(2002) Any 2002 babies?

Hi mummies, me sliently reading these 2 weeks.
finally end of the term, my son only got chinese test for this term. Then presentation on a book review. Next week we are going for a get away in KL.

Actually I am interested in the creative writing class shared, but the timing like mostly in the evening. My son is the afternoon session, hence cannot make it. Weekends we are quite lazy to send him for enrichment really wanna a break at home. For now he only got piano class. But he is asking to learn violin. Will KIV 1st for that.
 


ohohjazz,
your boy asking to learn violin? good what.
my boy asking to drop swimming cos he finds swimming laps tiring. boo. no way. :p
am dropping his community centre's wushu cos he spar like a tofu boy. :p
 
Hi Fz,
I signed up for my son swimming last year..after 1/2 year no progress lor. So dropped out. Guess the coach not that good. Now thinking if he should picks up again or not. Sigh... i think is a survial skill that he should be equip with.

Wu Shu is fun, but my son in afternoon session back home too late for other activities. So next year I am intending to change his piano class to weekday, then I would be free to on weekends.
 
Regarding swimming, I feel that kids must at least pass bronze. There after, can swim own time own target since already equip with swimming skill.

My dd is not pursuing silver although we let her continue her swimming lessons on & off (stop 2 months resume 2 months) to learn other swimming styles. Otherwise no discipline to go swimming once a week leh, her daddy is too lazy to bring her
 
My son is taking up swimming classes organized by his school Not sure what he has learnt.

Told my hubby to bring him to the pool during one of the weekend to find out what he has learnt.

My son is asking to learn piano and wu shu. Still thinking whether he has the time. Most likely I would choose wu shu.
 
Bebe75 - Gives us some feedback after your gal has completed the course.

Mummies - Is your child having CA and SA1 examinations this yr?
 
Piano is good for brain development leh. Need both right & left hands + eyes coordination.

Intend to find a piano teacher for my dd. However, she's in the afternoon session. Morning too rushed, evening too tired. And not much time to practice after finishing all her homework

Likely to start her next year when she goes morning session, at least more time in the afternoon
 
Seems that most kids here have enrichment classes. Does you kids then have CCA? My son this year took up Tennis, so he would be in sch early on thur for CCA and fri for his chinese lesson.
Ended up only Mon-Wed morn he is at home.
sad.gif

Quite Ke Lian, hence asking if he wants to give up one of the activities, so that he would not be so tired.
 
My son took up swimming as CCA. He is thinking of signing up for Robotics next yr. Wonder if he has the time...
 
Avrilf - sure, I will update the feedback here..

Swimming
I agreed that this an essential skill that all kids must learn..however my gals are not keen..I am waiting for the sch to send them..hope it will be compulsory..

CA1/SA1
My gal has not CA1 nor SA1..only topical maths reviews. She just had her chinese revision test early this week. I will be giving her some revision tests based on assessment books or past year papers on my own. Need to keep the momentum up...

Piano classes
When my gal was young, I asked her to try piano and she refused. Now, she saw her classmates and cousins playing piano..she wanted me to send her for classes. However, I decided not to as she is so slow in catching up her school work..dunwan her to spend time on other enrichment.

CCA
My gal does not have CCA at the moment, she is only attending the Chinese speech and Drama conducted in her sch.

Ohohjazz
I agree with you that enrichment takes up a lot of time..and I do not want to overload my kids with too much enrichment..only go for those that is necessary. For those that produce output which does not justify the effort and $$, we have to stop it, even if the kids maybe the one that insist having them. My gal was reluctant to quit MPM, but we still went ahead.
 
mommies
How tight is your kid's schedule?


For my dd, 1 morning she has Chinese orchestra CCA. 2 evenings she has swimming and Chinese. Very rushed lor but I'm trying to spread out her enrichments to weekdays. Weekends she has 2 enrichments Maths and Arts. That's why no time slot for piano.

Indeed very tiring for parents because we have to send & fetch. Don't know which to cut down leh, must do some brainstorming. I don't think she needs Maths enrichment but my kiasu dh said it's good to learn other methods. If rely solely on us to teach, our method may not be so 'updated'
 
Swimming,
My boy started swimming since K2; not fantastic, but he swims and i can't. :p not sure when his coach will recommend for bronze; think they are learning backstroke now.

