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Showing posts from December, 2012

Kindergarten Graduation! - 26 Dec 2012

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Brandon has officially graduated from Kindergarten and we couldn't be more proud of him. I can't express just how much I love homeschooling him. It's very rewarding to watch him learn and grow, and to provide a rich and varied learning environment for him. I thank God that we're able to homeschool even for a short period - it's been a blessing for us. We wanted to make it a special event and took him to a studio to have his graduation photo taken. Time is going by too quickly. I can't imagine he's just a tiny baby I held in my arms 6 1/2 years ago. He has grown so much this year and not just academically, but physically and emotionally too.  We brought him to his favourite restaurant for a special lunch.  Obviously, his favourite was dessert.... A new chapter... here he comes! We're not trying to advocate homeschooling or conventional schooling.  There's enough debate out there.  We've gone through ou...

Joy of just being a kid - 24 Dec 2012

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We've gathered some friends and relatives together for some fun and fellowship on Christmas eve. Weather has been extremely kind - cooling and cloudy the whole day set the mood for Christmas. I don't normally blog about parties, but again and again we've noticed how kids enjoyed unhurried time to play and the importance of allowing lots of free and unstructured play. Indeed BBQ  preparation was the perfect time for everyone to warm up and have fun. We've not planned any activities for the kids but just let them be involved in what we're doing. They've plenty of time to mix with others, handle problems on their own, explore at their own pace, develop their own interests and indulge in a sort of pretend play  that would help them to understand how to create their own happiness. Indeed it's the joy of just being a kid.     We've many volunteers, and some on waiting list to start the fire. We wanted to have fun with BBQ and at the same time, minimi...

Crafts & ideas for the holiday season - 20 Dec 2012

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Making Christmas crafts with kids is a great way to spend some time together, especially when you're looking for things to do during the school holidays.  Make use of what you've at home first.   We've got so many vitamin bottles collected over the years, it's a waste to just dispose them. Give it a new coat of spray... Ta-da- a  beautiful Christmas tree made from recycled materials ! Changing our terrarium to winter scene  A white Christmas  We have some fun creating and making our own props for storytelling too.... "Adam and Eve are tempted" "God calls Abraham out of the ancient city of Ur" "Abraham and Lot" The year end holiday season is also a time for family and friends to get together. My hope is that you and your family can start making crafts together during this wonderful time of year!

A day made of wood - 17 Dec 2012

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A lesson in woodworking at a friend's house.  Uncle Bok is a self-taught carpenter and DIY woodworking is his hobby. His house is always a work-in-progress, there's always something going on, building, new structures eg. rooms, wall panels, flooring, ceiling panels and always some new furniture around. See, he even made his own timber flooring. First, need to decide what they want to do before choosing the materials. One said chair, another a birdhouse, a table, before they agreed on a wooden box.  Assortment of hardwood - we settled on " nyatoh " wood, cos it's the thinnest we could find. Getting the right tools and machine Head scratching to visualise the design and measurement, boys still quite blurrrrrr.... An electric saw is something you must invest in if you want to DIY @ home. And not something we could leave to our children to do without training and supervision.  Safety briefing whilst the kids were sandin...

Budding scientists take flight - 15 Dec 2012

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The much awaited aerospace & science program by Sam Gibbs at RMAF Museum in Sungai Besi! Even an overcast sky, occasional drizzle and a clash of events at RMAF did not dampen our spirits.  A lively and animated Sam Gibbs in action..... How to make a water rocket fly high? Why does a spinning wheel balance itself and fall when you stop spinning? How do you make a cloud in a bottle? A common science question from adult is, "How can I explain such a hard concept in a simple enough way for my kid to understand?" Sam helped kids think like scientists. Find the fastest way for water to go down to the lower bottle. The trick is to shake the water in the top bottle a while until it forms a tornado spin.  This is the most efficient way to use energy, ie in a spiralling motion or the scientific term, a vortex.  Make your own shooting cannon.  When you fill smoke inside a cylinder container, you could have your very own Vortex sm...