Learning At Home: Farm

We spent a great deal of time on the Farm theme, probably because there were lots to do, and we had not even completed half of what I set out to accomplish in my lesson plan!

Here are some brief samples of what we had done.

1) Visual/spatial intelligence (painting, visual arts, arts and crafts)

Crafts

We did a few farm-related crafts, much to the Bees' delight, as most farm crafts are really cute and enjoyable. By working on crafts, they also learned more in-depth about the various animals and plants that they worked on, as they focused on intricate details in the crafts and as we discussed casually about these animals/plants while our hands were busy crafting. 

Pink Pig

Little Bee created a slightly inflated pink pig from painted paper plates, and we loved the wiggly pigtail! 

She drew everything on the pig herself, hence the eyes with lashes!

She spelled and wrote PIG on the back of its legs!

Woolly Sheep

The Bees enjoyed this craft tremendously, especially the pasting of fluffy cotton wool to emulate sheep's wool! 

Big Bee's sheep with a nice woolly head

Little Bee's sheep

Fruit Orchard

They relished making different fruit trees from recycled toilet rolls and rolled up coloured paper so much that there were a few fruit-tree making sessions, even once with Val when she was visiting! I loved this craft for its happy, multi-hued colours. 

Corn craft

Another simple yet visually colourful craft.

Farmhouse collage

The Bees spent a fair bit of time completing this psychedelic piece of farm collage in many different colours and materials. I had great fun seeing how they selected the materials and colours from a child's perspective! 

2) Verbal/linguistic intelligence (reading, writing)

Word recognition

I worked on English and Mandarin word recognition with Little Bee on some key farm animals through a farm wheel and a flapbook, as well as some handwriting skills. 

These words were then reinforced through a homemade, customised story book that I created for Little Bee, with longer sentences and a farm plot.  

Little Bee likes writing titles of our little homemade books!

I also worked on simple sentence construction in Mandarin with Little Bee, focusing on farm-related words. 

Reading
We scoured the library and our bookshelves at home for a multiplicity of books on farms! Reading a good mix of both fiction and non-fiction books on the related homelearning theme always enliven the interest and knowledge levels of the kids. 

Relating stories

I got Little Bee to relate some short stories related to farm animals, and these stories from her imagination really tickled me to no end! 

Writing

Little Bee wasn't writing as much last year when we worked on this theme, compared to now in K1. But nevertheless, I recreated a rough mini book from recycled paper, and got her to write and draw the animals she likes.

The scribbling beside Little Bee's name was her signature, or so she claimed!

Cat was drinking milk from a bowl, hence the bowed head, according to Little Bee :P

Acrostic poems

These are fabulous instruments for bigger kids to start categorising their knowledge and concepts about a particular theme, and to assist them to focus hard on the various elements and keywords in a theme. A short acrostic poem is also good for kids around Little Bee's age (K1) to reinforce beginning letters and what they stand for. 

Big Bee did an acrostic poem on FARM ANIMALS, which is a wee bit long to feature here. I will just highlight what she brainstormed on FARM:

Fish

Apple tree

Rooster

Milk

3) Logical/mathematical intelligence (science and math concepts)

Math

Little Bee strengthened her concept of addition and numbers from 11-20 through a homemade kit I created for her, with a carton of 10 eggs and individual eggs which was great for teaching tens and ones. She was also able to work on addition sums with more zest with the chicken and eggs! 

She also played numbers fill-in-the-blanks, so I could monitor if she really internalised what she learned. 

Join the dots

We worked on the concept of tens from 10 to 100, and used this join-the-dots exercise to reinforce this concept. 

Mazes

Simple mazes printed from the internet for lazy days when I did not feel like doing any learning at home! 

Science

Learning about mothers and their babies

We have this wonderful animal puzzle where we match animal mummies to their babies, and learned all sorts of marvelous names for the animal babies, eg cygnets, fries, owlets, etc. So we played a lot with that while working on this theme. 

I also created flashcards focusing on farm animal mummies and their babies, and Little Bee was fascinated with these cards for a little while. We played memory and matching games with these cards.

We created a booklet comprising of farm animals and their babies to augment her flashcard learning. Little Bee drew the fat round pig and wrote "piglet".

