if you happen to be in my house, you will find lots of such toys and games which help me with my fun teaching methods.

Informal Education

2008-08-24T18:57:00.006+08:00

The one-week school holiday has finally come to an end. I have been away from home for almost a week and glad am I to be home.

This time around, we went back to hubby’s village. The children were very excited to see my father in law’s new house’s construction progress. They kept asking about the completion date and we told them that if they are lucky, they (the boys) might be able to celebrate their birthday in that house.

The home lighting and home automation is under my brother in law’s charge. He has stayed in the US for many years and has seen more than we do. His choice of light fixtures would be rather different I guess, from what he said once that he would not buy fluorescent lights. I wonder if he would consider chandeliers. That would be pretty nice.

My father in law is someone who is very open and democratic who allows his children, especially those who are not married, to pick the design for their own room from furniture, bathroom sets, ceiling design to color of wall. Aren’t they lucky to have such a father?

As we stood in that house, looking down, my husband took the opportunity to talk to the children about construction and about safety. We always believe in informal education and what’s a better way than to talk to the children when there are natural teaching aid and visual aid? Oh, I do hope they learn!

Beautiful Rocks

2008-08-15T11:14:00.001+08:00

Remember my previous posts on rock painting? Here are some others which I tried.

Butterfly rock

Fish rock

Supposed to be a turtle or a tortoise

Ladybug rock with some touching up. It looks better than my previous attempt, eh?

Money Game Details

2008-08-09T20:04:00.003+08:00

Photos here

“Money” is one topic in the primary one syllabus and to teach my seven year old about money, I let him “make” his own paper money, consisting of coins and paper notes. He had fun making them and counting the total he owns too.

Then, it was time for a city tour. We pretended to visit the restaurant where my son could order his food and foot the bill using “his money”. Then, we went to the boutique where he bought his shirt and pants. Next, we went to the stationery shop, book shop, pharmacy, sundry shop and supermarket.

Our own version of supermarket

He had fun choosing and picking his favorite things and paying for them while I had fun looking at him learn the places in the city as well as addition and subtraction of money.

Babies Are Boring - Book Review

2008-07-23T23:40:00.001+08:00

Well, when I first received this book by Jon Ritchie, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I knew it would be interesting just by looking at the title of the book.

I was right! There are a great variety of children books out there but this one, “Babies Are Boring”, IS different. It’s like a breath of fresh air!

It tells a lot about life as a parent and it’s so true. I have been through all these moments.

"If you look back, there's a life you used to know. The time, the time, oh wherever does it go?"

Can you relate to this? Before the babies greet the world, we have so much time for ourselves, doing things that we like but where has the time gone after the babies arrive? We basically have NO MORE time for ourselves. Our time is spent cleaning up messes, changing diapers, making milk and other “tasks” that you and I know very well. This book said them all in a very interesting way with cute and attractive illustrations.

I can’t help it but smiled when I read about the moments we spent with our children.

Tired and exhausted we may be but that’s what parenthood is all about, isn’t it? Somehow, with all the sacrifices we make and all the effort we put in, there is always some form of reward.

“But somewhere, in between these things, few and far between... there are tiny, shiny moments almost too small to be seen.”

Those are the moments we are looking forward to, moments that make our effort and love worthwhile.

When I read to my children, I insert some role play that makes the whole story more fun and alive. They LOVE it! Now, every now and then, they would say: “Mummy, can we have Babies Are Boring?” and “I want to pretend to be the baby who sleeps and you the mummy who sings until you fall asleep.”

Who says children books are only for children? “Babies are Boring” is a wonderful book for toddlers as well as for parents.

Money Game For My Seven Year Old

2008-07-16T08:00:00.001+08:00

Wordless Wednesday

Explanation in my upcoming post.

Addition and Subtraction

2008-07-10T13:05:00.001+08:00

It was before the school holidays that Wayne had to sit for a test in school. Usually I would set some questions and test him.

Here's the questions I set for him

He was doing it, telling me it's easy but along the way, he wrote many numbers with mirror images. When it came to the last part: addition and subtraction, he was too lazy to think and told me he didn't want to do.

So, I thought for a moment and said, " Wayne, let's play a game." He was SO excited and kept asking: "What game, mummy?" Instantly, I knew my move was a right one.

