(2006/05) May 2006 MTB

[marbride]

guess we are very concerned abt our kids early childhood education or at least i am very! haha..
I subscribe to the theory that their brains development are 80% done by age of 3. So i am willing to spend more on him ( and have to very very tighten my belt on myself) for his enrichment programs.

Milo,
you like the zoophonics of GUG huh? Why not try out zoophonics school instead? They are good.

Chiltern House:
Its under the JG management but it works more like a childcare centre.
I think i gave up on JG liao..although so much good feedbacks from them, but no response from them so far yet. when you call to ask, they tell you to wait.
Furthermore, i am very happy with the enrichment centre that xavier is attending now weekly, prob will switch him to daily next year. But that will be just as expensive as JG! No more luxuries for me liao!

Gabby,
my neighbour told me MMI in pasir ris is very good. Considering that she send her girl there every morning despite the distance, i think you might wan to go take a look.

 

[milo66]

Ivy,

Yup. Not bad, so far Kaeden will respond when i repeat the alphabet to him. He is now able to sit through more than half of the lesson instead of walking ard the classroom. Will stay on for another term and see how.

How is X doing at his school?

I agree that early education is very impt esp if our baby is the only kiddo at hm. They will learn to share and interact with kids ard their age

 

[marbride]

milo,
after 5 lessons, he is finally able to sit down to listen to the story telling...but he is very excited to move on to the free play room after the story telling session. During the free play session, the teachers take turns to go around talking and interacting with all the kids.
Best part is that teachers are always early although the sch starts at 9am. So we usually arrive ard 8.40 and xavier have 20 mins to interact with all the teachers and warm up before the actual session starts. ( one pt that GUG is lacking cos the classes are never ending..one class out, 2nd class in).

 

[cutie]

Ivy

u went Zoo phonics trial at thomson branch??? i called them up for a trial class lately and they abit stuck up kind

when the center was newly opened few yrs back, they kept delaying the class coz nt enf kids to start a class.i wait till i gave up !

chiltern hse is under JG and hence their programme is similar. Ever visited halifax branch and the environment is veri nice

 

[lh_jyc]

Hi,

Can let me have the details of the JG? Thannks

 

[littletot]

cheri,
my gal wasnt confuse at all.It's just playtime for her

.Over at GUG, we were asked to join the babes class=(playnest) in case my gal cannot adapt.It was just so so as the bbs are with helpers instead of parents.So i felt the teachers are just going thru the motion, likewise the helper.

As for JG, we joined the playclub class. Although it's week10, the teacher still bothered to come and explain to me, what to expect for the class and make sure the children are involve which is what it should be lor.Also since the kids are bigger, i guess it'll somewhat make my gal come out of her comfort zone,.. i guess.

lh_jyc,
hmm... i still prefer homecook food for my gal. JG= Julia Gabriel

.

Ivy,
how long have you been waiting for JG? Must pay for regisration then they'll keep a look out for slots for you.Bilingual class they are still clearing the waiting list.

 

[cherisw]

littletot
ur ger is now in Playclub ah? she's a May baby rite? my ger only going Mandarin playclub in Jan, now in Mandarin playnest..actually her teacher now is v v good..i'm quite reluctant to move her but i know it'll be good for her to mingle wif the older kids...ur ger attends Evans or Forum, EL or Mandarin or biligual...who is her teacher?

pooh
i thot of trying out the Zoophonics at Beauty World, so near my place, but later heard from one mummy that it's super small n the class is v packed...

ivy
where does ur child go to? sorry, dun recall. JG's classes r not back to back oso...

milo66
haha so interesting, our perspectives totally diff...i din find the phonics part impt for her when she was less than a year old then so din sign up GUG...i dun think i need her to learn her abcs so early...not a sign of intelligence anyway...i prefer her to be immersed in a rich language environment, play, listen to stories, do fun things like paint, play wif water/sand etc...so that's why i dun really agree wif annie that classes b4 2 yrs old means they dun enjoy their early years or some say so poor thing, so young must go school..it depends wat sch oos lah...keke in fact my ger looks forward to going to class to play wif her frens...she can rem who r the jie jie n mei mei there

 

[sponge]

wow.. so much talks abt playgroups and what nots.. My girl is still on the waiting list for startots, GUG, weecare etc -_-" .. guess the only 'enrichment' she has are the vcds I bought for her! hahahah

 

[milo66]

Cheri,

Its really interesting to share out our view. For me, i find phonics impt becos i feel that once they learn to talk, its diff to correct the pronounciation of the words..Heehee anyway its all to have fun and bonding time!

