3 Homeschool Activities for 1.5yrs

As I've mentioned here, I am still trying to get my act together when it comes
to M's homeschooling program. I started yet again a few weeks ago when it
dawned on me that M had hit the 1.5yr mark. So far so good.

3 Homeschool Activities we've been doing lately:

1. Read Books
I now make it a point to read a few books to M first thing in the morning. We
usually read what's available but I try to buy one new book every two weeks.
We then rotate the books to prevent boredom from creeping in.

I know some people like to read to their children at night. Great too! It just
doesn't work as well for us. Reading books at night is more of a quieting
down before bedtime activity for us.

2. Read Playcards (Glenn Doman)
We're back to our playcards and M seems to enjoy reading them. I really need
to create new cards because we're almost done with the current set. We still
don't watch tv so an e-version is not yet in the plans.

I just realized that I never got to properly explaining what these playcards are
all about. I'll try to talk about them more in one of my next posts.

3. Play Play Play
I would love to say color or write but in reality, M doesn't seem to enjoy these
activities yet. It's usually a case of me doing the coloring with him playing beside
me. We've already gone through an entire coloring book and he still hasn't
warmed up to it yet. Looks like I'll have to try again next time.

M really enjoys playing at this point. Thankfully, Kuya Z is more than willing to
share his toys. The challenge is for Mama to create fun + learning play for M.

Other activities I've got lined up:
- Tot Trays: I am specially interested in the trays that are focused on teaching
  practical life skills. I've begun gathering materials and we'll be working on
  these soon.
- Math Playcards (Glenn Doman): Hmmm, I have to create them first!
- Singapore Math: I still have to figure out when and how to teach the concepts
  to M. If I'm in town this October 8, I'll be seeing you all at the Singapore Math
  Learning Festival at the AIM.
- More more more... I've been so blessed to have come across so much material
  online and offline. The possibilities are endless! It's now are matter of choosing
  activities that will help M the most.

Whaaat??? Flash Cards at 1.5 yrs?!?

The energy of a 1.5yr old is just mind boggling! Thankfully, there are times
in the day when M himself decides that it's time to slow down the pace a bit.
It's hard to miss, he will suddenly grab his books then sit on the floor to read.

I make it a point to read to M first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
Any other time is free for all. Apparently, Mama's words are sometimes just
too slow for the pace that he likes.

I recently bought M a pack of the Dora the Explorer Preschool Flash Cards.
Sorry to burst your bubble, I too would love to be the perfect crafty mom.
But I'm not, I buy when there's no time and/or no energy to make.  The grand
plan was to use the flash cards for a future memory game. Of course, I couldn't
resist, I opened the pack and M and I now look at the shape and color cards
every so often. Later on, we'll rotate the cards and then look at the number cards.

Okay, I can imagine a few of you saying: "Whaaat? Flash cards at his age?!?
Poor M!" But I beg to disagree. He doesn't see them as flash cards in the literal
sense. I do believe that he considers the cards as just one of the stuff thats
around to play with and explore.

"How sure are you that these flash cards are not causing M psychological nor
emotional trauma blah blah blah blah blah???"
Well, his favorite shape is not circle, nor triangle…  But Baaackpaaack!
See, M is very much a kid who's having some fun :)

Giant Foam Blocks

M occasionally plays with his folding sleeping mat. He pushes it around, stomps

on it and hides behind it. I can only imagine what he'd be doing if he had his hands 

on these giant foam blocks! Unfortunately, they're not readily available here.

I've been toying with the idea of heading over to the Uratex Factory and having 

something similar done. However, that would translate to me owning another 

thing to sell, leave behind or ship out (depending on how attached we get to it). 

And, that's my dilemma. Oh well, maybe next time.

Images courtesy of Google Images

Be Gentle

Image courtesy of lrargerich

Discipline

- "In the field of child development, discipline refers to methods of modeling 

character and of teaching self-control and acceptable behavior." - Wikipedia

Since day one, we've encouraged M to be gentle with people. M is allowed

to rough up his toys as much as he pleases but with people, he knows  

enough to be gentle. 

Our small successes:

- When M was a newborn, I would tell him while BF, "Be gentle." I'm proud
to say that M has only bit me twice.

- When M was a few months old, I would allow him to touch my face. I
would always say, "Be gentle." I'm happy to say M never got into the 

habit of hitting people.

- When M was more than a year old and hitting could have turned into 

a way of venting out frustration, M remembered that he should be gentle

with his cousins.

- Just this weekend, at 1 year 3 mo.s, M sat beside Lola C, his 90+ yr 

old great-great-grand ma, and gently caressed her arm. Yup, 1 chalk up

for being gentle.

"Be Gentle" is a simple, loving and age appropriate way for us to teach M
discipline. We're starting young because good habits don't just happen overnight;
good habits need to be developed over time. I hope this encourages you to
discover simple, loving and age appropriate ways to teach discipline to your
child.

TED talk Arvind Gupta: Turning Trash Into Toys for Learning

Video courtesy of TED

Last week, I talked about 3 Ways of Getting Affordable Toys. Some of
you were not impressed: "You have a 1year plus toddler". Fine fine.

Today, allow me to introduce to you Arvind Gupta, an Indian Toy
Inventor who turns trash into toys. Do not knock it 'til you've tried it.
Arvind Gupta's toys are something else. The toys are simple enough
to make. It's what the toys can do that are amazing.

