Media Invite:: In a blink of an eye, Big K will be entering a new phase of her life— Primary school. I am still in denial. Is this petite girl measuring 105cm really going into Primary school? Is she ready? Reality sunk in a little when we did our nerve-wrecking primary one registration in July. But i am still rather chill on the acadmic front. While other kids her age attended enrichments after enrichments, i harbour ambitious thoughts on teaching her on my own. I still do. However, work takes up a lot of my time and when i do things with her, very often they are fun stuff instead of drills.
When LearnersEd invited us for their pilot P1 preparation workshop, I figured it would be a good chance for both of us to learn more about the Primary 1 syllabus. Big K’s nemesis has always been Math. Each time i try to incorporate it into our learnings, she would dread it and moan in agony. Sorry baby, moving forward, it ain’t gonna be all fun and games.
Day 1
Our facilitator, Teacher Jenn, tried to make it as entertaining as possible with stories and songs. With her vast experience in coaching, she gave us loads of insights to the Primary World. Being a mom herself, she has seen through her boy’s success in getting through GEP and understands the challenges. She was hence able to share with us some tried and tested ways she used on her son AJ. Learning from her was indeed an honour. Teacher Jenn also teaches the P1 and P2 classes weekly over at Learners Ed. Given my background, I was no stranger to the bits on what P1 encompasses. However, it was a great wake up call for me! A kick in the butt to remind me how unprepared we are and that time is zipping by! I am constantly in denial that my child will get there eventually. Yes, they will, but we as parents have got to set the foundation right without falling into the trap of hot housing them hence killing their interest in learning. I have been so tied up with work that whenever i have a chance to do some homelearning with Big K, I try not to do something she dislikes - in this case, Math! Her Achilles heels.
As much as I’d love to be a Tigermom, I know this will strain our relationship and shudder at the thought that my children has to continuously study and not have fun. When Jenn shared with us that if your child is unable to score more than 90 marks in P1, it means that your foundation isn’t strong, it got me really worried. We should beef up foundation as things may get more stressful financially as we progress higher. It is for that reason that being kiasu is ok!
The workshop was quite challenging for us. Not because of its contents but, we weren’t morning people. I had to drag both Ks out of bed. It wasn’t that early but we just aren't early risers. I had to bring Small K along as papa wasn't in town and I was solo-parenting. Thankfully, Learners Ed was very accommodating and allowed Small K to sit in. He was a very good boy throughout as I prepared loads to entertain. Day one was primarily an introduction for the parents so Big K wasn't too keen. Her engine hadn't started when Jenn tried introducing "what makes 10". She is familiar with this but well, her engine just wasn't cranked up. Not until Jenn brought up her treats! She sure knows what makes little children tick. Jenn highlighted that it is necessary for us to wean the little ones off finger counting as it will slow things down when they are in Primary school. She shared with us several Math hacks which we could practise even on the go. Like visualising the concept of multiplication while shopping at the supermarket. Teacher Jenn also shared with us several story books which we could use to incorporate into our Math learnings.
Day 2 & 3
Things got better as Big K probably understood what was required of her and decided to coroporate. It did help that Jenn prepared treats for the kids for every correct answer given. Even Small K received a treat and was beaming from ear to ear. Some of the topics covered were doubles ( eg. 2+2 and 5+5 etc) and money. Manipulatives like the golden beads as well as coins were used to spice things up. I really appreciated that the coins were washed and sanitized! How thoughtful!
It is really essential for us to equip ourselves with the relevant knowledge before we enter Primary School. At least we won't be in for a shock. Here's sharing a testimonial from a personal friend PC whose daughter had been attending their P6 classes:
"What to do? Girl wasn't doing well in Math. Any recommendation which came, I had to try. And this teacher from LearnersEd is AMAZING! She rescued my girl!"
Learners Ed specializes in Mathematics from primary to secondary levels. Their class size is kept small with a maximum of 6, to ensure focus. Led by Ms Hannah together with her team of teachers, Learners Ed has been established since 2015. Even though they focus on Math, they also hold hands-on experiential activities such as Slime workshop and the P1 Prep workshop from time to time to make learning fun and practical. To find out more about their workshops, do check them out on Facebook as well as Instagram.
Here's one last goodie for you,
DISCOUNT!!!
Learners Ed is offering 20% off first month fees from 1 October 17 to 31 March 2018. Quote MMM and Sign up today! It really pays to be a little Kiasu!
Disclaimer: We were invited for the P1 preparation workshop for the purpose of this review. No additional monetary compensation was received. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and written according to my experience in using the products/ services.