Really hope tat i can get a place in JG. I am on the waiting list even before Kaeden is of age!! Haha kiasu mummy already registered him in Mar

 

[littletot]

cheri,
how i wish my gal can get a slot immediately! We were there for a trial class for playclub (Evans) in english.Yes she is May baby.Teacher was Meera.She's good! But she'll be moving on to some other class and will be going part-time.Waiting list for bilingual at both Evans and Forum is super long.Dont think she'll even get a slot in mar!!!

 

[littletot]

milo,
are you waiting for the bilingual class at JG? What is the time slot you looking at, for which day? Is it only Evans? Just called them and they say can put on open waitlist for both Evans and forum for any time slot.

 

[milo66]

Littletot,

Ya i am waiting for the bilingual class at evans road. Taking Sat 9-11 but i told them anytime slot is fine for us. They will only revert in mid-dec

so sianz. U taking which day?

 

[bbloh]

<font color="0000ff">Woah! There's so many discussions on photo shots and enrichment classes, both of which we haven't attempt. Seems that I'm lagging behind uh? Am really interested to get some family shots.

Anyway, if you've no program for this weekend, you may like check out the following URLs for Asian Children Festival celebration activities:

Venue
The Plaza, National Library
100 Victoria Street

Dates
17 November
11.00 am 6.00 pm
http://www.asianchildrenfest.com/17Nov07.htm

18 November
11.00 am 4.00 pm
http://www.asianchildrenfest.com/18Nov07.htm</font>

 

[ying_bin]

Cheri,
Hehe.. i dun want my k to get stress out afterall k @ this age wont remember much unless repeat same input for long term else sure forget.. like you say more for bb to interact with each other.
Moreover more on k personal health concern,e hole in e heart issue... hb and I have history on migraine..heheh.. i prefer step by step.. Afterall, education is a long life path through.. until now I am still learning new stuffs each day..
Pardon me, No Offend to anyone, <font color="0000ff">personal preception</font>

<font color="aa00aa">Milo</font>,
Yes, will try to let k has more chance to interact with other toddlers,

miss e recent <font color="ff0000">2 gathering</font>

<font color="aa00aa">Mummies</font>,
Wah!! so many info on schools, thanks for sharing.. i kept a record on the schools infor for later stage <font color="0000ff">thanks ...thanks</font>

 

[milo66]

Annie,

You are wrong liao. Kids at their age have memories better than anyone of us here! Their brains are like sponge now, absorbing all the minute details. Its the best time to educate them in school unless you are able to do better else i rather seek the help of professional

 

[lh_jyc]

Hi Annie,

I agree w Milo. Coz i read many articles that say the best time to groom the child is when he is 1 to 3 years old.

That's why even thu my fil is objecting, I want to send him to school as I dun wan him to just stay at home and watch TV all day. Being a working mum, I usually reach home around 9pm to 10pm (prev job), by then too late to teach him anything. Also I dun think cc are stressful? they play and sing songs w kids which i think they enjoy...

anyway, just my 2 cents worth la

 

[marbride]

pooh,
i haven go for trial lah. But my colleague just went leh..good reviews.

Littletot,
JG: I registered and paid liao but no sound no news from them since Aug? Anyone wants to take over my slot if i get a call from them ( dunno can or not tho...)

Cheri,
the sch xavier goes to arh..haha..i told too many ppl liao and my name is very "famous" liao. But waiting list is also long cos they only have 1 class for weekends. You can pm me for the name of th school since you can send the kid to weekday instead of weekend as you are not working.

milo,
hi5! yes, their memory is superb leh. You tell them one thing, they will rem it for very long. Just that they cannot communicate does not mean that they dunno what's happening around them. You will be surprise that i rem things when i was 2 yrs old but cant rem what i eat yesterday!

ihiyc,
i spoke to some educators, CC may not the best learning environment as the ratio is too big and the people is more concern about caregiving than teaching. It will be better if your inlaws are able to bring rayne to enrichment classes instead. But of cos, CC is prob still better than doing nothing at home and watch TV?

