Cultivating a love of reading

I remember the early days of reading to Zech. As early as 8 weeks old in my womb, we diligently took turns to read to him every night.

Now at school-going age, it is a challenge to cultivate a reader let alone an avid one. But I want to take up this challenge because it is that important despite the fact that boys tend to read less than girls. I'm still exploring and I think the key lies in interest. The content matters, be it fiction or non-fiction.

Last year, Zech started reading early reader books, which sustained his attention. I noticed at Zech's age, children can recognize and read a wide range of vocabulary so it's not so much about the difficulty level of the books. But how can kids continue to read for more than 5 minutes on their own with books that contain more words than pictures? The early readers serve as a bridge, linking picture books to chapter books.

This year, I introduced more Roald Dahl books to Zech. Previously, I had read 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' to him.

Zech started reading 'Fantastic Mr Fox', then 'The Twits' and now he's reading 'The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me'.

When Zech was reading 'Fantastic Mr Fox', he wasn't that keen. He read aloud to me almost every night. Towards the end as the plot reaches the climax, he was more motivated. However with 'The Twits', Zech was very willing to read the book independently in school and has moved on faster than our read aloud session at night. To make sure he understood what he read, I asked him to either reread to me or summarise the chapter for me. Now he's reading 'The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me'. He started on his own, using the silent reading time in school. I was surprised when he voluntarily shared what he read with me. I guess the story must be captivating. I've not read this book before so in a way, I'm reading along with him. Recently, I noticed Popular promoting Roald Dahl books, selling $13 per copy. Bookdepository offers a better price, selling about $8 to $9 a copy. I've placed an order for a few more books to be added to Zech's reading list this year.

On his own, Zech has continued to read picture books and other non-fiction books. He has been borrowing regularly from the school library, much to my delight. In my reading plan with him, I want to introduce other classics to him. I was thrilled to find these at the library. They are great starters! So easy to read Zech completed the book within 15 minutes.

Recently, Zech read a local poetry book given as a Christmas present by a friend. Initially, I just wanted him to practice reading poems aloud since poetry recitation is a test component this term. Surprisingly, he was at this book for a couple of nights and even said his favourite poem was 'Ah Seng'.

Reading different genres is great exposure to children. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry etc. provide a wealth of vocabulary and transport them beyond their world, helping them put on other perspectives into the lives of others so different from them.  

I find myself as a mother always searching for good books to introduce to Zech. I'd love to have him grow up in the wonderful world of stories, a faraway land I immersed myself in when I was a child. It is a privilege to read and to learn. From the timeless tales of old to realistic fiction, from Bible stories to the truth found in the Word, it is important to read well and acquire a healthy reading diet. There's no better time than now. I think the next challenge is to motivate Zech to read the Bible independently.

Ll for leaf and Aa for apple

We've whizzed past 3 units and are now at unit 6 Tt for turtle.

Flashback to Ll for leaf and Aa for apple.

Leaf activities

We collected leaves for Ll leaf unit.

Thank God for the parks, gardens and playgrounds near our home. We never lack leaves.

So what did we do with the leaves?

Leaves rubbing of course!

Pressed the leaves and make a leaves booklet. The sweet gum leaf was air flown from Australia. :) Collected a few from our last trip. The rest of the leaves were collected from Ang Mo Kio Garden just next to our block!

Nathanael learned to arrange the leaves according to size.

Having fun cycling through dry leaves.

Science experiments

Did a couple of leaf experiments to show how a leaf will wither and die once it leaves the plant. The importance of the leaf remaining in the plant is an analogy to how we should live and grow in Jesus. And how can we not grow our own plants? Took out my cherry tomato and sunflower seeds and we planted them in small pots.

Bought some celery from the supermarket. Added some blue colouring and left it in a jar for 2 days.

See the blue stain on the celery? We cut it open to further illustrate how the celery takes in water by travelling upwards.

I covered a part of a potted plant with a clear plastic bag, water it and the next day, we observed the water droplets on the bag itself. This concept may be a bit abstract for Nathanael to comprehend but it was an interesting discovery for him.

Writing

Learning how to write Ll was easier.

Making patterns with unit cubes is his fav.

Book activity

After reading "The Leaf Man' from the library, we followed up with a counting activity.

Nathanael's creation with the leaf man.

Inspired by the book, we created these.

On to unit 4 Aa apple, you guessed it. Apples galore!

Apple activities

We looked at the inside of an apple, identify the apple core and estimate the number of seeds. I cut a cross section of an apple and Nathanael was amazed to find a star inside. He had fun with apple printing.

We also did a simple picture graph and made a comparison of the number of apples.

Arranged the size of apples from the biggest to the smallest.

This was a unit with many activities for snacking.

