Homelearning:: Birthday theme

I wonder if it is me only but i feel this this year is flying by extremely fast! It was the New Year and before you know it, March hols is over! That's life when you have kids i suppose? Or perhaps a mid-life crisis syndrome? 

We hardly did anything last week since it was he March Holidays. The papa was in town hence i took the opportunity to bring the kids outdoors as much as possible. Not that I am unable to handle both kids outdoors but my blood pressure would be more contained with an extra pair of hands and eyes. 

So this month has been a month of celebrations. Following my birthday at the end of February, came the fil's 66th birthday and in two months' time, Small K will be turning 3! Cue:: screams! 3? Seriously? Well, didn't I tell you that time is flying by too quickly? Sometimes I wish we didn't have to sleep so that we can spend more time interacting and doing activities. Am always in a mad rush but thankful for the mornings I can spend with the kids. Can't imagine when Big K goes Primary school next year. How am I going to spend time with her especially since schools are all single session these days. By the time I get home, she would have been asleep if the hubs is around to attend to them. For now, we are spending a mere few hours in case you wonder coz we wake up pretty late. Now before you go green with envy, I sleep late and often get interrupted sleep as Small K will always sneak up our bed in the middle of the night and Big K will wake me up if she needs to pee and Small K again will cry for milk at 7am. 7am seems like a fair time to wake up, afterall we should gear towards primary school but sorry, the mother can't get up so off he goes, back to bed haha. So yeah, with such episodes of interrupted sleep, I am pretty amazed that I am still holding up well.

So back to the topic. This month, our theme is Birthdays. Here's sharing what we did::

Our birthday shelf

To promote fine motor skills and introduce letters to Small K

Playdough. Now, which kid doesn't like that?

Small K is well versed with number 1 to 10, so I thought it is time to introduce bigger numbers. He can count but didn't have the patience to paste stickers onto the colourful cake. A big difference from Big K. 

Promoting fine motor skills. Inspiration from @playlexue

Finally taking our my Frobel stuff for the kids! It has been cold storage for far too long.

These cupcakes look so real we all wanted to eat! But nope, they are all toys! I suppose the "cream" is a kind of clay as it was rather tough for a kid to squeeze out. This was a gift from a friend but I believe you'd be able to find them at Toys R us.

I'm getting all excited about Small K's impending birthday. Honestly, I have yet to give it any serious thoughts.  Afterall, our parties are generally for family only. And most of the members don't give a hoot about birthdays. It's solely my fantasy. The only thing done is that I've ordered goodie bags for his little friends at school. Considering that we have 2 more months to go, I think I'm way advance. :P

Homelearning: Mid Autumn Fun

Happy Mid Autumn Festival Folks!

I have been on the roll with regards to getting the kids involved with activities pertaining to the Mid Autumn Festival. Mainly because I am getting those periodic mummy guilt for not spending enough  quality time with them. Despite having slightly flexible working hours, I am unable to do lots. Every morning it is a mad rush. With chores and preparation of lunch and breakfast, I really find myself all over the place. Many asked why do I bother doing these. I can simply opt for the easier way out which is to send both to full day childcare. Yup, that's indeed an easier choice. They get to learn there as well. However, given that that will incur greater expenses and take them away from me for longer hours, plus the best teachers are the parents,  I decided to grit my teeth and have this arrangement instead. 

This year, I impressed even myself. The number of activities done has been inspired by several mommies online. Their efforts are my constant driving force. So here's sharing what we did this round: 

We made these Milo mooncakes last year but this year's were far more successful. It not only teaches the little ones measurements but patience as well. Coz they had to wait for these jellies to harden before eating them! Even Small K played a part in putting the Oreo Biscuits in. Below is the recipe:

Recipe adapted from http://pengskitchen.blogspot.sg

Ingredients

• 1 pack 10gm Agar Agar Powder
• 750ml water
• 160gm sugar (I only used 120gm)
• 400gm Evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup Milo powder (not the instant 3-1 version)
• 1 pack 137gm Oreo cookies, break into small pcs

Method

1. Place the jelly powder and water in a pot and bring to boil.
2. Add in sugar and cook until sugar is well dissolved
3. Add in milk and stir well and turn off heat.
4. Remove 2 cups of the mixture and add in Milo powder. Stir well to dissolve all lumps.
5. Pour 1 cup of the Milo mixture into a square container and let the remaining half warm up over a pot of simmering pot of water (double-boil). Let the layer set slightly on surface before pouring over the plain mixture over. Sprinkle oreo cookie into the plain layer and let it set slightly.
6. Pour the remaining Milo mixture over. Let it set completely at room temperature before chilling in fridge. Serve cold

A blowing activity made specially for Small K to practise his blowing skills. Kids this age don't really know how to blow well yet, so this is a great activity. 