I cut the questions into strips (see following picture), folded the strips and put them all in a hand made bag. I told Wayne to compete with Nyn and my maid. It was like a lucky draw where Wayne had to draw one strip, look at the question and solve the equation. His eyes were sparkling when he managed to solve the equation. Then, when it was Nyn and my maid's turn, Nyn would draw, read and my maid "tried very hard" to solve and pretended that she cannot. She then asked Wayne to help and my "helpful" boy willingly helped his "kakak".

The strips of equations

Strips folded and put in a bag

Mission accomplished. After the test, I was very sure that he had no problems with his addition and subtraction. A little worried that he would expect a "game" during the test, I told him that we can only have games at home but during test, he had to sit still throughout. He nodded.

The result of the test? GOOD! He came back with 100%.

Fun With Personalized Early Reading Kit

2008-06-29T22:40:00.001+08:00

“Fun” is how I would describe our week.

No outings.

No movies.

No playing in the playground.

No shopping.

No buffet either.

We were home, reading and learning with some personalized learning products!

It was amazing looking at my children enjoying themselves with the activities I have set up for them using the learning products and I would love to share them with you.

This early reading kit consists of a set of labels, a set of flash cards, two books and a writing pad. The children were so excited when they saw Nyn’s (my daughter’s) photo and name appear in the books and cards.

We first had fun in a so called “treasure hunt”. The children were given a label each and they had to look for the object stated in the label and stick the labels to the objects. Then they were made to spell and pronounce the words.

Sticking labels to objects

Next, we brought Nyn for a tour with Karl (my eldest son) as the tour guide and Wayne (my middle child) as the assistant. Karl would ask Wayne to read each word in the label and have Nyn to repeat after him. Karl learned how to teach while the two little ones learned how to read and associate words with objects.

Showing Nyn the labels and letting her associate words with objects

Now, Nyn would go “M.O.M, MOM” and "D.A.D, DAD" each time she sees our computers. She never knew how to read or spell these two words prior to this. How cool is that?

Can't be sticking these labels on our foreheads, right? So, we we stick these two labels on things which belong to us - our computers!

Next, we played the “matching game” where we match the flash cards to the labels. Nyn was assigned to do this and she was beaming with pride every time she made a perfect match!

The flash cards

The children were excited about the books as well. They kept handing me the book and asked that I read to them.

The Books

Book - Level One uses simple sentences which are repetitive. The highlighted words are the same words that appear on the labels and the flash cards. Book – Level Two uses more complicated and personalized sentences with the same highlighted words as Book – Level One. These books had become our bedtime story books replacing all other books at the moment.

I can't tell you how happy I was when I found this learning kit. Prior to this, I was thinking about making my own book, using my children's names and photos and that would mean a lot of effort and time on my part. So, when I found this, I was smiling and grinning!

Comparison of sentences in Book - Level One (Left) and Book - Level Two (Right)

The writing pad is a good mean to introduce writing to the children. Children would be able to see that writing can convey messages besides speech. Although I have not used this, I am pretty sure that my children would love this writing pad.

Writing Pad

What I love about this learning kit is the repetition which enhances children’s learning ability as well as the personal touch where the children can associate objects in their house which they see everyday to the words printed. For me, I had fun selecting the words and taking photos that match the words and most of all, seeing my children enjoy learning!

Education doesn’t only mean classroom teaching and text book learning. Sometimes, informal and fun learning can have very good effects too. Fun learning makes children happy and happy children learn best. See Me Read Learning Kit is a fantastic tool to bring out the fun element in learning. For just USD79.99, you can have the complete set of personalized kit like mine.

Our First

2008-06-26T22:13:00.001+08:00

This is our very first attempt and it turned out to be pretty good. The color was chosen by my little daughter and we had fun doing it.

Cookies? No!!!

The cooling process.

It ended up in our bathroom wall.

Rock Painting

2008-06-17T22:09:00.004+08:00

Got this idea from a friend too. She is so kind to supply me with the rocks as well. Thank you so much, Jackie.

Materials needed: A rock and some paint.

This is Wayne's rock. He loves this color!

End product. To make it look nicer, you can outline it with opaque correction fluid (Liquid Paper) and spray with a gloss spray.

Does it make a good father's day gift? These rocks can be used as paper weights and that's what we did in playgroup and in Sunday Dhamma School.

Fun With Boxes and Paint

2008-06-11T17:04:00.005+08:00

During the school holidays, we had some fun with boxes and paint. It's quirky but I love keeping boxes. Now, I get to use some of the boxes in my storeroom.

