Any Mommies in mid-late 30s or over 40 with small children?

jasmine,
Glad to know that you are reading my blog
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a sounds like the "a" in "at", "an", "as", etc. You should teach the "L" sound together with words like "let", "lip", "log", etc. It is more important that the child understands how it sounds like in a word. Once your child knows all the letter sounds, you should start teaching him how to read 2 and 3 letter words.

Fairyprincess,
Yes CDA can be used for both childcare and kindy. I think the government considers kindy fees to be cheaper, so don't need extra subsidy, since the government is already co-paying for the CDA.

I want my girl to have more time to practice reading books, before going on to Compre at MMI. Compre teaches grammar. After she completed her phonics class, she is still not reading very fluently. This is because many english words are not phoetic. I let her read the ladybird keyword series to learn the sight words. I prefer to let her read fluently and build up her vocabulary this year. I will probably send her for grammar class when she is 6 years old.
 


Gingerbelle, i think your friend A's hubby is not a man at all... Aren't the kids his? my gosh, to calculate until like this, it doesn't even sound like marriage!

I've been away for a few days. I had my baby! Waterbag broke on Sunday around 5pm, was at the Changi Airport to send my sister off. We rushed back from Changi to Holland V, I had a shower, took some food and then went into the hospital. Had the baby right after the closing ceremony of the Olympics. No pain relievers. This little boy weighs 3.6kg, 53 cm tall. Smallest among my children. a little jandice which I hope will go away... crossing my fingers. will have to bring him back for check on friday.

Tamarind, no, this boy is my 3rd and last child, no extra 1k for me. For this boy, the cash benefit is $6k, but the hospital and doc fees has gone up so much that the $6k will just cover these fees. No choice lah, at least its some help, better then no help.

aiyoh, i cannot reach the confinement lady that I've booked earlier. so have no confinement lady to help out. my two elder ones are so excited about this small brother and they have been jumping up and down and crawling and squeezing in to see him, touch him and carry him. I'm so worried that they may crashed the small boy. I'm trying to get the little one to latch on too, but he is not so good at it and i'm a bit rusty. thinking of getting a lactation consultant to come over and help me. I think its per hour basis right. anyone can recommend me? I've sent my 2 kids to my mum's place along with my maid, so now my MIL is helping look after the smaller one while i surf the net... and managed to get some well-deseved rest. I managed to get another confinement lady to come in tomorrow and hopefully i can start my malay massage soon. I need to get back to shape as well... soon! i gained a total of 10kg of this pregnancy, when i left the hospital yesterday, I was 6kg down. but i need to lose another 8-10 kg because i was 60kg when i started the pregnancy... had thyriod problem... that's why i kept gaining weight.
 
thanks tamarind. only $1800 from medisave.

I'm still trying to read a page a day to both the older ones. Arnold, my eldest, had some training at Zoophonics, can read some. He can read book 3 from Kate series now. my gal can read book 2. Still doing 1a and 1b. but when they are with my mum, they will take a reading holiday... have asked my mum to read chinese books with them instead.
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gingerbelle

thanks!
My parents always said he got stamps in his eyes
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mommies

For discussion sake....a P2 child is extremely intelligent & MOE let the child skip to P4 next year, direct to gifted programme.
<font color="0000ff">Would you let your child skip level in primary school?</font>


Yes, I would. In fact, I already feel excited fantasizing my girl skipping level
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Hubby holds a different view. He said better to relax &amp; breeze through primary school, no point skipping level
 
sleepy,
Is there really such a case ? From what I understand, MOE will not allow it.

This is what I heard from the Kiasuparents forum, written by a parent whose daughter is in the GEP :

<font color="0000ff">In the GEP programe, the children are being taught in a very broad base manner. As they are all fast learner, they are learning things 3 to 4 years in advanced of their age. They dun work on activities books, but worksheets and projects. They are expected to think out of the box and handed stress. They are arm with skill that will help them in the future.

They don't really have any text books to teach on and all the P4 text book that were bought are for parents references only. 'Charlotte Web' is the only book for English.

