Pretend play: Camping

I bought a tent and tunnel set ages ago from ToyRus because you know, I wanted the kids to experience camping without the risk of contracting leptospirosis, dengue, etc.

picture from walmart.com

Ours is something like the picture above, just slightly more cheapskate in quality and blue/orange.
The two things I have always wanted to do as a kid (besides going to Disneyland) was camping and flying a kite.

"Just camp in the garden laaaa," Those were my exact words to hubs while I was paying with a stupid grin. Hubby just walked away. I turned to my son and said "Tiger, we are going camping!!" He gave me a blank look. MIL started her 'buying rubbish' lecture and I turned on selective-deafness mode.

Truth be told, it was quite rubbish :p
The plastic bent after some usual rough play by some kids. So, my advise is, if you are going to buy a play tent, make sure you buy something with reasonably good quality, like a Bazoogi tent/structure.
 The camping out doors part? Haha....forget it.... with the mosquitoes and the sweltering heat in tropical Malaysia....omg!

So after two years, I finally set camp, in my bedroom. No mosquitoes, no bugs, no dirt, no haze, air-conditioned and most importantly, decreased chances of kidnapping and robbery.

Tiger actually slept in the tent :)  

That's his playpen mattress and his stinky baby bolster.

I wanted to tell him ghost stories like people do in the movies but nevermind la, 

in case the ghost in the toilet decides to come back.

So, I told him there are wild boars at night and he nearly cried.

"Where? Where?"

OMG, I am seriously considering the fact he is on the spectrum.

ZERO imagination.

I had to explain that we're actually indoors and there aren't any wild animals,

just pretending, imagining and making up stories.

He wasn't convinced, so I distracted him with a 'campfire'

I made up another story about hunting for animals.

 "There's a rabbit, I am shooting it with my bow and arrow. 

Now I am going to skin it and we are roasting it over the fire.

Here, have some roasted rabbit for supper."

"IT'S DEAD?!? YOU KILLED A RABBIT."

Pretending to chew and bite, "Yeah, it's food, baby. You want some?"

Tiger was visibly disturbed, "No, thank you."

What am I going to do with you, Little Tiger?

Why are you so literal?

It's exasperating.

We need more pretend play.

I googled for play benefits of tents and tunnels and it includes:

Gross motor and coordination practice.

Speech training

Imagination 

Teamwork 

Basically it is another toy. 

Money saving tip:

Just use a large bed sheet over a string and you have a tent.

Picture from google

Picture from pinterest

 Have a wonderful weekend and happy camping!

 

Playing creatively with a toddler

I like to think that I am pretty creative when it comes to playing.

I may not be able to built a mini Lamborghini. But I will always succeed in

getting giggles and laughter from my kids.

Teaching them is such a wonderful learning process for me.

I know I have not posted a lot of our study time pics lately.

Blame the girl.

She doesn't like the camera in her face.

On with creativity.... this is one of her fav tot tray.

Just an old raisin can (from Tiger's tot days) and some poker chips

We'd done this for an entire month previously.

By now, it was obvious that she is right-handed.

I made it more tricky by rendering it useless.

Use your left hand, baby!

A lil struggle but nothing beyond her capabilities.

I placed some chips between her toes.

I thought it was funny but she frowned at me.

Not too impressed, I guess.

I stacked them up to see if she noticed.

Yup, she was more careful in picking them up.

To increase the task difficulty, I changed the direction of the slit

repeatedly so that she had to adjust her hand position each time

 

I am sure you can think of more ways but always add a new twist 

to keep things fresh.

 This is Tiger's Playdoh Station, where I set up some

knick knacks for him to explore and create.

This is inspired by Reggio.

Note 'inspired'. The thought of bringing wood and rocks indoors.

*faint*

They can play with those in the outdoor class, not here. 

I have a lot of confidence in my kids

But I just remind her from time to time that these are not for eating.

 

I think because I do not deprive them of junk,  there is no need to eat the pony beads.

They get their sugar fix now and then.

Non-organic, sugar-loaded stuff.

My mantra in life is you only live once.

Eat, play and live in moderation.

If anyone dies tomorrow, it would be a shame to think

he/she didn't have that cheeseburger/gummy worm.

So, if you tell me your kid is on an organic, vegan diet, wearing hemp

and only play with natural wood...

you have my respect but we won't get along.

I do buy organic but just the dirty dozen vegetables.

Cannot afford to buy organic apples

Anyhoo, back to the knick-knack setup, she picked her ingredients

and set up this tray for pouring.

 

The cartoon

Picture again??!!??....No! Hmmphh...I close my eyes

OK la...I pose for you...Faster a bit

What about this look? Cute or not??

 Every parent his/her kid is the best, smartest & cutest.

I am no different.

She has us all smitten, esp hubs.

 

You do not need fancy equipments to be creative.

Boxes, old cans, bottle caps, knock knacks are excellent.

 Think open ended play.

Think of ways to extend play.

Think about combining different methods.

Think of textures, smells and sensation.

Google creative play space and like Let the Children Play on Facebook

You will be inspired.