From farm to food

Most importantly, we discussed a lot about how farms impact significantly in our daily lives through our food intake like fruits, vegetables, eggs and meat. We played games like fishing to emulate life in a kampong and for them to role play how fishes (their favourite food!) ended up on our plates from the fishermen to the market to our kitchen and then the dinner table! We did a harvesting exercise with some of our crafts to understand how sheep's wool can become the winter cardigans we wear, and how fruits materialised seemingly miraculously from trees into our refrigerators. 

The Bees were pretty grossed out when we discussed about slaughterhouses for cute animals like pigs, cows and chickens. So when Little Bee saw a piece of pork, she would utter, "Yewwww, this pork is from a pig!", although that did not deter her from eating meats in future. 

We also had a fun roleplay game where the Bees "milked" a cow using a rubber kitchen glove, squeezing water ("milk") into a tub and hence, understanding where milk came from. That was really hilarious, messy but utterly enjoyable! 

Differences

As our previous theme was on forest animals, we started this farm theme with a discussion on the differences between farm animals, and I got the Bees to sort out farm and forest animals from their huge collection of small animal toys. 

4) Musical/rhythmic intelligence

Again, I need to focus more on this category as I usually tend to neglect it (not very good at teaching singing and all!). We sang a little of Old MacDonald's Had A Farm and Mary Had A Little Lamb, and emulated some farm animals' sounds. 

5) Interpersonal intelligence

Farmyard games

The Bees constantly pulled out their entourage of barnyards, Playmobil farm set and dozens of farm animals and recreated farm scenes in all sorts of permutations. This reinforced values of teamwork and sharing, and we do get many moments of peace as they played together. Through such games, they could also learn about sorting and categorisation - the right farm animals into the appropriate quarters in a farmyard! 

Farm activities

Again, many farm activities that we roleplayed (milking a cow, shearing a sheep, harvesting fruits and kelong fishing) reinforced teamwork and amiable playing alongside each other. Despite some inevitable petty squabbles (eg "Little Bee put the apples into the pail for the oranges!" or "Jiejie kept milking the cow, not fair!"), these games encouraged the Bees to work and play harmoniously together. 

6) Intrapersonal intelligence

The farm activities mentioned above also highlighted the difficulty of farming to the Bees. Whilst they were squatting and "milking the cow", they both complained it was hard work and started wondering aloud how farmers could milk so many big cows over a long period of time. Of course, I reminded them that there are now milking equipment in some big modern farms these days, as seen from one of their trips to a goat's farm. 

They also grumbled a little while shearing their sheep craft, with Little Bee telling me it was very "tiring work" and Big Bee quipping that it took a long time to shear all the wool from just one sheep! The value of empathy was thus enhanced from such activities. 

Art

Drawing is a good way to enhance self-reflection and thereby, intrapersonal intelligence. Big Bee draws a lot to reflect her thoughts, and Little Bee is starting to do the same. It is rather amazing when we peep at their respective drawings - which really provides a privileged peek into their different personalities, perspectives and emotions about different issues that impact them!

The Bees painted landscapes of farms, and I provided stencils for them to come up with their ideal farms. It was very interesting to see different viewpoints from each Bee, despite using the same set of farm stencils.

Little Bee's farm

Big Bee's farm

Little Bee created a farm scene from roller brushes, which is great to instill a sense of achievement and confidence in younger painters who may have difficulty painting the things they want to draw. 

The farm collage was also excellent for them to roam around the infinite borders of their imaginations, and for them to appreciate a piece of work that is uniquely their own creation. 

We also created spontaneous art competitions where I as the judge would utter a farm animal, and the 3 of them (including Hubby!) would doodle that animal, and then I would "grade" their animal caricatures. This is a great family-night activity for laughter and bonding.

Pink board: Hubby's cow; Purple board: Little Bee's cow; Orange board: Big Bee's cow :)

Stories

Stories is one way to strengthen their self analysis and how they internalise the learning process. I did not manage to get Big Bee to write a farm story or journal this time, but Little Bee related several stories about farm animals from her own imagination, and was mighty pleased to see me writing these down in a little booklet!

