April 2015: Farm Animals Week

Our 'homeschool' is back in full swing after Tiger has fully adapted to his life as a kindergartener.

That means no longer crying.

He likes ALL of his teachers. Happy dance

He is able to converse in Chinese now. Break dance

And most importantly, he has a best friend in school. Yay! Twerking

Why do we homeschool when he is already attending kindergarten?

There are many reasons.

Firstly, it has become a routine for us. It's school time after dinner.

It is also MIL's rest and TV time.

We use this time to explore whatever question Tiger asked when I was busy.

"Why is there wind?"

"Why is night dark?"

"Why dinosaurs die?"

I enjoy it, the kids love it. Why the heck not?

In April, the weather was lovely in the evening, so we hung out in the park mostly.

One of the days, Tiger noted a blanket of pink flowers on the ground and we had the best time

tossing and collecting them. 

It is raining so much now in May, my kids are going bonkers.

"Park! Park, park!!" 

I swear they are turning into little icky monsters without outdoor play.

I don't love it personally, but I do it for my sanity.

 My almost three year old.

Can't reach the ground yet?

No problem, I'll just half sit and half slide off .

I know I should trust her but she really pushes all my panic buttons 

=.="

  

 So cute, ain't she? Hehe.

 She walks around with this hat and bag. ALL. THE. TIME.

My little stylo mylo girl.

Hat: A kiosk in Sunway Pyramid

Bag: rm6 from China (gift from Winnie)

Shirt: Uniqlo

Pants: Cotton On

(Haha...fashion blogger in the making :D)

 She doesn't just walk around, acting all cool and cute.

Sometimes, she reads too.

But ONLY if the book has animals or Mickey in it.

This is still one of her favorite book to date.

The others being the four Words, Words, Words books from Grolier.

Lift-the-flap Farm Animals Book: From BookXcess

Dress: H&M

All of her hair accessories are from China.
Winnie buys so much, the people there thought she has a hair clip shop.

She adores this 3D animals magnetic puzzle.

She erms...slices the animals apart and puts them back together thousands of times.

It is quite brutal to watch.
She says stuff like," Cut, haha, cut cut cut!"

 

 3D magnetic farm puzzle: Benho (china brand)

PJs: Only RM16 from Facebook seller. Love it!!

 She also learned some threading that week with this Froebel J2 set.

The only reason she could string so many was to make a snake to drag up and down the stairs.

I'll accept whatever motivation she has, as long as she is cooperating,

 

 Froebel J2: From groupbuy. Currently closed.

Shirt: Guess

Pants: Mothercare

(I am so enjoying this. Feel like a fashion editor already)

Of course, farm means pretend play extravaganza!!

I had grand plans of creating a mini farm plot but no time laaaa.

So, this Farm Shop is close enough la and a more realistic setup.

 

They were sooooo interested for 3-4 days. =.="

Perhaps it was because there were not enough customers. Only kakak and I :p

Dragon is most uncooperative because she dislike sharing anything with Tiger.

 

 Toy cashier from ELC
PJs: Mothercare

 One of the more peaceful days.

Dragon was cheerfully saying "Thank you" to Tiger the whole time.

Only happens once in a blue moon. Will treasure this moment forever.

 

For their printables and play money, I used Twinkl.

We only accept Euros, sorry. 

 

 For fine motor and practical life, I created a 'milk' pouring activity from white Crayola paint.

By preparing only one set, they were forced to take turns without any eye poking or hair pulling.

 A 3D book from Enfagrow that provided a backdrop for our mini animals

  

Mini Farm Animals from ELC

 We also used them with this Farmyard Families printable from The Helpful Garden.

There are loads of free Montessori printables there, so please check it out.

 We read lots of farm animals books but my personal favorite was 

the Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett.

Science

He asked me about plants and animals and why we eat?

So, I thought he was ready for a lesson on Living vs Non-living.

I was right.

It is a breeze to teach a child who is ready to learn.

When they are ready for a topic, they just sponge it up.

Wish someone had told me this when he was one.

They do not sponge up everything you flash to them.

They absorb what they are interested in. Something that strikes their curiosity.

Do not let those moment slip past.

Grab it. Explore. Ask questions. Search for answers.

And learning becomes a natural process. 

For math, he is still doing some simple additions.
I just introduced skip counting by five to him.

For Chinese, I have no idea what he is doing in school.
We just read lots of picture books before bedtime.

In keeping with the farm theme, here's our pitiful effort at farming.

But then again, it grew into a mini kailan :)

He is still not very comfortable with the idea of getting dirty but we are improving.

Mud pie kitchen will have to wait a while.

We got this set of Usborne from Winnie because she unknowingly bought two sets.

*rolls eyes*  I know...she is a true shopaholic.

