To-Do List, E-Learning & Keyboard Typing

Date:  Jan 18, 2016

Kids in Primary School is different from kids in Kindergarten.

For example, Kay Kay in P1 has a lot of time in the afternoon.  We have to figure out a way to help him fill up the time.

We have to find a way to teach Kay Kay to be self- discipline too.

So, To-Do Check List become an important part of Kay Kay.  

We enrolled some enrichment class such as CMA (Abacus & Mental Calculations) and BrainFit (Focus learning and languages), both aren’t exactly MOE related courses.  There are homework, and some e-learning resources.  

So, let’s take a look at Kay Kay’s first ever to-do list.

1.  We requested him to do his CMA homework.  

2.  We requested him to do his day to day Braind Fit exercise on the Computer.

3.  Of course, if they perform the tasks well, they can play board game or ii (another word of iPad in the house).

4.  Telling him when will we be in bed.

Once done, place a tick beside.

So, we going to do this every day.  And we are going to put in more E-Learning resources, Weekly Spelling and 听写 self-learning.  Even reading story book too.  As he is still P1.  So, let him play Lego, or any of his toys.  I also bought a Lego Wedo Robotics for him, and he will get to make robots every day too.  I also have a keyboard typing lesson in place.

We started with Jay Jay too back in 2013.  And it has done a good job.  By P2, he no longer need the To-Do list.  He will calculate all this time in a day, and plan his day to do the home work.  We are so glad that Jay even do his home work at school so that he can come home and attend those extra sports classes that he likes.

So, on this first week of school week, we did the to-do list for Jay Jay as well just to SHOW kay kay how much work his brother has to do.

So that Kay Kay can appreciate that his to-do list is not so scary.  Hahahahaha

There are a lot of E-learning resources.  For example the school provided MC Online for the kids.  And the students can learn English, Math and Chinese from it.

Oh ya, first of all, I must declare, I don’t play games on my PC.  So the children don’t see daddy or mommy play games on PC be it iMac or Windows PC.

I very seldom play games in from of my kids.

As I know Monkey See Monkey Do.

I do play games on iPad.  But only when I am together with them.  We played together.

I do play games on my TV either on Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV or even Xbox or Wii.  

But during schooling time, we don’t play TV Console games at all.  Only play the TV Console games when we have guests.

Also, I don’t watch Youtube in front of the kids too.

In fact, when the kids is around, I seldom use my iPhone too.  Only use it as taking photo or some messages arrived.

There is a purpose of doing so.

I want my kids to know and understand the following…

1) PC / Computer is for work, and it is not for gaming.

2) Mobile phones is for work, phone and messaging and as a camera.

3) iPad is for Games as well as learning tool.

4) In this house, if the kid ask for playing iPad they will get caned.  (no joke).  They cannot even mentioned the name “iPad”.  So, they invented another name for it, namely “ii”.  But they know if they behaves well, they done what parents ask them to do, they are rewarded with “iPad” time.

Rewarding systems is very important.  I reward them by taking them out, by letting them play iPad, by buying lots of toys they loved.  Most importantly they have to become a self-motivated kid who knows how to do homework, and know study is important to them.  That is what I need especially for a family that has both daddy and mommy working.

Expose them to so many things so that they sometimes will say “Daddy, I don’t want to play ii (iPad) can you teach me Ukulele?”

or “Daddy, I don’t want to play ii (iPad), can you play Otello with me, I just learned this game by watching other people play in school today.”

A kids who cares and willing to help parents to do work in the garden.

A kids who really know how to survive when they grow up, not scare of worms and able to pick up the 锄头.

Let’s get back to the E-Learning platform the school has for the kid.

I am teaching him that E-learning on MC Online is not only see and learn.  You got to keep notes.  

Yeah!  I make no mistake now.  I didn’t teach Jay Jay well enough during his P1 days.  

For Kay Kay, I am not taking any chances especially in building his learning skills during P1 time.

So, I taught him that he needs to start keeping notes.  So that he can refer to the notes from time to time.

I think he did great in here.  And at the same time, he can choose to learn the vocabs or wait until later.

Penmanship is very important too.

I teach him to write down notes so that he can write correctly, write faster.

I didn’t pay so much attention while Jay Jay in P1.  But I do realised that Jay was a bit weak with his penmanship last time.  