Taxing is due to the work that are assigned to the kids are topics that are taught in secondary school or higher level and sometimes we, parents also cannot solve it. All their work are awarded based on the originality and creativity of the work produced. They are asked to create toys related to science topics they are taught. Imagine you are being shrink and write a story about visitng an animal or plant cells. They are asked to write about the characteristics of the main characters of the book 'Charlotte Web' etc.

However, we are told that they will not score very well in their PSLE because they will only be 'trained' 3 months before the examination. </font>


GEP is very different from mainstream. You may end up even more stressed :p Students are who at the top in mainstream, may be just average in the GEP.

In fact, I think you have a very gifted daughter. Do join the discussion here :

http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=340&amp;postdays=0&amp;postorder=asc&amp;start=0

I have heard about a 7 year old boy who passed O level chemistry. Also other kids who passed their O levels at a very young age and entered university much earlier. These kids take O levels as private students. I think this route is better than skipping levels.

A 5 year old child may be as intelligent and knowledgeable as a 10 year old, but her emotional development may not be the same.
 
morning ladies

rona
congrats to yr bb boy...

tamarind
have seen the video and are u the one who have a blog regarding maid issue....i've read dat b4 i hired a maid a few mths ago....i followed some of yr guidelines.
 
Morning!

baby at it again. was awake from 11pm to 3am, refuse to sleep with wide open eyes and mouth. He seems to want to drink milk all the time and i'm so worried that i overfed him. cos he will take 60ml at 11pm, 30ml at 12midnite and then another 60ml at 2am and still wants to be carried to sleep. luckily i got the confinement lady yesterday else i will be in a very foul mood. Don't know if the way he drinks is ok or not, after all, he's just 4 days old...

Anyway, i went to NTUC to buy groceries, rice and food stuff. spent $210 just like that, and nothing much to show. I have not included the fish and meat and veggie from market. back aches like nobody business. will be bringing the baby for a check-up today. I also will go for post partum check up too.

saw the video, quite shocking. its a really hard tight slap! felt like slapping her back. doing this to a baby! I knew of Indonesian maids entering singapore with different names each time. Tamarind, how to check?

Sleepy, if my son is offered that, i will skip and jump level too. else it maybe too bored for him. I know its quite tough at GEP. My friend's kid is in Nanyang and in the GEP and told me there lots of project work. so most of the time, she has to help to gather information. and some times, the subject is quite tough that she has to read more too. maybe Tamarind is right, got to teach privately. I know of one very gifted 6yr-old. now the parents are not sure what to do with him... he is really very smart...
 
Tamarind, really not fair for employers if we were made to shoulder all responsibilities for ir-responsible maids...
 
Thanks Tamarind,

My kindy fees is S$250 per month per kid...I wouldn't consider it cheaper than childcare leh...anyways, thanks for the info =)
 
Danryan,
Glad to know that you are reading my blog
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rona,
Imagine the maid did that do your baby, and you still need to pay for her air ticket back. Sian...

MOM will run a check of the thumbprint of the maid. If a new maid is found to match an old record, but a different name, she will be sent back to her own country.

I also heard that GEP has lots of project work. If the parents help, then it is not entirely the student's effort, right ? It will be unfair to those GEP students whose parents cannot help.

There are no schools which can cater to gifted kids before primary school in Singapore.
 
Fairyprincess,
If you use the CDA account, it will be $125. I think the majority of kids go to PCF, which is $100 a month. If using CDA, they pay $50 a month.

Government is like that, they don't want to pay too much for you :p
 
FairyPrincess,
Your CDA account will have total $12000, of which $6000 is your money.

You will spend total $6000 for 2 years of kindergarten for one child. When she is 6 years old, you can take out the remaining $6000. Effectively her kindergarten is free.

For those who go to PCF, 2 kids 2 years will cost $4800 ($100 a month), the parents can take back $7200. So they get free pre-school education for 2 kids.
 
Tamarind

Heard of this case in this forum. I'm surprised too, have the perception MOE is rather rigid.
The P2 child tops his class so the school send him for assessment &amp; MOE allows him to skip one level to P4 next year &amp; direct to GEP

I'm not sure whether my girl is gifted or just high achiever. She's very matured for her age though (I feel that she's 10 yo!). She complained her classmates are too childish. Maybe because I dont' treat her like a kid but an adult


rona

how do you tell the child is gifted?
excel beyond his level?
 