Got this idea from a friend who made a three tier chest drawer with some boxes. After some modification, we made a four column chest drawer out of boxes and paper mache. The children enjoyed applying glue onto strips of paper and painting (with me holding their hands).

The outside of our chest drawer.

The children chose their own favorite color for their individual compartment.

Karl wanted a house on grass and he wanted the sky orange with white clouds. So, that's what I have drawn using a square paint brush.

Our end product.
The tissue boxes were too nice to do paper mache.

Away

2008-05-24T23:15:00.005+08:00

I'll be away for awhile. Upcoming posts:

~ Money Game
~ How I test my middle child addition and subtraction
~ More on flash cards
~ Educational games
~ Others

Flash Those Cards

2008-05-21T22:36:00.002+08:00

How do we use flash cards in a fun way? Do you still remember my post on “Learning Chinese”? There are several ways to use flash cards to enhance the recognition of words.

Here’s one:

~ Line up the flash cards on the floor.

~ Read the sentences in the book (see my previous post on the book I use).

~ Let our child hold a balloon stick and point to each word while we read out loud. (This is to ensure that the child recognizes the word instead of memorizing it)

Here’s another:

~ Line up the flash cards on the floor.

~ Taking turns with our little ones, try to make it into a game where each individual find two words to form a word with meaning (In Chinese, some words cannot stand alone. They must be combined to form a word)

~ The winner is the one with the most word.

Here’s the third:

When they are bored, let them play snake and ladder and at the same time, learn some words. How do we associate snake and ladder with flash cards?

~ The person who turns the dice must be able to read 1-3 words (you set your own rule) from the flash cards before turning the dice. If they can’t read, they lose a turn.

~ Flash 1-3 cards prior to the turning of dice.

~ Cards that the children can’t read would be skipped and put at the very bottom.

~ Go through words that they are not sure of at the end of the game.

To be continued……

My Mother's Day Gifts

2008-05-21T00:01:00.002+08:00

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

A Cat and A Dog Makes My Household Complete

2008-05-15T10:50:00.001+08:00

Yup, I’ve got a cat and a dog at home. What’s so special about these two pets you may ask? Well, you don’t get a SINGING CAT and a SPELLING DOG very often, do you?

Animal Glitter Graphics

Animal Glitter

Have you guessed? No? Read on.

The singing cat can sing whenever I feel sad and she always cheers me up with her voice and her close snug against my arms. Her eyes, yes, her eyes can make anyone’s heart melt.

The spelling dog is one special dog that goes for spelling competition. He would always spell on the stage and gets a medal for doing extremely well.

Have you guessed this time?

The singing cat is 2 ½ years old. She is the youngest and she is my honey angel. Yes, she’s my little daughter whom I love dearly. She likes singing and music.

The spelling dog is 4 ½ years old. He is the middle child and he is my sweetheart. If you remember, Wayne is the most difficult child at home and he refuses to learn his spelling. Now, with this new role – “the spelling dog”, he loves spelling. I see the transformation with my very own eyes, from “Mummy, I don’t want to spell at home. I’ve learnt in the school.” To “Mummy, can you please say: Spelling dog, please spell JAGUNG (corn in Malay)?”

We love role play. This time, the role play turned out to be favoring me, giving me a chance to instill the interest of spelling in my middle child. He learns without stress and I’m dancing around happily when he can spell many words correctly. Woohoo!

Learning Chinese

2008-05-12T22:46:00.001+08:00

Teaching Chinese is never an easy task for parents who speak English at home with their children. With the help of these tools, I manage to turn the phrase: “I don’t like Chinese.” To “Mummy, I want to learn Chinese today.”

This set of Chinese books has the same concept as “Peter and Jane” where words are being repeated to enhance the vocabulary. The books come with flash cards and an optional CD (good for parents who do not know Chinese).

These books are categorized into several series:

First 100 words – 8 books

Second 100 words – 8 books

Third 100 words – 4 books

Forth 100 words – 4 books

Fifth 100 words – 2 books

Sixth 100 words – 2 books

Seventh 100 words – 2 books

Eighth 100 words – 2 books

What I normally do is to go through the books once with my son and teach him the new words using “han yu pin yin” (pronunciation of the word using English alphabets). Then, I would have him read to me again covering the “han yu pin yin”. What I notice in many children is the ability to memorize words. They can read to you the whole page without even looking at the book! When that happened, we know that they can’t recognize words.

So, the flash cards come in handy to help or test the children to recognize words. There are several fun ways to use the flash cards. All we need is a little creativity to turn learning into games.

