Hi Luvv
sorry for late reply...
Yes, my DS can read and he loves reading. I am not boasting but i would say his love for reading is a 50/50 effort from school and us parents. For a start, we read to him every night for about a couple of months, until he has the habit of bed-time reading, then we slacken abit. Its just like learning swimming - we stay with him till he can float and swim then we can relax abit liao hehe...but of course he still prefer us to read with him lah
The school also emphasize alot on having this good habit by providing good reading materials and time for them to read during lessons time. Being able to read and love to read is the fundamentally of all learning later.
Hi Beauty Seet
Sorry to hear what happened to your DD. But i guess the teachers are still familiasing with the little ones so mistakes bound to happen.
For the initial period, i believe the teachers are busy with introducing routines to them (like going to toilet, wash hands, take their own bags etc.) so if the mistakes are not 'life-threathening', just let it go - that's how i 'console' myself during the intial anxiety stage of his nursery life
Here's my 2-cents worth suggestion for those in dilemma of dont know if should enrol with Soka:
Soka kindergarten emphasize on character-building thus they have many little projects where you need to spend time doing with your kids. Thats where you and your kids bond - and thats where their character-built from learning from you! Do you have the time and patience?
Soka dont emphasize on academic - instead, they want the kids to have good habits - like reading, seeking spirits, independence etc. They dont teach HYPY and no spelling. Their reasons is not to kill their learning joy when the kids go primary - meaning if the kids already know everything, then they will 'switch off' during primary time. So look at your kids - do you think your kids is a fast-learner and will be able to catch up with the academic stuff when entering primary? Or are you willing to spend extra $ on enrichments classes if you think your DS/DD need to brush up on those academic area, before entering primary?
Most of all, do you have a 'strong-heart' to see how much your kids is lacking behind comparing to those kids (may be in PAP) whom is stronger acdemically? I dont, thats why i gets frustrated when my DS cant write or count well.
But from what i see, Soka is buidling mileage so kids can learn longer - meaning, if the kids already burnt out by learning so much in their early stage, then they may worn-out in their later leg of learning journey...im not sure if im right, anyone with ex-Soka kids please comment.
So, in summary, if you are the type of hands-on parents and like to do projects with your kids, dont mind spending extra $ on enrichment classes (when needed), have the time and patience to learn together with your kids - then go with Soka kindergarten!
Extra note: i dont log-on often so if any one need any other info, please pm me. And pardon me if i didnt reply promptly but i will definitely reply