Sleepy,
I read about the definition of a gifted individual at wikipedia.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifted
Generally, gifted individuals learn more quickly, deeply, and broadly than their peers. Gifted children may learn to read early and operate at the same level as normal children who are significantly older. The gifted tend to demonstrate high reasoning ability, creativity, curiosity, a large vocabulary, and an excellent memory. They often can master concepts with few repetitions. They may also be physically and emotionally sensitive, perfectionistic, and may frequently question authority. Some have trouble relating to or communicating with their peers because of disparities in vocabulary size (especially in the early years), personality, interests and motivation. As children, they may prefer the company of older children or adults.
 
Tamarind

I think my dd2 fits the description too
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I'm considering whether to apply for admission to primary school earlier for her

dd1 cannot. Even if she's academically ready, she has low EQ, too emotionally sensitive
 
Then again, I agreed with what you said earlier
Maybe better for the child to study privately than to skip level. emotionally may not be ready.
 
sleepy,
Wow both your dds fit into that description
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You are very lucky.

I did not know that it is possible to apply for early admission.

Actually it depends on the future profession of your kids. For example, if the child wants to be a doctor, then even if she finishes medical school at 16 years old, I don't think any hospital will trust the life of patients to someone so young. If she wants to be a banker, no bank will trust her to handle millions of dollars too. So I think she has to wait until she is twenty plus to find a job.

But if she wants to be a research scientist, then it should be fine
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Universities don't mind young scientists doing experiments
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But hor, my elder brother is now a research scientist in UK, he is earning barely enough to support his wife and daughter. It is very very difficult to have a scientific discovery.

My daughter wants to be an artist or a fashion designer. But I will advise her, that she still needs to have a good income, so it is better to be a doctor, and then design clothes as a hobby hahaha I recently got my moles removed. The doctor earned $1000+ for 15 minutes of work. She is branded from head to toe ! OK I know I sound materialistic. But I really wish for my girl to have a good life when she grows up.
 
Tamarind

hehe, me too. I guess it's every mommy's wish that her children have a good life in future
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my dd2 said she wants to be a super star
haha! I'm totally supportive. Then I can be star-mom &amp; collect royalty from her CDs. Really can shake legs liao
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sleepy,
OIC. Thanks. I missed out that link. There is a lot information there. Will you consider doing a psychological on your dds ?
 
Tamarind

Will you consider early admission option for your girl?
I think she's very clever &amp; excel way beyond her age group

With recommendation from MOE gifted department, I think every school in Singapore will want your girl
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I have not decided to go for the test. very ex! I heard cost at least $600 &amp; above just to get a psychological report. Unless I am absolutely certain that I want to enrol her earlier, otherwise better not waste money lor

At this point of time, it is just a fleeting thought after reading that MOE link. I am not sure my kids are really gifted. I think they are just high achievers lor. Since I am SAHM, I have time to nag &amp; chase them to do homework mah
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There are plenty of high achievers in Singapore who are even more outstanding. A bit paiseh to flaunt especially when there are even more clever ones around in my girl's Kumon center
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sleepy,
The problem with my girl is that, she will not speak in front of strangers. So if I send her to see the psychologist, she will not speak a single word. Then the psychologist will think that she got problem :p

She takes very long to warm up to someone new. In her K1 class, she only starts speaking spontaneously to her teacher after 2 - 3 months. Now she is speaking too much. Her teacher's comments this term is "She is very knowledgeable and draws extremely well." She tells her teacher that she knows the capital of Indonesia is Jakarta, etc.

Actually I think it is difficult to compare giftedness by how well the kid is doing in Kumon. There are many kids who do well when they do the same thing many many times.

You can tell that your kids are gifted, if they can remember a word you teach them only once, then they never forget it. If they learn 唐诗 (tang poetry), they can remember a 4 line x 7 words poetry in a few minutes, then always remember it. Or they can understand addition and subtraction after you teach them only 2 or 3 times. Here are just some examples.

Some kids may not be like the above, but they can be very gifted in music and arts, or even interpersonal relationship.
 
