Little Gigi @ 22 mths

My Gigi has really grown so much. I received praises about her from her BSF teacher, commenting how clever and good she is, sharing her toys and able to be quiet on her own. She said that Gigi seems to know alot of things too. That really made my day... Knowing that my efforts has not been wasted ;) 

Practical Life - Handwork (cutting )

I introduced this new work material yesterday evening to Tristan.

First, I taught him the proper way of holding a scissor and using one of his favorite nursery rhyme " Where is thumbman?", so when he is learning to hold the scissors, he knows that he has to use his "thumbman" and "pointer" together. I think the familiar terms help him to remember well.


next, I demonstrated cutting one of the straws. I chose straws for this activity as Tristan likes sudden movement and sound and cutting straws produce that kind of effect. but of course, it was messy after that with all the straw pieces lying around :)


Then, he explored on his own and I helped by holding the straws for him. He still can't use scissors with one hand probably due to lack of strength but at least he is learning to hold the scissors properly.

Practical life - Wet pouring ( pitcher to cups )

This was one of the montessori materials that I introduced to T.



I got him to fill the pitcher with water on his own, teaching him the skill to turn on/off the tap and holding the pitcher properly so that it will not spill.



Then, he has to be at his table, attempting to pour water from the pitcher to the cups without spilling much onto the tray/ floor. I think this activity refines his motor skill and it trains up his concentration. And water play has always been his favorite material!



At the end of the activity, I got him to take out a cloth from his drawer and wipe the floor dry ( with the help of Daddy ) and also his workdesk. He was able to follow all my instructions and do the tasks well.

Liguistic development

at 27 months, Tristan' linguistic ability is growing at an exponential rate.

Almost everyday I will hear some new words from him and he is able to hold a meaningful conversation with us too. It's a joy to spend some time just lying in bed and chatting with him about just anything.

And here' re some of his "famous saying":

was talking to him about school as he is going to start N1 next week, and suddenly he said to me, "mama, tristan 不要哭，Tristan is not baby anymore."

was in the car chatting with my husband and I had to speak louder as I was sitting at the back seat. drown in the noise of the conversation, Tristan said, "妈妈爸爸不要讲话。很吵！noisy. "

I asked him," Do you want to be a doctor or a teacher when you grow up?"
he replied," teacher. 妈妈是老师。papa is teacher."

When he is pestering us to take him on the train or bus -
me: " 没有车卡怎么办？”
him:" 给钱咯”-_-

during our daily home practices in the morning. Before we enter the room,
he will say, " 要focus. must sit on a chair and listen to mama."

Here's some more of his daily lines--

"妈妈陪我玩。坐下来。”
“妈妈吃饱了，可以陪我玩了。”
“have lesson first then play."
" mama go south view. papa go concord. "
"爸爸是Chok Seng. 妈妈是Joanne. 我是宇哲。妹妹是Giselle." then he will proceed on to name his 公公、婆婆和舅舅。

"搭185 去图书馆和Mulberry!"
"搭172 去South View!"

"太阳出来了！可以去playground 了！”
“太阳睡觉了，because it's night time."

Isn't it just amazing to see how a toddler learn and respond to his world? :)

Infant Stimulation Cards

When I was in my 3rd trismester, I began printing out loads of infant stimuation cards from Brillkids free download section.

was doing some research on these infant stimulation cards before compiling them and apparently, infants are stimulated visually by high-contrast colors and these contrasting colors will be better preceived by an infant' eye and leads to a stronger brain development. These cards will also help to increase concentration skills.

I had files of these cards ready when Tristan was born but I only started showing him when he was 2 months old. I didn't do the flashcard method either, They were placed at strategic places when he could see them when he was awake.

There are many websites offering free download for these cards but so far, I find those at Brillkids are still the best.

Prenatal Education

When I was pregnant with my first born, there was alot of things about prenatal education that I was totally unaware of.

I first heard of the Shichida Prenatal course from a colleague who has been to one of such. She was sharing with me about the benefits of the prenatal education from Shichida and that got me started on a research on prenatal/ early education for my child.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the prenatal course due to time clash, bu tthis colleague had generously shared some resources she received from the course with me. Among which, I found the 5 minutes suggestion very useful and interesting:

gently tap baby and ask, "are you awake baby?"

"can you feel mummy' heartbeat?"

"If yes, can you kick mummy?"

"you're my wonderful baby genuius, mommy and daddy love you very much. Thank you for choosing us as your daddy and mommy."

"you can hear mommy and feel mommy' heartbeat."

"you're peaceful and happy everyday."

"your concentration is wonderful."

"you can read, write and calculate very well."

"please be born with your own force and will. "

"please grow up to be healthy, good in senses in EQ."

"you'll be a capable, useful and loving person in the future."

I did the 5 mins suggestion with Tristan from 6th month, and though there was no obvious reaction from him, I could sense that he was peaceful and he was listening. It also provided a relaxed bonding time for us during this time before I go to bed each night.

And when Tristan was born, he was indeed a very peaceful baby, crying very little and latching on well right from the beginning. And I think the best thing about talking to my baby in the womb is that he can instantly recognize my voice right from birth.