 Tiger went through it and he was appalled by the number books he already owned.

They remember whatever you say or read to them.

So, don't say things you do not mean and be mindful of the promises you make.

 Our pictures may paint a deceivingly sweet and organized homeschool life, 

but most of the time, someone is crying or yelling, 

someone is blinded by glitter/paint/saliva,

someone lost a finger,

someone's hungry,

someone just wants to yell for no reason.

And I only have 2 kids. *sweat*

 Here's to keeping it real.

We learned about farm animals briefly when Tiger was 14.5 months old. 

You can read about it here

And our visit to Farm In The City here.

There is no part 2 to Farm in The City because I got lazy :p

Painting areas for the kids

I used to love art until I attended art lessons...haha...the irony :)
I just didn't enjoy being told what and how to draw 'correctly'.
So, no art lessons for my children until they are ready to learn some techniques.
And only if they are invested in the idea wholeheartedly.
Honestly, I would prefer to pay for golf lessons.

I am so, so grateful to have the Internet at my fingertips because it helps me understand my children so much more. Who needs a diploma when I have eyes to observe my own children?
I love this article that explains the stages of painting.
Dragon girl is at stage 2, drawing circles and Tiger is at Stage 4, drawing creepy people.

Currently, this is how her atelier looks like. I am so inspired by Meri Cherry's blog
Our space changes all the time, depending on her needs and interest.
I leave everything out in the open for her except glitter. God forbid they should blind each other with those stuff.
We display her art on a string and as you can see, she uses different materials and papers.
On the IKEA easel is her current work. I'll only change the paper after she tells me it's done.
Otherwise, she will layer her painting like real artists :)

Sometimes, she prefers these foldable tables to the easel.

I am so trilled that she finger paints!

You know, like a normal child, unlike Tiger :)

Finger painting is a sensory experience on top of artistic expression.

Love it!

Besides paint, she loves these disgusting black whiteboard markers...sigh.

The good news is, she rarely stains her clothes nowadays.

So, I just close one eye la.

After about a year of  "Don't paint the walls!!!!"

I actually get some poster moments like these.

Oh, speaking of walls...Dragon hasn't been redecorating for some time now :) 

They also have another art area outside.

It's their outdoor learning area but they mostly paint, play bubbles

or make a mess at the water table.

The toy kitchen doubles as storage for my bags of organic soil and fertilizer.

 The old wine rack is perfect for displaying their stuff.

Some balls, art material, sand, explorer's basket, etc

In the drawers: Uppermost 2 drawers are laundry stuff and rags

Lower levels are their bubbles sand/water play stuff  

PS:

You see the little green pots?

They are environmental-friendly biodegradable plastic pots.

I have quite a few because ermm, I kept killing the herb plants for some reason. 

Upcycled into art containers! 

 I loved the old wine rack because the back doubles as a blackboard!

So glad I didn't toss it out.  I am such a thrifty mom.

My husband is a very lucky chap...sigh..

  

The most important part? Painting to promote peace and teamwork!

Most of the time, they fight like cat and dog because the girl is so ferocious.

See Tiger's unhappy disgruntled face? Hehe.

Learning to share is good.

 

 Tips for sanity:

1. Start with a small number of items on display. Some crayons, papers, stickers.

Then you can gradually introduce paint, clay or playdough.

We are at expert level with sand, scissors, loose parts and wires for their use.

When I add glitter, you will know I've totally lost my sanity :)

2. Buy washable paint

I buy Crayola because it really is very washable.

We no longer wear smocks because the kids dislike having their movements restricted.

The paint is still cheaper than their bajus.

When they are older, I am buying tempera and ugly aprons.

3. Soak the used art stuff in a large container overnight

 I dump all the palettes and brushes into a water filled container and wash the next day.

Minimal scrubbing and water saving.

4. Stock up during sales

Occasionally, I can get 30%-70% off Crayolas during Toyrus Warehuse sales

Otherwise I'll just have to hold my breath and buy them from Art Friend for 10% disc.

5. Minimizing wastage

"Mama, I need help please. I poured too much paint. Sorry"

That will be my son, Tiger.

"Muahahahahahhaha"

That will be my daughter. =.="

 

In cases like the above, I will scoop whatever I can back into the bottle or tube.

If there are some leftover on the palette, I will wait for the kids to fall asleep, 

make myself a cuppa green tea, sit at the easel and paint.

When was the last time you painted?

Hand Trampoline aka OgoSport Disks

Sponsored post

The kind people from TOY TAG INTERNATIONAL sent this to us for a review.

And it's AWESOME!!!

It's called OgoSport Mini Disk: a hand trampoline.

Way cool, right?

Hubs and I were exhausted after a round.

Great for losing weight!