Thanks Tamarind,

But each of my kid has 4 years of kindy (N1 to K2)- that's a total of S$24K (at S$250 per month per kid)!
Only my second qualifies for govt subsidy via CDA- i.e. S$6K from govt.
Thus, we parents still have to pay S$18K for both kids to go through kindy...that's not cheap at all, looking at it in this way...

Not to worry, I am only mulling aloud the actual cost...
 
Fairyprincess,
Yes I know many parents are paying that amount.

The government probably does not think that children need to go N1 and N2 :p But I feel that the government should provide free pre-school education to all children
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Primary schools are free, so why not pre-schools ?
 
Tamarind, Fairyprincess

I feel that it's not ncessary to start kindergarten too early. dd1 only started kindergarten at K1. dd2 attended N2 for six months, withdrawn her mid year, will resume K1 next year.

Even then, we have almost exhausted all our CDA fund because dd1 spent a substantial amount of her sister's CDA fund when she attended almost 2 years of MMI childcare at $500 per month

I will have to pay cash for dd2's K1 &amp; K2 fees. $2K per year. Don't feel worth it since she didn't learn much. But no choice leh, I need some time to coach dd1 so have to keep dd2 occupied somewhere
 
I support you Tamarind!

Actually, if I consider the pros and cons of N1 and N2 education, I would still send my gal from N1 onwards...I think they get to socialise and learn something useful...also, being a FTWM, it gives my mum a break from looking after the kids in the morning...

Thus, I cannot imagine how parents can afford to send kids to full day montesorri- its like S$800 per month before subsidy...not cheap at all...
 
hi Rona

Congrats on your latest addition to your family!

About losing weight, my weight is now stuck at 4.5kg above pre-preggy days of 50kg. Had to buy size L clothes still cos my tummy is like I'm still pregant. So sad.

Mummies
Just viewed the video, my heart ached seeing a maid treat a defenceless baby like this. I don't even like to have maids around but I need their help with household chores. I aim to be maid free when my gal turns 3.
 
halo all!

this kid i know who is gifted, his brain works like binary system. there's one day when he picked up a calendar and look at it for like half an hour. then his parents suddenly realized that he can remember which day the date fall on, like you can ask him which day dec 25, 2000 fell on and he can tell you accurately the day. He has superb memory too, picture perfect. He can read and memorise pages and pages and he can also speed read. However, there's a flip side, because he is a genuis, he is very bad with EQ. very sensitive and don't know how to interact with boys his age.

My friend's child in GEP is not so extreme, but my friend does not drill him or prepare him especially for the exams. The boy asked for piano lessons, which he learns with ease, do his homework etc. The only thing he needs help is the project work. My friend does not help him everything, but do help him find links and do some research but the boy will need to do the rest.

I think its a case of if you have it, you have it. can't be force or drill into it. Kumon is different, there's lots of worksheet and i think its drilling. So for the GEP, I think the child must have the extra spark to make it.

I think I don't need my child to be a genius. I also don't need them to be in the GEP also. But I do hope that they do well in school, not just acadamical, but in their ecas or sports and enjoy school and the learning process and have proper and right values. I hope they can pick up good social skills so they will be equipped for their whole life. EQ is important.

I still have this pouch that i'm carrying around. if soft and spongey and i'm sure someone will give me a seat if I take public transport. i still look like i'm 6 or 7 months pregnant. I only managed to get a malay massage lady to come in this morning to massage (skills: so-so) and bind (skills: very good). I found that my backache is not as sever now as the bind force me to correct my bad posture. so even if the size and texture of my tummy did not improve, at least i get some relieve from my backache!
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The confinement lady managed to change the timing of my baby a bit. instead of staying awake from 11pm to 3am, he managed to have his last feed at about 1am and sleep 4 hours to have another feed at 5am. Improvement. But will have to try to keep him awake from 8pm to 10pm... good lah.

wow, really no time when the two elder ones are around. i still have to pump, direct bf once a while (still pump for aunty to feed if breast too full). breast still sore and tender and engorged. but luckily no clogged ducts... hope this will stabilize soon. I still trying to read a book a day. now repeating peter and jane 1a and 1b, tom and kate book 2 and 3. not spending a lot of time to do it as i like to but no choice.
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ok, will write again, and take care all!
 
