2009 school holiday events November 5, 2009

the school holidays are here again (well… almost here)! it’s a time for you to bond with them. to see what they are capable of doing and to express your love and give them the attention that they want. here are some things you can do with your children.

Asian Children’s Festival 2009
@The Plaza, National Library Building, 21-22 November 2009, 10.30am to 6.00pm
Admission is free!
There are 4 zones: Kids play (games galore!), Kids create (get creative!), Kids groove (show your talent!) and Kids chill & read (storytelling sessions).

Asian Children’s Festival 2009 Fringe Programmes
Sign up at http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg and surf on to BOUNCE. Places are limited.
Let’s build a fortune cat @Woodlands Regional Library, 25 November 2009, 7.00pm to 8.00pm
Create your own lantern @Tampines Regional Library, 26 November 2009, 3.00pm to 5.00pm
Asian art attack @Tampines Regional Library, 28 November 2009, 1.00pm to 2.00pm

Let’s Explore and Have Fun!
$30 per child  (parents can make additional contributions for themselves)
@Aranda Country Club, Pasir Ris, 2 December 2009, 2.00pm to 6.00pm
Call Noormah@96343897 or Siti@90704615 or email mineegiant@yahoo.com.sg to register
Bond with your child as you explore the wonders of nature this holiday!

i quote November 4, 2009

“Parents must get across the idea that I love you always, but sometimes I do not love your behavior”
~Amy Vanderbilt

choose your words with care August 8, 2009

preschool children are capable of understanding or at least interpreting what adults say. what may seem as a harmless comment made by an adult may result in undesirable consequences. for example, at a birthday party, a lady gushed,”Gosh! Your daughter is so pretty! Can I take a picture with her?” when she saw her friend’s 4-year old daughter with long curly hair, dressed in a frilly pink dress. the girl looked pretty much like a doll… very adorable. the comment was made in front of other children about the same age as the girl. some of them will probably come to think,”Why doesn’t she say that to me? She didn’t offer to take a picture with me. It must be important to be pretty.” so a harmless remark might actually affect a child’s self-esteem. it also teaches the child the values held important by society. from the example above, it seems that society gives great importance to some people but not others because of physical appearance.

i remember a dialogue said by one of the characters in the manga Fruits Basket:
They figured she was a child and that she wouldn’t understand what the adults were saying. How foolish! In actual fact, children are well aware of what adults say. At the very least, they can tell if those words were kind or malicious.
i believe there’s a truth in there. children are better at reading body language than we give them credit for. they know when their mom or dad is angry just by the looking at the adult’s actions. this is because children learn a lot through observing and imitating adults.

i’ve had incidences in class whereby children say things they don’t fully understand the meaning of. they just parrot them back after hearing an adult say it (the parroting may not be immediate). there were also times when these children get really upset when their peer mention that their drawing is not nice. experts even say that it is best not to hold any argument in front of the children as this will bring a negative impact in their lives. the child that sees his/her parents argue all the time will think that he/she is the cause of the arguments. all these show how words have to be chosen with care when talking in the presence of children.

online game for charity July 27, 2009

i read this article in today’s edition of Today newspaper. it mentioned a new initiative launched by the South West CDC in collaboration with POSB that allows online players to do their bit for charity while trying to beat the highest score. the money will be used to help needy children – about 1000 new Primary One students next year.

so do your bit for charity and play the online games at clicktoaid.sg. there are four games to choose from:
- word whiz: match words with their meanings or with its synonym.
- spot the difference: spot five differences in two given pictures within a time limit.
- POSB smart saver quiz: questions are related to saving and spending.
- save with smiley: help smiley collect acorns. at the same time, make sure he eats, sleep, learn and play.
after playing a game, you have the option to recommend your friends to this website.

i quote July 2, 2009

“One of the joys of being a kid is that experiences are new and therefore more intense.”
~ Calvin & Hobbes

influenza A (H1N1) June 24, 2009

Influenza A (H1N1) is a new strain of influenza virus that spreads easily from human to human. Though the virus is milder than previously feared, it is still evolving. The rate of spread of H1N1 appears to be higher than seasonal flu. It is spread through people with flu, coughing or sneezing. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

The following are symptoms of H1N1:
-high fever
-runny nose
-cough
-sore throat
-muscle ache
-tiredness

As of today, the total number of confirmed cases in Singapore is 220. There are no death cases. As such, 2 kindergarten chains has announced that they will resume classes next week when the school holidays end. These kindergartens will implement extra H1N1 precautionary measures.

