Saturday 30 April 2016

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J Summary (7Y1M25D): Freezing Orange Juice into Ice-Cubes


J suddenly had this idea about making orange juice and freezing it down into ice-cubes. He said it will be his ice-cream. He also wanted to drop an orange ice-cube into a glass of water to see what kind of pattern it will make. We didn't take a picture of the dissolved ice-cube in water. It didn't look that pretty. Then he tried eating an orange ice-cube. He put the whole ice-cube into his mouth, and said that it was too cold.
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Pizza with Sliced Beef, Spinach, Mushroom & Cheese


Homemade pizza with sliced beef steak, baby spinach, button mushrooms and grilled cheese...

Daddy FECS and Little FECS loved it. It tasted really good. We were not so fond of the grilled cheese. Next time, we will make it with mozzarella cheese.

We basically sliced the beef steak and put on the pizza. We did not have to fry it on the pan. The pizza then went into the oven at 180 degree celsius for 15 minutes and the beef was all cooked and yet still tender :-)


Thursday 28 April 2016

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Montessori Activity: Homemade Fabric Box



Age: From 2 years old

Objective(s): To refine the child's sense of touch through matching fabrics according to the texture by feeling with the child's fingers.

Materials:

1. The Fabric Box contains different pairs of fabric such as:
  • Cotton
  • Wool
  • Jute
  • Silk
  • Linen
  • Velvet
  • Satin
  • Leather
  • Rayon
  • Demin
2. 1 blindfold (optional)
3. 1 mat

Presentation:

1. Mix the pile of fabric randomly.
2. Take the 1st piece of fabric from the top of the pile.
3. Feel it with your hands.
4. Take the next piece of fabric from the pile and compare if they are the same through touch.
5. If they are not the same, i.e. they don't match, put the 2nd fabric aside to the right of the pile.
6. Continue to compare one fabric at a time until a match is found.
7. Place the matched pair on the top left corner of the mat.
8. Continue matching in the same manner until all pairs are found.
9. After your child has gained sufficient experience, use the 3-Period Lesson to teach the name of each fabric.
10. To increase the challenge, use a blindfold for your child to rely solely on his touch to match the pair, instead of sight (optional)

Video Demonstration:


Here is a video demonstrating the above presentation:




This video shows another way for the child to work with this material:



Additional Information:

I did not introduce this to J, when he was a toddler. It was too much work, and I am not good at making things. But I would like to do this activity with Baby.

I am currently on maternity leave, waiting for the baby to arrive. As such, I have attempted to make my own Fabric Box. I cut out the pieces from unwanted clothes, scarves, towel, etc. I re-used a wooden box, which came with chocolate, to store the fabric.

It has taken me the whole night yesterday to make this. I am glad I have completed it.

References:

http://www.infomontessori.com/sensorial/tactile-sense-fabrics.htm
http://www.montessorialbum.com/montessori/index.php?title=Fabrics
http://teachingfromatacklebox.blogspot.dk/2013/08/montessori-fabric-matching-part-1.html

Pictorial Demonstration:


Mix the pile of fabric randomly.


Take the first piece of fabric from the top of the pile. Feel it with your hands.


Take the next piece of fabric from the pile.


Touch and


compare if they are the same through touch.


If they are not the same, i.e. they don't match, set the second fabric aside to the right of the pile.
Take the 3rd piece of fabric from the top of the pile.


Feel it with your hands.


Compare if they are the same through touch.


If they are not the same, i.e. they don't match, put the end piece of fabric aside to the right of the pile.


Take the 4th piece of fabric from the top of the pile.


Feel it with your hands.


compare if they are the same through touch.


If they are the same, place the matched pair on the top left corner of the mat.


Continue matching in the same manner until all pairs are found.


Return the fabric back to its box after use.

After your child has gained sufficient experience, use the 3-Period Lesson to teach the name of each fabric.

You can also make this activity more challenging by using a blindfold for your child to rely solely on his touch to match the pair.

How to Make This Materials:

Our Montessori Fabric Box is homemade:


They are made from the materials from old clothes, scarves, cloth bags and towels.


I use the Montessori metal inset as a template for the size. 


Each fabric piece is 10 x 10 cm. 


I use an old chocolate wooden box to store the fabric.


Place the fabric box in a tray, ready for the child to bring to the table or mat:-)


This is how it looks like inside :-)


Our fabrics consist of:
1st column: Spandex, towel, net and felt (focus on providing a clear difference in texture)
2nd column: Satin, cotton, polyester, linen (focus on providing the increasing degree of coarseness)
3rd column: Silk, Thai silk, another kind of silk & bath cloth
Last column: Demin

I did not have velvet at home, thus velvet hasn't been included.
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J Summary (7Y1M23D): J Dropped His First Tooth on 26 April 2016 (7Y1M21D)


This is what I placed in the package given by the "Tooth Fairy": A card to remind him to brush his teeth well from now on, since he will not get a second chance with a new set of teeth, a piece of chocolate and 20 kroner, 10 kroner for each tooth. 