So, again, whatever mistakes we make before shall not happen to this new kid in P1.  How fortunate. 

Kay Kay has been taking his Brain Fit E-lessons or Games for almost a year.  So he is very familiar with this sort of E-learning platform.

And he likes it.

Next is the typewriting.

Strange enough that the school do not have lessons to teach kids how to type.

The biggest mistakes I think from MOE.

They introduce E-Learning and without introducing Keyboard typewriting.

How many times I see kids struggle in this.

And how many times I see kids use two fingers to type and they sure can type very fast with two fingers.

But unfortunately, that’s wrong.

So for my kids, they will get proper type writing learning programs.

This is what I bought for both Jay (Windows 10) and Kay (iMac).

I found it pretty cool to learn it the kids way.

It trains them concentration.  Focus.

They must place their fingers correctly on to the keyboard.

The aim is to increase their WPM (Word per minute) and the Accuracy.

There are different types of games they can play too.  By all to do with typing.

The two brothers some time can compete with each other too.

So I really hope that both of them can learn the typing well. Because after that, learning how to do simple programming will be the next steps.

See how I am going to turn them into Computer nerds.  hahahahaha

I am so glad to see how Jay Jay has learned how to use the flash cards to learn his spelling.  hahaha

Kay Kay felt excited to learn the Chinese on MC Online platform.

Hey, do you notice it?  The fingers.

Yeah, ten fingers on the keyboard.  The correct way of typing.  hahaha

Good luck in teaching your kids.  

May the force be with you!

Chinese Composition 30/9/2015

Date:  Sep 30, 2015

It’s Chinese composition time.

Remember, the more you practice, the more you will command the language and composition.

Perhaps it is the weakest subject for some P3 students.  So, these blogs is to help out some parents and share with them how I teach Jay to do his Chinese composition.

This week, I picked this topic.  As I recalled the last topic is also some one looking for something, and the two kids help the old lady find something.  So, this is a continuation of that topic.

This week, I adopt another new strategy.

1.  I now asked Jay to write 2 times.  First time is the draft he did without my help.  Second draft is the one I explained to him why he cannot write this and that, and ask him to review and write a second draft just below the first draft.

2.  I asked him not to erase the first draft so that when he do the second draft, he can easily refer back to the first draft and read it out to the dictation program in iPad.  I want him to learn how to think and how to correctly describe what on his mind.

3.  I added in timer.  For coming out with the first draft, he has 10 minutes to look at the picture, and write down some notes what he want to say.  Then, another 10 minutes for the dictation to “speak” out his composition.  In real life, they will need 20-30min to write the composition.  So, he has to be trained to think fast.  As you can see, he has not finished the last sentence and he has to go Taekwondo class already.  And you can see he also pronounce not so accurately in the last sentence.  So, it does not matter, the challenge for him to quickly conceptualise the story.  

I must say, he did pretty well.  Except of the last sentence.

===== Let’s look at the two compositions and point out the obvious mistakes =====

a.  I don’t like he write “他开开心心的走的时候…“ as it is like purposely write more things to lengthen the composition.  So, I taught him must always use “突然”， then, 小明 saw 小丽.

b.  Every one only got one butt.  So, the butt sit “on” the chair.  Why he has to say “坐在一个石椅上”.  There is no need to mention she sat on “one” chair and cried loudly.

c.  There is a different of saying 小丽 cannot find her watch Vs. 小丽 “lost” her watch.  When you say she lost her watch, you don’t know where she lost it.  When you say “she cannot find her watch” always imply that she actually know where is the watch, but she cannot find it.  In this picture context, using the word “lost” is more relevant here.

d.  In the original draft, 小明 saw 小丽 sat on one stone chair, and she is crying very loudly.  小明 "saw already” and he go and ask 小丽 what happen?  This sentence seems to long.  So, I teach him how to “summarise” it into 小明 saw 小丽 sat on the stone chair and cries loudly.  小明 ask 小丽 what had happen?  Which is much shorter and makes more sense.

e.  Don’t always use so many 突然.  Sometimes, you can add the time element in there, use 不一会儿.

f.  Cannot use “奶奶”.  Must use 老太太 or 老婆婆.  Usually 奶奶 is referring to your grandma.  

g.  小丽高兴的说... I told him, it was sad that she lost her watch.  But when the old lady found her watch, she should be “happy!” with the exclamation.  Very important, in every composition, you must have 1 or 2 times describing the 心情 expression.  Is she happy?  or sad.

h.  This story has no conclusion.  There is no right or wrong.  But there is happy or sad.  So, as long as you concluded the story with very happily go home, it will be enough.