Making fruit salad.

Cooking apple sauce and eating them with his fav cheerios.

Making car apples.

Mr Apple Face

The apple unit was a great way to introduce other fruits. We made a fruits poster.

As I read Galatians 5:22-23, I was pleasantly surprised that Nathanael was familiar with the verses and in fact, could name me some of the fruits of the spirit. Sunday School had done a fantastic job!

The apple tree (still in the process of bearing fruits) next to our dining table is used to encourage the boys to 'bear fruits'.

See the piece of paper Nathanael was holding onto? He made a card for his special friend and even wrote the first letter of her name on the tree trunk, which was traced using his hand.

Writing

We usually start with forming letters using concrete objects such as pattern blocks, pebbles, twigs, marbles, etc.

Then we move on to using do-a-dot makers to print the letters.

These dot markers are really wonderful. Bought them in 2011 from Amazon. Zech enjoyed using them and now Nathanael's using them. :)

Before writing with a pencil, Nathanael will trace the letters on sandpaper and on the salt tray first.

Then he traces his letters on a worksheet printed from http://mamasmonkeys.blogspot.sg/p/mfw-k.html.

Once he's more familiar with the formation of the letters, I proceed to the whiteboard, where he uses the markers to form the letters.

Finally, he writes them on the MFW handwriting student sheet. I don't do all these in a day. Usually spread the tasks out in 2 days.

Book activity

We read the book 'Apple Farmer Annie' from the library. A beautiful picture board book.

I set up a farmers' market for Nathanael to sell his apple products. His mummy and papa took turns to be his customers.

The fun element is important for preschoolers and especially at Nathanael's age, I want him to enjoy learning more than any other objectives I have. As long as he enjoys school, is motivated to learn and stays in Jesus, he will grow and bear fruits. :)

What really matters...

What does school in the mainstream mean for me and the boys?

I've always been very mindful of getting trapped in the rat race. Recently, I got acquainted with a mummy who sends her 7 year old boy to many enrichment classes. Zech has half the load of the poor boy. I would love very much to sign Zech up for drum class, basketball and martial arts. But I often stop short of the final step. I usually do some intensive research, sometimes even to the extent of calling the school. Then I spend more time scrutinising our schedule and decided not to. At least not now.

If I were to put in an extra class, that will definitely eat into our family weekend time. I try my best to protect our weekend time. With the amount of time Zech spends in school in the afternoon, our mornings are often short and our night time routine is cut down to the basic of just reading, devotion, prayer and sleep. The mornings are spent doing work. Homework if there is, revision and piano. The boys get to play together for 20 to 30 min before Zech gets ready for school at 11am.  By 12pm, he's off to school. It's sad he hardly spends time playing on weekdays. That's why I try to schedule in 'play' on weekends. Be it hiking, cycling, scooting, or just having fun, it's more crucial than ever to ensure the boys get sufficient play and a good workout.

10 weeks of school just flew past. Zech has survived 10 weeks of school joyfully and has eased into the school system. Term 1 in school is fine because there isn't any stress. Marks are not recorded and work is easy. Zech comes home very happy almost every day. He's motivated and looks forward to seeing his teachers.

We were initially worried if he would adapt to school as he was not looking forward to school at all last year. But our worries were unfounded. His form teacher speaks well of him. He enjoys most of his lessons, especially PE. He shares about school all the time now. We are very glad to see our boy growing up into a responsible and helpful child. I have never imagined my Zech as helpful before but you know what? He is! He shared with me instances of how he brought his hurt friend to the care corner and how he used a pair of scissors at the canteen to open a packet of biscuits for his friend. I do wonder many times, aren't all these qualities more superior than my academic standard of a good pupil? My educational background and later on, my teaching career, have placed me at a disadvantage as I soon recognised. I have seen the best and expect the best. Even though I often prioritise character as of utmost important, I sometimes unknowingly retrace my steps to the academia. It takes one or two incidents to jolt me back to my senses. The after-effects of those incidents were never great.

It helps that the school environment Zech is in places high value on the well-being of the pupils. The Principal's emphasis on the joy of learning on more than one occasion, Zech's very loving and thoughtful form teacher and the strong partnership of the school and parents all forge a very healthy and vibrant school life. As parents, we are very delighted and excited to be involved closely in the school programmes. Last year, we prayed together with Zech for a form teacher with a heart for God. God has given Zech a very dedicated and experienced form teacher who not only teaches well but also prays with the class. These little things in Zech's school life matter a lot and has taught me to see beyond academic excellence. Simply trusting the Lord's heart when we can't trace His hand requires me to step out and live out the faith.