Check out fun ways to use flash cards in my upcoming posts.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-10T08:18:00.001+08:00

Glitter Mother's Day Graphics

Fun With Glittering Glue Stick

2008-05-07T16:57:00.003+08:00

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Wordless Wednesday - Teach Chinese With These

2008-05-01T00:45:00.000+08:00

Look out for my next post on how I use these.

Napkin Rabbit

2008-04-16T11:25:00.000+08:00

Wondering how a napkin rabbit look like? Presenting the cute little napkin rabbit:

It's a craft which requires folding skill. Let's work magic to turn a napkin into a rabbit. Your little ones would love it.

Materials:

1. Napkin (paper or cloth)
2. Marker

Methods:

Fold (see picture)

Click images to enlarge

Source: The Tale of Napkin Rabbit by A. J. Wood.

What do you do with this rabbit?

My children each get one and they give the rabbits each a name, build them a house and take care of the rabbit like a real pet. Good practice before getting them a real pet, eh?

Do you know this song:

There’s a cottage in the wood

A little deer by the window stood

Saw a rabbit hopping by

Frighten as can be

“Help me, help me” the rabbit said

There’s a hunter to shoot me dead

“Come little rabbit come with me, happy as can be.”

Let your little ones hold their napkin rabbits and hop around when you sing that song.

Tell them stories about rabbits such as the story of The Rabbit and The Tortoise and let the children play the role of rabbit by holding their napkin rabbits.

So, if you are short of craft ideas or activities for your children, this may be another choice!

Learn Phonics And Blends With Magic Ring

2008-04-12T04:30:00.000+08:00

If you are cracking your head, thinking of how to make your children learn and remember their “suku kata” (Malay phonics and blends), why not take a look at what I did with my children and see whether it gives you an idea or two.

For those who are wondering what MAGIC RING is, it’s actually a name of a game I have thought of for my children to learn their “suku kata” (Malay phonics and blends) in a fun way.

It’s actually very simple. First of all, you will need a piece of paper to write down whatever blends that you want your children to learn. (See picture)

Then, you need a Magic Ring. Use a binding tape or masking tape or whatever ring like thing that you can find. (See picture)

Let’s start the game:

“Magic ring, magic ring, show me BU”

The magic ring will move towards BU and land on top of it. (See picture 2)

Demonstrate one or two times and let your child be the Magic Ring.

Have fun!

PS: This method can be used to teach numbers or blends in English too.

Puppet Show

2008-04-09T13:45:00.000+08:00

First, I bought this:

Then, I bought this:

When you put these together, you get this:

It's fun playing with finger puppets. All you need is some imagination and your children's hands to make it work. My children enjoyed playing but poor mummy has to crack her head to think of stories with land and sea animals as characters.

Well, if my children are happy, I really don't mind thinking a little more. That's motherhood, isn't it? So, if you are thinking how to entertain your children, consider putting up a show for them or get them to put up a show for you!

PS: Puppets and puppet theatre bought in IKEA.

A Craft We Did In Playgroup

2008-04-05T23:10:00.000+08:00

Can you see the crafts? The sunflower craft on both sides? Not very clear though but those were the crafts my little ones learned during playgroup session one Saturday. This craft was Kelly's idea and if you want to know how to go about making this sunflower, please click here to hop over to Kelly's blog. She is one mummy who is very creative when it comes to crafts.

So, how can I put those crafts in the box after so much effort put in by my little ones? I just can't. They now lie peacefully on the wall of my bedroom.

Learning Adjectives

2008-04-01T15:00:00.000+08:00

The Malay Language that the children learn in school today is not as easy as what we learnt many years ago. Although it is more similar to English compared to Chinese as in the Malay words are formed using alphabets rather than strokes, it is not as simple when it comes to grammar, especially verbs.

My friend has been telling me to watch out and so, I try to put in some extra effort to teach my son this “feared and disliked by many” language.

One day, my friend and I decided to teach our children (both of the same age) adjectives. I printed some pictures and words (adjectives) and placed all of them on the table. We started the MATCHING GAME.

“Which adjectives can best describe this picture?” I started and allowed the children to pick up words (adjectives) that describe the picture. At times, I had to give them some clues. One by one the adjectives were matched and eventually the game was over.

Then, we started another session – THE STORY CREATING GAME.

We told the children that we would create a silly story out of these pictures and the rule was to use the adjectives learnt and each one would make one to two sentences and stop while the next person would continue the story from there.