Childcare centres have also been in operation throughout this period. Taking the children’s and teachers’ temperature twice a day is the adopted routine in most centres. Parents are not allowed into some of these centres to minimize any possible spread of the virus as children are more prone to catching the virus.

For more updates on the H1N1 virus in Singapore, check out http://www.moh.gov.sg/mohcorp/default.aspx or http://www.swineflu.sg/

where is the love June 15, 2009

What’s wrong with the world mama?
People living like ain’t got no mamas
I think the whole world’s addicted to the drama
Only attracted to the things that bring you trauma

remember that song by Black Eyed Peas?  i don’t know why but that song just popped into my mind as i start to type this entry. just now as i waited in line for the bus, i saw this boy mercilessly killing a black ant. the ant was just crawling harmlessly on the floor (probably searching for food). the boy wasn’t even standing anywhere near the ant. he saw it, he went near it, he asked his dad “can i kill it?”, he didn’t get a verbal respond from his dad (i’m not sure if the dad nodded his head or not as i was in front of them), he went ahead and stepped on the ant. the ant squirmed. he stepped on it again. stomping harder. *horror* i really felt appalled at his actions. his dad didn’t say a thing. i wanted to tell the boy off. to say to him that the ant is a living thing and it is cruel of him to kill the ant that way.

i wonder if we’re raising our children to become uncaring people.
i wonder what kind of world our children will make for themselves if that is how they treat other beings…
what is life without compassion?
what kind of life will it be without respect for other living things?

as a child, i was taught to love all things. living or not. to love them and treat them with respect. killing an insect was unnecessary unless it is of a species that carries some form of disease. even if i don’t like that particular animal, i was taught not to mistreat it. never to abuse. these values should still be taught to children today. otherwise, they will just grow up selfish, think about themselves and not care about other things.

i neglected to mention that the boy touched a piece of dirt after killing the ant. his dad shouted at him… that he shouldn’t touch the dirt. what the…?! i know you have your son’s health at heart but isn’t that over reacting a little? i mean, you can’t possibly expect the child to have a strong immune system if he lives in a clinically sterile world… not allowed to touch ‘dirty’ things. no wonder our children are sickly. we sanitize their hands too much. we don’t let them play in the mud. we get angry when they stroke a cat’s back without asking for permission first. we don’t let their body build its own immunity.

are we making light of the things that really matter?
are we putting too much stress on things that we should go easy on? 

With the world that we living in
People keep on giving in
Makin wrong decisions
Only visions of them livin and
Not respecting each other

learning in the fast lane March 6, 2009

there are occasions during my course of teaching whereby i come across children who know more than i did when i was their age. children who already know what i only found out when i was a teenager. so i asked myself, “Are the children learning too much too soon?”

even my line of work (a preschool enrichment science teacher) is met with shocked expressions and comments like “You teach SCIENCE… to children THAT YOUNG? What do you teach them?” so i had to explain that i do lots of experiments with the children, then explain how they work.

people think that it’s inappropriate. that the age group is too young to be learning about science. however, you’d be surprised at the questions or things the children share in class about what they know of the subject in discussion. for example, i was explaining to the children that a mixture of yeast and sugar water will give off carbon dioxide and alcohol. a child then mentioned CO2. the child already knows the chemical symbol for carbon dioxide! i only learnt that in secondary school. then another child chipped in saying “C is for carbon and O is oxygen.” i was amazed. at a young age of 6, they already know all this. if they already know so many things now, then what are they going to learn in school at a higher level? will they get bored of learning what they already know or will their knowledge be a motivation for them to find out more about the subject concern.

time is already flying by so fast. every morning we wake up, send our children to a childcare, then go to work. after work, we drop by the childcare to pick the children up before going home. next thing we’ll know is that our children are taking their PSLEs, then the O’s and so on. everything is moving so fast that even the rate the children are learning seem to be in the fast lane as well. shouldn’t we slow down and let them enjoy their childhood? shouldn’t we slow down and experience their childhood with them?

lesson in love February 12, 2009

This is taken from a story i read in a friend’s note in FB. Just some lessons we should all keep in mind when something (whether good or bad) happens.

