Kids can bake!

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Without a doubt, baking is one of the most multi-sensory activity you can do with young children. It entices and engages the child through all his senses. He not only touches, but he could see, smell, hear and even taste.

When two moms with young kids do not know what to do to fill up their kids time, they get them to help in the kitchen, and voila, AlphaBake was born!

As their toddlers grow into primary schoolers, these moms decide that venturing out to get their hands and other kids in dough creativity is the funnest thing they can do on top of their already busy schedules as working mom with kids. Soon, the excitement and the requests keep filling in, and they have not looked back since.

With baking, young kids get to exercise their fine motor skills through the dough making, the rolling, the cutting and the decorating. On top of that, they get to learn all sorts of sciences and mathematical concept in an incidental manner. And now collaborating with another entrepreneurial mom from Nurturing Minds, AlphaBake is infusing their baking classes with some fun mathematical approach this June holidays.

So why wait? Join their workshop.

AlphaBake is offering a fun-filled and multi-sensory workshop this June holiday.

Date: Saturday 12 June 2010
Venue: Seminar Room 1, Bukit Batok Civil Service Clubhouse
Time: 10am-12pm
Class Synopsis:
Show your appreciation for DAD this coming Father's Day by baking him a sweet treat he can't resist. Learn the concept of shapes, division and sharing in forming letters A and D and have great fun turning a boring 'ol semi circle and triangle into a beautiful treat for Dad!

Email them at alphabake@gmail.com if your interested.

Genius in the making

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I've blogged about Glenn Doman before, and am using some of its methods now, though not fervently. I have also purchased the encyclopaedic materials from The Institute of Human Potential from the US, and that sets me back by a hefty hundred dollars. Recently, however, I've discovered the GeniusMaker which is a downloadable software that has words, pictures, dot cards and more. It is a flashcard programme similar to Glenn Doman, and perhaps the Shichida method if you have heard of him.

Truth be told, I don't quite appreciate the Shichida method as compared to Glenn Doman. This was because when I went to the Shichida parent seminar about 8 years ago when Afzal was about 2 years old, I was quite put off by some remarks and comments made by the lady owner who brought Shichida to Singapore. And besides, I am wary of methods that used some form of hypnosis in wanting to reprogram your child's brain. Some Shichida parents may not agree with me but there would also be other parents who don't quite agree with the flashcard program.

I do believe that flashcard program works, as I know of people who have used the Glenn Doman methods, and their children's success are testimony that Glenn Doman works. However, in raising our children to be gifted and geniuses, we have to incorporate other creative strategies in nurturing our kids. And to me, flashcard is just one of the many workable methods or tools in nurturing our young kids.

I have not bought the GeniusMaker but I am wondering whether I should cos it is very affordable and will be a good investment for Aqil and perhaps more bubs in the future. I'm sure it takes away the many hours of trying and struggling to make some of the resources myself, and these self-made resources may not come cheap. This software is also usable in the school environment, so if anyone has a preschool, the GeniusMaker could be one of the tools used in the preschools, and I really hope that our Malay/Muslim based preschools might consider using this software as well.

Click here to find more about the GeniusMaker.

I need time management!

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My firstborn is 10 years old this year, and he is mid-way into his primary four education (aka grade 4).

Since he is out of the zero to nine years age range, the age range of 'early childhood', well, I can safely say that Afzal is into his middle childhood. Now, what does that mean?

It just mean one thing for me. His mathematics subject is getting harder, and it is definitely a steeper learning curve this year, not only for him but for me. On top of the mathematics, there's the science that is a lot more demanding this year.

The problem sums are getting more complicated, and there are layers of layers of problems to solve before you even arrive to the actual answer that the question wants. My speciality has always been early childhood maths, and now I realize  that I am not as productive as I could be in assisting him with this middle-hood maths.

I have reliquished my teaching role to the hubby, partly maths is getting a bit too complicated for me. It has been less fun to teach without using manipulatives and hands-on materials, because at primary four, there's very little creativity involved in the teaching. Maybe I have not researched enough how to solve the problem sums more creatively.

And partly we have an addition to the family, our 2nd born son. As a growing baby, Aqil needs attention, and at 6 months, he already knows whose attention he wants to seek. ;P And now I am re-starting my early childhood strategies cycle once again this time on Aqil.

It's going to be an exciting ride ahead! With the trials that Afzal had gone through with me, I definitely have a better idea of what, how, why, and when to do things with Aqil, I surely hope so. But one thing that I have to remember is that every child is different, but every child has the potential to learn anything and everything. And in order for Aqil to maximise learning, it really depends on me as the parent to nurture and harness his capacity. However, it is always so easy to get sidetracked and distracted with the daily grind of life.

As a working mother who only wants the best for her kids and our lives ahead, I have to keep reminding myself that my children are only young once. If I missed that moment, that opportunity, that milestone, it will never, ever come back to me. So, this reminder is for me to spend my time wisely with my children. Time management! is key to my sanity as a working mum!

Moving again

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It's been two years. And it's time to move again.

Property prices are really on the rise, but compared to the same time two years ago, the price then was really mad. It was sky-high! Now, we can see rentals that are lower than what we are paying for the same square feet. And since we are waiting for our own - yes OWN abode to be ready in 2 years time, we decided to move to a more reasonable rental unit, to save some of the money for our future furnishings and reno.

So the search is on, and mind you, I - really am tired. It's mind boggling negotiating deals, because the hubby will only say what he wants but would not do the searching, the shorlisting, the calling and the negotiating. Sometimes I'm really mad at his irrational choices, but because he is the hubby and would go into the 'black-face' mode when I questioned his irrational reasoning, I decided for my own sanity just to go ahead with his decision. And he jolly well know that at times he is paying for his bad decision-making skills.

Enough ranting about the other half, but I can't help it. I have some viewing to do tomorrow and I will go without him cos he is working. I can't wait for him to be off on weekends as weekends are the time that more units are available for viewing.

In 2005, when we were in the States, we rent out our executive apartment in Jurong which was only going at $1150. Now for the same unit, it can go as high as $2700! Can you imagine the prices we are paying now? And yet the rise in our salaries does not match the cost of living in Singapore.

Our Tipping Point

Before she left the company for greener pasture, she asked me to read a chapter from The Tipping Point, and she wanted me to relate it to our community - the Malay community.

Why is it that most Asian societies are doing well academically than the first world countries?

This is especially so in mathematics for instance, supported very much by the TIMSS study (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study). The top-achieving countries in maths hailed mostly from East Asia.

The possible reason, if I were to gather the thoughts of this author is that, "no one who wakes up early in the morning before the sun rises to work in padi fields cannot be rich."

Hmmm... he is assuming traditionally or rather by heritage, most people in Asian societies are padi farmers who are hardworkers. And if you worked so hard starting from dawn, you should be able to gain wealth.

Now, but why isnt it so for our Malay communities? Well, for one, most of us Singaporeans are not padi workers!!!

Ok, but if we are not padi workers, so are the other ethnic groups in Singapore but why is it that the other ethnic groups are reaping the wealth, not us?

So what's our tipping point?