Boy, we had a good laugh! The children CAN create silly stories.

We then proceeded to – THE STATUE DANCE.

I made the children walk in a big circle and when I say stop, I would shout out an adjective. Each one of them would then make a sentence with that adjective. After making a sentence, they have to walk again and the game continues. What the children like about this game is the suspense of when to stop and what adjective is given.

With this, we ended the session hoping that the children would remember their adjectives by recalling the activities they have enjoyed.

Form Words With Alphabets

2008-03-29T14:00:00.000+08:00

Do you remember how I taught my son spelling? Here’s another way to teach spelling in a fun way.

All you need is some alphabets printed out on paper.

What I did was to put all the alphabets in the middle of the table and started the activity by asking my children to spell their own names. Boy, were they excited. They started picking the alphabets that made up their names and arrange them.

The activity can be continued with other words. One thing I observed was that the attention span of children is short and thus, the activity cannot be too long.

A short session where children can fully concentrate and benefit is always better than a long session where children are bored and cannot absorb. Let our children learn without stress, without pressure.

House Warming Party - Games

2008-03-25T15:00:00.000+08:00

continued from here.

Are you ready to play some games with the children? Before you do so, can you please add this blog of mine to your blogroll and if you have already done so earlier, can you please change the URL from love4play.blogspot.com to:

http://www.childrenloveplay.com

Please?

Thank you so much.

Let's pick up the last door gift before we proceed to games.

Now, let's play some games! Music please......

Have you enjoyed yourselves? I have and I would like to thank all my buddies for coming. Do come and visit all my three virtual homes often. I'm a friendly host, you know?

Thank you everybody!

Follow The Leader - Shhhh

2008-03-17T14:59:00.000+08:00

Have you ever wished that your children would sit still at parties and not cause trouble? How do we stop children from running about during gatherings, parties and functions?

My answer is: GAMES

You may think I’m crazy but read on.

Do you know the game “Follow the Leader”? After some modification, it turned out to be a quiet game I played with my children when I wanted them to stop running and jumping.

Here’s how:

Form a circle.
Pick a leader on rotating basis. Usually, I would start and my children follow.
Pick an action. Eg: clap your hands very slowly and silently without any sound.
Let the children do as you do. Everyone does the same action at the same time.
Repeat with another action.

What made it fun were the actions, the speed and the transition. I would show them a slow action and suddenly change to a more complicated and fast action. Boy, did they enjoy themselves.

This idea came to me when we were at my friend’s house warming party. The children were running about after food and to stop them from running, I had to think of a game fast. I didn’t want to ask them to sit quietly because I knew they were very excited over the big garden and specious living hall of the house. So, replacing their existing game with another game sort of saved the day. They sat down happily and enjoyed every minute of it.

Well, what about you? How do you stop your children from running about during parties and gatherings?

Let's Play Dominoes

2008-03-10T11:06:00.000+08:00

Rule: Copy the entire list and add your name at the bottom. And tag at least 5 friends. (But you can tag as many as you like).

Thea is {bloggerhappy.com}, Childstar, Mike, My Scrappy side, Abie Aggie, Alpha, Apple, Apols, Jacqui. Jane, Jody, Joy,Kelly, Mich, Peachy, Jenny, Nyumix, Rose, Agnes, Hazel, Lovelymummy, Chinnee (demoments.net), Lemonjude, Wen, Chanel, Montessorimom, JO-N,

Elaine asked me to play and I'm asking Aunty J and Contented Mum to join me. Would you like to play dominoes with us?

Craft For Children - Playgroup 1 March 2008

2008-03-01T08:00:00.000+08:00

Here's a simple craft for small children where children can enjoy sticking color strips of paper on to the animal printouts.

Materials:

1. Printout of animal pictures
2. Color paper cut into small strips
3. Glue

Methods:

1. Cut color paper into small strips.
2. Print pictures of animals.
3. Apply glue onto the whole picture.
4. Stick color paper strips onto picture.

After you are done, what do you do with the animal collage? Keep in the box? NO!!

What about doing these?

1. Cut out the animal collage and stick it on a cardboard to make a cute greeting card.
2. Cut a big strip of cardboard the size of your child's head to make a cute hat. Stick the animal collage in the middle and let's role play! (See picture)
3. Suggestion one can be modified and be made a wall decoration instead of a greeting card.
4. Suggestion two can be modified and be made the outer layer of a pencil stand instead of a hat. We would need a container to measure the diameter of the cardboard instead of our child's head.

