Thursday 31 March 2011

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Montessori Activity: Stringing Beads through Bead Mesh


Age: From 1.5 year old

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 1 minute

Objective(s):
To train fine motor skill development.

Material(s):
Colourful beads with wire mesh

Cost:
10 DKK (2.40 SGD) from flea market

Additional Information:
All children are different, although some toddlers love it already at 1 year old, J really started enjoy playing with it around 2 years old. Here is a picture of him having fun with this toy on 6.3.2011 (2Y1D).
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Montessori Activity: Teaching Self-feeding with a Mirror


Age: From 1 year old

Objective(s): To allow the child to self-correct his error, when he gets to see himself in the mirror.

Material: 1 kid's safe mirror or a dressing mirror.

Directions: Place the mirror on the dinning table while your toddler is self-feeding.

Additional Information:
We used the mirror when J was first introduced to solid food as a baby. It then lost its novelty and we have stored it again until my cousin Cat reminded me sometime ago, and out came the mirror again during meal time. It then lost its novelty again. We brought out the mirror again on two Staurdays ago on 20.3.3011, it was a great hit with J (2Y15D), who kept looking at the mirror, while self-feeding with spoon. I think he was learning to correct his aiming with the spoon to his mouth with the mirror.

You can find it from Amazon:


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Montessori Activity: Teaching Science to Toddler with Juicing - From Solid to Liquid


Age: From 2 years old

Activity Duration: 30 minutes

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To teach the concept of turning solid to liquid by juicing the fruits into fruit juice.
2. To develop the 5 senses, in particular, taste.
3. To train fine motor skills.

Materials:
1. Fruits such as orange, carrot, apple, ginger, pear.
2. Electric juicer machine

Directions:
1. Show your child how to cut fruits and let him try with a butter knife.

2. Show your child how to juice the fruit into the machine.

3. Point out to your child how the solid fruit enters the hole and comes out as juice (liquid) flowing into the jug.

4. Let your child try the fruit juice.

Additional Information:
J (2Y15D) tried out juicing for the first time on 20.3.2011. It was Daddy who suggested it and he carried out the activity with J, while mommy tried to take picture. J did not like to drink fruit juice, but he really enjoyed this activity and he drank a lot after this session. He said "juice, juice" again the following Saturday, requesting us to repeat the activity. We usually restrict juice intake, as it is not good to have so much sugar, but this is a really fun and bonding activity.

In affluent Asia, households with domestic help are very common, and often activitives such as cooking and washing dishes are considered low class and being left to the maid. Children are raised like princes and princesses and many are not even allowed to enter the kitchen or wash their own cup, which in my opinion is so unfortunate, disgusting and disrespectful to maids. A generation of softies have grown up since my time. Although it can be a lot of work, besides being fun and educational, it is a very cozy and excellent bonding opportunity for the family. The return from rolling up the sleeves for such work is really worth it.

Wednesday 30 March 2011

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Montessori Activity: Rolling Japanese Bamboo Placemat/Rulle Japansk Dækkeserviet/卷日本餐垫[juǎn rì běn cān diàn]




Age: From 2 year old

Activity Duration: 5 minutes

Preparation Time: 5 - 15 minutes

Objective(s): To train fine motor skill development.

Materials:

1. 1 Japanese bamboo table placemat
2. 1 tray

Directions:

1. Show your child how to roll the mat, saying, "I am going to show you how to roll a mat."

2. Unroll it and encourage your child to try.

Video Demonstration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MmTbc5Gn1Q

Additional Information:

J (2Y26D) needed a little help to when starting to roll the mat at the beginning, due to the difficulty with the thickness, but once the roll gets bigger, he could take over and roll it all by himself. But this is not his favourite activity, unlike pouring or funneling water.

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Montessori Activity: Squeezing Sponge/Klemme Svamp/挤海绵 [jǐ hǎi mián]



Age: From 2 year old

Activity Duration: 5 minutes

Preparation Time: 5 - 15 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To train fine motor skill development.

Materials:

1. 1 basin half-filled with water
2. 1 container containing 4-5 sponges.
3. 1 tray

Directions:

1. Pour the sponges into the basin of water and show your child how to squeeze them one by one, saying, "this is how you squeeze a sponge".

2. Encourage your child to try.

Video Demonstration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2g9IXEGoWA&NR=1

Additional Information:

J (2Y27D) tried this on 1.4.2011 and he liked it quite a lot. He didn't do it "correctly" all the time. Sometimes, he will shake the sponge to get the water out instead. I guess he was just experimenting with the sponges.

References:

http://www.brighthub.com/education/early-childhood/articles/53890.aspx

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J Summary (2Y25D) - Walking on Wooden Line

Language Development

This morning, I left for work after saying good-bye to J. Daddy told me that J said to him afterwards, "mor arbejder" meaning mommy works in English. Daddy then said to J in Danish, "Det er rigtig, mor arbejder. Arbejder J også?" which means "that's correct, mommy goes to work. Does J go to work too?". To which J replied, "Nej" meaning, no in English. J certainly answered correctly, but we wondered whether he really understood the meaning of "arbejde".

