Jigsaw Puzzles

24-piece jigsaw puzzle - 18.80 DKK from Søstrene Grene

At 3 years old, J wasn't so interested in jigsaw puzzles. Nevertheless, I continued to encourage him to play with jigsaw puzzles. Gradually, he began to like it, although it is not his favorite activity.

While waiting for Daddy to be back home for dinner, I encouraged J (5Y

0M29D) to play with jigsaw puzzles.

To encourage him and to give him success, I gave him the easier 24-piece puzzles meant for younger children to work with. I picked those jigsaw puzzles with clearly defined graphics that are attractive to look at. I bought them from Søstrene Grene and the prices are unbeatable too ranging from 3.98 DKK to 18.80 DKK. After a while of experiencing success, he requested to make more and more of them, and went on to complete 4 puzzles. In between, he was asking me to help him and to keep him company. I resisted helping him.

When he finished, I asked him, "Don't you feel good to complete them by themselves all without Mommy's help?" and he said yes :-)

It is our Jigsaw Puzzle Day. We did not do any School Time this evening.

Now at 5 years old, it was a joy to see that him concentrating and taking pleasure in piecing the pieces together. Today, he completed two new ones by himself without asking for any help. It was a pleasure to see him developing the quality of taking the pleasure to analyse the pieces and thinking through by himself.

24-piece jigsaw puzzle - 18.80 DKK from Søstrene Grene

24-piece jigsaw puzzle - 3.68 DKK from Søstrene Grene

45-piece jigsaw puzzle

24-piece jigsaw puzzle - Worked on 10 April 2014. 18.80 DKK from Søstrene Grene

24-piece jigsaw puzzle - Worked on 10 April 2014. 18.80 DKK from Søstrene Grene

 

J working on jigsaw puzzles on 10 April 2014

  

J working on jigsaw puzzles on 12 April 2014

54-piece jigsaw puzzle

16 September 2013 (4Y6M11D)

16 September 2013 (4Y6M11D) - 24-piece jigsaw puzzle

25 April 2014 (5Y1M20D) - While waiting for Daddy to come home for dinner, J played with jigsaw puzzle

 

25 April 2014 (5Y1M20D) - He wanted to complete all sets and made the last one after dinner

24-piece jigsaw puzzle - Worked on 25 April 2014 (5Y1M20D) - 3.68 DKK from Søstrene Grene (present from Charlotte)

24-piece jigsaw puzzle - Worked on 25 April 2014 (5Y1M20D) - 3.68 DKK from Søstrene Grene

24-piece jigsaw puzzle - Worked on 25 April 2014 (5Y1M20D) - 3.68 DKK from Søstrene Grene

24-piece jigsaw puzzle - Worked on 25 April 2014 (5Y1M20D) - 3.68 DKK from Søstrene Grene

24-piece jigsaw puzzle - Worked on 25 April 2014 (5Y1M20D) - 3.68 DKK from Søstrene Grene

27 April 2014 (5Y1M21D)

28 April 2014 (5Y1M23D) - 36-piece puzzle

1 May 2014 (5Y1M26D) - 48-piece puzzle

1 May 2014 (5Y1M26D) - 48-piece puzzle

1 May 2014 (5Y1M26D) - 48-piece puzzle

1 May 2014 (5Y1M26D) - 48-piece puzzle
15 May 2015 (6Y2M21D)

10 Jan 2015 (5Y10M6D) - J wanted very much to make this 60-piece puzzle which Daddy used to play with, when he was a kid

10 Jan 2015 (5Y10M6D) - 60-piece puzzle

12 Jan 2015 (5Y10M7D) - While waiting for me to take my shower, I suggested to J to play with this jigsaw puzzle. He completed it on his own, and when I was back. We did a Addition board game with Daddy and reading together.

10 Jan 2015 (5Y10M6D) - 48-piece puzzle



17 Jan 2015 (5Y10M12D) - J did jigzaw puzzle while I was preparing dinner

17 Jan 2015 (5Y10M12D) - 126 pieces

18 Jan 2015 (5Y10M13D) - 50 pieces

14 May 2015 (6Y2M9D) - 64 pieces (25 DKK from flea market)

15 May 2015 (6Y2M10D) - 45 pieces (10 DKK from flea market)

15 May 2015 (6Y2M10D) - 35 pieces (10 DKK from flea market)

24 April 2016 (7Y1M19D) - 49 pieces (10 DKK from flea market)

Chinese Stir-Fry Mixed Vegetables

Preparation & Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
- 2 red pepper fruit sliced into squares
- 2 medium carrots sliced
- 250g broccoli florets blanched with hot water and removed the water
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 5 stalks of shitake mushrooms sliced (optional)
- 100g of meat sliced (optional)
- 1/2 cup water (120 ml)
- 1 TBS ground oatmeal (optional, to thicken the sauce)
- 1-2 TBS cooking oil

Seasoning:
- 1 TBS of oyster sauce
- Dash of salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Heat pan with cooking oil and fry garlic until golden.