7) Naturalistic/environmental intelligence

We went on a farm stay in Singapore so that they can be closer to nature and experience some elements of farming in urban Singapore. We would love to stay in a proper farm in New Zealand where they can milk real cows and shear wool from real sheep, but I guess that could wait for another time! 

8) Summary

Little Bee worked on a very simple lapbook, where she collated a few of her works as a summary of her learning process, and she never failed to refer to it with child-like pride and satisfaction! 

Oops, forgot to rotate photo, sorry!

Her 1st Primary Three Composition

Big Bee showed me what she wrote for her first composition in primary 3, and I thought it was pretty decent fare. The workload is conspicuously heavier in primary 3, and we are both still adjusting to the level of teaching that I needed to commit, and the difficulty level of the homework, spelling and 听写. And in 1.5 weeks' time, she would have to sit for her 1st continual assessment (also known as CA1). 

I can't help but think these poor primary 3 kids did not have much of a breather since school started. Besides, she had been getting very active in her CCAs, having been admitted into the school performing team for ballet with longer practice hours. That, on top of ballet exams coaching, tennis and a Chinese creative writing supplementary class, she has to stay late in school for 3 days out of 5, sometimes as late as 4.30pm! Whew. 

In the evenings, she does get a wee bit grouchy. I am not sure if this is due to hormonal changes of the tweenhood, or fatigue, or stress. I am still monitoring and observing - as with many parents of P3 kids. Well, by trial and error, I am sure we will emerge calm and steady eventually. 

Till the next academic update on P3, here's her unedited composition. In primary 3, they are required to write essays of at least 120 words, and she completed hers in 235 words. 

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A Frightening Incident

It was a cold, still night. Timid Peter was reading a ghost story. Soon, it was time for him to go to bed. Peter was still thinking about the ghosts in the book. He could not go to sleep. He looked around the pitch dark room. As little Peter was terrified of the dark, he started to shiver with fright. 

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew into his room. It made a howling noise. The curtains were tossing and Peter thought they were creepy ghosts. Peter turned as white as a sheet when he saw shadows around the dark room. He screamed very loudly and hid under his white blanket. 

He screamed so loudly that his mother rushed into his room. She asked Peter what happened, and Peter told her about the ghosts and the eerie shadows. His mother just laughed and assured him that there were no such things as ghosts. His mother went to close the windows, and at the corner of Peter's eye, he saw something funny. There was a blank space in the cupboard! 

Peter thought that a ghost had taken the sheets in the cupboard away. Peter trembled with fear and told his mother about his thoughts. She told Peter that she had taken the sheet in the cupboard to wash that day. Peter heaved a sigh of relief and as his head touched the pillow he fell fast asleep. 

迎兔年

我们最喜爱的农历新年不知不觉又过了。在新年四天的假期，我们跟九家亲戚拜年，也吃了丰裕的佳肴 - 太幸福了！过年过节最有意思的是跟亲密的亲人一起欢聚一堂，凑热闹，聊天，还有多多培养亲情。血浓于水，能年年跟我们的亲人聚会简直象在世外桃源！










除了热忱地拜年，我们初三在家也观赏了一个意气风发的舞狮表演。两只舞狮表演得非常矫捷，孩子也看到太精彩了！






我们在初四去春到河畔走走，可是我觉得这个新年景点不怎么可观，蛮差劲。不过，孩子们特别喜欢春到河畔的娱乐场，玩了两个刺激的游戏。






四天无忧无虑地过了 － 真的是太完美了！

In Hops The Rabbit

We did not manage to descend upon Chinatown on 除夕, as it fell on a working day this year. Thankfully, we were on half day, hence Hubby and I could do some very last minute shopping in Holland Village. 

I love the jubilant mood every 除夕. The smiles on shopkeepers' faces seemed wider, early auspicious greetings abounded, loud Chinese New Year songs blasted out as we were shopping - the entire atmosphere around us was dense with exhilarated anticipation of Chinese New Year, which is so immensely fundamental to our family and many others. 

I love how most families were bustling with eager spring-cleaning before the all-important 大年初一, and how they decorated their homes with vibrant red and gold trinkets. I love going to the plant nursery to feel the efficacious mood of people buying beautiful plants in all kinds of hues and shapes by the dozens. Most of all, I truly relish immersing in the ambience of department stores, shopping malls and supermarkets, where people are buying new clothes, new bedsheets and endless jars of delectable CNY goodies frenetically. 