A close up of the cute Ogosoft ball.

It is now residing in the Kid's Sport Bar.

Okay la, it is just a box with their sport equipments but I gave it a snazzy name.

Besides, who doesn't love a bar?

The other items we own are as labelled:

The golf clubs are dangerous weapons in the hands of kids.

The bowling game has been ignored for god knows how long.

And the racquets...hahaha...waste of money.

The only thing they frequently play with are the OgoSport disks.

It comes in handy as a sunshade as well :p

We usually go to the nearby field so that we can run around like hooligans.

Tiger is so funny because  he is not very coordinated.

(sucks at dancing, typical nerd)

He thinks we are laughing together but I am laughing at him, most of the time.

He gets frustrated after some time but like any skill in life, you need to practise and persevere.

And he is getting better! More coordinated and we can actually have a relay.

Future Dato Lee Chong Wei?

He despise picking up the balls repetitively (like his mama).

Lucky for him, his sister decided to become a professional ball picker-upper. 

 So fun to watch them cooperating and working together, for once. 

On another occasion, we tried using a small rubber ball and it works just fine.

 

 

 

If you are super coordinated, I guess you can use several balls and juggle.

I juggle ONE ball with a disk on each hand and the kids were like,

"WHOA!!!"

*brush dirt off shoulder with a smirk*

We tossed the disks upwards to see whose can go higher.

The rings are very durable, so no worries. 

Tiger then bounced the ball upwards, to try to reach the moon.

I asked him, "Do you know why the disks and balls always fall back onto the ground?"

Instead of answering my questions, he asked:

"Mama, this moon got eyes or not?"

"How far is the moon"

"How come it's not dark but got moon?"

"Where is the sun?"

Princess was on a ball picking mission but she was distracted by a path on the field...

...and a mound of hardened earth.

Before she ran off to chase after a stray dog.

Outdoor activities is a must for us.

It gives the kids a chance to let off some steam.

Keeping your body active is good for the brain and soul.

They sleep better (yay!)

They learn about teamwork.

I insist that children should fall and learn to pick themselves up

BUT

Tiger had a minor fall and insisted I give him a piggy back ride home.

=.="

So, Dragon girl got to ride the balance bike home, which is another wonderful

outdoor equipment.

Sorry about the terkangkang legs but I love this pic!

The OgoSport Mini Disks

• Mini flies the farthest and its small target area increases difficulty.
• Bounce any ball -- for summer fun, try it in the pool with water balloons!
• Winner of Parents Choice Award 2007
• Winner of TD monthly Innovations Award 2007

Each set includes one bright-blue and one orange disk with one OgoSoft ball. 

EVA foam ring. 

Nylon-spandex membrane center.

The reviews on Amazon are excellent!

Watch a video on it here

You can purchase from:

Lazada

Rakuten

Follow Toy Tag International on their Facebook here

 Pssst....Lazada is having a 20% discount now, so go get it!

Science: Elephant Toothpaste

 I planned to do this experiment a year ago.

Bought the Hydrogen peroxide 6% from Guardian half a year ago

Then I found out my yeast wasn't working one month ago

Finally bought new yeast 2 weekends ago and

REALLY, FINALLY DID the experiment last weekend.

Homeschooling requires A LOT of stamina.

Felt like I just ran a marathon. I used to run, you know.

Before kids, boyfriends and a huge ass.

During the first trial (which failed because of my wet yeast), 

I made the kids put on goggles la, apron la etc.

Round two, "I said...kids, just watch."

You can get some cheap safety goggles for rm 1.50 from Mr DIY.

Basic ingredients

Yeast (one teaspoon)

Hydrogen peroxide 6% (one cup)-Available at major pharmacies

Food coloring (a few drops) or paint

Warm water (half a cup)

Dishwasher soap (just a few squirt)

Basic tools

A pan (to catch the toothpaste)

A bottle with narrow neck

Safety goggles

Apron 

Funnel

This is all over the internet, so I am not going to blah blah on.

If you need instructions, go HERE

To failure-proof ze experimento:

1. Make sure your yeast is not wet. Stupid me, I know  =.="

2. Don't use a big bottle, like this:

 Instead, try a cute little one like this.

 

 See my kakak's happy face? 

I swear, even when Dragon girl farts, she laughs.

 Sigh....my chubby, bubbly baby girl is going to be 2 soon.

Just don't lose those cheeks, ya?

I just love kissing them...so much so, it's an addiction.

New additions to our outdoor classroom

An outdoor self-service station which is an upcycled old wine rack I was going to toss out.

The back is perfect as a blackboard.

Kakak nearly had a heart attack when I placed the art box within Dragon's reach.

A new hanging plant

 

Our Sunday breakfast table.

Have a wonderful week!