 

[lh_jyc]

Hi Ivy,

That's why I'm tempted by baby inc coz the teacher to child ratio was 1 : 5. Its a bit on the ex side, but i think if really good, should be worth it...hor

just that...ahemmm i changed job so that i can spend more time w my boy and the $$ may be affected...so now mummy has to really tightened spending if really send boy to baby inc.

but i console myself...its only a few years when they go to pri school, hopefully it will be better???

 

[milo66]

Joyce & Ivy,

Haha so happy to have found kakis that have the same beliefs as me

Seriously, it irritated me to hear ppl esp old folks telling me dun do this, dun bring them there cos they dun remember, waste money etc. Dun underestimate a child memory *wink*

 

[lh_jyc]

Hi milo,

Yep. i can understand. coz i have the same prob now trying to convince my hub to let me send boy to baby inc. he said he scared R dun want to eat there blah blah blah...coz R is a bit spoilt..and sometimes refuses to take his food (esp over the weekend) coz he chose the feeder

but i think sooner or later he has to go, rather than let him be spoilt and waste time at home...

 

[milo66]

Joyce,

My K also spoilt. Likes to throw things and expect us to pick up for him. But he go school like mouse...keke, so timid

 

[cherisw]

milo & annie
ya, i always love to share n hear different perspectives...education is oso so close to my heart as it's my vocation. most impt is to hv an open mind n not be offended easily...or else it'll be so boring n tedious to post on thread...must always rem not to offend pp hahah...

milo66
ermm, ur concern abt them having to relearn or correct themselves if they do not learn the correct pronunciation...from my own experience, it's not that difficult to learn phonics...during our time, oso no phonics n many of us learn to speak well too...it's only the recent years that phonics has taken a more impt place in early childhood education n everywhere is offering that. i'm a pri sch teacher currently on childcare leave so maybe the reason why i'm not concerned is cos i know she'll learn it well in sch later, in fact when they go to pri sch, the emphasis on phonics is not that great anymore.

i still believe more in the traditional approach of inculcating a love in reading in them from young ie. we read to and share stories with them rather than being happy that they can say their abcs...even if they can read the words in their fav book, it's just memory work...try putting the same words in a different context, most of the time, they can't read them. Why? They r simply not ready for that yet. I feel learning their abcs is like learning to walk, as parents, we hope that they learn it fast but they will eventually walk when they r ready.

ivy
where is the sch located ah? hint hint? if too far, i wun bother hahah..

 

[lh_jyc]

Hi milo,

mine too. learnt from his cousin (another reason why i want to bring him out...). that day he threw something on the floor @ their hse, we told him not to, then he threw again, my hub took the cane and gave him 3 smacks (light ones) on his palm AND we kenna from the Pil and sis-in-laws...but we insisted and forced him to take the things from the floor and keep...of coz he was screaming his head off t/o but he listened

anyway after the incident, he dares not throw things in front of us..

I know some may disagree w us being so harsh but then i would rather be harsher now then regret later..

my parents dote/spoilt on my bro and now? he cares only for himself and not even bother abt his wife nor children nor parents...

 

[ying_bin]

<font color="0000ff">lh_jyc & Milo</font>,
Of cos i never <u>under estimate</u> our little one.... k proved to us that he knows exactly where you put his favourite snacks & even drag you there .. haha..

Definitely, it will be v interesting that little one can recall what or where they have done or been when they are <u>before 3</u> No offend hor!

One good advantage to send them to school or even good childcare, our little one will more discripine than having spoilt by grandparents

, knows how to greet everyone...Another will be well toilet-trained by the teachers...

scientific proved that kids @ v young age do have headaches often mostly when their parent have history on or allegy to certain food etc.. Hmm.. i am lucky that k @ least knows how to sign pain and point where's

Of cos, k showed his correct signing of pain and was proved by NUH cardiolgoist that due to bb rapidly growth, certain muscles pain around e area will trigger the pain.

After this incident, my ma totally changed her thought; offers to take care of k till 3 yrs old instead of 18mths.. (I presume e old man next door passed away scare her much).. haha

Ivy,
Do <font color="ff0000">help</font> me to remember the school name hor.. i <font color="0000ff">pm you</font> for the name if ah k's next cardiology review turn up gd. Thanks ..

 

[milo66]

Cheri,

True also lah. We have known each other since our preggy days. Can consider as good friends liao so we wont take offense to watever is posted here otherwise will be too tiring to always watch our words

I find difficulty in reading to Kaeden. Whenever, i take out a book, he will walk away but in school, he will guaiguai sit still. Peer pressure?