Walking on Wooden Line

Today Daddy told me that J (2Y25D) walked wooden line together with A (2.5 years old) at the daycare. Each walked from the furthest end towards each other. When they reached the middle, J hugged A and A hugged J. A then gave J a kiss. How sweet!!! Wished I was there to witness it. J also jumped off the wooden pole onto the sand about the height of a table.

Then A and J fought over the car seat. Amy cried. Daddy told J that A was sad. To our great surprise, J replied, "også mig" meaning also me in Danish. J could understood what Daddy said and replied showing that he understood the emotion of being sad.
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J Summary (2Y25D) - Proclaiming: "My mother"

Usually J was the last kid to be picked up from the daycare. On Monday (28 March 2011, 2Y23D), I picked him up a little earlier, and thus there were still many kids there. Two year old J ran to me looking very proud and said to the kids loudly and smilingly, "Min mor" meaning my mother in Danish.

I could feel the pride in him. No matter how rich or poor, how pretty or ugly, how fat or slim, how neat or untidy a mother is, in the eyes of a two year old, mommy is so cool and the loveliest person he/she wants to be with. It is such a fantastic feeling to be adored and appreciated so unconditionally by someone you love! This is one of the joy and satisfaction of being parenthood. All tiredness melts away, when I receive such rewards.

It makes me reflect, for I do not deserve such adoration, such a sinner as I am and so full of ugliness... frequently complaining, calculative, competitive, impatient, unforgiving... etc... etc... instead of being kind, compassionate, full of grace, always thinking good of people, patient, never gossip, never talk bad about people... oh... It spurs me on to try again to be a good person, to be the best person I could with God's help, so that J can always be proud of me and so that I really deserve his praise, when he says again, "My mother". But I know there is a long way to go, and along the way, I will fall again... before I am made perfect.

It reminds me of God who created us and calls us his children. How God longs to have our adoration and worship, just like how I am so happy for J's adoration. Very often, we humans don't acknowledge God. If we do, we are ashamed of God, and ashamed to telling people that we believe in God, because it is so "uncool". God must be very hurt. This should not be.

But I know this will not last for long... I know it will come a time when it will be "uncool" for J to proclaim to all his friends, "My mother". Maybe when he becomes a teenager, or even sooner. For now, I better cherish it, while it lasts... and bath in blissfully each time he proclaims loudly, "My mother" :-)

Tuesday 29 March 2011

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Montessori Activity: Mini Construction Site Sensory Box



Age: From 2 years old

Activity Duration: Unlimited

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Objective(s): To develop the 5 senses

Materials:

1. 1-2 Tractors
2. Storage box with lid 60 x 40 x 18 cm (approx. 30 litres capacity)
3. Pebbles (you can also use dried beans)
4. Sand
5. Grass and twigs (optional)
6. 1 paper bowl to act as a hill (optional)

Directions:
1. Put this together with your child if he is old enough, if not put it together and then present it to him.

Cost:
Tractor: 20 DKK (4.80 SGD) from Tiger.
Pebbles: 9 DKK (2.15 SGD) from IKEA.

Additional Information:

J (2Y24D) loves to play with tractors right now, and I decided to create a "stage setting" for the tractor for him. I got inspired from Nuturing the Tender Years. Spring and summer is coming, but unlike many Danes, we don't have a garden. Thus, this would be a good alternative for J to play outdoor at our balcony, and we can just cover it with the lid when J is not playing with it. I was lacking the base material - sand, but Daddy came back from his office retreat near the seaside with a plastic bag of sand for me this evening - so that was perfect :-) We look forward to the weekend to let J play with it... or maybe not...

I just realised that I am so happy with my work of art, that I am a little reluctant to let J play with it, as he is sure to mess it up. But that's ironic as I catch myself: this was created to let J play with it, and not to stand like a vase and look nice. But now that it is created, I am finding myself withholding it from J...

I have got to learn to learn to let go...

Update 3.4.2011:
This weekend was rainy, thus, we didn't let J play on at the balcony (perhaps it was my excuse of keeping this as nice as vase). Hopefully, next weekend, I will pass the test of letting J play with it.

Update 10.4.2011 (2Y1M5D):
The weather was very nice, warm and cooling today - perfect to play outside. While waiting for the chicken poxs scare to disappeared, J stayed at home today, instead of going to music and church. I brought out the mini-construction site that I have made. J preferred to dig the sand instead. Then he got bored, and he preferred to play with water. He didn't play with the truck at all! Sweet Daddy showed him how to collect the pebbles in the sand and sort them according to colours, but that didn't interest him much. All in all, it gave us only some 20 minutes of respite, while I tried to prepare lunch. Wished J could entertained himself more by playing on his own more at the balcony, but it was better than nothing.

References:

http://nurturingthetenderyears.blogspot.com/2009/12/mini-construction-site.html

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Montessori Activity: Heavy & Light Sensory Box


Age: From 1.5 year old

Activity Duration: 5 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To stimulate and develop the 5 senses.
2. To introduce the opposite concept of heavy and light.