Being brought up in rather traditional Chinese families, Hubby and I were infused with the spirit of Chinese New Year every year. This year, we spent the idyllic and balmy afternoon of the eve of the Rabbit year sprucing up our house with vivid red trinkets to intensify the festive atmosphere of CNY. Somehow, these resplendent red and gold decorations and the umpteen plants that Hubby is fond of buying never failed to bolster the mood by several notches. 

In the evening, we set off - together with droves of Chinese Singaporeans - for our reunion dinner with Hubby's family. This year, we booked a table in a country club's ballroom, and the experience was very pleasant. The lofty ceiling coupled with ample space in the ballroom created a very memorable reunion dinner experience for all of us. This was further amplified by the excellent food and scrumptious lo hei that I enjoyed thoroughly. What a perfect start to the Rabbit year! 

Back home, the Bees were very eager to 守岁, yet it was very apparent that they were thoroughly fatigued by 11.30pm. They managed to keep awake until 11.50pm, by which Hubby and I snuggled alongside each other to countdown to the Chinese New Year, with the decades-old familiar New Year tunes belted out on TV. 

It is familiar rituals like these that make important festivals so significant and fundamental in our lives - so that we are grounded in our values and are comforted in the knowledge that traditions are carried out generations after generations. 

兔年快乐，心想事成！

CNY Lunchbox

Last Thursday, Big Bee wanted a CNY-themed lunch box to bring to school, much to my surprise. So I woke up a little earlier to decorate her favourite buttered bread with colourful froot loops and some love letters. 

I think I am blessed that Big Bee is a simple girl with easy favourites for her recess lunchbox. Like me, she can survive daily on bread and butter, and loves it! Being in primary 3 also means that she doesn't cherish those cutesy bento boxes she used to like (they need to look cool with friends now, in their tweens!) 

Hence, it does lead me to be a wee bit lazy in preparing her lunchbox at (most) times. I am glad it is festivities like this that would prod my lazy pre-dawn bones to create something a little more presentable for her, so as to elicit a small smile from her and to remind her in school that someone at home cares for her immensely :)  

I think I shall work on a Valentine's Day lunchbox for her next week! 

CNY Started Early!

Chinese New Year came early for us, with a nice simple gathering at my house for Viv, Fon, Angela and Annie. Once again, it was a rare occasion to see all 5 of us together (thanks to Fon and Angela for being in Singapore, hurray!). We treated ourselves to a nasi lemak buffet, plus mee siam and scrumptious pizzas (compliments of Viv), as well as lots of mouthwatering CNY goodies (thanks, Fon!) and addictive desserts (thanks to Angela and Annie!). It was pure heaven just to be sitting around the dining table, and yakked and ate for hours. In the end, the party that started at 6pm ended at 10 plus, to the delight of the Bees!

Meanwhile, the Bees were thrilled that their newly found friends were coming to their home, and had a great time indulging in Wii/iPhone games, Uno, a craft game, remote control cars and plenty of bonding. The kids were enthralled by our octopus, but the elusive octopet made a poor showing due to its shyness, revealing only a fraction of its meandering tentacle, much to the disappointment of everyone!

Surprisingly, we were able to capture all the kids for a group photo, except for...

Dylan, who was enchanted by the octopus!

Good food, great company and kids who can entertain themselves - it was a great way to spend the Sunday evening before the flurry of Chinese New Year activities starts! 

Do Not Forget

I never cry in sad movies or musicals. When everyone is sniffling around me, I would look around, dry-eyed, and sometimes tried squeezing out a tear or two just to blend in with the crowds or with my friends. But no tears rolled out, usually. During our ROM vows, tears welled up in Hubby's eyes, and he choked on his vows. But I remained calm and dry-eyed, and I remembered looking at Hubby in horror and thinking to myself, "Oh no, please don't cry in front of this crowd (we had many friends and family with us that day)!"

In fact, Hubby sometimes commented I resemble a man in the sense that I am not very emotional and I don't express a lot of typical feminine traits. And I do agree with him.