We did moon painting and it was a big hit! We basically mixed white paint and flour together and once we reached the right consistency, we added a tinge of black to give it a grey hue (can't quite see from the pictures). After which, we painted a circle on a black yardstick and used various round caps to stamp on it to create the craters. The effect was fantastic!

Idea adapted from: http://www.mominchapelhillnc.com/2012/08/arts-crafts-thursday-moon-painting-homemade-space-playdough.html

Since we were on the topic of the moon, I decided to teach Big K about the phases of the moon. 

The 3part cards can be obtained here: http://montessorisoul.com/free-downloads/terminology-3-part-cards/astronomy/phases-of-the-moon-cards

The second activity was inspired by @Playlexue. I got Big K to cut out the moons and had her paste on a black piece of paper. 

Even though the Mid Autumn Festival has been around for years, I never really understood the legend behind it. I've grew up only knowing that it is a day where I get to eat mooncakes and carry lanterns. I was puzzled as to why people were doing so many activities pertaining to the sun. I mean wasn't mooncake festival only about the moon? So I did a bit of research and found out more through a book! Wow! Even the hubs didn't know that Hou Yi was connected to this festival! Do you know who is he? He was a mythological Chinese archer. He was also known as Shenyi and simply as Yi (羿). He is sometimes portrayed as a god of archery descended from heaven to aid mankind. His wife, Chang'e, was a lunar deity.  I only knew that he shot down suns. Unbeknownst to me, he was actually Chang'e's husband! I feel like a frog in a well now!

So glad I did more research this round. 

A student gifted me some mooncakes and Big K insisted on eating them. I am actually not a fan of the traditional mooncakes as I find them a tad sweet but these from Mandarin Oriental were nice! Not too sweet and there were Macadamia nuts in them! My fav! I used this opportunity to teach Big K a little about fractions. Not sure if she understood what I said about numerators and denominators but well, a bit of exposure is better than none!

The hubs was working from home one day and seeing the window of opportunity, I quickly set up this activity before Big K headed to school. Only when the hubs is around can I get such things done in the morning. Otherwise, cleaning up is a mad rush. I wasn't too successful with this though. However the kids had fun and wolved down two of these sweet potato mooncakes each.  Right after lunch might I add. 

Instructions:

1) Peel the sweet potatoes and dice them into pieces. 

2) Steam them for approximately 15minutes and mash them with a blender or a fork. 

3) Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

4) Take them out and roll them into little balls. Concurrently, roll the mung bean paste as well. Mine were store bought but if i had the time I would home make them coz now I'm stuck with a big pack of mung bean paste and I don't know what to do to it!

5) Put the mung bean paste in the centre of the flattened sweet potato ball and shape it into a ball once again. 

6) use the mould to shape it into pretty mooncakes. Voila! 

It wasn't all that easy as it was a tad sticky hence difficult to roll initially. The moulding process wasn't too smooth either as the sweet potato were soft hence couldn't stay in shape when the mould was taken off. Perhaps I wasn't doing it right or had missed out something? Enlighten me if you know please! 

Died this rabbit lantern. These craft packs I got from Taobao are great! Big K loves crafting. No guessing where she got that part of her genes from. And very often, the only thing that makes her happy are activities like these. Thanks to @playlexue for the recommendation!

Another activity which was a big hit with both Big and Small K! Mooncake making! With play dough this time round. These are non-toxic play dough so even if they accidentally mistake them for the real stuff, it's pretty safe. 

We invited some friends over a weekend before and look at how much these kids enjoy this activity! It looks like a production line doesn't it?

Almost every year since we have kids, we visited Gardens By the Bay during this festival. This year the hubs was a tad reluctant as we had braved the crowds and took public transport with an infant and a toddler in hand. Carrying those two and walking to the MRT station, jostling with the bustling crowd was NO JOKE! So, we kindof got traumatised. However, this year's installation was too good to be missed. It was educational and totally in line with what I had been teaching Big K! We arrived and Big K recognised Chang'e and Hou Yi! The giant lantern sets measure up to 27metres and were spectacular! These lantern sets bring to life Asian stories of the moon, including well-loved tales like Chang Er, The Jade Rabbit and The Ten Suns. If you have not visited the place, go soon as it is ending this weekend! Opens daily till 11pm and is near the Supertree Grove. You can't miss it!

Take a picturesque stroll along the Colonnade as 4,000 colourful lanterns in a myriad of colours and design hang overhead, bathing the path in a gentle glow. 

There were several other accompanying activities like tea appreciation, crafting, guessing of lantern riddles and even Chinese Opera with a big screen showing English translation! So thoughtful! 

Now a Mid Autumn wouldn't be complete without lanterns. This year, I got them their favourite character -- Peppa Pig! So glad I managed to get them but really dislike the cheesy ching chong techno tunes which came with it. 

So how did you spend your Mid Autumn Festival? I hope you had a great time bonding with the family! 