4. Add mushrooms and fry until fragant.

5. Add meat and fry until cooked.

6. Add carrots and stir-fry for a minute.

7. Add red pepper fruit and broccoli.

8. Add oyster sauce, salt and pepper.

9. Mix water and oatmeal powder well and pour into the pan.

9. Stir-fry well until the sauce thickens and serve.

 

 

 

Date One-On-One (DOO) with Your Children

According to Stephen R. Covey, author of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families," besides Weekly Family Meeting Night (WFMN) and Weekly Family Fun Night (WFFN), Date One-On-One (DOO) with your children is very important.

DOO means time between one parent and one child where the child usually sets the agenda.

According to Stephen R. Covery, "DOO give you the opportunity to build that relationship, the Emotional Bank Account, so that you can teach."

Key:

1. Privacy - place with privacy
2. Be Present - physically, mentally and emotionally present
3. Listen
4. Choice - Let your child set the agenda

Benefits:

1. Reduce sibling rivalry
2. You get to nip problem in the bud.
3. Builds effective teaching, discipline and communication

The opposite is also true, according to Stephen R. Covey, when out of a sense of time pressure, one attempt to teach, discipline or correct when others are present, you will be amazed how ineffective you usually are. I quote from Stephen R. Covey:

"I am convinced that many children know what they should do, but their minds are not made up to do it. People don't act on what they know; they act on how they feel about what they know and about themselves. If they can come to feel good about themselves and about the relationship, they are encouraged to act on what they know."

4. Good habit with your adult children

One mom commented in the book "7 Habits of Highly Effective Families": I don't think there is any way I could have had this kind of one-on-one time with my son when he was 22 if we hadn't started doing it when he was younger. This relationship developed over the years with DOO with your child. It will make the transition much easier because you will have a friendship established already.

Ideas:

1. Monthly private interviews

2. Breakfast date

3. Seeing sunrise together

4. Share an ice-cream together.

5. Go fishing together.

6. Simply involve your child with your work

If money is an issue, you can still have one-on-one time with your child. When I was a child, my family was very poor. My father would bring my brother along as he went to repair things. In this way, my brother got to spend time one-on-one with my father. Till this day, my brother will tell me stories about their time one-on-one together.

Here are more ideas:

http://www.thebettermom.com/2014/03/02/5-kid-date-ideas/
http://www.thebettermom.com/2013/11/06/how-to-date-your-kids/
http://www.averyblendedfamily.com/2013/07/having-date-with-your-child.html

Leaving you with this quote:

Monthly Private One-On-One Interview with Your Children

I often wonder where I can improve as a Mom. If I should have done something differently. Have I considered well enough the context? Have I put myself into J's shoes? Have I been overpowering?

It is not always that I am always right. There have been times, when after reflection, I regretted my actions.

We all need feedback and honest feedback in order to improve. We all also need to be humble enough to listen to feedback and to reflect over it.

Re-reading the book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families," a section jumped up on me, and it was something just as I needed it. It did not speak to me the first time around when I read the book.

In the corporate world, we have yearly or bi-yearly performance appraisal. This concept can be adapted into the family too. According to Stephen R. Covery, this can be done with having private interviews with each of your children.

This does not mean that you are whimsy or insecure as a parent, that you need to consult your children on your performance. You are not. But it does mean listening and trying to see things from your child's perspective. No one is right all the time. It would help you to see your blindspots.

Private Interviews

The Concept:

It is "a practice of having "private interviews" with a parent once a month. This was a time when we could talk about anything we wanted, complain about home duties or unfairness shown, talk about our friends or anything that interested us, give ideas for activities, share problems or whatever" accordingly to Stephen R. Covey.

You do not have to jot down furiously as your child speak, as it may make it too formal or intimidating. Make a mental picture and quickly jot it down where you need to improve after the interview before you forget.

The Rule:

That Mom and Dad could only listen - not talk or criticize, or give advice or suggestions without being invited to.

This provides a safe environment for your child to protest or appeal or vent his frustration peacefully.

Duration:

The book didn't specify the duration, but I would imagine 30-60 minutes would be sufficient. It depends also on the situation, so just go with the flow.

When to Introduce?

When your child is around 5 years old. That was also the time Stephen R. Covey started with his children.

Additional Information:
I thank God for learning this tool just at the time that I needed it and for helping us to create a platform in giving J a voice to say things in a safe environment.

I highly recommend The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families book:

Reflection for the day

The world is harsh and filled with many negative news... MH370, kidnap in Sabah, earthquake in Chile, typhoon in US... Life is short and unpredictable. It can be depressing...

Build an oasis of warm and security with family time, be thankful for it and treasure every bit of it.