 

[ying_bin]

Milo,
Not sure true or not, acc 2 my friends, our little one will <u>listen & obey</u> to teachers instead us / grandparent.. (2 cents view)

 

[cutie]

Milo, ur prince and my princess are xiao lao shu !! last week my old man also says C bahave so guai in class..but at home, she is a MONSTER!!

Cheri, agree wif you that shld inculcate a love in reading in them from young. I do believe that phonics is pretty important. phonics is not only abt pronunciation. the basic phonics of the 1st letter word is pretty easy to learn but when comes to words blending, is not easy (i'm learning. haha). Word blending is a great help to kid esp when they are learning to read.

But of cos, there are a few ways to teach the kid to read eg, sight reading...

 

[littletot]

Ivy,
Me, ME, ME!!!Can i have the slots if they allow transfer?

 

[littletot]

milo,
i prefer wkday. Called Forum and was told Mon class if on waiting list will be no.16! Evans, for wkday has stop taking waiting list.Hmm..cant imagine wkend ones!

 

[marbride]

cheri,
its in orchard..haha...so not too far if you are already at JG. Cost wise, very very slightly cheaper than JG..haha..

littletot,
if they call me and they say can transfer then you are 1st on the list! mine is on weekend hor.

annie,
you dun rem the things that happened when you are before 3 huh? maybe our parents time, they dun do a lot for us. just be happy that they fed and clothe us.

 

[milo66]

Littletot,

Wah they so gd still tell u your no on the waiting list. Heehee let me call them and ask ask also

 

[fairysnowberry]

Hihi Ivy,

Really ah, your colleague got good review for the Zoophonics at Thomson Branch? I intend to try that out

 

[lh_jyc]

hahaha...
milo, its sama sama 4 me

whenever i read a book or try to sing to my R, he will either walk away or put his hands on his ears. think my croaky voice scare him away...

at class, he claps when teacher finish singing...hiaz..tong ren bu tong ming....

 

[gabby]

Zoophonics vs GUG

Heard from my friend that GUG is better....

 

[littletot]

Ivy,
called and they say cannot transfer cos not fair to those already in line.Well.. no harm trying rite .hee...Xavier attending classes in orchard?I like! Quite near my place. Can tell me more please?

Went forum for registration just now.Hmm... very noisy leh.Somemore with the toy r us that is impossible to avoid...Not very good hor.Am now on it's super long waiting list!

Cheri,
for JG mandarin class, is it mostly helper attending with the tots? How are they gonna join in when they cant understand mandarin themselves?

 

[marbride]

Mmm..cannot transfer? Ha, maybe will create some fuss since they take my money liao and so long din give me a slot..See if they do call me lah. Maybe by the time they call me, our kids will be in kindergarten liao.
haha...

 

[lh_jyc]

Hi Ivy,

Proj failed, R rejects my pancake this afternoon

think i'm not a good cook. my sis suggested tat i bring him to mac bf to try instead of messing up my kitchen..keke

 

[cherisw]

little tot
for my ger's class, quite balance..some come wif mummies, others wif maids...ya most maids cannot understand mandarin but some quite sporting, can speak n sing along wif the songs though they dun understand much.

lhjyc
haha i dun care, my ger dun like my singing, i oso sing...luckily so far she din react negatively to it...i just bot an electronic keyboard for her this weekend n she loves it...v cheap $20 only n can play using batteries or power supply. i actually wanna buy 2nd hand thruauction at first but realized after that u need to test it out first...one kp one that we tried out, the music was so obiang..imagine cny songs n so high pitched somemore...damn irritating hahha...this one i got has the nursery songs like row3 ur boat, if u r happy etc so she loves them. From this toy shop in imm.

ivy
i still dunno wat sch leh..tell me here lah...hahah i too lazy to pm u...i'm at jg evans so not really in orchard.

 

[cherisw]

lhjyc
i tried giving my ger the pancake from macdonalds too but she doesn't like it leh. She only likes the one we make if we add steamed apple to it..a lil sweet mah..

 

[lh_jyc]

Hi Cheri,

I give up. i think R jus chooses the place. Yestd my mil came over for dinner, she saw how R refuses to take his dinner adamantly, she just commented that at her place, R always eat veri fast..

think its becoz he dun like me to feed or he hates my cooking. hiaz i tried from porridge to noodles to bake rice, he all dun want and will shake his head violently or like hamster, stuff until his mouth big big n refused to swallow.

