Play is a very integral part of a child's development. In particular during their foundational years. As much as possible, I will go for quality and not quantity. Ok, who am I kidding. Anyone who has seen the mess in my house knows i go for both! haha. The husband can attest to that. Essentially, because there are so many quality toys to choose from! I have a soft spot for anything educational and was very excited to be introduced to ToyTag. A leading online toy vendor housing several of my favourite brands like Hape, Lego, Mattel, Osmo and many more. It even houses books from Epigram! TOYTAG started out with the simple aim of bringing the best toys from all over the world onto one platform for game lovers in Singapore to get their hands on their favourite games easily. They are one of the largest educational toy stores in Singapore and carries a wide selection of educational toys and games that are extremely popular overseas but slightly harder to find in Singapore. To add on, they also have their very own house brand toys, including the Brain Series Classic Chess Set, Hydraulic Robotic Arm Building Kit and Otisboard game. These best sellers hope to inspire the creativity and encourage players to spend some time off your busy schedule to reconnect with your loved ones.
It was easy to navigate as the toys are all categorized according to brands or ages. Saves you the trouble to think if it is suitable for a certain age. Makes it easy to buy a gift for friends should you not have a kid or have long forgotten which toy is age appropriate. I was drawn to the selection of Hapetoys which were housed under TOYTAG. Since the beginning, we had favoured this brand of toys and was delighted to see the array on this site.
The Whirlpool we chose for Small K was extremely apt. We love wooden toys and the material of Hape toys are excellent. It trains not only his motor skills but also his creativity. Initially, I got him to follow the instructions. This boy isn't quite used to following instructions so it kind of frustrated him. After a while, he understood the mechanics and was engineering amazing structures.
In fact, shortly after, he allowed his creativity to take charge and was soon building structures of his own. Even though this toy is more suitable for his age group, Big K was enticed too and played with it for a long while. Ahhhh respite! There were a number of permutations and this stretches their imagination which I like. When children grow up, their imagination is key to an untold world. Imaginations forges stronger neuronal connections in the brain and promotes social interaction. It is, in fact, proven by scientific studies to reduce risks of dementia. Children with more active imaginations may have better brain health and strive for more amazing things. Unfortunately, education these days are rather stifling.
Big K has always been inclined towards art and craft. I recalled about a year or so ago, we attended a Children's carnival at Garden's by the Bay and were rejected at a station which featured creations using a 3D pen. Big K wanted to do it so badly, but was deemed too young. When I saw the 3D Architecture pen seton TOYTAG, I knew I had to get it for her! She was delirious when she received it.
As it involved heat, we had to lend her a hand. We tested it out before guiding her. Sadly, the glue stuck too well onto the plastic sheet and could not be pulled out. We ended up doing it on paper which peeled off better. Eventually we figured that the mould worked better and it did! Big K couldn't quite control her strokes and I had to hold her hand for a bit. However, after a while, she got the hang of it and we made a few simple creations. Such things require patience and hence, apart from gross motor skills, this type is awesome at training a child patience! The refill packs are also sold on TOYTAG so I guess we don't have to worry when the colours run out!
There are several awesome online toy stores in Singapore and TOYTAG ranks second! Find out who are the rest over here. They have good deals every now and then as well, so do keep a lookup!! Apart from its online presence, TOYTAG also retails at Harbour Front Centre and APEX @ Henderson. Do check them out if you are looking for quality toys!
Big K turns 7 this year! Gulp! Did i say 7? Yes, another milestone has been achieved as she blazed into primary school. Currently, she is coping pretty fine at this level but i know that she has much more potential and that she is always taking her own sweet time when it comes to completing a task. No more spoonfeeding and nurturing like in a preschool. She has to face reality where things are fast paced, like it or not.
Since she was about 20 months old, she had been enrolled in an established right brain school. She was there for probably 2 terms but i got pregnant again and had to stop. It was way too tiring for me to carry her for lessons with a big tummy of mine. It was parent accompanied and sitting in class with her, trying to pin her down onto a chair, behind a small table, was quite a feat. My extremely patient dad tried once and he came out telling me never to ask him do such a thing again! It was not that she is a terribly active child. In fact, under normal circumstances, she isn’t. She is reserved. But somehow, during lessons, she would wander from one end of the classroom to the other, distracting other kids. There wasn’t any physical segment to expanse the kid’s energy hence making sitting down throughout a little challenging. As such, she holds the title of an Indian chief and all other toddlers would follow suit. If i could, i would dig a hole and bury myself there and then. The teacher assured me that it wasn’t that she wasn’t paying attention but she was and that probably already knows her stuff! Wow! Are you serious? Do you mean I’ve got a genius here?
