Starting montessori activities

I have shared this set of montessori materials with my friend when lil Joy was around 3 years old. I must say, i have not been super diligent in working the activities with her but I follow the main spirit of  respecting the child and follow their cues to learn. Thankfully, she ended up in a school which does montessori work so she is in better hands now.

Somehow, Jr J seemed to so more interests in the handling of things and so I started him with the knobs the other day. I don't think it is the right way to present this activity since it is meant for 3 years old kids but I don't see the harm of letting him try it since it trains his concentration to sit down and figure things out.

Boy, he is real charming when he is concentrating.

I have been doing light crocheting every night now and to keep lil Joy at the bay, I throw her a ball of yarn n let her do whatever she wants with it.. so a lot of snipping has been going on.

And wrapping too.

DIY Do A Dot Markers

Have you seen the Do A Dot Markers? I have seen activities done on the blogs of some preschool homeschoolers using these Markers. I checked the pricing of these markers and they are sold at SGD39.90 for a set of 6 markers.

I have tried to look for DIY solutions but is not convinced with the alternatives that I had found online mainly due to the concern that lil Joy is only 26 months old and I need something that is more leak proof. This project has been on my mind for more than a year before I finally see the solution at Art Friend, a local art and craft supply shop.

It is the Paint Applicator! Price is about SGD 6.90 plus for a pack of 3. I never knew such things exist and soon realise that Martha Stewart has similar products under her branding. So I grabbed a pack and  tried it out with watercolor paint.

Here is how the paint applicators look. I used a palette knife to coax the paint in, add a dribble of water, replace the top, give it a shake, start dabbing and the paint comes out shortly. It will be a slight mess during the preparation stage but everything is easily washed under a tap before I handed these paint filled applicators to lil Joy.

And yes, these applicators comes with a cap and so far it has been leak proof.

Here is how the sponge part looks like up close. The control of the paint flow has been good.

Here is the end product. We only did some sampling during the first session and I am happy with the results except for the vibrancy of the colors. I will experiment with the different kind of paints and consistency to find something that I like. In the meanwhile, lil Joy is having a blast with dotting on the paper and discovering that she can draw with it. I love the price and the convenience that I can just put the caps of the applicator on for storage and easily do this activity with just some papers.

Sharing this little find of mine and hope it helps some moms. :D

Water color painting

I try to do water color paintings with lil Joy as often as possible. I have tired it on the easel but soon realised that the area to be covered seemed to be too big and tall for her at the moment so we are back to painting on the table.

So it's a single color painting session while I teach her how to say red. I mix the paint in an old milk bottle cap and lil Joy happily starts to paint.

It is always fun to see her looking so concentrated on whatever she is doing.

It did not take her long to discover that markings can be made using the back of the paintbrush.

Most parents cringed at the thoughts of cleaning up after every painting session. I try to extend the painting activity buy including the cleaning. Thankfully, lil Joy enjoys wiping out the marks on the table.

And it amused me even more when she runs to the play kitchen to wash the wet towel at the sink. It seems like she is starting to do imaginary play.

So while lil joy paints, I thought I might as well give watercoloring a try. This is my first attempt. I wished I could do better but the difficulty of painting has been levelled up when u have a little toddler doing the activity with you.

Here is my little red ridding hood.

Maped Kidi Cut Scissors review update

I have put Maped Kidi Scissors to use and I am glad that lil Joy's first pair of scissors are these.

Maybe I have started the scissors activity too early and the way lil Joy handle the scissors made my heart skipped many beats despite knowing that the scissors are relatively safe.

It took her a while to get the hang of holding the scissors and who knows that seeing your kid using the scissors for the first time can be such a happy occasion?

Here is lil Joy holding the scissors the right way after I have shown her how I use it. She have seen me using my scissors many times and have tried to steal my pair on too many occasions. I can imagine how proud she feel when I handed her own pair of scissors to her.

 One must plan before she cuts.

And make the smallest cut possible...

Using 3 fingers do the job better.

 My thought on Mapped Kidi Cut Scissors

They are not the scissors that you want to use for real crafts but they are the scissors that you want your child to use for practice to hold the scissors. I noticed that it only cuts at a certain angle but for the purpose of lil Joy at this moment, I feel that learning how to hold the scissors safely and confidently is the goal for the moment. I will upgrade her to a real metal scissors after more practices with Mapped Kidi Scissors.

Maped Kidi Cut Scissors review

Lil Joy is coming to the age of using scissors to cut papers up. As a first time mom, I have great concerns about her safety even if I am going to supervise all paper cutting activities personally.

It was a pleasant surprise to me when i came across Maped Kidi Cut Scissors while searching for children scissors. It uses plastics instead of metal for its blades.

Here is the scissors in its original packaging.

In case you are wondering, I got it at Popular bookshop in Singapore at the price of $1.95.

Here is the front of the scissors.

Here is another close up of the scissors when it's opened. I love the little rabbit's paw prints on the blade.

For the sake of safety, I tried cutting my finger with it. I am happy to see no harm was done onto my fingers which means, I do not need to worry about lil joy getting her fingers cut.

