Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Montessori Little Helper Part II : Helping with laundry
One of the daily activity that Zu Yan will help out a bit is to unpeg.
I will let him handle his own laundry first.
He is 18 months old, do not expect him to do all.
Reaching for the peg.
Pulling out the peg.
He is not using his finger to press open the peg yet.
Watch and drop the peg.
Then, pulls off the laundry from the hanger and drop on the floor.
Should have provide him a basket for pegs and a basket for clothes.
I will let him handle his own laundry first.
He is 18 months old, do not expect him to do all.
Reaching for the peg.
Pulling out the peg.
He is not using his finger to press open the peg yet.
Watch and drop the peg.
Then, pulls off the laundry from the hanger and drop on the floor.
Should have provide him a basket for pegs and a basket for clothes.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Bedtime Part I : Comfy Bedtime
It started on last Saturday night.
ZY still could not get into sleep at about 11pm.
If ZY don't sleep means I don't get to sleep also.
So instead of laying on bed waiting for him rolling around and fall into sleep.
I woke up, switched on light and sat up to browse through magazine.
I placed a pillow behind me and sat against the bed headboard.
ZY came and wanted to have a look at the magazine too.
So I sat him like how I sat too but he requested 1 more thing.
To pull the quilt to cover up his leg and wanted me to do the same.
Ho! where did he get the idea to sit in such comfy.
Since that night, it became a new bedtime routine.
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A cow say "MOO", What sound does a mama say?
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Baking? I can help!
Few months ago, when I was watched "Bill's Food" TV show, Bill's daughter(I guess she is at preschool age) appeared in his show to do baking with him, pouring sugar, eggs, flour...
I told ZY : "Ooh! How fun it is if you could do baking with mama. But I have to wait for another 2 or 3 years before you could do that."
I bake today, he was watching me doing it in the learning tower. Guess what! He help to pour egg into the mixing bowl!
I was so happy!
He reached for the bowl that I am using to add in the egg into the batter.
So I passed him the bowl and he pour it in confidently.
"Wow! You did it! You help mama to do baking!"
Next! He is "CLAPPING".
Well! Seems I don't have to wait for that long for him to join me in baking.
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I told ZY : "Ooh! How fun it is if you could do baking with mama. But I have to wait for another 2 or 3 years before you could do that."
I bake today, he was watching me doing it in the learning tower. Guess what! He help to pour egg into the mixing bowl!
I was so happy!
He reached for the bowl that I am using to add in the egg into the batter.
So I passed him the bowl and he pour it in confidently.
"Wow! You did it! You help mama to do baking!"
Next! He is "CLAPPING".
Well! Seems I don't have to wait for that long for him to join me in baking.
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Tuesday, October 16, 2007
"SHY"..."HI"...
"SHY"
Since he was a baby, when he meet someone that he is not familiar or someone he has not seen for sometime. He tends to place his face close to my shoulder.
What I did was introduce and tell him who the person is and it is OK and he or she is a kind or nice person.
I do not mention "SHY". This is call labelling. We do not label our children.
If your child is "shy" and you don't want him to be "shy" for the rest of his/herlife, helps him/her to get rid of it without saying the word to him again and again.
Till today he is doing the samething. But...
...after he warm up, that is, he can go and play without me around.
Patience! The right time will come.
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"HI"
ZY greets me! By raise up his hand to indicate as "Hi" to me when...
...I place him in the car from the left and then I get in from right.
...he was carry away by his dad then spottted me later, somewhere in the supermarket.
Oh no! He will raise and wave his hand when he see me when he was very young.
But I don't take that as saying "HI"...why?
I took those as happy sign when he see me but not for the purpose of greeting.
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Since he was a baby, when he meet someone that he is not familiar or someone he has not seen for sometime. He tends to place his face close to my shoulder.
What I did was introduce and tell him who the person is and it is OK and he or she is a kind or nice person.
I do not mention "SHY". This is call labelling. We do not label our children.
If your child is "shy" and you don't want him to be "shy" for the rest of his/herlife, helps him/her to get rid of it without saying the word to him again and again.
Till today he is doing the samething. But...
...after he warm up, that is, he can go and play without me around.
Patience! The right time will come.
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"HI"
ZY greets me! By raise up his hand to indicate as "Hi" to me when...
...I place him in the car from the left and then I get in from right.
...he was carry away by his dad then spottted me later, somewhere in the supermarket.
Oh no! He will raise and wave his hand when he see me when he was very young.
But I don't take that as saying "HI"...why?
I took those as happy sign when he see me but not for the purpose of greeting.
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I can help to pay
Once again, ZY was with me at the cashier counter.
I was getting the money ready while waiting for my turn to pay in a queue.
Again, he must has a grab of coin/s in his hands if he saw it.
I gave it to him and told him " Please hold properly. Do not drop it."
But on second thought, if the coins drop and roll away...
I don't want the embrashing scene, run after the scattered coins and pick up the coins with one hand holding a baby and another with groceries and stroller.