Fast forward several years later, after seeing how right brain training at Heguru is doing Small K good, I decided to let Big K have a go. Due to her long hiatus from such training, i decided to start slow and after speaking to Principal J, we decided that Big K should start at a Preschool 2 level. According to her academic age, she should be at the Primary level, but at Heguru, it really is about the process which they are trying to mould.
Details on Preschool 2 program
Duration: 90 minutes
Child's age: 5 to 6 years old
Number of classes: 42 per year
Highlights of this programme:
Enlarging the brain capacity and achieving connection between the left brain and the right brain.
Nurturing high-speed processing skills.
Nurturing the power of expression and ability of comprehension.
Promoting cooperation through group interaction activities.
Further development of the left brain and enhancement of right brain power through the use of prepared worksheets
This programme is designed to effect a superb balance between the right brain and the left brain. With lesson lasting 90minutes, it helps their concentration powers to flourish. Moreover, cultivation of the left brain will be at a higher level than in previous classes, so a foundation is built for the children to utilise when they become primary school pupils. This foundation is absolutely necessary to let their right brain bloom at primary school.
Big K’s thoughts
The initial start was tough. It wasn't about the brain training but she hated the idea that she had to wake up early for a weekend class while her little brother got to spend time with me. Small K still had the luxury of going for a weekday class back then you see. In addition, she wasn’t used to the fast pace and the due to the small enclosure, she was a little disturbed by the voice of the trainer reverberating. It was thunderous as she put it. Coming from a very nurturing preschool, she was always pampered and wasn’t used to such settings. Welcome to the real world, baby! It is cruel and education in Singapore is rigorous.
A month into the lesson, she wasn’t complaining as much and would hurry me for class as the early birds got to sit on chairs and according to her, that cushioned the voice a little. I’m glad she figured a way out. Today, 4 months into the programme, she is looking forward to her lessons every week and would in fact ask incessantly if there was going to be lessons that week. It does help that now the little brother is also going for a weekend class at approximately the same time.
Homework
Right from Preschool 1, the children will be assigned homework. Yes, you heard me right. Homework! Students are given three booklets during lessons. One (Booklet C) to be used during class, another Booklet R, where the questions are more or less similar to those done in class to be used as revision, and lastly Booklet H which is the homework booklet to be handed in during the next lesson. At the beginning, Big K needed quite a bit of handholding. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy doing it. On the contrary, she looks forward to it and would badger me to let her do them over my ‘activities’. Ok Heguru, you win! However, there were a few visualising questions which were rather challenging and I had to make use of manipulatives to assist her.
Due to her prior training plus the games we play at home, she caught on rather quickly and right now, i simply assign her a few pages and she will do them all after school each day. Most of the time, she goes beyond and attempts more than required! This is such a motivation as it clearly shows that the child is enjoying every bit of it. It is with much regret that every week, we are only able to complete booklet H and not able to attempt booklet R which we should, for reinforcement. Should we still be in Preschool where time wasn’t so tight and there were minimal homework, we would probably do them all.
Mummy’s thoughts
I love it! Anything right brain is fascinating for me right from the start! We all know that the brain is divided into the left and the right. The right brain is able to absorb, at high speed, large amount of information. At a Primary level, students will master Hado reading which works on instantaneous memorising. Sounds unbelievable i know! When I saw the promotional video, my mouth was agaped the whole time. I was in disbelief but it has been tested and proven! In Japan, where their headquarters are, if you read 10000 books a month, you will be able to join their Ichimankai club. With consistent training, students are able to draw out their inner genius and be in special education, top their class and pass entrance exams for Tokyo university which we know is quite a feat.
See below video and be enthralled:
I shan’t deny, I do harbour thoughts that one day, my children will reach this stage. Who doesn't want a bright child right? But i know it takes a lot of consistency and discipline to achieve. And sadly, given the current situation, my hands are pretty full.