So, this would be our craft for tomorrow's playgroup. Do you think the children will like this?

Friendship Chain

2008-03-01T06:00:00.000+08:00

I am joining Juliana in this friendship chain and I thought I would do this in all three blogs of mine.

~~Begin Copy~~

This is the easy way and the fastest way to :

1. Make your Authority Technorati explode.
2. Increase your Google Page Rank.
3. Get more traffic to your blog.
4. Makes more new friends.

Rules :

1. Start copy from "Begin Copy" until "End Copy" to your blog.
2. Put your own blog name and link.
3. Tag your friends as much as you can.

1. Picturing of Life 2. Juliana's Site 3. Shower Your Children With Love - The Right Way 4. It's All About Play 5.

This friendship chain goes to Sweetiepie and Ling.

Tagging Along Game

2008-03-01T02:00:00.000+08:00

I thought I would play along in this game in all three blogs of mine. So, if you notice, I was actually tagged by myself (my parenting blog).

One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!
Increase your Google PageRank fast
Attract large volume of new traffic to your site
Build your community
Make new friends!

The Strategist Notebook, Link Addiction, Ardour of the Heart, When Life Becomes a Book, The Malaysian Life, Yogatta.com What goes under the sun, Roshidan’s Cyber Station, Sasha says, Arts of Physics, And the legend lives, My View, My Life, A Simple Life, Juliana RW, The Callalily Space, Petra, Summer in Blue, Confessions of an Army Wife, Bless’ Sanctuary, Happy Life, http://bless519.bravejournal.com/, La Place de Cherie, Chez Francine, Le bric a brac de Cherie, Little Peanut, Pea in a Pod, The Creative In Me, Me and Mine, Me and my Two Boys, My Life is Peachy, Chat, My Happy Place, Raising Sandy, I am Dzoi, Snapshots of Life, My BIG Picture, Welcome To My World, Hannah, Michellie, Lisa, Ris, Scotty’s Princess, REPAH, Misyel, Rhapsody, joanjoyce, read my mind, moms..... check nyo, Mommy's Little Corner, Nyumix's Blog, Rose, Agnes, Glad to be here, It's a new day, Shower Your Children With Love - The Right Way, It's All About Play,

Wen and Ginnie, would you like to join me in this tagging along game?

1-10 Are Like ...

2008-02-29T05:53:00.000+08:00

Learning 1-10 has never been easier by associating the numbers with things around us. This is how I teach my children numbers:

One is like a person who lies down straight.

Two is like a swan.

Three is like Mickey Mouse’s ears when he tilts his head.

Four is like a person’s legs crossed as shown in the picture.

Five is like a pregnant mummy with a big stomach stretching her arms.

Six is like the shell of a snail.

Seven is like a person’s arm when he folds it (see picture).

Eight is like two donuts put together.

Nine is like one side of an eyeglass.

Ten is like a lollipop with its stick detached and put by its side.

My children love this. How do you teach your children numbers?

Learn Spelling Without Stress

2008-02-18T05:50:00.000+08:00

He is just plain lazy.

He only likes to play.

He’s going to have spelling next week and he refuses to learn.

What should I do?

One day, when I was bathing him, an idea came to me. I told him that we were going to play a game, a game that requires him to use his fingers. So, we started.

Me: Follow me, b-a ba, j-u ju, baju (baju means clothes in Malay language).
Wayne: b-a ba, j-u ju, baju.
Me: Now, write “baju” on the wall with your finger.

He happily made some strokes on the wall, thinking it was a game. There, that took care of his spelling. So, we did this every time he took his bath.

On top of that, I printed out the words separating the syllabus and told him we were going to play matching game. It was a success! He could match all six words.

So, with two types of “games”, he managed to learn his spelling. He enjoyed. My mission accomplished. Both were happy!

When enrolling at an online college it's important to consider what kind of program you want to enroll in. By getting more facts about online nursing programs, human resources degrees, and an Online mba degrees, you will be well prepared to make a good decision.

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone

2008-02-05T15:10:00.000+08:00

Here's wishing everyone a happy Chinese New Year.

Learn About Baby Animals Through Songs

2008-02-02T23:10:00.000+08:00

Do you know that a baby fish is called a fry? How many baby animals does your child know? How about a fun way to introduce the names of baby animals to your children? I used this during one of our playgroup sessions.