Materials:

1. 1 transparent storage box approx. 40 x 30 x 16cm
2. 5-10 feathers
3. 1 bag of pebbles

Directions:

1. Mix them in the box.

2. Let your child hold the contrasting weight and feel of the pebbles and feathers without saying anything.

3. Then describe the feeling, the touch and the name of the sensation to your child, for example, stones are heavy and feathers are light.

4. Point to your child the picture in the flash card and the words of heavy and light.

Cost:

Total cost: 35 DKK (8.40 SGD)
Feathers: 20 DKK (4.80 SGD) including other materials in a hobby set jar
Bag of pebbles: 9 DKK (2.15 SGD) from IKEA
Storage box: 100 DKK (24 SGD) for 3 in Jysk
Chinese flash cards from Singapore Popular Bookstore in Bras Basah
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Montessori Activity: Inside & Outside Sensory Box


Age: From 1 year old

Activity Duration: 5 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To stimulate and develop the 5 senses.
2. To introduce the opposite concept of inside and outside.

Materials:

1. 1 transparent storage box approx. 40 x 30 x 16cm
2. 1 teddy bear
3. 1 flash card with the same concept (optional)

Directions:

1. Place the teddy bear in the box together with the picture of flash card.

2. Say to your child, "the teddy bear is in the box."

3. Then place the teddy bear together with the picture of flash card outside the box.

4. Say to your child, "the teddy bear is now outside the box."

5. Repeat a few times, but stop when your child loses interest.

Cost:

Teddy bear: 5 DKK (1.20 SGD) from flea market
Storage box: 100 DKK (24 SGD) for 3 in Jysk
Chinese flash cards from Singapore Popular Bookstore in Bras Basah

Additional Information:

To make the concept taught in the picture flash card more concrete, create it real life and let your child see, touch and feel it.

Saturday 26 March 2011

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Montessori Activity: Sorting Alphabets/Alfabetsortering/字母分类[zì mu fēn lèi]



Age: From 2 years old

Activity Duration: 10-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To train the child’s fine motor skills.
2. To teach alphabets.

Materials:
1. 1 big bowl of 4 sets of small case alphabets a to e
2. 4 identical containers
3. 1 tray

* It is important that the colour of the 4 small containers are the same, so as not to confuse the child that it is alphabet sorting and not colour sorting.

Directions:
1. Demonstrate to your child by sorting one set of the alphabets from a to e each of the small bowls first.

2. As you go along, recite the sound of the alphabet.

3. Encourage your child to try to sort the other 3 sets of the alphabets a-e by putting each of letters into the correct container allocated for the particular letter.

4. Pour back all the alphabets into the bid bowl and repeat.

Cost: Alphabet magnets: 27.04 GBP (55 SGD) (I believe you can get these much cheaper in Singapore).
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Montessori Activity: Stringing Straws/Snor Sugerør/穿吸管 [chuān xī guǎn]


Age: From 2 years old

Activity Duration: 10-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To train the child’s fine motor skills.
2. To train the child's eye-hand coordination.

Materials:
1. 1 drinking straw cut into 5 equal pieces to make "draw beads"
2. 1 pipe cleaner
3. 1 tray

Directions:
1. Show your child by tying a knot in the pipe cleaner

2. Show your child by picking up the pipe cleaner with one hand and begin stringing it through the each piece of straw.
3. Go about halfway and encourage your child to complete it.

4. Remove the straw beads and repeat the activity if your child is interested.

Cost: Pipe cleaners: 20 DKK (4.80 SGD) from the hobby set in Tiger

Additional Information:
J (2Y21D) tried this activity for the first time today. He managed to string the pipe cleaner through the straw, but quickly lose interest to continue.... :-( Will try again tomorrow during potty time so that he can concentrate better, before deciding whether to put this activity away for some time before re-introducing it.


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The 3 Essential Nutrients for Toddler (3ENS)


Most people consider healthy pysical, intellectual and moral development to be the most important areas in raising children, but putting these theorical goals into practice can be a challenge. As parents, how can we stay on top of things without feeling overwhelmed and inadequate?

For me, the key is to keep it simple so as to stay focus in providing key nutrients to these 3 areas.

I have narrowed down to 3 things, which I consider as daily essential nutrients to my toddler and it requires only 45 minutes in total daily.

3 Essential Nutrients (3ENS)

1. The Essential Toddler's Time with God (Food for the heart and soul)

Teaching J the concept of God daily and it usually takes 15 minutes in all.

The Bible says:

"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"" - Matthew 4:4

2. The Essential Toddler's Super Porridge Breakfast (Food for the body)

One important meal a day and it usually takes 15 minutes. All the rest are just bonus.

3. The Essential Toddler's Activity (Food for the brain)

One main Montessori activity a day and it usually takes 15 minutes. All the rest are just bonus.

All these priorities start in the morning and the number one also ends at bedtime. When all these are completed first thing first in the morning, I usually do not mind if J doesn't eat well for lunch at the daycare or dinner later at home or if he idles or plays aimlessly and meaninglessly for the rest of the day.
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Montessori Activity: Cutting Fruits with Butter Knife/Skære frugter/切水果 [qiē shuǐ guǒ]



J trying the pear which he cut himself
Age: From 1.5 year old

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To train the child’s fine motor skills
2. To encourage good eating habits.