When i first saw the programme outline, i was ecstatic.
There were a lot of visualizing involved which is extremely apparent in today’s test papers. Here are some examples taken off 2017 Primary 6 Singapore Chinese Girls' School Math paper:
Education has evolved in such a way that questions are no longer expressed in a straightforward manner like in 1+1. Rather, it now involves a lot of higher order thinking from the child. Not easy. Not easy at all. Even for an adult, it isn’t easy. Students cannot learn such things through rote learning. You either ‘see’ it or you do not. With such exposure, I believe it will value add when the child is faced with, for example, Math questions on the topic of Circles where students have to use the cut and paste or overlapping method. Something which requires visualisation. Let’s not even go so far. At Primary one level, the Math syllabus includes shapes and patterns. The exposure from the various Heguru puzzles like the pelican puzzle, magic cubes, tangram and plate puzzles would definitely aid visualisation.
An example of one of the puzzles used during lesson -- Magic Cubes
Another puzzle -- IORITA
Tangram
The part which i particularly like is the energy in class. Students will participate enthusiastically, shouting out the answers the moment they have completed. The time limit for each activity is typically 60seconds. This is an excellent way to push my little one who, since young, has no sense of urgency and is way too meticulous for my liking. In other words, Slow. Why rush the child you ask? Well, if she keeps up with this nonchalant attitude thinking that she has all the time in the world and that the world will stop just for her, sorry baby, but you wouldn’t survive the vigorous system. This is especially apparent where students need to complete 30 question Math questions in 50 minutes in Paper 1 and 18 gruelling Math problem sums in 1h 40mins for Paper 2 during the Primary 6 examination. It not only tests on speed, but understanding and stamina. Society is cruel.
On average, each Heguru activity has to be completed within 60 seconds while in class. This trains the child on speed. It is not about getting the right answer but rather the process and the willingness to try. Big K has an avoidance issue. Whenever she isn’t confident of something, she will not attempt in front of you. Typical of most kids I think. That said, when you are not looking, she can be often seen practising hard, trying to perfect things. A perfectionist, this little one. Wonder where she gets this trait from. 😅🤔
On stamina. Children in general lose focus easily. I mean an exam paper is on average 2.5hours. Expecting them to sit down throughout and focus is really intense at a young age. They do not have stamina and some may be deemed as being ADHD etc. Society has coined so many new terms that for everything a child can or can’t do, there is a psychological explanation which i am honestly skeptical of.
Kids are like animals and they can be trained. Likewise, for stamina, at Heguru, they train it through various activities. One of which are featured above.
I have recently attended their parent preview for the Primary Programme and am tremendously inspired and motivated that this is the right course for my children. However, the jump is rather huge for Primary as the class can hold up to 40 students. Imagine a huge class with everyone shouting the answer out in less than 60secs. Big K isn’t ready for that transition so her trainers and I have decided to go at her pace and for her to get accustomed to the preschool system first. To build her confidence and allow her to grow. Child-led — in line with my motto.
In my next installment, i will share with you in more details, what are the various activities done at a Preschool 2 level.
So stay tuned!
Do also follow Heguru Citysquare mall on Facebook or check out their website for more details. Do give them a buzz to book your slots or speak to their friendly trainers for further insights!
Disclosure: We were invited by Heguru CitySquare mall to review their courses and attended complimentary lessons in return. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and written according to my experience in using the products/ services.
It is Week 2 of Primary One life and I finally found the compelling need to blog this milestone down. Yes, my firstborn is now in PRIMARY ONE! It has been quite an emotional ride with my eldest turning 6, with me throwing her an epic Alice in Wonderland partyand then moving on to Primary school. While she has been very chirpy about the whole transition, mama here is feeling she is growing up too quickly. CUE: #Emo
She has learnt to tie her own laces! She was reluctant to learn back then. I didn't force her and she took it upon herself to self-learn. The making of a perfectionist indeed.
