Is Tuition needed for Kindergarten?

Living in Singapore for kids really is tough. I can see little toddlers actually have taken classes as early as 2 years old. Unlike when we were a kid, we didnt start going to school when we were 5 or 6 years, then that would be the first time we were taught about alphabets and numbers. We were not even going to kindergarten, we actually started from primary and so that's our path in learning everything from the beginning.

Hearing from the neighbours and friends that I should actually put my daughter to reading class when she is 3 years old. But I was too late, I only let her go to phonics when she was 4+ and reading class after that. I dont know if it might be a bit late. Because they told me that the foundation of reading and recognising words or new vocabulary is very important. Besides some primary school will actually test the kids when they are going into primary to see which level is suitable for their ability.

People say Singaporeans are kiasu, now I truly believe so. Staying in Singapore I cant stop myself to follow some of their steps. Honestly, I did let my daughter learn Piano, just to test if she has the talent and likes. unfortunately she didnt like it, we didnt want to force her, so we stop for her. We only let her learn when she likes such as ballet.

I personally teach her reading, because reading class is not cheap, its about $50/month. I did let her try at the enrichment program class, I will learn how they teach the kids and put it in practice to teach my girl because she likes being taught in different way. I will spare some times to teach her reading, grammar, maths, and Chinese. This way we could save quite a lot of money.

Approximately, you will need to spend around $250-300 a month just for the tuition academically plus arts. That would be for just one kid (3-5years). So dont forget to include this into your expenses calculation.

For SPR (Singaporean PR), K1 and K2 fees will be around S$181+/month (fee is not exact, because its expected to increase every year). The fee is for Shine program at PCF school. Normal program is about S$130+ (but i expect this normal program wont be continued in the future, because there will be all Shine programs for all level from nursery to K2). Shine program is said to have extra speech and drama plus cookery class.

Please note, the above information is just for your planning purposes.

Do you know why golf balls have dimples?

An educational carnival of fun and discovery at the science in the mall.

It's a great fun activity for kids during the school holiday. There are few activities for the kids to have a hand on experience. My girl likes to experience on every activity, the one she likes more is the mini golfing or what they call mini putting green.

Do you know why the golf balls have dimples? This question never ever cross my mind until I read the little note book provided at the carnival.

It said, when air flows around a round ball, it tends to flow more smoothly around the first half of the ball, but creates instability as it continues its flows behind the ball. This instability show the ball down and shortens its flight.

When the surface of the ball is dimpled, air flowing around the ball becomes more stable. The dimples allow the air to flow smoother, so there is less drag and the ball flies farther.

The dimples also effect the golf ball's spin. With the golf club's angled shape, a hit will cause the ball to backspin, and lifts it up. The dimples further lift the ball up, due to the air caught on top of the ball. That explains why golf balls have dimples.

There are other activities such as checking out your BMI, do you know how to count your body mass index? it's your weight (kg) divide by height x height.

It a risk of developing heart disease and diabetes if your BMI is 23 and above.

Knowing your BMI will give you an early warning to take action to lower your weight to reduce your risk and to seek medical advice if your BMI exceeds 23. (Source from hpb)

There is also a test of how high can you jump, how springy are you, what's your grip, how's your balance and how fast are you. All can be tested using tools provided at the carnival. (for more info science)

Learned how to make banner for my blog!

Whenever I wanted to post something on my blog, I always ended up posting nothing because I keep changing my template and layout of my blog.

Today I log in blogger, I discovered a new way of quick editing or changing new template, no hassle no html code, just a click of a mouse, I am quite satisfied with it.

When you log into your blogger account it will ask you directly whether you want to try the new templates, then you just click 'yes I want to try'. After that just choose the template you like, you can also change the background colour and font. As well as the layout of your blog, where to put your side bar and so on.

Beside that I also learned how to make my own banner using Microsoft power point, just look at the one on my blog, yes I made it myself, maybe not very professionally made, but still presentable ha ha...

If you wanted to make one height for my banner is 9.8inches, width is 1.7inches

What Is The Largest Animal In The World?

Do you know what animal's tongue is as large as an elephant?
The answer is Blue Whale.

It's the largest animal in the world.