Baby School: What Really Happens During Class...

Remember I mentioned Lil Dragon ignored the trays?

Besides the poker chips tray, she enjoyed this

And ONLY THIS giant beads tray

I was tired of holding the sticks, so I borrowed the tin from another tray

So, she enjoyed 2 out of six trays

Okay laaaa.....

Surprisingly, she likes flashcards.

Weird, I know....Is this a girl thing?

Because Tiger used to despise them.

He would rather remove his pinky finger than do flashcards

She 'reads' everything as /x/

Tiger only started enjoying cards after he turned 2.5 year old.

Now, he LOVES the Chinese ones.

Their Chinese lesson went like this:

Tiger: Sit, mei-mei. I teach you.

Five seconds later...

Dragon: Watch me get out

Watch me climb

Check out the gangster pose

Let me adjust....again

Hmmmm.....what else?

By now, Tiger has given up and went to do his own thing.

She meddled with the Bumbo for a good 15 minutes.

Sigh, stupid purchase of mine

When I am playing with the sister, Lil Tiger will self study.

This is why I think Bao Bei is worth my money.

He is so motivated to practice Chinese now.

I am going to introduce Brillkid's Little Reader and Little Math to her this week.

 Fingers crossed she will make it a worthwhile investment.

I showed them Tweedlewink's Lesson 1 DVD once.

Tiger was so excited about seeing the tuning forks again.

Lil Dragon?

She YAWNED

=.="

Funny kids.

They have no idea how much I enjoy watching them.

Even though I am sure my blood pressure went up a few notches.

^.^

Potty Training: Purple poop

One evening, I asked Tiger, "When are you going to use the potty?"

How can any normal child refuse this super cute potty?

He simply replied, "No" 

and ran to MIL for cover/protection like I was some mean potty police.

MIL hugged him and replied, 

"Aiyah, nevermind la. Let him wear diapers la. 

There was a kid in kindergarten who wore till 6 years old."

Errr, NOT FUNNY!!!! SIX? Might as well wear to college??!!??? I just announced to everyone within the firing range that "You can buy the diapers from today onwards. I am not going to spend my money on diapers for him anymore." Then I walked away and went upstairs, ignoring Tiger's cries.

The next day, MIL started training him! Woot! Woot!

See? Sometimes you just need to show your Tiger Mom stripes. Otherwise, people will think you are a cute, fluffy kitten.

Day 1: Accidents will happen.
He peed once on the floor and once at the new bench hubs bought. Twice he made it to the toilet.
Then he requested for diapers, which was necessary for pooping. *roll eyes*

Day 2: Requested for diapers again. Grandma obliged. *roll eyes*

Day 3: I was home for the weekend. I told him no diapers and he peed into the potty every single time :)

Day 4: He couldn't pee into the diapers except during nap time. Success!

Pooping is a different matter. You see, Tiger is a clean freak. After he pooped a small blob into the potty, he starting yelling," Aaahhh, ta pian (pooping in chinese). So dirty! Green colour....aaahhhh"

He started crying and shouting that he doesn't want to use the potty. Yuck. Dirty. Wash. Throw....whatever! Of course, he threw a tantrum and it worsened when he got poop all over his limbs..

After a shower he calmed down. I asked him, "Why cannot ta pian in potty?"

He replied, "Ta pian green colour. Dirty"

"Then, what colour you want? Everyone's ta pian is green or brown!"

He looked at me seriously and replied, "I want purple ta pian"

Oh God, how am I going to do that?

FYI, we have these:

Cushioned toilet seat for his Royal Highness's butt

Nope, not nice!

So, crazy mom bought this type:

 

 

 

 

Again, not nice.

In the end, he used the one we had all along.

Used in all Chinese marriages....the famous RED potty.

Breastfeeding: Boob talk

 

While shopping for new clothes, I realised that besides getting the

right size, cut, quality, design, price and colour,

my clothes must now fulfil the following criteria:

 

1. Plenty of space for boob expansion.

2. Easy to pull down/side to reveal either boob.

3. Not too short.

4. Hide fat ass

 

Mom, you were right. Life is tough.

 

If boobs could tell a story, it will probably go like this:

 

B1: Right boob

B2: Left boob

(The names are in no way related to Bananas in Pyjamas)

 

Once upon a time, way before breastfeeding days,

B1 and B2 were living on the same area but they have never met.

 Then, the geography started to change with the mysterious event known as pregnancy.

 

Once strangers, B1 and B2 can now 'see' each other.

They started shouting out their greetings across the plain.

 

B1: Helllooooooo! I can see you now.

B2: excited. Hiiiii!!!

 

After 9 months of rapid development and growth,

it started to become crowded.

 

B1: Let's hold our breath and see how big we can go.

Come on, I'll race you.....wahahaha

B2: Pfftt...fine. I bet I'll be engorged first!

B1: Ouch, ouch, ouch....

B2: What a stupid,stupid idea!

 

 

B1: Oooi, scoot over. You are in my space.

B2: Wtf? You are getting fatter by the minute. Oh wait, so am I.