Do you know the song "The Wheels On The Bus" which goes:

The wheels on the bus go round and round
round and round
round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round
all through the town

Nyn loves this song. So, I changed the lyrics to:

The calf on the farm goes moo moo moo
moo moo moo
moo moo moo
The calf on the farm goes moo moo moo
all day long

Then add other baby animals on the farm such as:

kid - baby goat
piglet - baby pig
chick - baby chicken
lamb - baby sheep
duckling - baby duck
puppy - baby dog
kitten - baby cat
foal - baby horse

You may also try baby animals in the jungle such as:

tiger cub - baby tiger
lion cub - baby lion
owlet - baby owl

If you do not know this song, don't worry, you can always use "Old MacDonald Has A Farm".

To make it more fun, use finger puppets, soft toy or pictures of baby animals and let them dance to the music.

Have fun, everybody!

Friendly Spider

2008-01-30T23:15:00.000+08:00

How about an itsy bitsy spider for our playgroup craft session?

Here's the materials:

Sugar paper (A4 size)
Pencil
Colour paper (white, red)
Scissors
Your child's hand (Note: this is not a material)

Method:

Fold sugar paper into half.

Place your child's hand on the paper with the bottom of the palm placed on the folded part of the paper.
Trace it with a pencil.

Cut out the traced hand. Cut away the traced thumb and open it.

Draw circles on white and black paper and cut them out. (spider's eyes)
Draw a crecent on red paper and cut it out. (spider's mouth)

Glue the eyes and mouth to the cut out sugar paper.
Here's your friendly spider smiling at you.

That's not all, we plan to have special activities too. Cheng Sim and I are ready and let's hope our plan works out nicely. We hope to see happy and excited children.

Look out for updates on our playgroup in Chinnee's blog or my blog.

Big Bang World Record

2008-01-28T13:40:00.000+08:00

An invitation from Trinity!

We are challenge you, everyone, to participate this "Big Bang - World Record". Our goal is to exceed 1.000 links. Together will be reach that goal. Just make sure you follow the rules. Have fun!

*Start Copy Here*

1. You do not have to be tagged to play along. This game is simple and so are the rules.Copy from *Start Copy Here* through *End Copy Here*2. Add your site(s) to the list. Just be sure to post at each site you add.3. Tag or don’t tag, your choice, however, the more tags you create the bigger the list will grow.4. Let me know your blog’s name and url by leaving me a comment HERE. I will add you to the master list. (If you would like the scroll box code, leave me your email address and I will email it to you.)5. Come back and copy the master list back to your site, often. This process will allow late-comers to get as much link benefit as the first ones in.

1-Attitude, the Ultimate Power 2-Juliana's Site 3-Rusin Roundup 4-Grow Rich Along With Me 5-Comedy Plus 6-lynda's loft 7-Amel's Realm 8-MAX 9-Speedcat Hollydale 10-Mariuca 11-Complain Complain Complain 12-Mariuca's Perfume Gallery 13-Life Is A Roller Coaster 14-Sugar Queen's Dream 15-First Time Dad 16-Life 17-My Life 18-The Painted Veil 19-My Thoughts 20-DatCurious.com 21-Little Aussie Cynic 22-A Nice Place in the Sun 23-DatMoney.com 24-LadyJava's Lounge 25-Cat Tales 26-The Callalily Space 27- Hazel 28- Rooms of My Heart 29-Slavery Bliss 30-Shower Your Children With Love-The Right Way 31-It's All About Play 32-

*End Copy Here*

Let's join in the Big Bang World Record:

Shireen Loh, Dora, Ling, Sweetiepie, The New Parent, Agnes, LiLi, Wen, Peridot&Sapphire, Shannon's Mummy, Jacss, Yatie, Yenny, Martini, Siew Ting, Mybabybay

Linky Love 2008

2008-01-26T06:15:00.000+08:00

This tag is from Trinity.

Cut and paste the following starting here.I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! The benefits of Viral Linking:- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!- Increase your Google PageRank fast- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site- Build your community- Make new friends!