CA/SA1
No CAs or SA1 this year. With this, not sure if the school will stream them at the end of this year; they are on some PAL programme this year.

Enrichment
No plans to add on any more enrichment due to costs and he simply has no interest. he has wushu on friday evenings and he already complain that he need to nap and waste away his fri afternoons. he prefers to stay at home to do his own stuff or play with the brother.

CCA
my boy planning to join Robotics next year. hope he makes it through the qualifying round of selection then, cos it is a case of 'CCA choose students' and not the other way around. *rolleyes*
 
CCA
I heard its quite important at pri 6 when they go for Direct admission. My son is taking Eng, chinese, piano. Same for my daughter. I realise the boys now like Wushu. But he can't join now as its meant for P2. Hopefully he will keep up his interest.
Sending is really terok.
 
maisy

where is your boy taking English?


I heard Chinese orchestra is a hot favourite for DSA but the downside is intensive hours of practice & can't drop that CCA if use that particular CCA for DSA
 
Wow we are talking about CCA liao.

My gal does not have a strong interest in anything. I would like her to join choir since she likes to sing.

I just restart her piano by shifting our piano to my mum place and sendin a teacher there since I do not want to fill up her weekend.

She attends Lorna Whiston class after school but dunno how much she has learnt because she always come back and talked about playing games etc.

Sat morning she has got berries. So even if I want to send her for maths class I also thinking hard. $$$$ and time. Very xiong.

My next priority is swimming. Anyone got coach who can go private pool ? Dun want to waste time travelling yet dun feel like spending so much. Because so far 2 coaches who already coming to our development charges $120/student/4 sessions.

Any cheaper option ? I must get her to curb her water phobia this year as next year she has compulsory swimming for PE
 
fz: qualifying round of selection ??? Which school is your son in? I am not sure whether mine needs to go through selection...hmmm...arent the school supposed to teach them?

I bought him a very very advanced xmas present 2 weeks ago during Metro sale. The Lego Mindstorm has 20% discount thus was a huge savings. Think he will be programming it with his dad this weekend.

Yawn Yawn: My son only has swimming class on Fri morning. He attends enrichment classes on sat.

Chicken Little: Is berries good? My gf was complaining abt them.

Bebe: My son oso wants to learn piano. My hubby concerns is time and stress cos he went through it b4 so not sure if he wants to let our son to suffer.

Mummies: Time is 1 of the main thing we are concerned as we do not want to drain the children out. The next would be $$$. These days enrichment classes and holidays classes are not cheap. Usually starts from hundreds. Think the prices go up faster than our increment.
 
avrilf,
my boy's school's niche is Robotics; if i did not remember/heard wrongly, in either P3 or P4, they will have a short 'module' on robotics and the students will have to submit 'projects'. i think this is the teachers' way of qualifying them.
ya, i heard of mindstorm before; very expensive. :p do feedback on how it turn out.
happy.gif
 
chicken little, my gal also the same..no preference..her sch exposes her to a variety of active CCA during their PE/gym session, badminton, netball or captain ball, handbell etc..I te old her to try out every activities and see which one is the most enjoyable for her.

Ya CCA will be one of the crucial factor for DSA qualification..so it is important tnat the kids choose the right ECA..dunwan my gal to take up and drop halfway..waste time and effort.
 
Avrilf,
Can share what is Mindstorm?

Yawnyawn,
The kids have home tuition at home. But I'm contemplating on English class at Learning Point.

CL,
$120 swimming - not sure if consider expensive. I was paying $100 but with 5-6 children. The coach only teach in the east as he stays in Tampines. But the coach is very effective. My boy can swim well in 6 months and the coach says he should be ready for bronze in 3 months time. I temporarily stop his swimming now because he is afternoon session and his weekend is quite pack now. For beginners swimmer, I prefer private swim lesson to those group lessons in the school. Cos not sure with so many children, the coach has time to teach them the right strokes or even check on them. Few years ago, in the straits times, it reported a pri school boy drowned during school swimming lesson.

CCA:
My girl likes dancing so she just signed up for Chinese dance this year. Anyone knows if Chinese dance is good CCA for direct admission? So far, she has practice once a week for 1.5 hour. I heard from my neighbor that ballet needs to practice during school holiday also.
 
