Sunday, 9 July 2017

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Japanese Beef Pepper Rice



Serves 4

Ingredients: Beef Pepper Rice

1. 300g beef sliced thin and marinated with salt
2. 4 rice bowls cooked Japanese rice
3. 1 cup frozen corn
4. 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
5. 1 tsp freshly crushed pepper
6. 1 TBS cooking oil
7. 2 TBS butter
8. 2 stalks spring onions chopped
9. 2 TBS garlic soy sauce
10. 2 TBS honey sauce

Ingredients: Garlic Soy Sauce

1. 1/2 cup soy sauce
2. 4 large cloves garlic pressed
3. 2 tsp sugar
4. 1 tsp cornstarch
5. 1/2 cup water

Ingredients: Honey Sauce

1. 1 TBS olive oil
2. 1/2 onion
3. 1 clove garlic
4. 1/4 cup honey
5. 2 TBS soy sauce
6. 1/8 tsp salt
7. 1 tsp cornstarch
8. 1/4 cup water

Directions: Garlic Soy Sauce

1. Pour into sauce pan and cook until thickened.
2. Transfer to sauce bottle (no need to blend).

Directions: Honey Sauce

1. Pour into sauce pan and cook until thickened.
2. Blend and transfer to sauce bottle.

Directions: Beef Pepper Rice

1. Heat pan on high with 1 TBS cooking oil.
2. Once pan is heated, place cooked rice in the middle of the pan.
3. Place 2 TBS butter on top of the rice.
4. Place beef around the rice.
5. Lower fire to low (no. 3 on my stove)
6. Add the 1 cup corn, 1/2 cup peas and spring onions on top of rice.
7. Sprinkle some pepper and stir and mix well with the rice.
8. Add 2 TBS garlic soy sauce.
9. Add 1 TBS honey sauce.
10. Stir and mix well into the rice.
11. Turn off fire and serve :-)

Additional Information:
Daddy FECS and Little FECS requested for this today, so I made this today. I found this copycat recipe on the internet, and adapted it to suit our family.

I didn't make each person's portion separately. I made it in one pan for four people serving. It tasted very much like Japanese pepper rice, as what Daddy FECS and Little FECS commented. I think it is due to the butter and pepper. I agree with the blog where I adapted the recipe from, that special sauce isn't quite needed to re-create this dish from home. You can make the special sauce yourself as the recipe above.

I made the four servings in one go, instead of making it individually. I also stired in some blanched broccoli to make it more nutritious.

References:


Here are all the ingredients clockwise from top: Garlic soy sauce, honey soy sauce, pepper, peas, corn, spring onions and butter (except beef and cooking oil are not shown)

Here is how to make the sauce:

 1. Pour sauce into sauce pan and cook until thickened.


2. Blend and transfer to sauce bottle.


300g beef sliced thin and marinated with salt


  1. Heat pan on high with 1 TBS cooking oil.


 2. Once pan is heated, place cooked rice in the middle of the pan.


 3. Place 1 TBS butter on top of the rice.


 4. Place beef around the rice.
5. Lower fire to low (no. 3 on my stove)


6. Add the 1 cup corn, 1/2 cup peas and spring onions on top of rice and sprinkle some pepper.


 7. Sprinkle some pepper and stir and mix well with the rice.


8. Add 2 TBS garlic soy sauce.


9. Add 1 TBS honey sauce.
 10. Stir and mix well into the rice.
11. Turn off fire and serve :-)



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Montessori Activity: Pouring


Age: From 1 years old

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

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

Materials:

1. 2 mini jugs (preferably identical)
2. Water (half filled in one of the jug)
3. 1 small towel (to wipe dry the tray)
4. 1 tray (optional)

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your toddler by pouring the water from one jug into the other slowly and repeat.

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.

Video Demonstration:


Additional Information:

Baby FECS was playing with her bowl, cup and spoon at meal time a lot. She tried to scoop, pour and transfer, making a big mess with lots of work for clean up after meal time. I decided to let her try this Montessori pouring activity to allow her to pour to her heart content. Hopefully, that will reduce her desire to pour during actual meal time. 

Alas, it wasn't quite a good time, as she was quite thirsty. So instead of pouring, she drank most of the water instead!!! Earlier, she even drank water off the tray, but I wasn't able to capture on video.

This is not exactly following Montessori concept wholesale. I didn't use real glass jugs as advocated by Montessori that I did with J's toddler's years. I think she is too young for it, and thus I am sticking to plastic for now.



10 July 2017 (1Y1M24D): We tried again today. She still enjoyed this activity very much, and there is some progress with pouring :-)
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Montessori Activity: Peeling Banana



Age: From 1 year old.