80-100 feet long

Should Fruits Be Eaten Before Or After Meal?

Eat Fresh Fruits

We all think that eating fruits means simply buying fruits, cutting it and just popping into our mouth.

You will be much more benefited if you know how to eat!

Correct way of eating fruits.

Fruits should be eaten in an empty stomach not as a deserted meal as is often done.

If you eat fruit like that it will also serve a major role to detoxify your system, supplying with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

Click here for yummy fruit salad recipe

Fruit is the most important food.

Lets say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. As fruits digests faster than bread, the slice of fruit digest quickly and ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but its passage is blocked by the bread which takes longer to digest...

...In the mean time the whole meal ferments have turned to acid. Consequently, when fruits come into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.

So it is better to eat fruits in empty stomach or before your meal!

You have heard people complaining:
^o^ Every time I eat watermelon I burp.
^o^ When I eat durians my stomach bloats up.
^o^ When I eat banana I feel like running to toilet, etc.

Actually this all will not arise if you eat the fruits in empty stomach.
The fruits mixes with the putrfying other food and produces gas and hence bloat!

If you have the following problems:
-> Graying hair, balding & nervous out burst, dark circles under the eyes <-

All these will not happen if you take fruits in empty stomach. It is incorrectly presumed that some-fruits like orange and lemon are acidic and will enhance acidity in the stomach. Research however shows that all fruits become alkaline in our body.

When you need to drink fruit juice, drink only fresh fruit juice, not from the cans. Dont drink juice that has been heated up. Dont eat cooked fruits because you dont get nutrient at all. You only get to taste. So stop making 'durian' porridge, if you want nutrients. Cooking fruits destroys all the vitamins.

Eating the pulp or the whole fruit is far better than drinking the juice, as the fiber is good for you. If you drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful and slowly. Because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.

A 3-day 'fruit fast' is a very simple and very effective way to cleanse and detoxify your body.

Just eat fruits and drink fruits juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you How radiant you look!

During the 'fruit fast' you can eat different fruits at different times, although occasionally mixed fruit salad would also be permissible and more interesting.

If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

Wishing you a healthy life style.

Why People Eat Tang Yuan or Glutinous Rice Balls?

Chinese people will eat Tang Yuan or Glutinous rice ball on Chinese New Year Eve and on the 15th of New Year days.

Tang yuan, or glutinous rice balls, are a must for the Dong Zhi celebration.
After the reunion dinner on the new year eve, tang yuan (kueh ee) is a must have dessert for every family. As it's a symbolic of sweet reunion, the roundness of the rice balls signifying a complete circle of harmony and unity within the family. Some families like to put crushed peanuts or sesame paste inside the tang yuan for better flavour.

As tang yuan is round and smooth with a sweet filling also symbolizing that everything will go smoothly in the New Year.

Lantern Festival begins on the 15th of the 1st lunar month.
The festival of the lanterns begins 15 days after New Year's day. It also marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebration and life will go back to normal activity. The occasion is celebrated with lantern exhibits, lion and dragon dances.

The typical food the Chinese people will eat on the 15th day of the new year is also Tang Yuan or glutinous rice ball. It is important to eat tang yuan during the Lantern Festival because they represent family reunion and unity, and their shape is the same as the full moon of that night. Children will show off their lanterns during the night time parade. This day also marks the Chinese people for welcoming the first full moon of the new year.

How to make tang yuan or glutinous rice balls?

Do You Know What Is The Fastest & Slowest Animal In The World?

Do you know what is the fastest animal and slowest animal in the world?

The fastest animal in the world is a bird. It's the Peregrine falcon which can fly at 171km per hour and dive at 322km per hour.

However, the Peregrine falcon is not the only animal that moves fast. Here are other fast animals:

Fastest Land animal: Cheetah

Fastest Fish: Sailfish

Fastest Reptile: Spiny-tailed iguana

Fastest Running Insect: Topical cockroach

Peregrine is the fastest flying animal, what then is the slowest animal?

You might say snail or turtle right? As in our surrounding we can only see snail or turtle and from what other adults are telling little kids. It's not wrong tough they are indeed slow, but there is another the slowest animal in the world that is the sloth. It would take about 3.5 hours to cover a distance of 1km.