It makes you wonder, why hasn't anyone in the country thought about
something like this?

In case you're serious about trying out Arvind's toys, here are some links
to help you get started:
- Arvind Gupta's book: Low Cost Equipment for Science and Technology
  Education free pdf
- Arvind Gupta's Free Films
- Arvind Gupta's YouTube channel

Allow Kids to Explore

Image by Maricel Cruz

"As so often happens in science, two studies from different labs, using 
different techniques, have simultaneously produced strikingly similar 
results. They provide scientific support for the intuitions many teachers 
have had all along: Direct instruction really can limit young children's 
learning. Teaching is a very effective way to get children to learn 
something specific—this tube squeaks, say, or a squish then a press 
then a pull causes the music to play. But it also makes children less 
likely to discover unexpected information and to draw unexpected 
conclusions.


...with one group, she acted as if she were clueless about the toy. ("Wow, 
look at this toy. I wonder how it works? Let's try this," she said.) With 
the other group, she acted like a teacher. ("Here's how my toy works.") 
When she acted clueless, many of the children figured out the most 
intelligent way of getting the toy to play music (performing just the two 
key actions, something Daphna had not demonstrated). But when Daphna 
acted like a teacher, the children imitated her exactly, rather than 
discovering the more intelligent and more novel two-action solution."
- Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School by Alison Gopnik, Slate


Children of today start going to school at a very young age. Some play 
schools will accept kids as early as 6months old. We decided to forego this 
and to homeschool M instead. 


The article Why Preschool Shouldn't be Like School really struck a chord 
because of three things:
1st - It made me realize the importance of allowing kids to explore. Children 
are smart and can figure things out on their own. It's the adults who're 
impatient for them to get things done now. Apparently, rushing the learning 
process has detrimental effects. Patience has its rewards.
2nd - As a homeschooler, you have the opportunity to decide on what 
your children are learning. Now, you also have the opportunity to decide 
on HOW they are going to learn. Make it count.
3rd - If your child/ren are enrolled in a regular school, it would be good to 
look at the manner by which your child/ren are being taught. I have a
friend who transferred her Gr.1 son to another school because she wasn't
satisfied with the way her son was being taught at the other school. Bravo! 
Parents should be the first persons looking out for the interest of their child.


I'm thankful that at this point homeschooling is not yet rocket science. 
In a nutshell, the emphasis has been to provide varied fun learning 
activities for M. These activities are aimed at developing his skills and 
discovering his talents. 

3 Ways of Getting Affordable Toys

Before Angry Birds and Before Farmville, Kids had these :)

At 1 year and 3 months, I can proudly say that our little toddler still does NOT
watch TV. You might be wondering, what does M do all day? Playing with toys
tops the list! Toys are great because they "require" kids to use and develop their
skills and imagination.

The challenge with toys is, kids easily tire of their toys. Dr. Glenn Doman tells us
that kids enjoy their toys while there's still something about the toy to be discovered.
But once the toy has been fully explored, expect that toy to be tossed aside.

So what's a mom to do? I know fully well that kids' toys can be quite expensive.
Here are some tips for you.

3 Ways to Getting Affordable Toys:

1. Research
- Isn't the net great!?! I use it a lot for researching! Of course, it has helped me
gain tons of ideas for toys. I check out websites and blogs. I join FB groups of
educators; homeschooling is a recognized form of education. I'm excited for an
upcoming online webinar (it's free!). There really is so much info out there. It's
so easy to pick an idea and make it your own.
2. Observe
- M is allowed to tinker around with everyday objects and use them for toys.
Of course we first ensure that these objects are nonbreakable and do not pose
any safety risks. So far M has played with paper, cloth, cartons, cleaning tools,
and furniture.
3. Borrow
- Some of M's fave toys are actually not his. M has borrowed toys from cousins
and uncles. You'd be surprised at how many relatives and friends have a stash
of toys just dusting away in a box. Just make sure to thoroughly clean the toys
if their previous owners have not already done so.

I hope I've inspired you to reconsider the tv habits of your children. Studies have
shown that there's way too much tv watching going on. It's time to turn off the telly
and make the kids play.

More TV Equals School Trouble Later

http://www.flickr.com/photos/treehouse1977

"Toddlers who watch too much TV may struggle in school later,
with measurably lower scores in math, and they may get bullied
more than other children, Canadian and U.S. researchers reported
on Monday.

Less surprisingly, children who watched more TV at age 2 weighed
more by the time they were 10 and ate more snacks and soft drinks,
the researchers reported in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent
Medicine.

They said children who spend more time watching TV and less time
playing with other kids may lose valuable chances to learn social
skills.

Every additional weekly hour of television at 29 months corresponded
to a 7 percent drop in classroom attention and a 6 percent drop in
math skills, the researchers found.

"Despite clear, age-specific recommendations from the American
Academy of Pediatrics that discourage any screen media exposure
during infancy and less than two hours per day beyond 2 years of
age..." the researchers wrote." - Yahoo Health


Here's some interesting news. What's more interesting is that this
concept probably applies to other "high tech" kiddie gadgets that
were not yet available at the time that this research was made.

So what's the alternative? Good old-fashioned activities: tummy
time, singing songs, reading books and playing with toys are
just some examples.

Yes, you read that right. As parents, we have to relearn the lost
art of using one's creativity to come up with fun -- and educational
-- activities for our kids.

* This post first appeared here.