How to Improve the Danish Language Level of Your Kids?

The challenges of a trilingual family is huge. The effort it takes to nurture three languages in a normal child requires courage, determination, strategizing, risk management and a lot of time and commitment and an unwavering faith in God... unless your child is a language genius.

It takes courage, because I sometimes wonder if my decision may cause J to end up being half-past-six with all three languages. Yet, fearful as I am and treading this untrolden path, I am not able and unwilling to give up on any of the languages - Chinese, English and Danish. They are all part of J's cultural heritage. He needs all three languages to navigate effectively among his countrymen. And I consider his countrymen both Danes and Singaporeans.

We will walk on... that is one of the reasons why I chose to go part-time. Everyday, we have to revise 3 languages, although I must admit I don't get to  do it everyday. Alas, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

On Saturdays, a total of 3 hours are devoted to Chinese class, excluding homework.

On Sundays, a total of 2 hours are devoted to English via international church.

On Thursdays, it is either Danish theatre, volunteering at the Senior centre with the Chinese old people or playdates with Danish kids.

To be fair, J's Danish so far is on part with the Danish kids (and at the last assessment on the higher end of the scale). He doesn't need extra classes offered to other immigrant kids. But I am not sitting on my laurels. Here are a few ideas how to enhance the Danish language of your child:

1. Bring your child to Danish children's theatre

Since a toddler of 1.5 year old, the Danish teachers told us that J really loves theatre. I didn't capitalize on that by bringing him to theatre, because I don't like theatre.

However, recently my Singaporean friend, A, in Copenhagen taught me that one of the ways to enhance the command the Danish language is to expose your child to theatre. She and her hubby love to watch plays. But my SO and I do not. And I am totally theatre illiterate. For me to research on theatre and plays would be the most boring things I have to do. So, she did all the research, and I just tag along. I am really thankful for her generosity.

So, every other Thursday on my day off, we will bring our kids to the children Danish theatres. It does cost money - 125 DKK for adult and 55 DKK for children.

Here are some links if you are cross-cultural families like us:

http://www.riddersalen.dk/default.asp?side=2&id=284

http://www.zangenbergsteater.dk/?side=3

Kudos to my friend A and her daugher S. The division of labour to nurture the language development of our children!

If money may be an issue, below are three other ideas which do not cost any money.

3 October 2014 - Engelsbørne

2. Danish churches children's activities

Many Danish churches have excellent and free programs for children. Here is the website of a Danish church children's program near to where we live:

http://sorgenfrikirke.dk/aktiviteter/boerneliv-i-kirken/nyhedsbrevet-boern-i-sorgenfri-kirke/

3. Danish libaries for children

The Danish libraries have excellent and free programs for children too. Here is one from the library near our place:

https://www.lyngbybib.dk/boernearrangementer

4. Have playdates with Danish kids

Every third Thursday, when we are not volunteering at the Senior centre for the Chinese and Danish old folks in Denmark, and when we are not going to theatres, I will arrange playdates for J with his classmates.

It is actually not so hard, and does not demand so much of my time. You just let them play, while you prepare dinner for the family. Of course, it will take a bit of your time with supervision.

With prayers and trust in God, we will walk on this cross-cultural journey together that will be part of our lives for eternity... We are also very thankful and feel very blessed that we are able to take our kids to Danish theatre on Thursdays.

Oven-Roasted Chicken with Herbs

Serves 4

Ingredients
1. 1 whole chicken
2. Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, estragon, etc.)
3. 1 clove garlic pressed
4. 1 TBS olive oil
5. Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Pre-set oven to 176°C (350°F).
2. Spread olive oil and pressed garlic on the oven-proof dish.
3. Put the herbs inside the chicken.
4. Smear some garlic, salt and pepper outside.
5. Put into the oven and roast for 1.5 hour.

Variation:
Roast at 120°C for 3 hours (We do that when we have to leave the house for J's music class)

Tips:
1. You can also rub honey inside the chicken.
2. Stuff the tomatoes inside the chicken.

Additional Information:
I made this for dinner today, inspired by the recipe from the book The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing, Genius and Autism (p. 174) when she taught one of the parents of her daycare to bake chicken. I really enjoy the wonderful aroma of the herbs permeating through our home when we are roasting the chicken and the herbs in the oven...

Singapore Top OECD's First PISA Problem-Solving Test

Often labeled as a culture lacking in creativity but focusing on rote learning, the results of the PISA problem-solving test is a pleasant surprise. Hip hip hurray, Singapore!

You can read more here:

http://www.oecd.org/pisa/singapore-and-korea-top-first-oecd-pisa-problem-solving-test.htm


Perhaps Singaporeans should give the Singapore education system a little more credit, instead of being so critical of it.

Wish J has the privilege of experiencing in the Singapore education system, but it doesn't look likely... as we have chosen to live in Denmark.