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? :)