Modern Day Kungfu Manuals for Students

今天心血来朝, 为大儿子的两本自习"课本"做了两个covers. 虽然很简单, 却让两本<<武林秘笈>>增添了几分色彩. 希望他看到会更有心情复习.

Migration of Homeschool Posts to a New Dedicated Blog

Now that I have finally decided to really go ahead with homeschooling my Mouse through Kindergarten, I guess I should really focus on it, and posting our journey will also help me to keep myself motivated and in focus. I have migrated all my previous posts on "homeschooling" to

Training A Mouseketeer

I had a chat with DH earlier tonight, about my Kindergarten plans for Mouse through this and the next year, when he would officially be in K1 and K2 if he were to attend an MOE-approved kindergarten. All along, he has not voiced any support or objection about my schooling Mouse at home, but has always left things in my control. For that, I am very grateful, just as I have always been grateful for his support through my choices to have a natural childbirth, breastfeeding, and delay vaccinations.

Very generally, I described the difference in focus between Kindergarten education in Singapore and the US, comparing based on what I have read and learned from a number of homeschoolers as well as what my first two children went through in their time (they both attended a local church kindy). Then I let him know the goals I have set for Mouse to achieve by the end of next year (effectively, completing K2). He commented that I will be actually teaching Mouse more than what our local kindergartens are teaching. We both agree that our objective is just to get Mouse equipped to a certain extent for Primary School education, which I will most certainly NOT be handling. We do not need him to excel in anything (although that would be a plus), but to enjoy learning, and enter formal school with motivation, discipline, and a willingness to learn.

I still tell myself that, if there comes a day when I do not want to continue this, there is a Church kindy just a couple of blocks away d:)

Logistics before homeschooling

After a whole lot of homeschooling research this evening, I realise that we really need a proper schoolroom or school area before we can start schooling in earnest. Up till now, for most of Tot School we have been playing/learning anywhere and everywhere in the house, which is not too good because there are lots of distractions from his siblings and other stuff happening in the house.

When we moved to this flat, we had planned to have the two boys share a room in future (currently both boys sleep in my room although the big boy actually has his own bed in the other room). Big boy already does his homework there, since all his stuff - school, clothes, toys etc are there. He just sleeps with me. The opposite side of the room from where his desk is is actually supposed to be for the Mouse when he grows up and goes to school, but there's a toy cupboard that takes up lots of space.

So we are seriously going to have to do some major rearranging of furniture. I've been procrastinating (surprise, surprise) till my parents move house and my stuff that's at their place needs to be brought here, but now I'm motivated to try and get it done these June hols.

Stay away from me, Korean dramas!

How To Make a Felt Board

Update 26 Dec 2012: Today, we discovered that the black felt can slip out rather easily, so I took the board apart and glued the felt down onto the plastic with PVA glue.

This craft project for the little one was turned into a Christmas gift from his Ga-jeh and Gorgor. It was easy enough for one or the other of them to do each step, with a little adjusting done by Mum along the way. Instructions are from Totally Tots, a homeschooling website dedicated entirely to tots.

First, we placed a 40X50cm picture frame we got long ago from IKEA (for another project which was cancelled) and removed the cardboard backing and plastic sheet from the frame. We went to Daiso and after some discussion, decided on a large piece of black felt as the background for the board. Ray traced around the cardboard with tailor's chalk, cut the felt out and I trimmed it a little.

Top: pic frame, bottom: felt cut to 40X50cm

Second, we replaced the cardboard and plastic sheet back into the frame with the black felt on the topmost layer, and the board was done.

Felt board complete

 Then came the fun part (for the kids). We have a few packs of small felt squares from Daiso and they set to work with scissors and pinking shears, cutting out lots of shapes to form pictures. I had to keep reminding them to cut the shapes bigger for little hands.

Felt pieces all cut and stuffed into a ziploc

Here's an example of how the pieces of felt can be arranged on the board.

Simple scene on felt board

It's all wrapped up with newspaper and placed under the Christmas tree. Made with love by Ga-jeh and Gorgor.

Preparation for homeschooling

I know it's still a long way since he just turned two, but I like knowing that I have lots of time to browse, plan, print, hoard and buy materials to prepare for lessons perhaps one year down the road (or maybe even later).

I'm currently going through Homeschool Creations, trying to get a feel of how to plan lessons etc. But phew, I am still very much lost. Also, after going through part of Angela's ParentingJoy site, I have also started designing some Chinese materials which I hope I can start earlier than proper English stuff, since we are speaking Cantonese (me and him). It has occurred to me that I will have to decide which language I want to speak in when I begin teaching, but I honestly believe that by then he will have picked up enough English from his Dad, Gajie and Gorgor to begin formal lessons.

And Gorgor will have formal exams for the first time in his life! P2 SA2, before this he has only ever had mini tests.