We have just completed our ThinkingMath™ Parents Workshop (Part I and Part II) and I went away inspired by the parents, our participants. It may be unthinkable for some that parents are actually going to the extent of attending workshops on primary school subjects yet I have gained insights to this supposedly weird phenomenon otherwise known as ‘kiasuism’:
It was hang-out night at the club with the Dart team and while the men were busy trying to outbeat each other, the ladies just chat about and June went, "Jerald is a real bully and he is only 4! We put him into a swim class and he went about pinching the girls and throwing his weight about the other kids. I had to pull him aside to discipline him!" Nisha, a mother of 2 very grown kids (in their early thirties) jumped to Jerald's defence, "No. Don't need to discipline. He does not understand wad... actually the fault lies with the other parents, why don't they teach their kids how NOT to be bullied! Jerald is just being so street smart!"
Needless to say, Nisha's comments brought about an active debate way past midnight. Her son-in-law whom we were nudging to quicken the baby-making went, "Now that's another reason not to have babies."
Organised by Science Centre and A*STAR, Marina Square features from mid-August a month-long festival of science activities, discussions, workshops and documentaries.
The school holidays are here again. I have been looking for relevant holiday activities and programmes that we can consider engaging with our kids. Specifically day/night outings.
I was recently asked by one of my new friends, who is also one of our onSponge parents, how can she improve her problem solving skills with the aim of assisting her son in solving math problem sums. Sound familiar? So rather than demand a night on the town with a free flow of drinks in return for my wisdom, I decided to share my "Seven Secrets to Problem Sums" for Parents here instead. But first, more on the issue ....
With Mothers' Day looming, here's a year round treat for Mum...create a cosy nook for her to unwind whenever she wants to, surrounded by her favourite things.
Pick a spot in the home where you think she'll love. Relocate the armchair that I suspect has been rooted in its place for like a decade ( I can never understand this ). Find an occasional table or in the absence of one, repurpose a stool for the task. Once you have the table in place,gather her favourite things together creating a vignette.
Get creative! The picture holder you see is actually an old fork. I've bent the tines using needle-nose pliers. How you wish to curl the tines is entirely up to you....just make sure you don't use Mum's precious cutlery! She can prop little notes or cards on it as I have or use it to hold her recipe card when she makes your favourite dish!
If you're using a lamp with an old shade, why not give it a fresh look? Vacuum the shade using the upholstery attachment, then glue on trim at the rims. Double sided tape would do just as well. I've chosen a beaded fringe (from Spotlight at Plaza Singapura) and topped that with gimp.
Finally, to pull the whole look together add in a couple of coordinating cushions for Mum to snuggle up with a book or her hobby.....
So go forth, be inspired!
(Wish to create your own cushion for Mum but can't sew? Do visit the onSponge SHOP to find out more!)
As parents we expect alot from our kids. I'm no exception....good grades a must. I was like a fiend when Nicholas was in Primary school. I remember the first test results he brought home. All excited and happy, this bespectacled kid waving his test paper like crazy. However, it fell short of my expectations but like a good Mummy, I pulled a wide plastic grin and said, 'That's VERY good!' Muack!
Today my nephew came home, with two red gashes on his face! Apparently he had bumped (accidentally he says) into another boy earlier. Then while my nephew was in conversation with a friend, this other boy came up, pulled my nephew's cheek and scratched him. 
A 2007 UK study on primary education concluded that children face "excessive" pressure today. Conducted by Cambridge University, the Primary Review was the biggest such independent study in the past 40 years.