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 1 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To teach life skills.
2. To train fine motor skills.
3. To give a feel of the concept of sorting

Materials:

1. 2 plates
2. 1 banana

Directions:

1. Place one or a few banana slices with skin intact on a plate.

2. Demonstrate to your child how to peel the banana and place the banana skin on the other plate.

3. Invite your child to try.

Additional Information:

I saw this activity on "how we montessori" blog. and is surprised that young toddlers could do it. But I decided to try it with Baby FECS. Baby FECS tried this for the first time today (9 July 2017 - 1Y1M23D). Like the baby on the blog I got the idea from, at first she tried to eat the banana with the skin on. But after I showed her how to remove the skin, she actually followed suit and could do so. She really enjoyed this activity, and as a result, she ate one whole banana without realizing it. Normally it would take longer for her to eat one whole banana, and only after much coaxing, but this wasn't needed today :-) Hopefully, the novelty would not be gone so soon.

References:

http://www.howwemontessori.com/how-we-montessori/2012/04/preparing-his-own-snack.html


9 July 2017 (Y1M23D)
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Montessori Activity: Letter Rice 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. 500g of rice (1/2 packet)

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: Rice: 8 DKK (1.50 SGD) for 1 packet at the supermarket

Additional Information:

You can also use sand for this. For younger toddlers, just allow them to play free “writing” on the rice.

I bought the cheapest pack of rice from Netto supermarket






Friday, 7 July 2017

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Montessori Activity: Ladling




Age: From 1 year old

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

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

Materials:
1. 2 buckets, one filled with water
2. 1 ladle
3. 1 tray

Directions:
1. Demonstrate to your toddler by ladling the water from the big buket to the small bucket.
2. Encourage and let your child try it.

Additional Information:
I noticed that C likes to ladle with her spoon from one bowl to another during meal time. Thus, I decided to let her try this activity. C (1Y1M21D) tried this activity for the first time today. She enjoyed it very much.







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Montessori Activity: Animal-Themed Mystery Bags



Age: From 1 year old

Activity Duration: 5 - 10 minutes

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Objective(s): 

1. To gives your child a fun way to practise in identifying and naming objects only through the sense of touch.

2. A fun way to learn about the name of animals

Materials: 

1. 1 drawstring bag

2. Some different animal toys as shown in the picture

Directions: 
1. Put all the things into the bag, and ask your child to touch one item at a time, and guess what it is, then take the item out.

2. Then say the name of the item to your child, if he could not say its name.

3. For younger toddlers, put one item at a time in the bag, and ask your child to put his hand into the bag, touch the item and guess what it is, then take the item out.

Additional Information:
C (1Y1M21D) tried this for the first time today, and she enjoyed the game :-)

References:
- Montessori Play and Learn by Lesley Britton
- http://www.suite101.com/content/the-montessori-mystery-bag-a182138

7 July 2017 (1Y1M21D) 

7 July 2017 (1Y1M21D) 


Thursday, 6 July 2017

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Montessori Activity: Letter Pasta Sensory Box



Age: From 1 year old

Objective:
1. To stimulate your child's five senses

Materials:
1. 1 transparent box
2. Base materials made of 4 packets of pasta
3. 26 letter magnets
4. 1 bowl and 1 ladle (optional)

Directions:
1. Invite your baby to pick the box off the shelf to the floor, helping her along the way.
2. Invite your baby to dig into it.
3. If she picks up a letter, say the sound of the letter for her.
4. After playing, invite your baby to bring the box back to the shelf.

Additional Information:
I prepared this for Baby FECS to try today 6 July 2017 (1Y1M20D). Any toy that has base material to form a sensory box tends to be more interesting for kids to play with.

It has been 6 years ago since I first prepared a Montessori sensory box for our Little FECS. He is now 8 years old. Brings back lots of memories as I begin my Montessori journey with Baby FECS.



6 July 2017 (1Y1M20D): Baby FECS playing with Montessori Letter Pasta Sensory Box










Saturday, 1 July 2017

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Danish Seasonal Activity Calendar for Kids


Although there are no mountains to climb in Denmark, it is richly blessed with idyllic green meadows and the four seasons. Denmark has lots of things to offer kids, and it is very often free. Many of these activities are actually simple joys of enjoying the natural fruits of the Danish land. Here is seeing Denmark through the eyes of a kid with a Danish Seasonal Activity Calendar I have made for our kids.

Calendar format credit Chastine's vuggestue, which has been very good in making a weekly plan in pictures, so that we can show our children who could not really yet talk or read, and talk about it.

This helps to give me an easy overview of what seasonal (mainly) activities greater Copenhagen has to offer, for kids along with the address (to be keyed into GPS) and website.

Note: This calendar is tailor-made for our family. It is not so neat and may not be suited for everyone, as all the places are chosen within reach from our home.