28 April 216: J lost his first teeth 2 days ago (26 April 2016 - 7Y1M21D, and lost his second one yesterday. 

But he was so sad, he almost lost the souvenir, when he dropped the second tooth in the kitchen sink. Cried and cried, and then suddenly, we found it on the floor.

Isn't God good? God allowed him to drop his tooth on the floor, so that it didn't go down the sewage.


28 April 216: He was very excited about a visit by the Tooth Fairy.

He said he doesn't believe in Tooth Fairy. Tooth Fairy is just parents in disguise. Nevertheless, he wanted a visit from tooth fairy.

This morning, the Tooth Fairy visited, and he was very happy.


I asked him whether he believed in Tooth Fairy. He said yes.


I asked him, whether he knows how Tooth Fairy looked like. He refused to say. I bet, he knew how the Tooth Fairy looks like. She looks like me, of course :-)

A friend of mine told me how she realized that her baby has grown up, when she dropped her first tooth. I could really identify with her. That was how I felt, when Joshua brought home his tooth from school. Sob sob... our children are growing up so fast :-(

It is a new milestone that we are embarking on... we have to treasure our motherhood...

Dear God, thank you for the joy of family and the health and time to enjoy it.
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A Letter to Pa


Dear Pa

We are organizing the nursery for baby, and preparing faces for baby to see and for baby to know her grandparents. I took this picture out and my heart is filled with gratefulness and heartache at the same time. When J was born, you were able to be here to share the joy. You will not be here this time... sob sob... But we will still keep your picture for baby to know you, and for us to remember you. You will continue to live in our hearts, and I know that you are safe and joyful in the embrace of Jesus our God.

Even though one year has passed... the heartache and sorrows never leave us. As our hearts are filled with the cries of the sorrow of experiencing departure and death, I know God understands. The joys and sorrows of life, God understands. God went through death and the deepest sorrows. God came through victorious.

Like what the Queen of Denmark said, "I will not fear death, for Jesus has already walked there before me."

God came as man, went through death personally, and came out alive, so that we all can live.

Dear Pa, you are dearly missed. Even as we welcome a new life, we humble ourselves as humans. I am so glad that You have chosen God as the God of your life.

Most importantly, I am so grateful that God has chosen to be our God. We have nothing, absolute nothing at all, to offer God. So often, looking at the state of this world, we offer God only heartaches from the atrocities men committed daily. Undeserving as we are, yet God has chosen to accept us, agree to be our God and to give us eternal life. What life abundant already here on earth. Dear Pa, I am comforted. You are at a better place, safely in the loving hands of our loving God. But you are dearly missed here... especially on this occasion.


Wednesday 27 April 2016

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Baby Care Videos


There are so many things I have forgotten what to do, when caring for baby, as it was 7 years ago, since J was born. Just collating some useful baby care videos from Babycenter.com

1. How to burp your baby?


2. How to help your baby sleep safely?

http://www.babycenter.com/2_how-to-help-your-newborn-sleep-safely_10405042.bc
http://www.babycenter.com/2_how-to-reduce-your-babys-risk-of-sids_10360426.bc
  • Sleeps 16-18 hours a day
  • Give pacifier while sleeping to prevent sid
  • Use wearable blanket
  • Don't let baby overheat - check room temperature
  • Don't overdress baby or cover her face or head
  • Don't share bed with baby
  • Breast-feeding and vaccination schedule reduce sid
  • Sid most common 1 month - 1 year old

3. How to swaddle baby?

http://www.babycenter.com/2_how-to-swaddle-a-baby_10408933.bc

4. How to care for your baby's umbilical cord stump?

http://www.babycenter.com/2_how-to-care-for-your-newborns-umbilical-cord-stump_10405046.bc

  • Keep it clean & dry
  • Don't attempt to pull off the stump even if it looks like it is hanging from a thread
  • Leave it alone & let it fall off on its own
  • Dress baby in loose clothing to help the stump to dry out
  • If the stump is dirty, use a wet cotton stick/wash cloth, dape the area surrounding the stump and let it air dry
  • Give sponge bath without touching the stump

5. How to give your baby a sponge bath?

http://www.babycenter.com/2_how-to-give-your-newborn-a-sponge-bath_10405045.bc
  1. 5 small wash cloth for face and diaper area
  2. 2 larger wash cloth to clean and dry the body
  3. Cotton Ball
  4. Cotton sticks
  5. Comb/brush
  6. Towel for placing over bath tub or crib, instead of water
  7. Baby towel to dry baby
  8. Cup for rinsing hair
  9. Basin of warm water for rinsing hair
  10. Small towel to place on bathtub to prevent slip
  11. Clothes to change
  12. Fresh diaper
  13. Mild baby soap
  • 32 degree celsius
  • 1-2 times a week
6. How to give your newborn a bath (after umbilical cord stump has dropped)?