Our weekends now are extremely precious. It is an opportunity for us to catch up on revision as well as outdoor play. Not to mention more cuddles after sleeping in a little more. I have to up my game in the kitchen on weekends now given that what is served during recess isn't fantastically nutritious. Think: $1 pasta without ingredients. How to grow lydat?? It's going to be tougher contrary to what I've heard. Logistically, Big K goes to school in the morning whilst Small K goes to school in the afternoon. Thankfully, Dad is stepping in to assist a little on the pickups. Week 1 had been a killer for me. What with sending Big K to school and then coming home to bond with Small K, settling lunch and off we go to pick Big K up again before sending Small K to school. Then running errands with Big K in tow and finally picking Small K up! Life of an uber driver?
Ever since our return from our long holiday, we took opportunity of the jetlag situation and trained them to sleep earlier and wake up earlier. We succeeded. Only problem, Small K seemed to be the more excited one and had been waking up earlier than his sister. The other problem, he doesn't nap and is in the afternoon session! *face palm. Yes, it will of course be a better option for me to have him in the morning session so that logistics is in sync, but that would mean no quality spent with him. By the time I am home, it will be bedtime. I will not be able to hug and kiss him more. I will not be able to read him more stories.
it has been a challenge to cook for only two!
I will not be able to cook for him and fatten him up. I just cannot. Letting Big K take the school bus isn't an option too as that will mean waking Small K up to escort Big K down. A problem if Small K is still sleeping. My kids have security issues. They need to see ME when they wake up. Plus, we are just 10 minutes away from school! Things generally are pretty manageable when the Mister is in town. Problem is, he isn't always around. I'm a veteran at #soloparenting remember?
The entire routine hasn't been well-received. Of all people, I'm probably feeling the most heat as I have never been a morning person. Not even when I was a student. Waking up at 6am is rendering me knackered by noon! No doubt, I seem to be able to complete more tasks in the morning, but I really need to keep up my stamina in order to survive the day of work. Ningxia had been a very big help here.
I need to replenish my stock!
It's Week 2 and the lethargy is rubbing off Big K. It had been quite difficult to wake her up for the last couple of days. Today, especially, was a pain. Literally. She woke up complaining of a headache. She had been having headaches ever since our trip. We were up in the skies for more than 6 hours and screen time was more than nap time. As such, upon touchdown, she vomited. I dismissed it as altitude sickness. Next, we went up the mountains to ski. We went round and round the windy road and upon arrival, again, she vomited. The next day when we were supposed to ski, she was pale. We dismissed it as motion sickness this round. Something which her mother, me, has it as well. It wasn't a surprise as this happened during our roadtrip last year. Peppermint oil seemed to work momentarily and once on ground level, she was fine. Jumping and having fun. We didn't think much until we came back to Singapore. Her giddy spells turned into headaches. Two attacks since school started. Too many for my comfort level. I had been wanting to bring her to the doctors but the hubs was vehemently against it. Questioning me why would I want to spend money for the doctor to tell me that it could be stress or Primary school jitters or that she isn't having enough sleep. The mil wasn't on my side too. She puts the blame on the fact that Big K's head had a "shock" due to the cold temperatures at where we were holidaying. We had her well covered and she did not have any sniffles whatsoever.
Today was the last straw.
Monday.
Big K woke up complaining of a headache. To put things straight, she was dragged out of bed. She was reluctant to take her breakfast too. Hence we thought it could be that she wanted to escape the Monday Blues. But what does a 6 year old know? It could also be due to the fact that she cried a whole lot before bedtime the previous night. You see, the night before, I had gotten her to count her pocket money. I verbally asked her a few addition sums which she failed to answer. Seeing her wandering eyes on the tv screen, my pressure heightened. I told her she needed to do 10 questions before she was allowed to watch her favourite show. She was reluctant but relented. However, once again, the focus was not there as the eyes were roaming around. Papa saw and instructed -- NO TV FOR THE NIGHT. A good call by any judgement, but if you were in the court of kids, you will know this isn't the best as it is likely to trigger a tantrum. Indeed it did. That night, she wanted only me. She cried and I asked if it was because of no TV tonight. She replied "no mama, i am upset because i couldn't do those questions, all wrong". With that, I broke down too. I was too harsh on a highly emotional perfectionist. I had forgotten that she needed a lot of love and more importantly, I wasn't mindful enough and let my job hazard take the upper hand. This had been a topic covered in school hence I had my expectations. To say that one shouldn't and doesn't have expectations is a lie. No matter how small, it is an expectation and it is inherent. What's worse, this is a job hazard for me. Whether or not it was an excuse to escape from the blues, I will probably never know. It is a thin line as this age, they do know about deception. But I chose to believe my child. I brought her to the pd who suggested we monitor with some medication and referred us to a Neurologist whom we will see in 2 weeks. My heart is heavy now. Very heavy.