Source:

1. Rohr, I. (2005) Biggest, Highest, Fastest. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers.

2. Stout, Frankie (2008) Nature's Slowest Animals. New York: Powerkids Press.

3. Kimbrough, A. Fun Animal Facts. Retrieved 28 August 2008 from http://www.g-kexoticfarms.com/funanimalfacts.html

Do Animals Eat Their Own Poops?

The answer to the above question is 'YES'

I guess not many of us would have know the answer right? Or you did guess it right?

There are about one hundred different kinds of insects and bugs that eat droppings (also known as poop, faeces or dung). An example is the tumblebug, which rolls its eggs in a ball of dung so that their newly hatched babies will have a ready food supply!

Dogs also have a habit of eating their droppings because there are tiny organisms in the droppings that help their stomach to break down new food. (I admit I do not know about this theory until I actually found out).

Other animals that eat their own poop include the rabbits and bats.

Source: Susan, Goodman E. (2004). The truth about poop. New York:Viking.
Putting this information on the blog, so one day I can still remember to read it for y little princess callys^o^

Play Group School Projects

After an eleven month of school at play group, above slide show is what my daughter has been doing at school. Besides doing the art crafts, she also learned singing, dancing, stamping, painting, colouring, and listening to story.

After a month of school she could remember most of her class mates. She enjoyed going to school after the first week, she was scared and cried when mummy not accompanying her in the class.

The kids can have b'day celebration at school, they wont have real b'day in the class, only a mobile cake but with real candles. After singing b'day song and blowing out the candles. The b'day kid will give out b'day goodies bags for everyone.

There are more school works to be posted. Just stay tuned.

Nursery Registration For 2009

Time flies, it has been almost half a year in Apple Tree play group for my little Callys. Just glad she enjoys playing and learning in the class.

Today I have to register her for next year's Nursery class. We have decided to put her at PAP Community Foundation. I went to take registration form days before. Knowing that now they have new Shine programme for nursery children. The price is a bit more expensive compared with normal programme.

Shine programme provides new experiences for kids, they encourage out-of-the-box thinking and innovative programmes to enhance and compliment the learning curriculum. They mainly focusing on Stimulating, Holistic, Innovative, Naturalist and Engaging, by conducting speech and drama class.

The price different between normal and Shine program for Singapore PR:

Normal Class: $108.90

Shine Class: $165

Spore Citizen prices:

Normal Class: $99

Shine Class: $150

Foreigners prices:

Normal Class: $148.50

Shine Class: $225

(The prices above are collected from PAP)

I have to pay a miscellaneous fees of $53.50 plus one month school fee deposit $165 upon registration.

Calculation summary for the whole term of school:

10 months of school fees only: $1,650

Miscellaneous fee: $53.50

Material fee 1st semester: $115

Uniform (different sizes different price): $10 (Size L for my daughter)

Badge: $1.2

PE attire: $12 (all sizes)

(I bought only one pair each)

Total will be: $1,841.70

I am gathering the above information, so that if someone need to plan for their children's education can have a rough idea how much money will be used for nursery education.

This is also for my record in the future.

Play Group - Orientation Day

Today is the first day to school for my little Callys. Every kid's parents are invited to attend. A little briefing given by teacher Diana on what will be taught to the kids as well as buying the school uniform. There will be an assistant to help the teacher with the kids to toilets or washing hands.

Look at my little Callyst, isn't she cute on her first day to school? ^o^

Play Group Registration At Apple Tree

It's finally comes to the time for our little Callys to attend school, well she might be just 2 years and 2 months at this moment. You know, in Singapore many parents go to work and leave their babies in the child care centre from as little as 2 months old.

Maybe different people have different view in bringing up children. For me, if I want to have any children I must take care of them myself. For a healthy growing and bonding with parents.

For her (little Callys) to start early at play group, so that she has more friends and learn to socialise and or interact with other kids.

Registration information:
One month deposit of school fee: $125
Material fee: $85
Total registration: $210

Done with registration today, waiting for the class to start next year on 2nd Jan'08.
Just hope my little Callys will not cry in the class but to enjoy it everyday.

Cia yo my little darling, mummy love you muah muah ^o^ ^o^