Parental involvement

Most parents nowadays are busy at work, juggling between work, family and school. It's not uncommon that an average family has very little quality time together. However, if you set it as a priority and with some careful planning and dedication, you can make it a positive experience for both yourself and your child each time you spend quality time together.
It's a known secret that children with parents who are involved in their lives are more well-adjusted and fair better at their educational and extracurricular pursuits. But how do you get involved? Where do you begin? If you spend quality time with your child, you will know your child better and you can find out what your child is most passionate about.
If you child is passionate about baseball, don't just get them the Baseball Gloves, you can go for his games or think of contributing your time to volunteer or getting actively involved in his school activities.
Parental involvement is an integral part that helps them in their cognitive development, keeps them motivated, strengthens the parent-child relationship, and has a direct positive influence on their overall academic achievement. In fact, by being involved with your child, it helps you to stay connected with your child. As children who have involved parents are less likely to get into mischief and disciplinary problems in school, or have emotional problems, then you have a win-win situation !

Montessori Pink Reading Scheme

In the Montessori classroom, indirect preparations for reading started with all the practical life and sensorial activities, once the children have shown readiness and interest, we move on to direct prepation of reading, which started with phonograms A to Z (consonants and short vowel sounds) by using the following manipulatives:

1) Sandpaper Letters

2) Beginning Sound Bins

3) Final Sounds Bins

4) Sound Classification Boxes

5) Word Building – 2 & 3 Letter Phonetic Words

a) Can You Find?

b) I Spy and Go Get

c) Word Building with objects

d) Word building with Pictures

6) Pink Reading – 2 & 3 Letter Phonetic Words

a) Word and Picture Cards


b) Word and Picture Boxes


c) Words and Objects



d) Word Lists


e) Pink Secrets


f) Single Word Books


7) Presentations on

a)‘a’ and ‘the’

b) . - ? - , - !

c)Capital Letters

d) Alphabetizing

8) Sentence Cards

9) Sentence and Picture Boxes

10) Pink Books

Montessori Education for 6-12 years old.

Though there is no primary school or secondary school that run the Montessori way in Malaysia, Montessori education actually goes beyond the pre-school age.

The approach will be pretty different after the pre-school age, due to different plane of development and different developmental needs.

I found this videos on youtube.

An AMS(American Montessori Society) production for parent education
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RTpAILazPnM


A progressive school in Phuket, Thailand.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sPgtl5f54xU

Buy gold for investment?

Many people especially older folks who have experienced the overnight depreciation of Japanese money after WWII, will always like to buy gold or silver as an investment and for keepsake. They bought them either in coin or ingot form. (Ingots are pure bulllion cast in a particular size and shape). Nowadays, one can also purchase silver, gold or other precious metals and coins through the Monex Deposit Company (MDC) and have them deliver or arrange for safe storage at an independent bank or depository.

Buying gold has been recognized for centuries as one of the best ways to preserve one’s wealth and purchasing power from the time of ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans to more modern times. However, to me, I see that as a personal hobby, not an investment vehicle. Gold or any precious metals for that matter doesn't yield good return. Gold – any way you analyze it – has a horrible twenty-year investment return track record!

How you can laminate inexpensively?

When I first started the pre-school, the photocopy place I frequent charged me an arm and a leg for laminating A4 sized paper. Later, I found a work from home service that charged lower price, I was quite happy. But then I still have to be very selective about what I sent for laminating, I just couldn't afford to laminate everything. So, to save cost in the long run, I decided to invest in a laminator. I bought one of those low end laminators from Tesco. It was a nightmare trying to use that machine, my heart ached every time watching all the DIY card materials went to waste, I also wasted so much of the laminating sheets trying to figure out the temperament of the machine. The cheapo machine must be so poorly made that the temperature is always fluctuating and overheating.

Somebody on the Montessori groups shared that she used the iron to heat the laminating sheets. I thought I will try, it turned out fine. Then I asked the maid to iron some materials, she tried to do it fast and had the temperature at the highest, it caused "bubbles" and not to say she ruined the materials. After playing around with the temperature, on the National dry iron that I am using, starts with No 2 and occasionally turn it to No 3 worked fine.

I bought the A4 sized laminating pouches in 100 sheets (2-ply), so I am able to laminate an A4 sized sheet for less than 10 cents per sheet. I have been laminating everything made of paper in my classroom since then. :-)

Sensorial - Pink Cubes/Pink Tower

These are 10 cubes in graduated dimension from 1cm to 10cm. My carpenter cousin custom made this for RM50, he forgot what I told him and paint a layer of oil based undercoat, which make it difficult for me to use water based acrylic paint on them. At the end, he helped me to paint with a pink color oil based paint, which didn't turn up so nice(chipped off when knock on hard surface). I also have him make another set which I keep them natural without painting. So, I mostly keep the pink ones as control of error.