Both my kids are having English class and creative writing at 2 different days. Chinese enrichment, piano and swimming on other days.

Now my son is taking up badminton as a form of CCA in school.

Maisy, Your son is very good. My kids started learning in K1 and K2, but right now(about 1.5 years) only my son can swim and now he is learning backstroke. I don't think he can go for the bronze yet.
 
Yen Ling,
dun tink bronze needs backstroke leh. my gal's goin for bronze next week but dun tink she knows backstroke.

CL,
i pay $50/mth for grp swimmin cos public pool
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Maisy,
heard dat if u wan Chinese dance as DSA, then she must win some awards for de sch or somethg. ballet needs to practice extra durin hols cos of exams. if yr gal dun take exam, then no need extra 'coachin' classes.

how much do u parents spend on yr kids' enrichment? juz calculated; mine's abt $370/mth!

my gal's schedule :

mon - chinese drama in sch (free)
tue - gym in sch, abacus in cc
wed - eng speech n drama in sch
thurs - now she has ballet coachin class but after next wk's exam, no more
fri - only day free so wana teach her piano myself
happy.gif

sat - ballet in cc, chinese tuition @ molin, swimmin @ public pool
sun - art @ NAFA
 
Maisy Daisy:

MINDSTORMS is building a robot where there is a computer controlled lego brick which allows your robot to perform some tasks.

Simple programming will be required.

http://mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/default.aspx

My son has been eyeing this since end 2008 when we went to Japan. Thus we used it as a motivational tool to encourage him to do well cos it is not cheap. It costs about $468 w/o discount.

I know Science Centre and some enrichment schools oso have robotics classes using this Mindstorm.
 
Robotic is very popular in NYPS but ha ha my girl not keen at all.

JH
I think I might have to pay more because my girl water phobic so likely she is going shut herself up from the group
 
avrilf
I think it depends on different centre and the teacher you get. What was your fren's complain ?

So far my gal scored well for Chinese and to her this subject is a breeze.

So I will continue berries while I focus on her myself on Maths
 
yen ling,
The child can go for bronze as long as he can swim one stroke. Usually breaststroke is the easiest. I feel some coach want to delay (they can earn more), so they take a longer time to teach. Is your son swimming with pajamas already? As long as he can float, remove his pajamas in the water, make it into a float, dive into the pool and get it out, swim 8 laps, then can get bronze liao. No timing requirement.

I think my expenses very high. Cos Berries alone is $400 3 months x 2 kids. Still haven't include Piano and tuition.

Berries,
So far, my kids can do reasonably well in Chinese.
 
maisy,
my berries also X 2 kids.
very xiong.

swimming is $200/3 mths. X 1 kid at the time being.

ds2 still young. thinking of sending him to CMA next yr and also starting his swimming, but dunno where to find that extra money. lolz.
 
All these enrichment are so expensive..

Previously MPM $440/3 mths x 2, now Morris Allen $560/10 week x 1.

Younger daughter is taking ballet at CC (cheaper) $95/12 weeks + exam fees + extra lessons for the coming exam..

Chinese speech and drama at sch $270 (8mths) x 2

I am thinking of sending younger gal to Chinese enrichment (I think she will be struggling with Chinese at the 2nd half of the year after HYPY is done)...hiaz

Time and $$ all not enough...Considering that they are not in lower pri..cost escalate as they move up (Still got to manage Science subject).

Sometimes I wonder if our kids are overlying on these academic enrichments..is there something lacking/inadequate with our current education system?
 
Fz,
I don't dare to add up the costs. Last time when they were still in kindy, I remember it was 1k 2 kids, exclude extras like toys, books, holiday program.

My kids will sometimes complain too much enrichment but if don't sign up, what if cannot catch up with the system.

Mummies,
Are you all working? Have you considered staying home. I have considered but with the high cost of living seems rather difficult. My kids are quite used to me not at home. But they will be happy when I take leave. Fortunately my co gives us generous leave.
 
maisy

SAHM since my dd was 1 yo. We try to cut down on debt commitment, live beneath our means so that there's some spare cash for enrichments. No more luxury items or expensive holidays lor. Because staying home is already a luxury
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Now kids enrichment cost quite alright, average $800/mth for both kids, including dd2's kindergarten fees

Previously enrichments cost easily > $1k per month for both kids. dd2 used to have enrichments for English/Maths/Chinese/ballet/gym. dd1 used to have English/Kumon Maths/gym. All stopped liao.