Big K has always been keen in art. Be it painting or drawing, she displayed an interest and talent ever since she was a toddler. We don't really have the luxury to go for regular art classes due to logistics and time but have been going to Artgrain for holiday workshops. We had been their paying customers since a year ago. Their array of workshops is really wide. Ranging from Food Art Design, Pixel Clay Structure, Fundamental drawing, pen drawing, Digital drawing to thematic drawing. There are so many workshops, it is sometimes very difficult to choose.
This round, we have been very honoured to be invited for their Frosty Christmas painting.
Teacher Wina started the lesson by showing Big K a series of Christmas / Winter scenes.
They started strategizing various elements of winter. Big K brainstormed with Teacher Wina and came up with Snowman, Penguins, Santa, hut, snow, sleigh, Christmas tree, reindeer and bridge. She was asked which characters she wanted to incorporate into her painting.
With a step by step guidance, Big K was able to sketch out a Christmas scene. It wasn't all easy as her sense of proportion was still weak. The teacher had to start it off with the snowman for her and work from there. Can you spot Santa?
A discussion on the colour scheme ensued. It was suggested to Big K to do a night scene with the Northern light illuminating the sky. I loved that idea and feel. Unfortunately, Big K opposed it vehemently, stating that it was scary looking. She insisted that her favourite colour purple was to be used for the sky. I was horrified! Purple? I held back my tongue as I didn't want to impede her creativity. Who is to say that an orange has to be orange in colour or an apple has to be red?
Beginning with audacity is a very great part of the art of painting. -- Winston Churchill
As she started painting the skies purple and pink, I couldn't help thinking how is this going to work out nicely? The blending was nice, but a purple and pink sky? Later on, Teacher Wina suggested adding orange and yellows and that magically translated the skies into a sunset scene! I was awed.
She was then taught how to add details to the various elements. When the teacher told her to use short strokes for the leaves, Big K immediately linked it to Claude Monet! Say who? I wouldn't have known about him if not for the Heguru lessons I have attended with Small K. Monet is an impressionist who has a thirst for natural lighting, hence the use of shadows and dark tonal shades. Hmmm...shadows? this looks kindof Monet doesn't it?
The teachers at Artgrain have a degree/ diploma in Art and above are some of the pieces the teachers have painted. WOW! I am inspired and so was Big K! It is said that art can benefit a child tremendously. It builds up the function of the right brain. Fostering creativity will not only up your child's chances of being the next Picasso, but also help him to develop mentally, socially and emotionally. Neural connections and fine motor skills are enhanced. If children are engaged in art, they learn better in all disciplines.
It took Big K three days of hard work and she finally completed the massive piece of canvas painting! The Santa and reindeer surprisingly took shape nicely. During the draft stage, I was wondering what mutated character that was. To a large extent, many centres will help the child significantly in perfecting their drawing or painting. However, I found that over here, the teacher encourages them to do it themselves by showing them how it should be done on a separate piece of paper. So all those blending and details that you see in the final product is done primarily by Big K! I think this girl has my genes and I am mighty proud of her!
Thank you Teacher Wina for being so patient with this girl who was a tad grouchy as she had to wake up earlier than usual. Something she just has to come to terms. Thank you for boosting her self-confidence. Big K was so proud of her works that she stood along a walkway of a mall and "showed off" her painting to the passing crowd! She is normally not so daring but I guess the pride in an artist gave her a booster.
Artgrain is a studio which provides quality art education for children, youths and adults. ALL AGES! Perhaps one day, just one day, I might go try them out an rekindle the love for the arts. They run regular classes for preschoolers as well as adults. You may check out the deets overhereor follow them on Facebook for more inspiration!
Disclaimer: We were given a complimentary workshop for the purpose of this review. No additional monetary compensation was received. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and written to my experience in using the services.