Materials:
1. 2 pears (1 for you and 1 for your child)
2. 1 butter knife
3. 1 chopping board

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your child by cutting the pear slowly one slice by one slice.

2. Then assist your child to hold the knife correctly.

3. Encourage your child to try.

Video Demonstration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enlFg35MKLU&feature=related

Additional Information:

I like to start with pear, as it is soft and easier to cut, and at the same time, it is not slippery like other fruit such as mango. J (2Y21D) tried this today for the real first time and he enjoyed it. I had hope that it will encourage him to eat more fruit and more pears, but it hasn't really worked that way today. He couldn't resist trying the bit of pear that he cut himself, but he didn't continue eating the whole pear.

If you don't have the time to supervise closely, you can also use cutting fruit toy to start with, if you don't want to use a butter knife and real fruits. We play this activity with both, sometimes toys, sometimes real fruit. You can get the cutting fruit toys from Amazon:

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Montessori Activity: Salt Tray




Age: From 2 years old.

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 1 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To develop the child’s five senses.
2. To develop the child's language skill.

Materials:

1. 1 deep baking tray or dish
2. A handful of table salt

Directions:

1. Write a letter, for example “a” and pronounce its sound.

2. Encourage and let your child try and repeat the sound after you.

Total Cost: Salt: 3 DKK (0.70 SGD) for 1 packet at the supermarket

Additional Information:

You can also use sand for this, but being a clean freak, I prefer to use salt. For younger toddlers, just allow them to play free “writing” on the salt.
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Montessori Activity: Straining Fishes/Sigte Fisk/滤鱼[lǜ yú]



Age: From 2 years old

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Objective(s): To train the child’s hand-eye coordination skill

Materials:

1. 1 medium basin half-filled with water
2. 1 container with 5 fishes
3. 1 mini strainer (I use the Chinese steamboat ladle with holes)
4. 1 small towel (to wipe dry the tray)
5. 1 tray

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your child by straining the fishes from the basin with water into the container.

2. Pour the fishes back into the basin.

3. Encourage and let your child try.

Cost:

Plastic fishes: 20 DKK (4.80 SGD) at Chao Chao at Lyngy Station

Additional Information:

J (2Y21D) had a lot of fun playing with this activity this morning.

Friday 25 March 2011

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What's in the Closet? Fun & Educational Surprises for your Child from Monday to Sunday

Montessori-style shelf space for activity trays and boxes from Monday to Sunday + Room Time activity tray/box


http://nurturingthetenderyears.blogspot.com/2010/04/montessori-inspired-workboxes.html

http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2010/11/whats-in-box-wednesday-tot-school.html

http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/search/label/Teeny%20Tiny%20Tot%20School
I have started Montessori activities with J (2Y21D) two weeks ago and I have now found an efficient and effective way (inspiration from other bloggers, see references below) to organize my thoughts and the materials that fits into the life-style of a working mom so as to stay on top of things.

The golden rule is to organize the physical space to make such planning possible and then plan the activities a week ahead. So each morning, I would just go to the activity box for the day and take out the materials that I have planned for J to carry out the activity.

Here are some tips from my experience:

1. Organize the closet into 8 or 10 shelves (1 shelf for each of the 7 days + 1 shelf for Room Time activity) at kid's level as follows:

Shelf 1-7: 1 shelf for each activity from Monday to Sunday
Shelf 9: Family Time Activity
Shelf 10: Daddy Time Activity

We have an IKEA Pax closet 50 x 35 cm in J's playroom, which suits us better to find way to use it, rather than buying plastic drawers as the others do.

2. Label each shelf from Monday to Sunday + Room Time (I wrote the label in 3 languages - English, Danish and Chinese, so that J gets to learn the names in all 3 languages).

3. Because we are using shelves, we have the flexibility of using either a tray, basket or box to contain the materials for the activity, whichever is the most suitable.

4. Come Monday morning, just ask your child to go to the Monday shelf to take out the tray or box, and there you have the material and the activity all ready :-)

5. At the end of the week, re-fill the shelves with new activities ready to start the next week :-)

6. Later on, in order to ensure all learning areas are covered, you may want to designate a specific subject area for the activity for each day as follows:

Day 1: Practical Life
Day 2: Sensory
Day 3: Music
Day 4: Language
Day 5: Numeracy
Day 6: Science and
Day 7: God

Benefits:
1. Your child will know what to expect, and it creates a sense of excitement to find out what's inside the box or shelf that you have planned for him.

2. I get a better overview of the activities and can adjust accordingly.

3. During an emergency, I will not run out of activities to occupy your child meaningfully. This will reduce the temptation of turning to the TV or video to baby-sit the child.

4. I don't have the headache of always having to think of what to do with the child on a daily basis.

5. It helps me to build a good routine into activity time for J.

6. Breaks down the challenge of learning into smaller bit-size chunk that is easier to digest by your child.

7. Builds in your child the joy of learning.

References:
Labelling of shelf in English, Danish and Chinese
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Montessori Activities for Toddlers (from 1 year old)


Here is a compilation of fun and educational Montessori activities for toddlers from 1.5 year old.