Imaginarium 2016 at SAM

I can't believe how time flies! I thought we visited Imaginarium just last year and it's back again! This year is flying too quickly. Does that happen when a person ages?

This year's theme is "Over the Ocean, Under the Sea". It is the sixth edition of SAM's children-focused annual exhibition. This time round, we delve into the deep and are invited into the watery realms of the Earth as seen through the eyes of contemporary artist. Over the Ocean, Under the Sea presents tactile and interactive works that encourage discovery through exploration and play. 

This installation is so meaningful. No doubt it is just a bunch of plastics, but it gave me the opportunity to explain to Big K how important it is to recycle and not be using too much of these non-biodegradable materials. 

We navigated into another room and made the acquaintance of mysterious denizens of the deep. This room features works of Krit Ngamsom. His kinetic sculptures are tongue-in-cheek references to iconic artworks that changed definitions and assumptions about art through their use of ready made objects. The fountain on top of the whale for example is made of tiny urinals! I wouldn't have noticed it if I didn't read the description. Issues concerning the oceans is also covered in this room. I asked Big K how would she feel if she was like the shark trapped in a glass tank and it made her ponder. 

In this next room, we discovered ADA. ADA is an interactive art-making machine. It is an installation with PVC balloons, helium and charcoal. This "creature" glows with the bioluminescence of denizens of the deep. The giant sphere has charcoal studs affixed to her surface and it makes great interactive fun for the kids. The number of people entering is limited each time, so you don't have to worry about your child being crushed by the ball. 

Where is Mogus? Mogus is an imaginary octopus monster, which is artist Mulyana's alter ego. The various corals and sea creatures were laboriously crocheted from yarn. It's really a wonderful sight which invites the young to frolic amidst the whimsical sea monsters. The artist hopes to encourage play, imagination and exploration and my kids sure did all three!

My favourite room has got to be the Underwater Labyrinth as it is constructed by none other than me! Janice Wong! No la, we just happen to have the same name and surname but hey, i noticed, people with this name seem to have something in common -- artistic! or so I'd like to think that I have that in me! :P 

This installation is created with isolate, chocolate, LEDs and acrylic stands. The colonies of corals which encrust the sides pf the gallery are meticulously crafted. Sparkling in the day and luminescent at night, artist-chef Janice Wong's Underwater Labyrinth invites visitors to discover the wonders of a re-created deep-seabed. Wish I could get my hands on those marshmallows!

The Submaroom is probably Big K's favourite as she got to learn how to create various types of sea creatures using Origami. There are two tables with instructions on them and pieces of paper to entice the little ones to do a little folding. No one is there to guide them however so that probably explains why it is not a popular room when we went. 

The Imaginarium is held at SAM at 8Q till 28 August 2016. If you'd like to have some respite from the afternoon sun and at the same time find a fun way to discuss about the how the oceans and seas are susceptible to abuse and degradation, this is the place to head to!

SAM is located at 71 Bras Basah Road and you would probably need to park at nearby carparks along Queen Street, NTUC Income Centre, Manulife Centre, Hotel Grand Pacific or Singapore Management University. It is also a short 2-minute walk from Bras Basah MRT station. 

Opening hours:

MOndays to Sundays 10am to 7pm

(Last admission at 6:15pm

Fridays 10am to 9pm

Chinese New Year Homelearning

Things have been pretty slack on the homelearning front and I am missing out a lot on the golden period. Blame it on the vicious cycle of bugs! Despite doing a fairly good deal of work with Big K (in my opinion at least), this year i received some rather disturbing feedback with regards to Chinese. We started her on Chinese enrichment this year and after the second lesson, the teacher asked if we or the school had been getting her to write because her Chinese penmanship isn't up to mark. By the 3rd lesson, we again received feedback that Big K forgot the words that were taught to her the lesson before and we should revise with her. Oops! Ok, in all honesty, Mandarin isn't my forte and i have tasked it to the hubs who is great with Chinese History. But with his insane travels, teaching the kiddo is probably the last thing he would do. This jump from N2 to K1 is getting me a little tensed up. Yet, I can't do much now that I am living with the in-laws and have to ensure that things are tidy and done in a timely fashion. Rather hard to match the efficiency of the mil who gets up at 4am to do the laundry and keep the dishes *faint. In addition, it's really quite a challenge to be teaching both children. Kudos to those who homeschool more than one child!

Nevertheless, I stayed true to my resolution of being focused and here were the stuff we did the week leading to Chinese New Year. 

These are for teaching sizes. 

This activity was primarily for Small K to learn his colours. However, as usual, Big K wants a part in it. 

These were made together with Big K for her Chinese Show And Tell in school. Education these days  is really a whole new ball game!

Flashcards to introduce the various activities done during Chinese New Year. 

Hope you enjoyed the activities we have done! Have a "猴 seh" (translation: Good) year ahead!