Next, I tried cutting straight cuts on the paper and is amazed that it made such a clean cut on the paper.

And then i tried cutting a circle and heart which was successful but did not yield amazing results. I get torn off effect at curved edges of the cuts. I conclude that a 21 month child most probably would not fault it.

My thoughts on Mapped Kidi Cut Scissors

It seems like a great First scissors for young kids when safety is a big concern. I suppose as long as it cuts thru the paper and gives the little ones a kick start to their paper cutting skills it is doing the job well. It comes in cute designs and I see light green and purple on the shelves for selection.

For first impression review, I think it is a pair of great scissors for very young children and the price is very reasonable.

I have yet to let lil Joy tried these scissors but will share with you soon on the activities that we are going to do with it.

Progress update: The beginning of my quiet book

I was very tempted to make a quiet book and of course it meant a lot of planning and making.

Months back.. I made a start for page one. Here is the little rabbit in bed and it has been left like this since then.. I did not even sew it onto the first cloth page and it ended up as a soft toy for lil Joy for the time being.

Really looking forward to more quiet time to make my quiet book and the day when I complete it for lil Joy to have some quiet time of her own.

Here is my bunny all stuffed. I have added velcro onto the pillow and snap buttons on the blanket for fine motor skills training. Yes, my rabbit has no clothes at the moment and I am planning a wardrobe for her.

Here is the little bunny sleeping in her cozy bed.

Really looking forward to more quiet time to make my quiet book and the day when I complete it for lil Joy to have some quiet time of her own.

Toddler Activities: Bubbles Play

It is our decision not to send lil joy to school until she is 3 years old. In the meanwhile, I try to incorporate different kind of activities that help her to explore her tiny world.

Part of our weekend morning routine is tending to the potted plants at our corridor. This weekend, hub wanted to add new soil to the pots which made quite a mess and so I took a pail of water out to wash the floor.

It did not take lil Joy very long to discover the pail of water. 

And she found her own form of entertainment but chucking her new sandals in for a wash.

Nothing beats a pair of clean sandals while daddy does his gardening works.

While everyone was out at the corridor, I took out the bubble gun for some bubble fun. It was months since I last took the gun out. I recalled lil Joy being hesitant about the bubbles then. Now she runs after them gleefully. 

She also discovered that bubbles bursted when her fingers touched them. So it is another round of fun to be poking around.

It is really amazing to see how children grow up. I love this precious moment when lil Joy and I play with the bubbles together.

Play date at National Museum - Masak Masak 2014

We had a playdate with Cayce on a weekend at National Museum of Singapore. It had been a long time since we visit the Museum. This trip reminds me to make more trips like this.

There is a Masak Masak: My Childhood exhibition going on till 3 Aug 2014 and we are bringing our 1 year olds.

We are greeted by the joyful bouncy playgrounds which are inspired by the old playground that the older Singaporeans are familiar with. But it rained at the earlier part of the day so the bouncy playgrounds are wet which dampens the mood a bit. There are 2 playgrounds, one for the younger kids and the other for the older kids.

Lil Joy checking out the small kids bouncy playground.

And she decided that she prefers the big kids playground which is too tough for her to climb. So her dad plonk her up the slide instead. Only allowed because she cant climb the 'stairs' and there are very few people at that time. There are very nice coordinators manning the playground who let lil joy 'jump' the queue so she will not miss out the fun.

Next we go indoors to those childhood games inspired exhibitions. Again.. all the exhibitions are manned by friendly coordinators. Here is the marble throwing game.. Imagine many kids throwing plastic balls around. We met a very helpful boy who kept getting balls for the kids around. So sweet of him.

Here is lil Joy concentrating with ball throwing.

And she soon realised that the balls will come out at the bottom and decided to check that out.

During the playdate, we ask her to give her 'boy friend' a kiss.

Next station is the 'pick up sticks' which is velcro on felt sticks. It seems like a very safe and fun game for toddlers.. And it inspires me to make some at home too.. So the game turn into.. baby L tearing down all the sticks, parents sticking it back and lil Joy picking them up.

Next station is the massive Five Stones area. They are too big for lil joy but again a reminder for me to make big bean bags at home for lil Joy.

Then we move upstairs to find a cardboard tube art exhibition. I was real excited to see these in life. How imaginative and patient the artist is. I have snapped almost all cardboard tube arts but shall not bore you with all of them. These is one of my fav.

At the same place, there is a color and craft area.

2 levels up, there is this light and sound exhibition where u can 'draw' on the screen with a touch light and random music will be played according to your 'drawings'. I find this exhibition a bit eerie though.

Finally we visit this room that is like a house. There are different activities in the different rooms of the house. So here is a giant puzzle which is just nice for lil Joy.

And some pretend cooking at the kitchen area.

My thoughts on the Masak Masak exhibition

I am surprised that the exhibition is free of charge. The activities are fun for young children and reminds parents about play. The exhibitions are well managed and interactive. I feel it is worth a trip down for those with young children.