Practical Life:

Correcting Errors with Mirror

http://momlearnings.blogspot.com/2011/03/montessori-activity-teaching-self.html

Inserting Ice-cream Sticks

http://havingfunathomeblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/popping-posicle-sticks-into-oatmeal-can.html

Inserting Toothpicks

http://momlearnings.blogspot.com/2011/03/montessori-activity-filling.html

Matching Pictures

http://momlearnings.blogspot.com/2011/03/montessori-activity-matching-pictures.html

Matching Shapes

http://momlearnings.blogspot.com/2011/04/montessori-activity-matching-shapes.html

Pouring Beans

http://momreflection.blogspot.com/search/label/Pouring%20Beans

Stringing Beads with Wire Mesh

http://momlearnings.blogspot.com/2011/03/montessory-activity-stringing-beads.html

Sensory:

Taste:

Tasting

http://momlearnings.blogspot.com/2011/04/montessori-activity-tasting.html

Touch:

Distinguishing between Hot & Cold

Fabric Scraps

Hard & Soft Sensory Box

http://momlearnings.blogspot.com/2011/03/montessori-activity-hard-soft-sensory.html

Heavy & Light Sensory Box

http://momlearnings.blogspot.com/2011/03/montessori-activity-heavy-light-sensory_29.html

Inside & Outside Sensory Box

http://momlearnings.blogspot.com/2011/03/montessori-activity-inside-outside.html

Mystery Bags

Textured Collages

Scent:

Scent Sensory Containers

http://momlearnings.blogspot.com/2011/04/montessori-activity-scent-sensory.html

Sound:

Musical Instruments

Music

Shaker Bottles

Basket of Spoons, Lids & Pots

String of Bells

Nature Walk

Visual:

I "Spy" Bags

Simple Puzzles

Additional Information:
Here are two of my favourite books providing hands-on guide on Montessori activities that are practical, simple, easy to follow, fun to read an full of pictures. These books also provide lots of ideas on using simple equipment that you can find at home. You can find them in Amazon. However, if you have to only pick one, I would recommend the first book "Teach Me to Do It Myself":




References:
http://www.anamazingchild.com/resources%20and%20activities/resources%20and%20activities/resources_files/a7a479783fbf6b26d7f59a723a60bae9-28.php

http://www.anamazingchild.com/kates%20blog/files/1ede742fd189fa05aaccb56e6c5ef158-20.php
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Montessori Activity: Hard & Soft Sensory Tub/Hard & Soft Sensory Box/Hårde og Bløde Sensoriskekasse/软硬触觉箱 [ruǎn yìng chù jué xiāng]



Age: From 1.5 year old

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To stimulate and develop the 5 senses.
2. To introduce the opposite concept of hard and soft.

Materials:
1. 1 transparent storage box approx. 40 x 30 x 16cm
2. 20 pom poms or facial cotton approx.
3. 1 bag of pebbles

Directions:

1. Mix them in the box.

2. Let your child touch and feel the contrasting texture of the pebbles and pom poms without saying anything.

3. Then describe the feeling, the touch and the name of the sensation to your child, for example, stones are hard and pom poms are soft.

Cost:

Total cost: 35 DKK (8.40 SGD)
Pom poms: 20 DKK (4.80 SGD) including other materials in a hobby set jar
Bag of pebbles: 9 DKK (2.15 SGD) from IKEA
Storage box: 100 DKK (24 SGD) for 3 in Jysk

Additional Information:

J (2Y20D) tried this for the first time today. Not much wow factor from him though compared to pouring water activities, but he was learning the language of hard and soft from the feel of the items. I think it would have been more interesting for J, if I had introduced this to him when he was younger.

References: 

http://nurturingnaters.blogspot.com/search?q=sensory
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Montessori Activity: Transferring Pom Poms with Tongs/Overførsel af Pom Poms/使用镊子/夹子[shǐ yòng niè zi/jiā zi]



Age: From 2 years old

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objectives:

1. To train the child’s fine motor skills.
2. To teach the concept of squeeze and release.
3. To teach the names of different colours.
4. To teach counting.

Materials:

1. 2 bowls (preferably of equal size and colour)
2. Approx. 7-10 pom poms (keep it simple, not too many)
3. 1 pair of tongs
4. 1 Tray

Directions:

1. Put the bowls on the tray side by side with the tongs on your right and fill the bowl on the left with pompoms.

2. Show your child to transfer the pom poms with the tongs from the bowl on the left to the bowl on the right. Say "squeeze" and "release" as you use the tongs. Say the colour of the pompom you are holding. Count as you go along filling the bowl with pompoms.

3. Switch the bowls so that the bowl with the pompoms is back on the left and encourage your child to try.

Cost:

Total cost: 35 DKK (8.40 SGD)
Pom poms: 20 DKK (4.80 SGD) including other materials in a hobby set jar
Bowls: 15 DKK (3.60 SGD) for 6 from IKEA

You can also buy the pom poms and tongs from Amazon:



Additional Information:

J (2Y20D) tried this for the first time today. At first, he was hesitant, wanting only to see me doing it. Then he tried and succeeded after a few attempts. That got him more interested, and he began to be better and better at it. In the end, I had to take the tray away, as there was no more time left. Will definitely try it again for J.