Horizontal and centred

Vertical and centred

Control Charts

Materials:
Pink Cubes
Floor rug

General Presentation:
1.Invite the child or group of children.
2.Go over to where the floor rugs are kept.
3.Choose a rug and take it over to the floor and unroll it as you have been shown before.
4.Go over to where the Pink Cubes are kept.
5.The teacher should name the material for the child, “Pink Cubes”.
6.The teacher should demonstrate how to carry the cubes one at a time by placing one hand on top and one on the bottom.
7.Invite the child to carry the cubes (largest one first) over to the rug.
8.Place the cube on the rug.
9.Continue placing the cubes (not in order) until the smallest cube has been placed on the rug.
10. Pick up the largest cube with both hands and move it to the bottom left-hand side of the rug. 11.Continue to select the next largest cube and place it next to the cube placed before, left to right, in a horizontal line.
12.After the cubes have been graded largest to smallest, slide your hand, palm side down, over the tops of the cubes, from left to right. Say, “Largest to smallest cube”.
13.Invite the child to do the same.
14.Next take the smallest cube and move it up the top of each cube in turn, pausing to note that every other cube becomes level with the smallest cube.
15.Now, take the smallest cube and move it down the “stairs” pausing to note that every other cube becomes level with the smallest cube.
16.Return the cubes to the shelf carrying them properly and starting with the smallest cube.
17.Roll your rug as you have been show and return it to its place.

Second Presentation – Vertical and Centered:
Follow the General Presentation through Step #9. Then, grade the cubes vertically, one at a time, and center each cube as you go. When you are finished, take each cube in turn and place it on the rug in a horizontal line and then continue to put it away (see General Presentation).


Third Presentation – Vertical and Edged:
Follow the General Presentation through Step #9. Then grade the cubes vertically, one at a time, making sure that one corner and two sides are even with the cube before. When you are finished, take your fingers and stroke the cubes from bottom to top on each side that is edged (even). Take the smallest cube and go down and up the stairs showing that there is only one unit of increase in every cube.


Variation #1 - Memory:
Follow the General Presentation through Step #9. Then, roll out a second rug some distance away from the first one. Carry the largest cube over to the second rug and build the horizontal tower exactly the same way as you did on the first rug. This is the first memory exercise called order to order. The second memory exercise should be mixed order to order. The last one should be mixed order until you get to the middle cube and then grade toward the largest cube.

Variation #2 - Blindfolded:
After the cubes have been carried to the rug and are in mixed order, have the child use a blindfold. The first blindfolded exercise has the child grade horizontally as in the General Presentation. The second blindfolded exercise has the child grade vertically and centered. The last one should have the child grade vertically and edged.

Variation #3 – Horizontal & Matching Cards:

After the cubes have been carried to the rug and are in mixed order, show the child where the matching cards are kept. Take the matching cards over to the rug and place the card with the largest pink square on it in the bottom left-hand corner of the rug. Using the cards, grade the pink squares from largest to smallest horizontally. Find the largest cube and match it to the card and place it on top of the card. Continue until all of the cubes are matched to a card.


Points of Interest:
1.The relationship of the smallest cube to each cube

Control of Error:
1.Visually

Aims:
Visual discrimination, order, concentration, coordination, etc.

Age:
2 and up


Language:
Large, small, pink, cube, edge, corner, center, vertical, horizontal, etc.

The junk car is alive again

We sold off the junk car since two month ago and don't plan to get another car. I will be driving my dad's car temporarily until I leave for IL. My dad's car is still in very good condition, don't have to worry when the Car Radiator will break down like the old junk. :-)
I bumped into the new owner of the junk car two weeks ago at the downtown market, he told me he actually spent about one thousand to get the engine overhauled and a few of the parts changed. He is happy with the car as it runs well now after the major repair. He and his wife are really excited that they are going on a road trip in the "new car", they said. :-)

PLE - Presentation on Wrist Turning (2b) Wet Pouring - Wide Neck

Wet Pouring #2 Wide Neck

Materials:
A tray on a shelf/table containing:
1 pitcher containing water that may be colored (food coloring)
1 wide neck glass container

1 small sponge (approx. 2” square and used to wipe up drips)

Set-Up:
The pitcher of water should be placed on the tray so that its spout is pointing inwards.
The wide neck container should be placed on the tray so that it’s next to the pitcher.
The small sponge should be in front of the containers.

Presentation:
1.Invite the child or a group of children.
2.Go over to where the tray is kept and take it to a table.
3.Lift the pitcher of water up and over the empty wide necked container. Be sure to be high enough not to touch the empty container.
4.Be sure to support the pitcher of water with the other hand.
5.Pour the water slowly into the wide neck container.
6.Admire your work.
7.Reverse and use the other hand and repeat exercise. If any water spills, pick up the drips with the sponge.
8.Return the tray in its proper place.
9.Invite a child.

Variations and Extensions:
1.Different colors of water
2.Different sized pitcher and wide neck containers

Points of Interest:
1.Seeing empty pitcher or wide neck container
2.Seeing the water go from one container to another
3.Last drop

Control of Error:
1. Water on tray
2. Water still in pitcher
3. Water still in wide neck container
4. Clinking of glass

Aims:
Eye hand coordination, concentration, control, ability to transfer objects, preparation for cutting and writing

Age:
2 and up

Language:
Names of the ingredients, empty, transfer, pour, wide, neck, wet, sponge, etc.

