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Monday 28 September 2015

J Summary (6Y6M23D): The Blood Moon

28 September 2015 (6Y6M23D): The drawing of the blood moon as seen by Joshua

This morning, our Little FECS woke us up, when the alarm clock rang at 4.10am. I was really tired. Daddy and him put on their warmest clothing with winter hat and gloves and got ready to go out. I dragged myself out of bed and join them. We saw the blood moon outside our home near the canal. We decided to walk to the lake for a good view. So we walked to the lake and saw near the jetty. To our surprise, we were the only ones there... well, nearly. There was also a man who came with his professional camera, trying to capture pictures of the blood moon. I regretted not getting his contact so that we can see the pictures he has taken

We could not capture a good picture of the moon, as our camera is getting old. We did try to take a picture of ourselves for memory. But it was very dark, and the picture did not turn out so well.

The next time this is going to take place is in 18 years. By then, our Little FECS would be 24 years old. I wonder if he would still want to go with us and see the blood moon... thus I treasure today. Daddy, our Little FECS and I held hands and Daddy said he was really happy to see this rare phenomenon with us his family. Thank God for today, and thank God that I managed to drag myself out of bed.

This evening after coming home from piano class, our Little FECS sprang straight away to draw the blood moon we saw at the lake this morning. We had to ask him to stop for dinner. After dinner, he continued drawing... I will upload some pictures later.

28 September 2015 (6Y6M23D): Can you see the blood moon?

28 September 2015 (6Y6M23D): For memory... at the lake 4.30am in the morning... to see the blood moon...

28 September 2015 (6Y6M23D):Joshua got very inspired and started drawing the blood moon after he came back from school and piano class....


J Summary (6Y6M23D): Reciting numbers 1-500+

On the way home from piano class today, our Little FECS was practicing reciting numbers in the car on his own accord. He did it from 1 to 515, when we finally reached home. It is comforting that he is eager to learn the numbers on his own and that it was his own initiative to practice saying the numbers. I take it close to my heart.

Monday 21 September 2015

J Summary (6Y6M15D) - I Want to Be a Daddy Just Like Daddy Has Been to Me

19 September 2015 (6 years old): Sharing an ice-cream together

I asked our Little FECS, what kind of a father he would like to be, when he grows up? He told me he wants to be the kind of father just like Daddy. I asked, "Are you sure?" He said, "Yes, Daddy is the best Daddy :-)" I want to be a Daddy just like Daddy has been to me.

The respect and admiration our Little FECS has for his dad... to want to be like his dad is the greatest compliment to Daddy FECS. He said his dad is his hero.

It reminds me the amount of influence we have on our children. Our children look at us, and they try to emulate after us. For them, we are the closest examples of how to be a parent. Our children will pick up our good habits and practices. They will also pick up our bad habits and practices. We have to do our best to be a good example for our children.

19 September 2015 (6 years old): Daddy showing the Copenhagen habour to our Little FECS

5 September 2015 (6 years old): Daddy doing school project with our Little FECS

10 September 2015 (6 years old): Daddy teaching our Little FECS the concept of volume

21 August 2015 (6 years old): Daddy reading to our Little FECS

28 June 2015 (6 years old): Daddy washing car with our Little FECS


6 April 2015 (6 years old): Daddy planting with our Little FECS

13 January 2015 (5 years old): Daddy looking at our Little FECS doing his Montessori Maths

17 November 2014 (5 years old): Daddy practicing letter sounds with our Little FECS

2 September 2014 (5 years old): Daddy showing our Little FECS how to brush his teeth

6 September 2014 (5 years old): Daddy making dragon boat with our Little FECS

16 May 2014 (5 years old): Daddy playing LEGO with our Little FECS

31 May 2014 (5 years old): Daddy reading to our Little FECS


27 July 2013 (4 years old): Daddy teaching our Little FECS to ride a bike

Sunday 20 September 2015

Copenhagen Geological Museum


We visited the Copenhagen Geological Museum yesterday. There is a free workshop, which our Little FECS enjoyed very much. We saw many crystals and learned about the earth and the universe.

The museum is just beside the Botanical Gardens, and you can walk through the Botanical Gardens to get to the museum. Admission fee is 40 DKK per adult and 25 DKK per child (3-16 years old). The nearest train and Metro station is Nørreport. It is within walking distance from Nørreport station - about 10 mins walk.

You can find out more here:


Most of the exhibits are unfortunately in Danish.







Fascinated by gold...


and the beautiful crystals and stones such as diamonds...


We reached there at 1.30pm and stayed there for 2.5 hours until the museum closed. We had sufficient time to see all the exhibits. After the museum closes at 4pm, we walked through Rosenborg Have (Rosenborg Gardens) to take the water-bus to Papirøen to have dinner






Thursday 17 September 2015

The Flight of Refugees and the Lesson We Can Teach Our Children


This image stayed in my mind… a wounded dad himself trying to protect and comfort his child, with all the might he has left... the helplessness of the child… and the helplessness of the father… it pains me to see... and how my heart aches for them. Displaced from their country because of war, unwanted, without a shelter and in constant danger. I really hope they are alright. I prayed that they will be fine and safe… and also for those people who are in the same situation.

The horrors of wars… 

Our late PM Mr. Lee Kuan Yew experienced all these first-hand during the Second World War. And it left him with the iron-steel determination to build up a strong Singapore, so that all of us can have a future. He gave us a safe haven to bring up our children, so that we don't have to knock on doors of other countries.