http://www.babycenter.com/2_how-to-give-your-newborn-a-bath_1486858.bc
http://www.babycenter.com/2_how-to-change-your-newborns-diaper_10405047.bc

  1. Wash cloth
  2. Cotton Balls for eyes
  3. Cotton sticks
  4. Comb
  5. Towel
  6. Clothes to change
  7. Small towel to place on bathtub to prevent slip
  8. Fresh diaper
  • 32 degree celsius
  • 1-2 times a week

7. How to change diaper?


8. What to pack in your diaper bag?

  1. Diapers
  2. Wet wipes
  3. Tissues
  4. Hand sanitizer
  5. Plastic bags for dirty diapers
  6. Extra baby clothes
  7. Hat
  8. Sunblock
  9. Diaper rash cream
  10. Breast pad
  11. Nursing cover/Sling
  12. Small toy or rattle/Small mirror
  13. Pacifier
  14. Baby food
  15. Bib
  16. Sippy cup

9. How to massage your baby?

http://www.babycenter.com/2_baby-massage-calming_10409788.bc

10. 5 great games for babies

http://www.babycenter.com/2_5-great-games-for-babies_10387402.bc
  • Bike ride with legs
  • Talk to baby
  • Sing to baby
  • Help her roll over (2-6 months)
  • Cover toy and ask where is my toy (4-12 months)
  • Peep-a-boo
  • Kick a ball (8-13 months)

10. Is it ok for baby or toddler to watch TV?
  • Not recommended for under age 2
http://www.babycenter.com/2_is-it-okay-for-a-baby-or-toddler-to-watch-tv_10367148.bc
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Let Baby Look at Pictures of Nature


Age: From 1 month old

Paste picture of nature along the side of the changing station and let Baby look at it. Baby will enjoy it.
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Let Baby Look at Pictures of Human Faces


Age: From 0 month old

Baby loves to see human faces. Paste pictures of human faces along the changing station for Baby to look...




Close-up


Baby also loves to see faces of Mommy & Daddy...


Paste face of Daddy for Baby to look, while Daddy is at work


Show Baby faces of grandpa & grandma


Close-up


Show Baby faces of farfar & farmor

How to create photos pockets to place along side of changing station?

In order to make it easy to rotate the pictures, you can create a casing made of plastic pockets taped along the side of the changing station:


Plastic pockets

Close-up of 1 sheet


Cut out 1 pocket to place photo alongside of changing station



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Reflections on the Danish Play Dates...


I have slackened a lot with play dates, since I started working full-time in January, basically back to none-existent. Never understood what is so fun and exciting about play dates that the Danish kids are crazy about. I never have play dates with my classmates as a child growing up in Singapore, and I have never missed it.

Since starting maternity leave yesterday, I have finally pulled my socks together and started to arrange play dates, partly because I have owed so many parents play dates for their children that I could no longer look into their eyes when I drop J in school in the morning without feeling embarrassed. So now trying hard to pay back, before the baby arrives (baby, please don't arrive yet!)

It was amazing how thrilled the Danish kids are with play dates. This morning, J's classmates flocked to J like bees to honey. They all wanted to hold J's hands. It is a sure way to shoot your child up the popular chart, if not to prevent bullying, if you arrange play dates for your child with his classmates.

No wonder Danish parents put so much efforts on play dates, and even those who work full-time manage to carve their time out for play dates - kudos to them, I simply couldn't match up in this department.
If I am able to pick J up on-time before the school closes, it will be a big achievement for me :-) Thus, I am really happy that I will be staying away from work for the next 1.5 year, so that I will have the energy to arrange play dates... hopefully :-) Yes, play dates will be expensive for me, it comes as a trade off from my full-time work.
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Broccoli, Carrot & Apple Juice


Serves 3 glasses

Ingredients:

1. 3 stalks of broccoli
2. 3 carrots peeled and cut
3. 3 apples cut
4. 3 kiwi peeled and cut
5. 100g baby spinach
6. 100g kale
7. 1 beetroot (optional)

Directions:

Just juice them in a juicer, pour into glass and serve :-)

Additional Information:

We saw this juice that uses broccoli at the juice store, and I was like, what broccoli, could it really taste good? My friend bought it and she said that the broccoli taste didn't overpower at all. So I tried it when I came home today. And it is true, we could not taste the broccoli at all :-)

I use the Hurom no. filter 1 to make juice instead of smoothie.

In this concoction, we used 1 carrot each and 3 kiwi each for the three of us, thus fully covering the daily recommended intake for vitamin A and vitamin C - see link below:

We bought the Hurom Elite Juicer HF2 in stainless steel presentation. It is also available in Amazon:

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