 

[lh_jyc]

Hi Cheri..

hee..honest to goodness, i cant sing for hoot. if not trying to teach R, will never open my mouth so his rxn i can understand

btw, when i was preg, i like to listen to music w sax to distress. was in the car w R on saturday when my hub started to play this new CD w sax. R reacted and started to dance to the music. dunno whether its becoz he found it familiar?

 

[ying_bin]

ivy,
hmm i only remembered my auntie comment that i am mute when i couldnt speak before 4. At what age, i don't remember. My buddy told me she remembered her parent brought her to Germany @ 3 yrs old.
Hopefully k don't remember <u>else</u> he sure stated mummy alway cane him... haha

Yap, which school did you send Xavier to?

 

[bbloh]

<font color="0000ff">This talk of enrichement classes sounds really interesting. Shall we organise ourselves to go for some trials together?</font>

 

[qoosan]

Hi mummies,
Jst to share wth u my joy...my gynae has confirmed that I am expecting a girl. Will hav details scan next week which will double confirm the gender.

 

[marbride]

Qoosan,
congrats, then you can close shop liao..
Me still haven have the guts to have a 2nd one yet cos my son is such a demanding baby since birth!

bbloh,
trial class sounds fun but i think most of us have gone for quite a few liao. So response may not be good.

Gabby,
how is the planning of our Xmas Bash coming along? hee....

 

[lh_jyc]

Hi Qoosan,

Congrats...i sometimes also wish for a bb girl but no guts too..keke

Heh, just want to pose this qn to all

if ur hub goes out w other girls, u mind if he no tell u?

i got a friend cant say too many here coz she also come to this site. minds it veri much to the extent of quarrelling and wanting to D. of coz this is just one of the push factors but..a strong contributing factor nevertheless. dunno how advice...

 

[qoosan]

Ivy and lh_jyc,
Yes, so happy that i can close shop

Unless another surprise come again

lh_jyc,
To ans ur question, i dun think i can stand hubby gg out w others girls be it to tell me or not, think my imagination will drive me siao lar...

 

[cherisw]

lhjyc

how many kids do u hv now? if only one, can try going for a second lah, may b a ger mah...but if oso boy hor, then dun take the risk for 3rd one liao haha

i dun think it's cos ur boy dun like ur cooking etc leh...sometimes they just wan our attn...my ger will eat better when my maid feeds her but when my hb or i feed her, funny pattern all come out...rub eyes, rub face, spit out food etc...i think our tots at this age now know we r their parents, people special to them n they oso know they can get away wif some things wif us hahha

i will definitely mind if i know my hb went out wif another gal without telling me in advance..esp cos he's always been the kind who tells me everything...i dun think that ur fren should D just becos of this incident unless she knows the meeting was really a rendezvous between lovers etc...oso as u say there r other issues in the marriage, should sit down n tok thru...r both of them open to seeing counsellor?

re trial class
actually there's one programme that i've always been curious abt...Shicida method..but too bad they dun do trials...cos i feel wat they hv to offer is sthg v different from others...so it will be interesting to see...

bbloh
wat trial r u keen on? maybe u org n some will still be interested? i dun mind if it's sthg i hv not been to.

gabby
yes, yes, since ivy mentioned the xmas bash, i oso ask hahah...sorry lah i new bird here so cannot be too pushy or else kena ostracised...from my experience, not all thread mummies r frenly, some can be very hostile to newcomers...but luckily, this thread so far so good, that's why i'm still posting everyday hahah

 

[ying_bin]

lh_jyc,
sharing two cents tot, <u>no offend</u>, depend whether you trust your hubby and is it that you find out later and by how? Personally, I am <font color="0000ff">fine</font> unless repeat.... maybe u see any changes in him or not.. Pardon me .. i m e man type character..

 

[bbloh]

<font color="0000ff">I'm interested in the Zoophonics trial. Where are they located? Heard that there's a branch in Jurong. Is the Thomson branch located at United Sq?

I am interested in Baby Inc. Had been approached by them (think they have a branch at Bt Timah) when I went to the BabyCare Festival earlier this year. But that time, didn't sign up for the trial (IIRC $30 + free uniform) as baby was still quite young. IIRC, min attend class 3X per week.

lh_jyc,
IMO, it's best not to offer any advice. If they make up, they won't thanks you. If they break up, you'll get the blame. Just listen and try not to comment as we don't know the "full story" anyway.</font>