PLE - Presentations on Wrist Turning (1a) Pitcher to Pitcher

I will be listing some of the Ideas for PLE over the next few days.


Dry Pouring # 1 Pitcher to Pitcher
Two creamers (you can use child sized pitchers if you can find them)


Materials:
A tray on a shelf/table containing glass pitchers:
1 pitcher containing popcorn, lima beans, kidney beans (later rice, etc.) (change often)
1 empty pitcher

Set-Up:
Pitchers should be placed on the tray so that their spouts are pointing inwards, beans in the pitcher on the left.

Presentation:
1. Invite the child or group of children.
2. Go over to where the work is kept and take it to a table.
3. Lift pitcher with the beans up and over the empty pitcher. Be sure to be high enough not to touch the empty pitcher.
4. Be sure to support the pitcher of beans with the other hand.
5. Pour slowly.
6. Admire your work.
7. Reverse and use the other hand and repeat exercise.
8. If any beans spill, pick them up one at a time with the fingers that are used for writing.
9. If need be, replace the tray in its proper place.
10. 10. Invite a child.

Variations and Extensions:
1. Different sized dry ingredients to pour
2. Different sized pitchers

Points of Interest:
1. Seeing empty pitcher
2. Seeing the beans go from one pitcher to another
3. Sound of beans
4. Last bean

Control of Error:
1. Beans on tray
2. Beans still in pitcher
3. Clinking of glass

Aims:
Eye hand coordination, concentration, control, ability to transfer objects, preparation for cutting and writing

Age:
2 and up

Language:
Names of the ingredients, empty, transfer, pour, etc.

You can success in whatever you choose to work hard

As we all know, not everyone likes to go to university and take up a professional course. It is perfectly alright if young people want to be a nail artist or hairdresser or rap singer. They can attend a beauty school, learn how to do nails, blow, cut and dye hair. They can also have a successful life, making an honest living out of the trade of their choice.

Our current school system is too academic. We try to push everyone into academic and those who don't meet the mark are labeled as failures. We failed many children because we do not see their potential, but try to fit them into a mold.

PLE - Presentation on Wrist Turning (1b) Dry Pouring - Pitcher & Wide Neck Bottle

Creamer from Jusco and glass bottle of pickle choy sam.


Dry Pouring #2 - Pitcher and Wide Neck Bottle

Materials:
A tray on a shelf/table containing:
1 pitcher containing popcorn, lima beans, kidney beans (later rice, etc.) (change often)
1 wide neck glass container

Set-Up:
The pitcher should be placed on the tray so that its spout is pointing inwards.
The wide neck container should be placed on the tray so that it’s next to the pitcher.

Presentation:
1. Invite the child or a group of children.
2. Go over to where the tray is kept and take it to a table.
3. Lift up the pitcher and over the empty wide neck container. Be sure to be high as not to touch the empty container.
4. Support the pitcher of beans with the other hand.
5. Pour slowly.
6. Admire work.
7. Reverse and support wide neck container like the pitcher and pour beans slowly into the pitcher.
8. If any beans spill, pick them up one at a time with the fingers that are used for writing.
9. Return the tray in its proper place.
10. Invite a child.

Variations and Extensions:
1. Different dry ingredients to pour
2. Different sized pitchers and wide neck containers

Points of Interest:
1. Seeing pitcher or wide neck container emptied
2. Seeing the beans go from one container to another
3. Sound of beans
4. Last bean

Control of Error:
1. Beans on tray
2. Beans still in pitcher
3. Beans still in wide neck container
4. Clinking of glass

Aims:
Eye hand coordination, concentration, control, ability to transfer objects, preparation for cutting and writing

Age:
2 and up

Language:
Names of the ingredients, empty, transfer, pour, wide, neck, etc.

The 3-period lesson

Introduction of a Three Period Lesson
(1) First step…associates the name of an object with the abstract idea the name represents…this is blue, this is red.

(2) Second step…test to see if the name is still associated in the child’s mind with the object…which is red…which is blue?

(3) Third step…the child is asked to pronounce the appropriate vocabulary himself/herself…what is this…what is this?


Maria said this about repeating a lesson:
“But when the child has failed, we should know that he was not at that instant ready for the psychic association which we wished to provoke in him and we must therefore choose another moment.”

Maria said “..In such cases, the children experience a joy at each fresh discovery. They are conscious of a sense of dignity and satisfaction which encourages them to seek for new sensations from their environment and to make themselves spontaneous observers.”

Free medical blog widget

How many doctors you know are internet or technology savvy. Our friend MK the eye specialist recently learned to surf the net and was really excited about discovering Wikipedia. :-) We personally do not know many doctors who are also tech-geeks
But, the company Epocrates has a medical reference software that used by over 500,000 healthcare professionals and it said they are 50% of doctors own a PDA or smartphone. Looks like the doctors are more tech savvy than we thought! :-)

The company produces a software for drug reference guide, which is available for multiple devices. In addition, the same company also has a free medical blog widget for medical blog, which can be accessed from any Internet-connected desktop. You may check out www.epocrates.com/products for more information and to learn more about mobile device compatibility.

**This announcement was paid for by Epocrates.