<font color="ff0000">Tamarind,</font>

I was reading your blog - Very impressive especially knowing you are a full-time working mom.

I am also a full time working mother. My elder son is going to Pri 1 next year. Can share how will you juggle work and finding time to teach your children.

I was thinking of switching to another Chinese enrichment class next year but not too sure which one to go to......

Any mummies can share which enrichment Chinese class did you enrol your primary school children?

Thank you
 
rona,
Wow that boy is really a genius. However, the education system in Singapore does not cater to a boy like that.

I totally agree with you that EQ is more important.

Hope that you manage to get a good rest during your confinement. Take care
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gingerbelle,
Yes it will be best to do without maid, if possible. For me, I still need a maid to take care of my father who is very old, so no choice.

Fairyprincess,
I think the most important part about going to nursery/kindergarten is social interaction.

How about those parents who send both their kids to Pat Schoolhouse which cost $1600 a month ? Like the couple reported in the newspaper, whose combined income is only $7000. I guess some people think it is worth it, so they will save on other expenses.

sleepy,
CDA is only sufficient if we send our kids to PCF kindergarten($100 a month), it is not sufficient to cover for any childcare centre, especially for those kids who are in childcare from 18 months - 6 years.

I think my boy is not learning much from his nursery. I am able to teach him more at home. However, my girl is learning a lot in her "premium" PCF kindergarten. She is learning about the human body, etc, and even tang poetry. So I think that is quite worth it.
 
Hi Tamarind, yes, that boy is a genius, so now his parents have a hard time thinking what to do with him, send him to normal school or ??? I don't think the current school system is suitable for him, maybe homeschool? then this boy will be even more withdrawn socially... headache also when you have a genius...
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my little gal is very clingy. The minute I'm out of her sight, even if I'm just behind her, she will cry... mummy mummy mummy... very 'fun'... But when I'm not around, really not at home, she is well behaved and smilely... I think its me... and I'm not even holding her new bb brother. I think its a phase she is going through. Maybe got to spend time with her alone. I will send her to full time childcare next year, Cherie Hearts at Tan Quee Lan Street, N1, no choice since I don't think my maid and my mum/MIL can cope with 2 kids and a baby in the house.

My son is also not learning much from his nursery. He's in K1 now, and attending a church based kindy. not doing addition and subtraction yet too and cannot read much. Wanted to switch him to a PCF Kindy but he is too attached to his kindy. So spending money for enrichment classes like Zoophonics and Berries.

juz me ;), which Chinese enrichement class is your kid in? I think Berries and Tien Xia is quite good, you can consider any of these. I don't force my boy to write Chinese, so his handwriting is like abstract art. But he can use chen yu and can recognise words that he has learnt in Berries. So I'm quite glad. I want him to like learning Chinese and hopefully its easier when he goes on in primary school.
 
rona c.
Mine is in MRC - they teach only chinese characters. I was thinking whether will the current one be sufficient when my elder one goes to Pri 1 next year? Cos Pri 1 will have cloze passages? comprehension? Still cracking my head to think whether to withdraw? Finding new one for him? Some of my friends said close passages and comprehension can be easily teach by doing more assessment books. They ask me to continue the current course - learn more Chinese characters...However, I am still in 2 minds....

Currently, I try to teach him. Thinking besides, doing Chinese assessment books, is there other media/means to teach Chinese. His Chinese is pretty weak or should I say very weak as he can't really hold a conversation.....
 
Juz me, I think for primary one, there's no chinese close passages nor comprehension. No Chinese compositions as well - mummies with P1 kids please correct me if I'm wrong. They are taught hanyupinyin, writing and reading. tests includes spelling and multiple choices - type of questions. You can still let him do some Chinese assessment books for K2 and P1 to see his standard first.