Once they start primary school, manage to cut down on lots of enrichments. Next year when dd2 starts P1, can save on kindergarten fees too
 
bebe,
if possible, i am thinking of removing enrichment completely as my boy approaches P6 cos i am very worried that even if he does well enough to go to a better sec school, he may not survive if i remove the enrichment/tuition plug during sec school.

maisy,
i am a sahm; cannot afford more enrichment without digging into our bank reserves already; so have to prioritize; ds1 has had a fair amount of enrichment before he reached P1, so when ds2's time come for P1 prep, we will need to assess who gets priority in the 'enrichment funds'.
 
fz

I agreed not to be over reliant on academic enrichments. Ideally the child can have the motivation to study independently. I noticed it's the other way round. Parents usually start sending kids for more academic enrichments at higher primary to prep for PSLE. At lower primary most parents can still coach

I feel that non academic enrichments very hard to remove if the child has strong interests leh. My dd2 only left with piano and arts. I think she will cry if I stop these 2


jh

your dd in afternoon session or morning session? She has time to complete homework while having so many enrichments?

I find that there's very limited time for enrichments after finishing school homework. Sometimes my dd doesn't have time to finish her school homework because of her weekends enrichments. Her school teacher gave tonnes of homework over weekends
 
I become a SAHM when my elder gal entered P1. Before my gal entered P1, I did not send her to enrichment (other than phonics and ballet). I thought their kindergartens shd have prepared them well for P1 basic academic requirement. And also PILs who were minding my kids were not supportive of sending them to enrichment classes then.

It was a wrong move as I found my gal struggling with her P1 work. And that is when I had to quit my job and started sending her to enrichment courses myself to help her to build up the foundation.

After one year, both my gal and I had learnt to manage our expectation, I was able to understand her strength and weakness (though got hiccups along the way). We also tend to be selective in the courses, given the limited time and $$.

I am also in favour of doing away with the enrichment class eventually when the kids are older. The ideal is to train the kids to be disciplined, do constant revision, pay attention in class...gotta train them to seek clarification from classmates/teachers when necessary. Of course, it is always easier to say than done. What happen if her results slipped after stopping all the tuition courses? And some courses indeed have better outlines or materials to help the kids do better. And so it is still questionable whether I can eliminate tuition/enrichment class totally.

Yawn Yawn
For non-academic enrichment..I will think I will carry on so long as the kids are still keen to learn..but I will not stress too much to insist her getting the distinctions or medals, and certainly not spending more time on at the expense of her normal schoolwork.
 
Yawnyawn,
I agree with you. Should try to motivate the kid to work hard on her own than to rely on enrichment. Besides languages which I feel are important foundation, subject like math I try to coach myself since still manageable now. But my hb quite KS. He always fear that the kids results not good enough. I am the happy go lucky one.
Actually if the child is motivated, can still succeed without tuition or enrichment. My friend's daughter only has Berries and she scored 276 during PSLE. So probably we shouldn't be too worried whether we "spend" enough to pump the kids or not. In fact, I rather spend on non-academic if she really likes them. Life will be miserable if it's only academic. I have no opportunity to learn piano last time so would be glad if my kids can enjoy and appreciate music.

Re: holidays
I haven't been to holiday for 1 year liao. Whole family go very xiong. Sigh...
 
Chicken Little and Maisy Daisy: I am also not very sure about her complaints. 1 was changed of teacher w/o informing. 2 was she felt the way they teach. I think maybe is her expectation bah.

I agree that different centres' standard differs though under the same co.

I spend about $800 per term on enrichments - english and chinese.

I oso teach Maths on my own and revise chinese with him. As for English, I am thinking of coaching him too since my hubby kept travelling and I realised recently that though he can read alot of words but he cant spell. Thought on focusing on spelling. Any ideas how I should go abt?