References:
http://educationofours.blogspot.com/2010/11/squeezing-work-pompom.html

Thursday 24 March 2011

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Easy Pasta with Shrimps


Preparation & Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
- 250g rye wholegrain pasta
- 2 TBS olive oil
- Sprinkle of salt (optional, skip this for babies)
- Water sufficient to cover the pasta
- A handful of frozen green peas
- A handful of cooked frozen shrimps
- Sprinkle of dried herbs (basil or herbs de provence, etc.)
- Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Bring water to a rapid boil, then add 1 TBS of olive oil and salt.

2. Add pasta, cover lid and turn off heat.

3. Let stand on the stove for 15 minutes or until cooked.

4. Drain pasta and add in a handful of green peas and a handful of frozen shrimps, herbs, 1 TBS of olive oil and salt and mix well.

Additional Information:
I am feeling very lazy this evening, thus i decided to make a very simple dinner. This is fast and easy, yet healthy with green peas and olive oil over wholewheat pasta. J enjoyed it, and he is getting very good at eating the pasta with a baby fork. The only thing is he refused to eat the green peas.... arrrgghhh. Thankfully, I have hidden broccoli puree in his toddler porridge breakfast already, so he still gets his nutrition from vegetables :-)

References:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_dinners-kids-will-come-running-for_64335.bc?showAll=true

Sunday 20 March 2011

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Montessori Activity: Inserting Toothpicks/Indsættelse af Tandstikker/插入牙签

Inspired by An Amazing Child
Age: From approx. 1.5 year old

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To train the child’s fine motor skills
2. To teach the concept of full and empty

Materials:
1. 10-30 toothpicks in a bowl (be careful not to overwhelm your child with too many toothpicks, but adjust accordingly to your child’s needs)
2. 1 toothpick container
3. 1 tray

Directions:
1. Show your child how to insert a toothpick into the hole of the toothpick container.

2. Encourage your child try it.

Tips:
1. You can also show your child to listen to the sounds of toothpicks by shaking the container.

2. You can also show your child how to open and close the hole by turning the lid.

3. Advanced level: You can also show your child how to insert the toothpick into the smaller holes of the container.

Additional Information:
This is the Montessori activity I introduced to J (2Y15D) this morning. He enjoyed it a lot and could do it very well. At first, he was very greedy, and wanted to put many toothpicks into the hole at the same time. I learned to be more modest, after I told him that it will be inefficient to do so. He also experimented with listening to the sound of the toothpicks (Montessori sensory experience) by shaking the container, opening and closing the hole by turning the lid. Once he became an expert, he moved on to the more advanced level of inserting toothpicks into the smaller holes (see more pictures). He advanced very fast, because I have introduced this activity a little late. You could start with your toddler already around 1 year 9 months with inserting the toothpicks into the large hole first. J poured back the toothpicks into the bowl after that by his own iniative.

My thanks to Daddy, who took over the morning routine, while mommy ran downstairs to laboriously type this activity down.

Updates on 27 July 2011:
I tried this activity again on 27.7.2011 (2Y4M22D) with J. He still enjoyed it very much and played for a good few minutes. He could do this easily without much struggle. Then he got bored that there were still so many toothpicks remaining to insert through the small holes. He asked to open the lid and place the toothpicks in. I left him to do so. When I returned, all the toothpicks were neatly in the container. J screwed shut the lid and place the container with toothpicks into the basket. He then placed the basket on top of the laundry basket (We usually do Montessori in the toilet - that is the place with the least distraction :-). I was impressed. Good job, J. He has grown and matured so much since we played this 4 months ago...

References:
http://www.anamazingchild.com/kates%20blog/files/7c6174a49e1287da73200f196ea92c48-11.php

Saturday 19 March 2011

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J Summary (2Y15D) - Avoiding ADHD


First train tracks built by J

Focusing and Concentration Skills

I shared with some friends that I have introduced Montessori activities, and some of them told me that those activities did not work for them, as their children were not interested, preferring to learn by watching TV or videos. That made me reflect: what would I do, if someday J is no longer interested? I will have to start thinking of a solution now, before it happens.

J is not one who is born with a natural ability to sit still and concentrate (most baby boys aren't, but most baby girls are). As a baby, J would protest and cry, each time he was left alone to play on his own, and I had to battle this with Blanket Time training (which I did not do very well, as I did not have the discipline to follow through).

As a preventive measure now, I am starting to lay down my action plan as follows:

1. Intensify with Room Time training

I did not do well with Blanket Time training, but I am more determined to follow through with Room Time training with J, although very often I just wish I can just relax and just let J play aimlessly.

2. Cut back on TVs and videos

I will cut back on TV and videos programme, even if they are educational, fun and entertaining. The cons far outweighs the cons, in my opinion now.

3. Continue Potty Time regularly and consistently

On hindsight, I am so grateful that we did potty training with J. When we started potty training, it was not that easy and it required quite a lot of discipline, but we are now reaping the benefits, without knowing when we first started it. Potty time is a very good time for J to focus without any other distractions, and I was able to introduce all the learning activities, that a running, jumping and active toddler would otherwise not able to do.