My boy also cannot hold a mandarin conversation very well, but he do understand mandarin. The no of chinese words he can recognize is far more than what his kindy is teaching. My gal can speak pretty well in mandarin for her age. I think you have to encourage him to speak up more in mandarin. I let my kids watch doremon (xiao dingdang) every sunday, so at least they have another half hour of listening to mandarin...
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I remembered I used to read a lot of chinese comics when growing up... then I got hooked on all the chinese wuxiaxiaoshuo... but i did CL1 from P1 onwards, so i get to read bingxin, luxun, all the famous chinese author's work, besides the usual chinese poetry and literature...
 
my colleague's son understand multiplication in K1 and can memorize the times table end of K1. But did not get selected to the GEP program during his P3 exams...
 
and i'm still trying to teach my boy nos 20-40 correctly... and have not attempt to teach him addition and substraction from 10 onwards... sometimes, don't know if i should be so kan cheong or not...
 
rona, juz_me,
Both my kids are in Berries. They are learning to read Chinese very well. My boy attended only for a few months, I am surprised with his improvement. But he still cannot converse in mandarin. My girl's teacher says she can converse, but my girl refused to speak to me in Mandarin.

At home, I teach both my kids to recite Tang poetry. I print out the words, and paste on their bedroom walls. I teach them to memorize the poetry, and also try to explain the meaning to them. My kids don't mind learning Tang poetry, they invent their own silly songs and fit in the words
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I used to have a secondary school teacher who made us memorize the Chinese textbook. It is an old method, but I think it is quite effective. In the past, children memorize San Zi Jing etc in China.

rona,
I heard that kids should know addition and subtraction before P1. But I think that they just understand the concept will do, don't need to know very well, as in ask them 5 + 4 they immediately can say 9. So long as they know how to put 5 fingers and 4 fingers together and count to 9, then it is OK. I think that kids are already allowed to use calculator in primary school, right ?

What is most important is the ability to read well. Even in the maths paper, the child need to read and understand the problems.
 
Tam, I totally agree with you. Nowadays the maths tests are like english tests, understand wrongly and the kids cannot solve the problems already... ;P
 
rona, juz me

I think P1 Chinese do have close passage and written comprehension. This format is presented in every assessement book I flip through. Plus weekly tingxie

that's why I panic when I realized my dd1 hardly recognised any Chinese words last year, can't even catch up when she went for a trial class at Berries. Her hanyu pinyin is good so she became over reliant on hanyu pinyin instead

Have been pumping her with Chinese assessment books since beginning of this year. Vast improvement compared to last year. Phew! Don't think she will top her Chinese class in P1 but at least won't fail liao
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Hi mommies,
What internet browser are you using ?

I have just changed to Google Chrome now. Quite nice. I think I will stick to this one. I was previously using Mozilla Firefox.

At what age do you think is OK for the child to start to search the internet on his/her own ?
 
Hi Mummies,

Like to check if any mummies send kids for junior golf? Is 5yr old too young for this sport? Son is so keen to pick up this sport after being exposed to the golf putter and putting mat at neighbour's place.

I've checked out KinderGolf prices. The fees are $180 to $220 for 4 sessions. I'll like to find out more from mummies. Will also try to google on it.
 
Hi Tam, I'm still using dial up... is the Google Chrome really good? read about it.

I think about 5 or 6 yrs old should be fine, however, we need to guide the kids so that they don't browse the wrong website.

moo87, I wanted to send my 5yr old boy to kindergolf, but was put away by the fees. He is very interested in golf because my mum-in-law is a fanatic with good handicap. 5yr old is ok to start learning. I think there are some primary schools offering golf as a ECA - I think Henry Park is one of them. And I think the vendor is also Kindergolf and they play in Jurong Country Club.

Heard from the news that child care centres are upping their fees from 6% to 40%!!! that's it, by increasing 40%, its as good as eating up most of the $300 subsidy govt is giving out... <sigh> I think its too much!!
 
just an eg, if the old school fees was $500, by increasing fees 40%, the new fees will be $700, we will be paying $50 MORE compared to the old school fees!!! Worst then square one... :p
 
rona,
I am using Google Chrome now, seems to load faster than Internet Explorer. There are also some nice features.

Yes I think if the child is too young, we need to watch them carefully. So far I only let them use starfall.com.

40% increase is a lot ! I hope they don't increase kindergarten school fees too
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moo87,
I also think that is very expensive :p
 

moo87

wow, fees are steep. didn't consider golf at this point in time. I feel that kids can pick up golf or tennis later
whereas gymnastics has a 'cut off' age
 

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