SAHM - I am thinking of doing that to spend more time with my son but there is a number of opportunity costs to weigh
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avrilf,
my expenses per term is quite high; about $1000+ for enrichment for both kids; have not include $600+ for ds2's kindergarten yet. husband said if necessary, then just spend lor.
for SAHM, really if can, go for part time work. people like me who has been away from the workforce for so long, will not be able to go back to work easily when the kids have grown up.
i still have part time work options option for me, but 1. have this worry that i may not be able to cope with the separation anxiety (me la! not the kids :p), 2. husband wants me to concentrate on the kids and household matters so that he can concentrate on his work.
 
fz,
When I was not working for a few years, my hb complain that I didn't contribute income. Basically he thinks that staying home is easy job. But when I decided to work again, he say I didn't focus on the family. Sometimes I wonder why man don't understand woman needs to multitask. Life is not a bed of roses for us. So I feel very sandwiched.
 
actually hor, how much do you think is sufficient to survive on single income?

recently read in another forum someone commented to be sahm hubby must earn at least $12k

I think not many household have that kind of income even if both husband & wife working leh

one draw back of single income is whether there's sufficient for retirement. Whatever balance need to save for 2 persons retirement nest even though only one source of income, kind of a stretch
 
maisy

wow, you hubby expects you to contribute income and still focus on family. superwoman arh? man must share some load too
wink.gif


my dh sometimes quite 'hong sim', can spend a fair bit of time on his hobby. He very 'fan xin' since I'm home. But parenting is a two person job, can't dump everything to me even if I'm not contributing income. I lodge complaint lor
 
How much is enough depends on the lifestyle you want?

Esp if you have more than 1 kid, house and car instalments. Not forgetting to look after both sets of parents.

Example. The hubby earns $12k. After deducting CPF, one will still have $11k to spend.

2 pri sch kids mthly avg enrichment(3 subjects) - $600*2=$1,200
2 kids extra activities(eg swimming) - $300*2=$600
Car instalment over 7 yrs - $800
Petrol - $320
House instalment - $ 1,000
Insurance for 4 perons - $1,000 (Life - $100k)
Utilities - $250 (HDB)
Groceries - $1,400

After deducting the above, the person will still have about $4,430. If there are more expenses like parents allowance, dining out, maid, etc, there might juz left $1,000 left to spare.

How many pple can earn $12k alone?

The main risky is the sole breadwinner losing the job during bad times
 
Agree with Avrilf..that how much to earn really depends on the kinda lifestyle we wan..If you are a spendthrift, even $20k per mth also not enough.

To be SAHM, the challenge is to change the mindset..eat out less often, cut down holidays, stop buying branded goods, look out for cheap lobang and sales events. Soon, you will learn to live within your means. I used to shop on impulse, but now I will give myself 3 days cooling period to decide if I really want that thing badly. And yes, the most risky part is the job security of the sole breadwinner...need to have ample reserve for rainy days.

My hubby prefers me not to be SAHM for too long. My initial plan was to go back to workforce when kids goes P3/P4, but with #3 coming, I am afraid I have to consider SAHM for a longer time. Frankly speaking, now I am also like FZ, scared of having separation anxiety. I equate my worth as SAHM when I see my kids being attached to me..but one day they will grow and have their own social circle..what will become of me then? Going back to workforce full time will not be easy..I have to compromise on the paycut and working opportunities. I prob will switch to freelance or part time basis when the kids are older.
 
yawn yawn and maisy daisy: i agree that it takes 2 for parenting. But if one is always travelling for work like my hubby, I will need to take up both roles
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My hubby is also always traveling..half the time he will be out of Singapore. But I do update him abt the kids daily via skype or MSN. He tends to go easy with the kids, I am more of the control freak in the family..ha ha. I told him mah, since he is always not at home, I have to be strict and firm to the kids to keep things in order.
 
Bebe: Same here. I always update him when he called home every nite.

I am the disciplinary one at home. I will scold both my hubby and son if they exceed the time frame I gave for playing :p
 
Hello Mummies,

I hope I am not forgotten. I post once a while here, but hv been a silent reader.

