Archives for August 2008

Playgroup

August 31, 2008 · By Rachel ·

Been hunting around for a play group for Kyle to attend when he turns 18 months. I think that he will need to socialise with other kids his age, and not have to be stuck with only Mommy playing with him most of the time in the mornings.

Checked out a few schools and there are only some that have a parent-accompanied programme, but classes are only held on Saturdays. Which is out of the question after the ‘Gymboree experience’. The little boy started to show zero interest in the activities, right after I spent almost $400 signing up for a new term of classes. Anyhow, these classes do not do anything much besides helping him build his motor skills and allow him to socialise with the other kids. I suppose that’s how it is with structured activities. Worse is when I have a spirited kid who does not relate well to the activities and hates to be cooped up in an air-conditioned room for 45 minutes.

Some of the classes I have checked out have pretty good programmes, but the location and the timing is just not convenient.
1. Wee care – a multi-sensory, learning through play programme, with classes only on Saturday mornings.
2. Busy buddies – a learning through play toddler programme for 18 – 30 months in Great World City. Not too keen on the environment, since kids stay in a room for 90 mins, I will probably end up with a very angry toddler.
3. Julia Gabriel – alot of socialisation, creative activities but I don’t want to travel long distances. Don’t have much of a choice when the kid hate long car rides.

(Note to self : the great preschool hunt has to start in a month’s time and it has to be within 5 km from home.)

I want to be able to get together with other SAHM with their kids around Kyle’s age. So I will attempt to look for interested members for a Playgroup for Jan – June 07 toddlers, SAHM moms in my area (not sure if there are any out there).

Afterall, what is the early childhood education knowledge for if I cannot help my own kid and some moms. Mothers are the best teachers for their child, and it does not take very much for a mom to be equipped with the right knowledge, skills and resources. Especially if you are a very hands-on mother.

The last quarter of this year will be really busy; I am starting my Jump into Music and Literacy programme at Edelweiss Kindy, on top of my research projects and attending classes on the weekday evenings, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

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Categorized: His World ·

Kyle’s Home School

August 30, 2008 · By Rachel ·

Recently L mentioned that she has ran out of activities for her 21 month little girl. She has tried painting, dough, crayons, bought her new pretend play toys (which I believe have kept her busy for a while).

Most moms I know of are giving their little ones lots of art and craft activities. I think it is fantastic that they are leading the pathway for creative development for their child. However, I will use a methodological approach to focus on the growth of the whole child. This approach will be suited for toddlers below 3 years and can include developmental norms in the areas of physical, language and communication, cognitive, social and emotional growth.

Before I plan for new activities for Kyle, I completed 5 separate observation assessments of Kyle in different settings; meal time, solitary play, parallel play, outdoor play and dough play. From there compare the assessment with development norms of a 17 month old child and then evaluate it to determine his needs, interests and abilities. From there, I will plan for a balance of experiences to support, enhance and foster the developmental areas. Movement needs to be a fundamental area for this programme, it is probably one of the best ways to keep his ‘octopus’ hands and legs occupied. As for the music bit, he has to be content with my not so great voice without music accompaniment, while I wait for P85 to arrive in Oct (I am dying of anticipation).

After this, I will embark on a multi-sensory approach for his alphabet experience. However, I am not certain that he is developmentally ready for this, will try out the letter ‘S’ first and its related activities to see if there is any potential interest. Most likely have to be prepared to arm myself for more activities, in case of any sign of a lack of interest. Regardless, there will be no flash cards for him, at his age, there is no way flash cards are going to work for an active, super-inquisitive toddler.

This is the start of Kyle’s home school, it’s time to start on my own kid and not be too occupied by other people’s kids. Looks like I am going to be even busier now vs those few months back when I was a FTWM.

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