The Strategist Notebook Link Addiction Ardour of the Heart When Life Becomes a Book The Malaysian Life Yogatta.com What goes under the sun Roshidan’s Cyber Station Sasha says Arts of Physics And the legend lives My View, My Life A Simple Life What Women REALLY Think Not Much More Than This Jayedee Jenn Beth Christie Marla Cailin Simone FlipFlopMom Katrina Gill’s Jottings Work of the Poet Wakela Modern Day Goddess Livin With Me Writing in Faith Maiylah’s Snippets GreenBucks Its Not a Weekend;Its a Lifestyle Rooms of My Heart JO-N

Tagging: Chanel, Kelly, Anggie, Lovely Mummy, Jazzmint, Elaine, Shireen, Gargies

The Participative Guessing Game

2008-01-24T03:00:00.000+08:00

Now, this is fun, at least to my children. They enjoyed the session tremendously. One day, I asked all three of them to sit down in a circle and told them that we were going to play the guessing game. I told them that we would guess an animal by the description of the animal and the five of us (the three kids, me and my maid) would take turns asking a question and whoever knows how to answer would have to raise their hands.

Examples of questions asked were:

1) What animal has a mane around its face?
2) What animal comes out at night to hunt for food and goes hoot, hoot?
3) What animal has a big round stomach and a big mouth?

The game went on with the children each taking turns to ask questions. Karl and Wayne have no problem asking a question. I was amazed by Nyn who is a little more than 2 years old to be able to ask a question.

Here go the two questions asked by my little daughter:

1) What goes oo, oo, ah, ah? (jumping around and moving her arms up and down)
2) What do like this? (sticking out her tongue)

There is a lot of thinking involved in this game. You have to guess an animal by listening to the description and you have to know about an animal to be able to post a question.

The fun part which my children enjoyed is the opportunity for them to participate both in answering and asking of questions whereas the fun part for me is that I get to see my children enjoy while they learn how to participate and to shed away their shyness.

What To Do With A Ball?

2008-01-20T14:40:00.000+08:00

One day, my children and I were playing with the ball. We rolled the ball, bounced the ball, threw the ball and kicked the ball. When all these were over, the children were asking for more. So, my brain started working and I came out with this:

Me: Everybody, sit down. Let’s play a new game. (I carried Nyn and put her on my lap)

Karl and Wayne: What are we playing, Mummy?

Me: Listen… Magic ball, magic ball, tell me, who do we see if we fall sick? (I grabbed Nyn’s hands and circle around the ball, not touching it)

Karl: A doctor.

Me: Magic ball, magic ball, what will happen if we don’t eat? (Doing the action again with Nyn’s hands)

Wayne: Die and go to heaven.

After some questions, Nyn was feeling tired and bored and said: “Mummy, I don’t want magic ball anymore.” So, I changed.

Me: Alakazam, ZUM, ZUM, ZUM (Still holding Nyn’s hands and did a different action) tell me, what would happen if you tell lies?

Karl: Nobody will believe you.

Me: Alakazam, ZUM, ZUM, ZUM, what would happen if you jump on the bed?

Wayne: The bed would be dirty.

Me: Alakazam, ZUM, ZUM, ZUM, do I have good children?

Karl, Wayne and Nyn: YES!! (Loud answer from all of them)

Me: Alakazam, ZUM, ZUM, ZUM, what should I do if my children are naughty?

Karl and Wayne: If they behave like jungle boys, take them to the jungle.

The above is just part of our game. There were many more questions asked and answers heard. What a wonderful game for me and my children. For them, it is fun and for me, I get to know what they know and most importantly how they feel.

Pick the perfect promotional products to advertise your company. Whether you are looking for something traditional like koozies or you would like something more elaborate such as useful stress balls of all sizes and shapes you can find whatever you could want online.

Craft for Playgroup - 12 January 2008

2008-01-12T17:10:00.000+08:00

This would be tomorrow’s craft for our little ones in the playgroup, a simple craft that would make children happy.

This mini bag can be used as:

A “Story Bag” where parents cut out pictures of characters in a story and use them when telling stories.

A wallet containing paper money in a game of seller and buyer.

A wallet to bring to school. Karl made himself one and put real coins in it. He brings to school everyday.

A “Sticker Bag” where children keep their unused stickers.

A “Star Bag” where children keep their stars which they earn for behaving from their parents.

Others (Can you give me more suggestions?)

Materials:

1) A4 size color paper

2) Stickers

3) Color pen

Method:

1) Fold as shown:

2) Turn pape over and fold as shown below:

3) Insert and fold as shown below:

4) Insert and fold as shown:

5) Flatten and decorate it with stickers and color pen.

A Blog About Play

2008-01-03T08:50:00.000+08:00

Welcome! "Play" is a magic word for almost every child and this blog is all about play. I love to spend time with my children and I love to make learning fun too. I find that children learn best when they are happy. So, let's start exploring and learning together with our children - the fun way!

I would appreciate if you could add this blog to your blogroll. Thank you my dear friends.