I gave him a one Ringgit note instead. Luckily he was willing to exchange with me.
Before our turn, to get him ready I told him " We need to pay. Please give the money to kakak." Although I am not sure whether he understand or not.
Guess what he did!
Yes! He handover the note to the cashier! And I said thank you to him and gave him a smuck.
Guess what he did!
Clapping! He took pride of what he did again!
***Lesson learnt***
He has been watching what we did at the cashier counter everytime.
I have been telling him we need to pay at the cashier counter everytime.
So, one day, when the right time has come he did it.
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I was getting the money ready while waiting for my turn to pay in a queue.
Again, he must has a grab of coin/s in his hands if he saw it.
I gave it to him and told him " Please hold properly. Do not drop it."
But on second thought, if the coins drop and roll away...
I don't want the embrashing scene, run after the scattered coins and pick up the coins with one hand holding a baby and another with groceries and stroller.
I gave him a one Ringgit note instead. Luckily he was willing to exchange with me.
Before our turn, to get him ready I told him " We need to pay. Please give the money to kakak." Although I am not sure whether he understand or not.
Guess what he did!
Yes! He handover the note to the cashier! And I said thank you to him and gave him a smuck.
Guess what he did!
Clapping! He took pride of what he did again!
***Lesson learnt***
He has been watching what we did at the cashier counter everytime.
I have been telling him we need to pay at the cashier counter everytime.
So, one day, when the right time has come he did it.
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Tuesday, October 9, 2007
First Practical Life Activities in Montessori Classroom: Pouring Activities
ZY is doing pouring !
I did not introduce that to him. It is all initiated by himself.
ZY was having dinner with us.
As usual, I will place a cup of water in front of him.
Today, after he took a sip of wate.
He ponited to another cup on the table, indicating he wanted the cup.
I passed it to him and sponteneously he started to pour the water from one cup to another.
Then, back from one cup to another.
He started the pouring activities by himself!
As this is a sponteneous activity, I manage to reach for a towel to place under the cups to catch the spills.
That is Montessori At Home! Just reach for anything you have at home.
"The First Practical Life Activities in Montessori Classroom" which meant to bridge the environment at home and in school.
As this is a sponteneous activity, I manage to reach for a towel to place under the cups to catch the spills.
That is Montessori At Home! Just reach for anything you have at home.
"The First Practical Life Activities in Montessori Classroom" which meant to bridge the environment at home and in school.
The suggested age is around 2 1/2 years old.
Althought, I read it in my manual as stated above.
But, I never seen a young child doing pouring from cup to cup at home.
No need to say more.
Whose parent will allowed their children to do pouring at home.
"Stop that! You spill the water. That's messy!"
"Oh gosh! You are wet now!"
" What nonsense you are doing? Go and play with your toys!"
Ordinary parents don't see the power behind this "nonsense" pouring activities.
Ordinary parents don't see the power behind this "nonsense" pouring activities.
A child needs to focus and pay full attention to his entire body, concentrates to complete "pour without spilling".
Of course ZY is not this stage yet, he just turns 18 months old!
This activity promotes what Montessori says "integration of the mind and the body" which is the primary foundation for the child's "development of will".
This activity promotes what Montessori says "integration of the mind and the body" which is the primary foundation for the child's "development of will".
The child discovers that he can conduct his body movements through the direction of his will.
When he is able to transfer his will to a life skill, this gives the child confidence.
He is confidence in facing challenging activities and realizing that he can practically accomplish any task as long as he wills it.
In summary or point form this is what pouring activity will helps
-It develop the child's eye-hand coordination.
-It develop teh child's fine motor skills and dexterity.
-It develop the child's concentration.
-It prepare the child towards indenpendece.
-It develop the child's eye-hand coordination.
-It develop teh child's fine motor skills and dexterity.
-It develop the child's concentration.
-It prepare the child towards indenpendece.
( Can pour himself a cup of drinks, no more pulling leg mummy mummy!)
And I can proundly tell you.
And I can proundly tell you.
"ZY is pouring confidently from right hand to left hand. However he needs more practice to pour from left hand to right hand."
Emm.. sound like I was writing report for my children in Montessori School.
Emm.. sound like I was writing report for my children in Montessori School.
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Monday, October 8, 2007
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Montessori At Home : Practical Life Activities - Using mini broom and dustpan
Montessori At Home : Practical Life Activities - Using mini broom and dustpan
In the morning, ZY spilled the corn kernel.
So I introduce the mini broom and dustpan, show him how to clear the corn kernel using the mini broom and dustpan.
After using the mini broom and dustpan, I also show him where I place it.
I place it on the shelf in his learning room.
Routine of day carry on. Shower, marketing, lunch, nap.
Wake up, playtime, spilled the corn again.
He stood and look at the corn for awhile, then turn and walk into the learning room.
I go after him and peep outside the room.
He go directly to where the mini broom was placed.
He remember!
Then, what happend next?
You saw him in the picture!
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