What can we mothers do?

In our protected world, we so often busy ourselves with kids' activities, bringing our kids to Disneyland, etc., I am equally guilty of it. I need to share with J the current world affairs in a bite size manner that will help him understand. I need to take time to explain to my child, what others in the world are going through, even if it means forgoing one of his activities to do so. I need to pray for these people with my child.

We need to teach our children to show sympathy and to raise them up strong to be in the position to help others. It could have been one of us in the picture.

We need to be intentional in our parenting and we need to pray and ask God to help us with it… we need to be determined to raise up good people for the society. This is the only way we can safeguard the security of our children and that of our children’s children.

Wednesday 16 September 2015

Home (Lyrics & Music Scores)

Home (Lyrics)

Whenever I am feeling low 
I look around me and I know 
There's a place that will stay within me 
Wherever I may choose to go 
I will always recall the city 
Know every street and shore 
Sail down the river which brings us life 
Winding through my Singapore 

Chorus: 
This is home truly, where I know I must be 
Where my dreams wait for me, where that river always flows 
This is home surely, as my senses tell me 
This is where I won't be alone, for this is where I know it's home 

When there are troubles to go through 
We'll find a way to start anew 
There is comfort in the knowledge 
That home's about its people too 
So we'll build our dreams together 
Just like we've done before 
Just like the river which brings us life 
There'll always be Singapore 

( Repeat Chorus ) 

For this is where I know it's home 
For this is where I know I'm home





By Sasando...

By piano...









Additional Information:

We watched the SG50 NDP with our Little FECS, and he was very interested in those songs and also the matching parade. So I have compiled this song here to learn with him.

Book: The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian

I find that in raising a child, the most important thing is prayer. So many things are just simply beyond our control. We need to humble ourselves before God. Only God can touch the heart of a child and convict a child. Prayer is the most powerful tool, but alas I have not been very good at it and it can be hard to find the right words. I find this book very helpful in providing inspiration. Hope you may find it useful too.

http://amzn.to/1KnyCj2

Monday 14 September 2015

Montessori Activity: Small Bead Frame - Dynamic Subtraction (With Exchange)


Note: I am showing the large bead frame above, because it is not necessary to buy both the small bead frame and the large bead frame. I am using the large bead frame to do the small bead frame exercises.

AGE: 5.5 (after the child has worked with the Stamp Game)

OBJECTIVE(S):

To show the relationship between the different place values in the decimal system.

MATERIALS:

1. Small bead frame
2. 1 worksheet
3. 1 green, red and blue pencil

PRESENTATION:

1. Read a problem to your child, i.e.:
  4962
- 2347
---------
  2615

2. Have your child build the minuend in beads to the right of the frame, i.e. slide 2 unit green beads, 6 ten blue beads, 9 hundred red beads and 4 thousand green beads to the right.

3. Have your child try to take 7 unit beads away from 2 unit beads by sliding the green unit beads to the left and he will notice that he doesn't have enough to do so, after he has taken away 2 unit beads.

4. Tell your child, "We can exchange a ten blue bead for 10 green unit beads."

5. Slide 1 blue ten bead back to the left and move 10 green unit beads to the right.

6. Ask him to remember that he has already taken 2 units away just now, so he should continue counting from 3 and slide away 5 green unit beads back to the left to show the subtraction 12-7. There should be 5 green unit beads remaining on the right after this process.

7. Ask your child how many blue ten beads he has now and he should answer 5.

8. Have your child slide 4 blue ten beads to the left to show the subtraction 50-40.

9. Have your child slide 3 red hundred beads to the left to show the subtraction 900-300.

10. Have your child slide 2 green thousand beads to show the subtraction 4000-2000.

11. Count the remaining beads on the right of the frame and record the answer on the worksheet, i.e. 2615.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:



0. Prepare the materials.


1. Read a problem to your child.


2. Have your child build the minuend in beads to the right of the frame, i.e. slide 2 unit green beads, 6 ten blue beads, 9 hundred red beads and 4 thousand green beads to the right.


3. Have your child try to take 7 unit beads away from 2 unit beads by sliding the green unit beads to the left and he will notice that he doesn't have enough to do so, after he has taken away 2 unit beads.


4. Tell your child, "We can exchange a ten blue bead for 10 green unit beads."


5. Slide 1 blue ten bead back to the left and move 10 green unit beads to the right.


6. Ask him to remember that he has already taken 2 units away just now, so he should continue counting from 3 and slide away 5 green unit beads back to the left to show the subtraction 12-7. There should be 5 green unit beads remaining on the right after this process.


Have your child write 5 down on the worksheet.
7. Ask your child how many blue ten beads he has now and he should answer 5.


8. Have your child slide 4 blue ten beads to the left to show the subtraction 50-40.


Have your child write 1 down on the worksheet.


9. Have your child slide 3 red hundred beads to the left to show the subtraction 900-300.


Have your child write 6 down on the worksheet.


10. Have your child slide 2 green thousand beads to show the subtraction 4000-2000.

 

11. Count the remaining beads on the right of the frame and record the answer on the worksheet, i.e. 2615.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

J tried this for the first time on 21 September 2015 (6Y6M16D). He could do the sum on paper without the small bead frame, but he had trouble understanding that he has to take away 2 first, before exchanging, when using the small bead frame.

REFERENCES: