Learning Mandarin thru watching plays

 It has always been my belief that immersion in drama brings tremendous benefits to the language arts. Lately, I noticed the local arts scene is more actively making Mandarin come alive for our young ones.

Just last week, I brought Zech to DBS Arts centre to watch 金发姑娘和三只熊 (Goldilocks and the 3 bears) in Mandarin. Though it wasn't exactly perfect, I find the musical and set on the stage really captivating and the songs catchy. Till today, I can still hum one of the songs the 3 bears sang on stage. I've watched so many children's plays since my days as a teacher. This is the first time the same tune kept playing in my head.

The musical was organised by 'The Little Company'. Tickets on sale were affordable at about $22 on weekdays. As we went in a big group with other kids, I bought the tics at $16.90 per person after discount.

What was impressive was also the teacher resource pack given to us. I've seen other resource packs and this is really one of the more detailed resources ever given. Worksheets were pitched at different levels for the various age groups.

I printed out 3 different activities for Zech to do. There were other more creative ones such as drawing or thinking of various uses for wood but due to time constraint, I opted for less time-consuming worksheets.

Got Zech to do a follow-up activity in his jotter book after the show. I asked him to tell me his favourite character. Surprise surprise. He told me it was 熊妈妈 because she can sing well. It's true! So my boy can judge good versus mediocre vocals. Haha!

Zech's writing in English. Didn't want to stress Zech since he has started learning to write Chinese characters not too long ago. I want him to enjoy this activity and not find it a chore.

 

 



Being curious, I also asked Zech which character he likes the least. He said Goldilocks because she entered a house and slept on a bed without permission. Sometimes, I'm quite amazed at my 4yo's thoughts and questions. :)

The next up and coming Mandarin play organised by "The Little Company' is another timeless fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling". If you are interested, go check it out here:
http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/ugly0815

Celebrating 100th day of homeschool!

Reaching 100 days of school was no mean feat. In homeschool, this must be a milestone and indeed a day to celebrate. For a beginning homeschool mum like me, 100 days of school are filled with many ups and downs, overflowing with God's guidance and blessings.

To work towards 100 days, Zech filled up a 100 chart, which was part of our homeschool routine.

When we first started out, I wrote the number for him but starting from 67, Zech took over and wrote the number himself. You can see how his handwriting progresses here.

To celebrate our 100th day of school, I did some simple décor (inspired by a friend's blog) and prepared activities in relation to 100. Very fun to be doing all these.

Bought a variety of snacks from the supermarket. Laid out 100 pieces of snacks on the dining table.

Zech, using a big ziplock bag, chose and counted his snacks. In his enthusiasm, he tended to grab a handful instead of one at a time so Mummy had to remind him to take one and count them all.

Nath loves this too of course. He was the quietest throughout as all he needed to do was eat. This was one of the best moments for me.

 

Printed out a hat (similar to 'The cat in the hat') and Zech counted and pasted 100 jewels on the hat.

 

Using do-a-dot markers (Zech's fav), he decorated the number 100.

Then he played 100 types of games. Thought of doing this as my boys have too much energy. Zech was tired by the end of this and was resting on the sofa. A rare sight indeed!

See my little one taking part with Zech? He NEEDS to be included!

Wrote what Zech needed to do on small pieces of paper. For each game, he had to do 10 times. I gave him a 100 chart and he circled the number of times he had done for each game till he reached 100.

Finally, he completed his '100th' worksheet. For this, he struggled quite a bit and had to be guided closely.

A really cool and different way to celebrate school here in Singapore. Love the concept!

Growing up. Never a simple and easy process.

Since the start of the year, I have been struggling with Nathanael, especially in the morning while I'm teaching Zech. This little boy of mine is very persistent. If training is required, it takes weeks and sometimes months. He is a real test of my patience and perseverance.

When Nath is fine, he's very huggable and ahem, adorable. I know I'm biased but all mothers are towards their own.

 

When we first started out in Jan with Nathanael alongside us, he cried and kicked up a din every time I tried to teach Zech. There was absolutely nothing he could occupy himself with. Or rather, he didn't want to. Then I noticed he was interested in whatever Zech was doing. So I gave him some of the manipulatives. From then on, I realised mess is his best friend. The entire house is turned upside down. It's like a battlefield. However, he was still discontented and kept disturbing us. Even when I was reading to Zech, he would cry and wail at the top of his voice. It was horrifying! Thank God Zech was cooperative and once, we had to read a book with his baby brother crying in the background.

After a terrible month in Jan, I created a routine for Nath. Before I teach Zech, I'd prepare him and asked what he would like to play. I took out some toys and prepared some Cheerios for Nath. Cheerios are what turned our mornings around! Something so simple yet I didn't discover earlier. Well, better late than never. We are now nearing the end of Feb. I must say Nath is more settled. After taking his Cheerios, he could play on his own for some time. I'm very thankful for that. More peace than chaos in the house now. Nath still cries and whines for attention after a period of time. But I'm glad for at least the 20 to 30 min of self play he indulges in. Occupying him with toys or simple household tools seems to satisfy him now.


The pictures below show one of the better days. The chaos can be 10 times worse.

 

Zech, on the other hand, is easier to handle. Age matters I guess. He knows how to read his mummy's facial expression and sometimes tells me sweetly, 'Mummy, I want you to be happy.' He still makes me frustrated but it's easier to talk to him and get him to follow our instructions, even if he doesn't really want to.

My handsome boy. Like I've said, I'm biased. :)

Recently, it struck me that my boy has really matured. Bittersweet. We were waiting for a cab. 15 minutes passed. I was feeling annoyed. Zech kept asking me why this and why that. So that made me double annoyed while I tried my best to answer his questions. Asked him if we could eat something else like roti prata but he didn't want to. Then we walked for about 5 to 10 minutes to the cross junction, hoping to catch a cab there. Still, not one cab was in sight. I started complaining how we were wasting time and why couldn't we eat here and why must Zech eat only fried rice at Heartland Mall etc. All of a sudden, Zech said very calmly, 'Mummy, I can eat here. I can try roti prata.' I looked at him and sighed, asking him if he was sure. He nodded his head. I felt bad. Really bad even though roti prata is one of my favourite food and I was pretty sure Zech would like it if he tried. We had banana prata for lunch that day. He was very very cooperative. Thank God for such a sweet boy and for the first sign of his maturity! Gone were the days when we struggled with his crying and whining. Meltdowns with Zech seem to be a thing of the past now.

Here's a pic from homeschool unit 16 on the penguin.
A card for his papa done all by himself with some guidance from me on his drawing. He has improved tremendously in his colouring and writing. Mummy's very proud of his progress.

 

As I think back, I realised perseverance plays a major part in motherhood. No matter how long it takes a child to learn and how tough the process, giving up on a child or making compromises in nurturing should never be an option. This is something I remind myself when the going gets tough with Nath on board. But I can't just count on my own limited strength and ability. What truly sustains and keeps me going is really God's Word. Reading 'The Ministry of Motherhood' by Sally Clarkson recently gave me great insights and in a way, nourished my soul and inspired me to change my parenting style. Regardless of how busy we mothers are, it's still of utmost importance to have our quiet time with God. That is, ultimately, the essence of life.