It takes conscious effort to pull myself out of the rat race. I need to remind myself often why we have chosen the path less travelled during the preschool days and not let the forces in the system here carry me away. I need to redefine my standard of a good pupil instead of focusing on fine-tuning the mechanics of Zech's written work. It's never easy, for me at least, to look beyond the careless mistake and gives the child some space and time to develop the meticulous trait.

School is a journey made up of memories and experiences that help one steer through life. The values that bear the mark of a man are what define success in life and carry us through to eternity. It's no coincidence we have been using the life lessons from "The Squire and the Scroll" starting this year. A wonderful resource to have!

The language is powerful and the battle portrayed in the story is so real in life. Choosing to live for the Lord, pursue purity and integrity are important for manhood. These timeless values are the ones that will ultimately see our children through their lives, no matter where they stand in society.

He who has clean hands and a pure heart...will receive blessing from the Lord...Such is the generation of those who seek Him. Psalm 24: 4-6b

Ss for sun & Mm for moon

We are well on our way to L for leaf. We have done S for sun and M for moon in 2 weeks. Ever since then, I realised Nathanael is progressing rather well in his alphabets. He surprises me every week.

Mornings are usually reserved for Zech. I'm trying to get Nathanael to do some independent work while I work with Zech but he's still young so other than puzzles, do-a-dot activities, he indulges in free play most of the time.

After Zech goes to school at 12pm, I do some reading together with Nathanael. The book list given in each unit is a treasure trove.

Look at the Moonbear's series! Nathanael adores them!

We start school at 3.30pm after Nathanael's nap and snack time. It's normally an hour. I can't do more as his attention span is short. Anything beyond that, he loses focus and looks dazed. The more I teach, the more blur he looks.

Forming letters is more of a challenge for most kids. Tactile is crucial at this stage.

Writing his letters in a sand tray. We use a salt tray too.

He loves do-a-dot. Using pom poms, playdough and magnets to form the letters enable him to visualize and feel the shape.

Using pattern blocks is fun and relaxing to do. Nathanael loves asking questions so for this activity, he needs to know all the names of the pattern blocks. :)

After that, he moves on to build his church. Not sure why but he likes building a church with the pattern blocks.

Tracing the letters is fine but writing them is a challenge.

The letter m is easier to form.

Good thing about Nathanael is he is quite patient and tries hard to form his letters.

The experiment to make raisins from grapes. A lesson to see how the power of the sun change the grapes in shape, size and texture.

The dried-up raisins.

We made a sun dial and tried it out too. Trying to catch the sun the past few weeks was quite a challenge. Nathanael is now very mesmerized with his shadow. :)


My boy loves cutting and pasting. And he loves doing the sound discrimination worksheet, just like Zech!

A sun snack to remind him that Jesus is the light of the world.

Preparing his own snack - bananas with peanut butter and raisins

Unfortunately, he didn't like them at all. :( He only enjoyed using the knife to cut the bananas. :)

The phases of the moon. We've been searching for the moon these few nights but it's nowhere to be seen.

We did science experiments related to the moon too. For instance, in explaining how the moon is a reflection of the sun's light, we did a simple experiment in the dark storeroom shining a torchlight onto a mirror, which reflected light on Nathanael's face. We explored the concept of gravity by measuring our jump on earth and multiplying 6 times of that to imagine how it would be like on the moon. We had a few discussions about the moon, using beautiful photographs of the full moon I've saved on my ipad. And of course, not forgetting to read up about the first explorers on the moon and watching an old video clip on YouTube on Neil Armstrong's jump on the moon. Because of that, Nathanael now wants to be an astronaut. Previously, he aspired to be a bus captain.

More on the moon... we read the story 'Mooncake' and had a few follow-up activities.

Play pretend! Rocket takeoff to the moon! The astronaut is none other than Nathanael.


Blast off!

Am I in outer space?

It's time to explore the moon!

Rocket snack.

I love this poem. Very apt for moon explorers!

Here's a game to help Nathanael gain number recognition. He's a fan of racing cars so I created this game using a playmat and with the number cards as the parking lot for his car.

We read 'Good Night Moon' on the last day of the unit.

Sensory tray related to the story.

I've shared before homeschooling with Nathanael is different. Not that it's any easier or more challenging. There are certain aspects of my teaching method I need to change. For example, the Elmo puppet was such a disaster with him I kept it away after the first introduction. You won't believe this but he was probably so excited he kept abusing the puppet by hitting or pulling it. So now, instead of using Elmo as the storyteller, I use the children's Bible for Bible stories. For the Bible verses to memorise, I simply go through with him, making up actions as we move along. He's doing fine as it is. At least he can remember the verses.

The weeks just whizzed by. Now we are at the third unit. An interesting unit as L for leaf has room for more outdoor activities in the park and garden.