The Danish news source reported that the number of girls in Denmark in university is out-numbering the number of boys at an increasing rate. This is because girls are in general more motivated and can sit still in class, and boys can't and this problem is moving all the way up to university age, which by that time, is too late to make any corrections. This has serious social repercussions. It means that in general, boys will be less literate than girls, and they will have problems finding marriage partners, when they grow up. It will also be an ecocnomic drain to the society, if boys are not realizing their full potential, because they cannot sit still in class and learn. In Asia, we have less of such problems with boys, because Asian schools and parents are perhaps more strict in enforcing discipline. My mother-in-law told me that the students in Danish public schools are allowed to talk and jump around in class free and easy while the teacher is teaching - to my shock and amazement! (Yes, after 10 years of being in Denmark, I am still experiencing culture shocks!!! Perhaps my mother-in-law exaggerated this, but still I am shocked to hear this.) I am determined to find a school that does not allow such behaviour by hook or by crook, otherwise, we will move back to Singapore!

This aspect touches my heart very much, as with new research findings, I now realised that I came from a family of ADHDs. It affected the males in my family line - my dad, my brother, and now my nephew. It is a crippling disease and I now realised that it is one of the reasons why my family struggled with poverty when I was a child, as a person with ADHD finds it a real battle with his brain to hold down jobs and social relationships - and my dad was the sole breadwinner of my family. I worry for my nephew, J, and I hope and pray that J will grow up taking care of J to his old age, whom I have come to regard as our own son.

Language Development

J's Mandarin is improving after I have taken back some of the bedtime duties from Daddy and also some of the potty time from Daddy (J loves to read when he is at the potty). But I have started Montessori activities 1.5 week ago, and this eats into some of the potty reading time unfortunately. Can't have the best of both worlds. I am juggling a balancing act, and praying for wisdom to know when to do what.

I have scaled down the Speak English Day on Sunday to Sunday Playgroup after music class and church, as I realised that as a working mom, the exposure given to J on Mandarin is limited due to my limited time with him. Mandarin is after all a language much harder to master than English. I do feel guilty sometimes being a working mom, and wish I can stay at home to just focus on child development.

I am grateful that J is also progressing relatively well in English. He seems to be understanding most of the things I say to him in English.

J started getting interested in hearing to stories read out to him, instead of just picture books. His favourite is an English book on Oddieworld and the Police Oddie Sock. I realised that it was because I added a lot of sound effects when reading it, which I didn't when reading other books - English nursery rhymes, Tang dynasty poems and other Mandarin books. I need to be more conscious of developing my own sound effects when reading English nursery rhymes and Tang Dyansty poems, when reading this to J.

Language development is developing at a rate that I now gives up writing the new words that J speaks in my summary. In general, he is repeating 3 word sentences of any language I say - be it Mandarin, Danish or English.

J now automatically says, "Tak for mad", after dinner and on his way upstairs. I asked Daddy whether he told J to say that, and he said no. That's so sweet. J did it on his own. It is a Danish tradition, and it means "thank you for food".

Wooden Toy Train

J is more interested in his wooden toy train set now. Last Monday (14.3.2011), Daddy told me that he constructed the train tracks himself, which I couldn't believe it. Just the week before, he hadn't shown much interest and patience with train tracks. I could not see the work, as our cleaning helper had dismantled it. Last Tuesday, J built one more track. I took a picture of it as a memory of his first constructed train tracks.

Thursday 17 March 2011

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Montessori Activity: Lacing using Homemade Shoes Card/Binde Snørebånd/绑鞋带 [bǎng xié dài]


Age: From 2.5 years old

Activity Duration: 10-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To train the child’s fine motor skills.
2. To train the child practical skills in tying his own shoelace.

Materials:
1. 1 shoes card with punched holes *
2. 1 colourful shoelace approx. 130cm long
3. 1 tray

* Montessori materials are expensive if you want to buy it, but many can be made easily yourself much cheaply. See below how to do it yourself. It is very easy. For variety, you can also use a toy shoes or real shoes. Just place the shoes on the tray, and not with the child wearing it.

Directions:
1. Show your child by tying a knot in the shoelace.

2. Show your child by picking up the shoelace with one hand and begin the sewing action. Start with the shoelace above the card and go under. Then bring the shoelace back up through the next hole.

3. Go about halfway and encourage your child to complete it.

4. Remove the shoelace and repeat the activity if your child is interested.

Special Warning:
Supervise closely with shoe lace. Remove and store away immediately after activity.

Cost:
Total Cost: 45 DKK (10.80 SGD)
Shoe lace: 35 DKK (8.40 SGD) from Lyngby shoe repair shop
Lamination: 10 DKK (2.40 SGD) from Lyngby station photo development shop, but you can laminate 3 pictures, thus it works out to 3 DKK per picture.

How to Make Lacing Shoes Card Yourself?
1. Download picture from here.
2. Print it, cut the picture out and laminate it.
3. Punch holes using a belt hole puncher on the picture marked out for shoelaces.

Additional Information:
I am very happy to receive a toy shoes from my friend K, but J is still too young to try it. Thus, I have made this shoe card for him to try it. When he is older, I will let him try the wooden toy shoes and then proceed to a real pair of shoes.