Can I ask for your opinions/experiences: when your kid(s) were younger, like 1-3 years old, do u send send them to playgroups n enrichment classess like sakamoto/Shichida/little neuro tree n stuff like that? If yes, did u think the $$/effort was well spent? If no, care to share the reasons? My dd1 didn't hv any of these when she was growing up. Now with my dd2 turning 1, I'm again faced with the pressure of sending her to such classes. But being a single income household, I'm procrastinating on the spending.

Appreciate your comments.
 
Avrilf
Ya..I also chide my hubby for making me the bad guy of the family. The other day, my younger gal was asking me if she can request her daddy to pick her up daily after sch, instead of me. I realise that hubby has been giving her ice-cream treat on the way home...Alamak!!..break my rule - No junk food before mealtime. I told my hubby off that night for not respecting my rule.

Aly_nat
I did not send my kids to any of those enrichment when they were young. Most of my friends did, and some swear that the courses were effective. Now, thinking back, seeing how my elder gal struggles in her P1, I wish I could have done more to build up her foundation.
For #3, I am not sure if I will join the crowd and sign up for those left brain/right brain training when he is 2-3 yrs old. These pre-school enrichment classes are certainly very costly...I almost dropped my jaws when my fren told me how much she spent on Shishida, Mindchamp, montessori prog on her 2 kids. Both her kids are quite witty and outspoken, very confident..unlike mine...so gong-gong one..ha ha However, Hubby always quotes this chinese saying "xiao shi liao liao, da wei bi jia" (literally means, smart kids does not mean he will be a genius when he grows up".

I think I will have to see the kid's aptitude and learning ability and decide if these enrichment are necessary.
 
aly nat

Both my kids attended Shichida when they were toddlers. At that time Shichida were still relatively unknown, it only became popular in recent years. My elder one also attended montessori childcare for almost 2 years as I just delivered my baby then, no other helper at home.

Hard to substantiate the benefits or to conclude whether it's money well spent. Their development milestones are different and they have strengths in entire different areas. I guess it's highly dependent on the child rather than any course or method.

By the way, Sakamoto is not for toddlers
 
bebe, fz

I always thought I'm going back to work soon. Initially planned to stay home for a few months only, then pregnant with younger one so stretch another year, then thinking next year when baby older, then thinking after I moved house my mom can babysit. Think think think and 7 years has passed. Now I gave up thinking of returning to work. Likely to continue to 'nua' at home even when they go secondary school.


avrilf

I agreed. It's the lifestyle and spending habits. If don't buy big big house & incur huge debt, willing to adjust lifestyle & expectations, I believe most families can survive even if drawing modest income
 
bebe75, yawnyawn,

Thanks 4 sharing. I am told that it is now very common to send kids to playgroup at 18 mths, n by 2 yrs old, they r enrolled in all sorts of enrichment classes.... so scary. I agree that my little tod will benefit from interacting with other children to develope social skills n all, but the fees just puts me off. At 18 mths, I wonder how much she can absorb n understand.

I am guilty of not spending enough time n effort in coaching my elder gal in her work, since the birth of her younger sister. Reading all the posts on CAs/SAs/ topical tests, I think it's time I do something.

Swimming - Bronze level
Read some comments re. swimming test. At Bronze level, the child can choose to complete the 400m swim in whatever stroke. There is also no target timing, as long as the child completes the whole cycle - float with pj, treading, dive in... Swimming costs us S$60 per month, max 5 kids. Sounds like we've got a very good deal.
 
TO all SAHM,
Sometimes I really envy you. It's because you get to see the progress of your kids.
For us working mummies, we have to miss out some details on our kids' development.

Like most of you,(SAHM, FTWM), My husband is not in Singapore all the time. In fact, my kids and I get to see him once in 2 weeks or even once in a month. So, coaching becomes my responsiblities.

Sending kids to enrichment class is solely my decision as my husband will not know what is best for the kids.

Of course,the kids must enjoy going if not both the parents and the child will suffer.

Hi Bebe,
If possble, try to send your #3 to some enrichment classes like speech and drama of phnoics reading. It will really help in the future.
 


Hi Maisy,
My son is taught freestyle. Now he is beginning to learn backstroke. I am still wondering when the coach will teah him breststroke.

The swimming instrcutor wanted him to start using pajamas, but my son don't want.

I am still waiting for the instructor to instrcut him to do that.
 

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