B1: Maann, when are we going to stop fluctuating like this?

B2: Don't worry, let me leak a little and embarrass her.

Wahahaha, there...all done.

B1: You are so clever, let me do the same....woohoo!

 

 

After several months of breastfeeding, B1 and B2 finally accepted

the fact that they are not here for man to ogle at.

They are not here as decorative things.

They are no sexual objects.

They are mean breastfeeding machines.

Like,  Grrrrrrrrr!!!! kind of mean

Now, they want to be known as Righty and Lefty.

Because B1 and B2 are just so juvenile.

 

Righty: Is it me or are getting 'longer'?

Lefty: Yes, we both are. Look at the bright side. We can double as storage now.

Righty: What do you mean?

Lefty: Pfft...and you call yourself smart. Look, she can now hide money 'under' us.

Righty: Oooooo

 

 

Righty: Hey, are you sleeping?

Lefty: Ermm, no. Why?

Righty: Can you feed the slob next? I am still a little sore

Lefty: But the slob likes you more...

Righty: Hence the soreness *roll eyes*

Lefty: Fine but you owe me, big time.

Righty: Alright. Next time we are out in public, I will sacrifice myself.

Lefty: Thanks man, I am still agoraphobic.

 

 

Big Butt: Guys, can you shut up? ##@*  I am trying to get some sleep.

It's tiring trying to be anti gravity all day.

Righty: Yo, watch it man or we are coming to get you!

Left: Yeah, right now we are already at the umbilicus. You just wait! 

 

 

 

No boobs were hurt in the making of this fictional conversation.

B1 and B2 are still well and making lots of milk at blog/post time.

Celebration: Christmas Tree

On Monday night,

Tiger and I excitedly dug out the RM 12.90 Christmas tree from the storage.

When I removed it from the bag and held it upright, the tree 'patah'!!!

Exactly mid-tree, the trunk had snapped into two.

I just stared at Tiger, speechless.

Finally, he said, "Mama, tree fall down, die ah?"

Not to be beaten by a broken tree, I duct taped the menacing thing.

Here it is, a little crooked, shorter but more character, I think :)

Ok-lar I am too cheap to buy another one..haha. I love you, tree!

I requested, "Smile for the camera please?"

Tiger said, "NO!"

"Hmm, smile for the tree?"

There you go!

A kiss for the Star..muaks...

which nearly broke the tree again.

Hmm, think I should make a FRAGILE card?

Ho! Ho! Ho!



*Christmas tree and ornaments from Fun & Cheer

Phonics: We Made A Coconut Tree

He made me do it!

Literally.

For real.

I present to you our very own Chicka Chicka Boom Boom coconut tree.

 

He still smiles by squinting.
This picture is also the reason why Tiger will never be a model.
Unless China is looking for a Welcome to China face.
Then, please, call me.



His dance moves are not for the faint-hearted. 

Tot School: 29 Months

When I typed 29 months, I realised it has been 20 months since we started

our early education journey.

*pat own shoulder*

I am still enjoying being the busy teacher mama.

Tiger is still the ever happy learner.

So far, his cognitive abilities includes:

Knows all 26 alphabets and their hard phonic sounds

Reads simple words

Counts to 100s (Counting to 20 was the hardest hurdle)

Able to quantify objects

 {I kept saying, don't count, use your camera eyes. Nope, he still counts}

Of course, there are children who can do a lot more.

Bear in mind we only do 'learning' an hour a day, 3-4 times a week

Sleep and nap takes 11 hours.

The other 12 hours, he indulges himself with the Ipad, 

TV (sigh, those damn frogs, I'll explain later) and toys,

bugging grandma, disturbing his lil sister or bullying the maid.

Typical busy 2 year old :)

Another benefit of 'school' is time-out for Grandma.

Recently, she has been telling Tiger to go study.

Haha, my lil chatterbox is driving her nuts.

These are some of our activities for the past 2 weeks.

Language

Spelling

Our cheapo version of movable alphabet :)
There are some pictures chips of cat, dog, tree, etc.

 So, I ask him to choose the ones he wants me to spell out.

Playing with alphabets made him think of his book and stickers

Reading.

He still enjoys the Brillkids books, especially Going Places

Pre-writing/Tracing

I saw this fun tracing idea on Pinterest.

Nope. Didn't work.

Logic thinking/puzzles

Unifix puzzles

Fine motor

Pin rolling playdough.

I moved the dough stuff to his playroom since he wanted to play with it daily

Geography
He showed interest in flags recently, so we are focusing on those

He calls the map "earth"



Practical Life

Clothes pegs

Vocabulary

After I showed him the flashcards, he did his usual OCD thing.

During this lesson, he was to match the names

Nerd boy enjoyed finding the matchy matchy miniature animal as well.

Math
We did not do a lot of math work lately, except on this particular day.

He requested for, "Green one, I want put cards"

After he was done with the 20 cards, I asked "Can you count 1 to 20 for me?"

Tiger replied with a grin, "One, two, twenty!"

LOL!

He was right!

Funny boy is into dancing as well but that's a post for another day.