If you don't have the time to make your own, you can also buy something similar from Amazon:


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Montessori Activity: Sewing using Homemade Card/Syning/缝纫 [féng rèn]



Age: From 2 years old

Activity Duration: 10-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Objective(s): To train the child’s fine motor skills

Materials:

1. 1 card with punched holes *
2. 1 colorful shoelace approx. 130cm long
3. 1 tray

* Montessori materials are expensive if you want to buy it, but many can be made easily yourself much cheaply. See below how to do it yourself. It is very easy.

Directions:

1. Show your child by tying a knot in the shoelace.

2. Show your child by picking up the shoelace with one hand and begin the sewing action. Start with the shoelace above the card and go under. Then bring the shoelace back up through the next hole.

3. Go about halfway and encourage your child to complete it.

4. Remove the shoelace and repeat the activity if your child is interested.

Special Warning:

Supervise closely with shoe lace. Remove and store away immediately after activity.

Cost:

Total Cost: 45 DKK (10.80 SGD)
Shoe lace: 35 DKK (8.40 SGD) from Lyngby shoe repair shop
Lamination: 10 DKK (2.40 SGD) from Lyngby station photo development shop

How to Make Sewing Card Yourself?

1. Find a picture that you like from the internet.
2. Print it, cut the picture out and laminate it.
3. Punch holes along the sides of it with paper hole puncher, leaving approx. 1 inch gap between each hole.

Additional Information:

I don’t think J is old enough to try this yet, but I am going to test it anyway. I have made the sewing card, so that I have it ready when J is ready :-) I am really pleased with myself for making this card, after being inspired from other moms (unfortunately I can’t remember the website). It is getting more and more fun with making Montessori activity for J. It doesn't take long to make one such card, and one is sufficient. It took about 5 minutes. Try it :-)

Updated 25.4.2011 (2Y1M20D) - J tried with the sewing card today and succeeded, yeh!!!. It is challenging enough and yet at the right level enough.


If you don't have the time to make your own, you can also buy something similar from Amazon:


Tuesday 15 March 2011

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Montessori Activity: Matching Pictures/Matchende Billeder/图片匹配 [tú piàn pǐ pèi]



Age: From 1.5 year old (Level 1)

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To create a fun way to identify picture and name the picture.
2. To teach language.

Materials:
Matching picture card board game for 4 players.

Directions:
1. Each player picks a mat and the cards are spread out face down on the table. The youngest player begins and the game continues clockwise. The first player picks a card. The player shows the card to the other players and puts it on its mat if a matching picture is found. If the picture on the card does not match, the card is put back on the table. The player who first covers his or her mat wins the game.

2. The simple version is to just let your child match the picture on the mat for younger toddlers :-)

Cost: 30 DKK (7.20 SGD) from Tiger.

Additional Information:
Tried this game with J (the simple version) and he could match the pictures. But he is such a perfectionist like mommy and daddy that he got frustrated when he could not place the picture fitting on exactly the same spot as the matching picture!!!

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Montessori Activity: Filling & Emptying Bottle/ Fyldning og Tømning Vand/装与倒水[zhuāng yǔ dào shuǐ]


Age: from 1.5 years old

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To train the child’s fine motor skills
2. To teach the concept of full and empty

Materials:
1. 2 basins
2. 1 small bottle
3. 1 small towel (to wipe dry the tray)
4. 1 tray

Directions:
1. Demonstrate to your child by filling water into the bottle from the basin and pouring the water out from the bottle into the other basin.
2. Encourage and let your child try it.

3. Then demonstrate to your child by wiping the tray dry using the towel.

4. Encourage your child to try wiping.

Tips:
J loves to fill the bottle and empty it at the sink using the tap, which is a waste of water. So I decided to make this activity for him. Can’t wait to try it out tomorrow evening!!!
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Montessori Activity: Sorting Beans/ Bønnersortering/豆豆分类 [dòu dòu fēn lèi]





Age: From 2 years old

Activity Duration: 10-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To train the child’s fine motor skills.
2. To teach colours.
3. To teach the names of different beans.

Materials:
1. 1 medium container containing 5 types of beans 10 each, preferably of medium size (I use soybean, great northern beans, pinto beans, kidney beans and black beans)
2. 5 small containers or bowls of identical colour and size.
3. 1 tray

Directions:
1. Demonstrate to your child by sorting one set of the beans into each of the small container first.

2. As you go along, recite the name of the colour of the bean (or the name of the bean for variation).

3. Encourage your child to try to sort the other 4 sets of the beans by putting each of them into the correct container/bowl allocated for that bean.

4. Pour back all the beans into the big container and repeat.

Additional Information:
J (24M10D) tried it today. He was enjoying it initially and we could clearly see that he could sort the beans rather easily. However, I realized that I made the mistake of giving him too many beans, and he got impatient and tired of sorting them after a while… aarrggh! He started pouring all the beans into one container instead!!! We all learned from mistakes, and by putting it down here, I hope it prevents you from making the same mistake as me. I am wiser now. Next time, I will just put in 10 of every bean :-)
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