I am very happy about him this week coming up with this composition.  He is just learning how to write composition this year.  And he is only P3.  

Well done Jay.  I think another 1-2 weeks, he is ready for taking the MT Paper 1.

There is a reason I covered the page beside.

Now, let’s see what is the modal answer.

WOW… speechless.

Remember, P3 only need to write 80 words. 

You can see how many words in the first draft.  

写多错多 … write more wrong more.

Just write around 100-120 words will do.

Well done Jay Jay!!

The Art of Speed from Playeum

Date:  Sep 24, 2015

Today is a holiday.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t do any outdoor activities because of the very unhealthy haze condition.

So, early in the morning, I read upon this new place or exhibition at the Gillman Barracks.  So, I shouted to the kids and say “Let’s go, I bring you guys to a mysterious fun place."

(Of course they do not know what is in for them later)

This is the address.  The are about 14 lots of car park space here.  it is about 100 meter before the actual place.

There is a big pink elephant outside.  So, it is easy to identify.

There is also some coffee places, and some restaurant near by.  The food so so only.

It is for all ages (kids age from 1 to 12).

$20 per kid.

You can do handy crafts. 

You can play with the Lego.

You can draw on the wall.

There is also a dark room for you to play with lights and shadow.

We were there 10am sharp.  Already a lot of people line up to get it.

By 10:30am, they actually stop people from going in because the whole place is full house.

Jay’s friend who come late, has to wait for at least 1 hour on the waiting list.

How cool can it be?

Well it is always cool when you have Lego around.

You get to build cars with Legos and wheels.

And the better you design the car, the faster it goes.

Oh yeah!  You get to roll the car down from this ramp.  

It will jump over a separations and then landed on the other ramp.  That is cool!

The 1-3 years old can play at the corner straight ahead.

The 3-6 years old can play on the right with lots of tracks.

The dark room is that room in the middle.  Later tell you want it is.

Rolls something with wheels down the track.

Or you can roll your car down on the transparent canvas into a turning wheel.  That’s cool too.

Now, we need to build some cars.

Car #1 does not work.  Flat base with 12 wheels.  

At the center, it will change the direction.  Bad design.

It was actually designed by me.  hahahahaha

Jay’s one works better.

Let’s check it out.

It is fast.  But not so stable.

Let’s increase it to three rows of wheels.

It was fun to do a trial and error.  Keep testing and rebuild it to a better one.

Actually, the original idea came from Kay Kay.  And Kay Kay explained, he learned from the Bad Piggy games on iPad.  

And I recalled.  hahahahahaha ya, they really build very weird car.  But as long as it works.

And Jay Jay adopt the same design.

And keep improving it.

Let’s check it out.

Ouch.

Let’s try again.  And please use Slo Mo to take the video.  

It is really fun!

Look at how high it jump.  And when it landed, all the top wheels got loosen.

Let’s try again!

Again and again.

He improved it at a level that it is jumping very high up in the sky.  

But the landing part still need to improve.

Every one was amaze with what Jay has build.

This is the last run.  After may be 50+ runs?

And we gave the wheels to the kid who stick his head out from the left.

Well done!  Well done!

These two girls are creative.  They can pull the car back.

Of course, this is not only for building Lego cars.

How about rolling these marbles into the speed tunnels?

Yup, you have to build the correct tunnels with transfer of energy from Potential to Kinetic.

Its all about Science.

You can build a lot of arts here too.

There are many recycle materials for the kids to build.  Some kid build a light sabre.  Very cool.

This is what I build.

Kay Kay asked if he can bring this home.

Of course I say no.  I want my art piece to be displayed here.

Kay build a rocket satellite.

Jay build his cat toy.

Don’t forget to check out the dark room.

There are a lot of fun thing you can do here.

With just the photo frame and hands. you can create all sort of lights effects.

Well done Jay!

Fun level is very high for both of them.

They enjoyed very much until want to skip lunch.

Of course we say no.

Kay Kay’s lightsaber.