An activity that looks a little out-of-place according to the theme of this calendar takes place in March. As there aren't so many seasonal activities to do in March, which is the month that J's birthday falls on, we choose to go and watch a movie instead or visit a museum :-)

The Chinese festival celebrations also don't belong to this calendar, but it is placed here for the convenience of our family :-)


Friday, 30 June 2017

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Strawberry-Picking


Tis' the season for strawberry-picking in Denmark. The season typically starts mid-June and last 2-3 weeks. Depending on how cold the spring is, if it has been very warm, the strawberry-picking season can starts already at the beginning of June. The strawberry-farms usually sends out an email or notification on their website, on when the strawberries would be ready for picking.

We love Danish strawberries and it is really fun to pick them yourselves. Many strawberry farms all over Denmark are open during this time for the public to pick strawberries. It is a nice activity for a family to do together. At most of the strawberry farms, it is free to eat the strawberries, while you are picking them. Thus, you can literally pick and eat to your heart content :-) It cost 15 DKK per 500 g to bring the strawberries you pick home.

This is one of the strawberry farms that we go to:


You can see this signage from afar, so it is pretty easy to drive there and find it. Here is the address:

Jordbærcentret Vejborgaard
Roskildevej 203,
Freerslev 3330 Gørløse
Tlf. 4827 8635
Tlf. 2097 8635
post@vejborggaard.dk 


The farm is open daily from 10 am to 7 pm for strawberry-picking.

There are ample parking available, so you don't have to worry about where to park your car, when you arrive.

July 2010 (J:1Y4M)

Here is how it works when you arrive a Danish strawberry farm. Take your containers to the staff for weighing before picking your strawberries.


After weighing the containers, the staff will give you a slip of paper and the row number where you could go to pick the strawberries. We usually ask the staff for the row where the sweet strawberries are located. They are usually by the specie name called Polka.


If it is a big farm like this one, you have to drive your car all the way down to the row of strawberries and park it just beside the rows of strawberries.

July 2010 (J:1Y4M)

 and you can simply start picking :-)


and eating...

July 2010 (1Y4M)

picking...


and eating...

July 2010 (1Y4M)

your toddler may also enjoy walking up and down the rows...

July 2010 (1Y4M)

when your child is a little older, he may enjoy picking the strawberries himself...


and observing it close-up...


Tips for strawberry-picking:

Some tips before the trip:

1. Apply sun screen and bring along a hat.


2. Bring water to drink, as it can be very hot and sunny.

3. It can be a good idea to wear dark clothing, as you don't want the strawberries juice to stain your clothes.

4. And lastly, don't forget to bring along the containers/baskets for the strawberries. (If you really have forgotten like we did the first few times, it is alright, you can just for some old boxes there, or simply use plastic bags)

In this picture, we went there with my friend from my mother's group. It brings back such good memory.


Here are some other strawberry farms with the same concept:

Holmevang Frugtplantage
Frederiksholmsvej 3, Sengeløse
2630 Taastrup
Telefon: 51 30 75 58/ 40 17 16 36



Ama'r Grønt
Kirkevej 58, 2770 Dragør 
(We also harvested potatoes here)

Rokkedyssegård

Lejrvej 45, 3500 Værløse
Tel: 31570740

Ventegodtgaard
Naurbjergvej 26, 4623 Ll. Skensved
Tel. +45 5616 9005
ventegodtgaard@gmail.com

Jordbærgården
Råbrovej 58, 2765 Smørum
Tel: 24244360

Amager Planteopbevaring
Nordre Dragørvej 54, 2791 Dragør
Tel: 21 32 03 67 (Best between 11am and 12 pm)

Gundekildegård
Rågelejevej 46, 3210 Vejby
Email: gundekildegaard@gmail.com

Kildebrønde Frugtplantage
Kildebrønde Landevej 41, 2670 Greve
Tel: 4361 0910
Email: post@kildebronde-frugt.dk

Thursday, 29 June 2017

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Montessori Activity: Elderflower Sensory Box


Age: From 1 year old

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To stimulate and develop the sense of smell and touch.

Materials:
1. 1 transparent storage box approx. 40 x 30 x 16cm
2. Some elderflowers

Directions:

1. Simply place the elderflowers in the box.

2. Let your child touch and feel the texture of elderflowers, hold them and smell them.

3. Describe the feeling, the touch and the name of the sensation to your child, for example, ask your child doesn't the flowers smell good.

Additional Information:
29 June 2017 (1Y1M13D): We plucked some elderflowers off a main road side. As it is polluted by the traffic and not suited to make into elderfower cordial, I decided to use them for the sensory box for Baby FECS.

Before I made this sensory box, she was very eager to play with these flowers from those we plucked from non-polluted trees. When I finally made this for her the following day for her to play to her heart's content, after touching and taking out some of the flowers, she quickly lost interest... the novelty was perhaps lost already.... grrrhhhh!!!

References: 

http://nurturingnaters.blogspot.com/search?q=sensory

 29 June 2017 (1Y1M13D)

29 June 2017 (1Y1M13D)
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