“When someone lies to you, it teaches you that things are not always what they seem. The truth is often far beneath the surface. Look beyond the masks people wear if you want to know what is in their hearts. Remove your own masks to let people know who you really are.

When someone steals from you it teaches you that nothing is forever. Always appreciate what you have. You never know when you might lose it. Never take your friends or family for granted, because today and sometimes only this very moment is the only guarantee you may have.

When someone inflicts injury upon you, it teaches you that the human state is a very fragile one. Protect and take care of your body as best as you can, it’s the one thing that you are sure to have forever.

When someone mocks you, it teaches you that no two people are alike. When you encounter people who are different from you, do not judge them by how they look or act, instead base it on the contents of what is in their hearts.

When someone breaks your heart, it teaches you that loving someone does not always mean that the person will love you back. But don’t turn your back on love, because when you find the right person, the joy that one person brings you will make up for all of your past hurts. Times a thousand fold.

When someone holds a grudge against you, it teaches you that everyone makes mistakes. When you are wronged, the most virtuous thing you can do is forgive the offender without pretense. Forgiving those who have hurt us is often the most difficult and painful of life’s experiences, but it is also the most courageous thing a person can do.

When a loved one is unfaithful to you, it teaches you that resisting temptation is Man’s greatest challenge. Be vigilant in your resistance against all temptations. By doing so, you will be rewarded with an enduring sense of satisfaction far greater than the temporary pleasure by which you were tempted.

When someone cheats you, it teaches you that greed is the root of all evil. Aspire to make your dreams come true, no matter how lofty they may be. Do not feel guilty about your success, but never let an obsession with achieving your goals lead you to engage in malevolent activities.

When someone ridicules you, it teaches you that nobody is perfect. Accept people for their merits and be tolerant of their flaws. Do not ever reject someone for imperfections over which they have no control.

When someone loves us, it teaches us love, kindness, charity, honesty, humility, forgiveness, acceptance, and all of these can counteract all the evil in the world. For every good deed, there is one evil deed. Man alone has the power to control the balance between good and evil, but because the lessons of love are not taught often enough, the power is too often abused.

When you enter someone’s life, whether by plan, chance or coincidence, consider what your lesson will be. Will you teach love or a harsh lesson of reality? When you die, will your life have resulted in more loving or more hurting? More comfort or more pain? More joy or more sadness? Each one of us has the power over the balance of the love in the world.
Use it wisely!”

So what has the above lessons got to do with children? Everything. It would be perfect if we could just instill these values in our children. Let them understand that everything that happens, has a valuable lesson behind it.

chicken pox December 3, 2008

At age 20+, it comes as a surprise to me when the doctor prescribed that i had chicken pox. I already had chicken pox when i was a child. To which the doctor said that i was one of the 5% of people who get a second bout of chicken pox.

Chickenpox is a common illness among kids, particularly those under age 12. An itchy rash of spots that look like blisters can appear all over the body and may be accompanied by flu-like symptoms. Symptoms usually go away without treatment, but because the infection is very contagious, an infected child should stay home and rest until the symptoms are gone.

Chickenpox causes a red, itchy rash on the skin that usually appears first on the abdomen or back and face, and then spreads to almost everywhere else on the body, including the scalp, mouth, nose, ears, and genitals.

The rash begins as multiple small, red bumps that look like pimples or insect bites. They develop into thin-walled blisters filled with clear fluid, which becomes cloudy. The blister wall breaks, leaving open sores, which finally crust over to become dry, brown scabs.

Some kids have a fever, abdominal pain, sore throat, headache, or a vague sick feeling a day or 2 before the rash appears. These symptoms may last for a few days, and fever stays in the range of 37.7°C–38.8°C, though in rare cases may be higher. Younger kids often have milder symptoms and fewer blisters than older children or adults.

Chickenpox is contagious from about 2 days before the rash appears and lasts until all the blisters are crusted over. A child with chickenpox should be kept out of school until all blisters have dried, usually about 1 week. If you’re unsure about whether your child is ready to return to school, ask your doctor.