However, when a friend sent me this video this afternoon, I started tearing rather profusely in my office.

This is a poignant reminder for all of us not to forget who we are and where we came from. Our conversations with friends are rife with the topics of our children and how wonderful they are. Have we ever spoken blatantly about how much we love our parents and the sacrifices they had made in order to mould us into who we are today?

Granted, I believe we spoke about our parents - but perhaps more of complaints and grumblings - about how they nagged at us, how they used to be Tiger Mums and Dads to us, but seldom of appreciation and endless love. I am one of those guilty of that!

For me, I am thankful that my parents are always there whenever I need them. I am thankful that my Mum gives up her precious time to care for my children while I work. I am thankful that my Dad loves the Bees a lot. And I am thankful that they used to be a pair of Tiger Mum and Dad, despite much hardships, to sculpt me into who I am today.

I am wondering if I should show my mum this video. She is a very typical lady who will cry at the drop of a pin...and I am not very good at comforting crying folks! :)

Or perhaps I should show my Bees. To remind them to appreciate their grandparents...and eventually, us, when we are older and not as strong or agile. Will we then become the burdens they will loathe? Or will we be taken for granted and ignored? Points to ponder indeed.

An Outdoorsy Sunday

What better way to enjoy a carefree Sunday than to lie on the grass, feel its glorious texture, soak in the sun and smell the ubiquitous flowers!

Last Sunday, we went on a rampage of activities that lasted the entire day from morning till evening. At the end of the day, each of us were highly gratified, glad that everything had been fulfilled and elated that we had such a brilliant day bonding together in the outdoors.

The day started with brunch in one of our favourite alfresco restaurants. Eating there never failed to make us feel like we are on a holiday! The Bees loved the blustery morning ambience that was the signature weather these 2 months, and the wide open spaces to run about. 

Photos taken by Big Bee - she seems to be exploring different angles and perspectives of photography now! 

Photos taken by Little Bee. It is such a joy to see her perspectives, eg the close-up flowers and the clouds in the sky! 

Recently, they had started to usurp our camera and snapping photos of scenes around them. This is great for Hubby and I, as we now have 2 more pairs of hands to take photos. In fact, Big Bee was such an enthusiast (and I thought, natural talent at photography!) that we gave her a camera she could call her own. She was thrilled, and had started bringing it along with her for parties with friends. 

It is interesting and amusing to see photos taken from their perspectives, as if we are peeping into the folds of their minds and understanding the external stimuli that excite them. 

We also took a short walk along the Forest Walk of the Southern Ridges. The view from the top was beautiful, but more importantly, we loved the diversity and abundance of foliage and creepy-crawlies at the different canopy levels. We saw a huge spider, and the Bees were fascinated by it, staring at this beauty perched on a magnificent web. This walk is a wonderful way for the kids to experience firsthand the various forest canopy levels and different creatures in each canopy level. 

Photos courtesy of Big Bee! Hubby and I humbly acknowledged that we would not be able to shoot the types of photos that she took! 

We then had a short char kway teow break in Holland V, where the girls were gobbling the yummy plate of noodles, before proceeding to a nearby nursery to immerse ourselves in some Chinese New Year cheer. Hubby and I love looking at the bountiful and dazzling flowers and plants around this festive period, and the Bees are fast catching on as well! 

Photos courtesy of Big Bee again!

Planet Earth

We just started our new homelearning theme, which should probably take us through this quarter, what with all the academic-based typical-curriculum work that the Bees need to undertake. 

Planet Earth :) One of my favourite topics, and the most breathtaking planet in this solar system. 

With Little Bee in K1, she is also able to grasp the geographical wonders more significantly. She is now very fascinated with deserts for some reason, and kept borrowing books on deserts! I guess she is amazed that such vast capacious land areas could be filled with nothing but sand - her favourite! 

Big Bee is intrigued by volcanoes and natural disasters (just like me!). We are currently studying the intricacies of volcanoes and earthquakes, understanding the fault lines around the world, and I will be attempting to make a home-made volcano with them soon. 

Little Bee, on the other, is terrified of volcanoes. She had been bugging me to bring her to faraway Hawaii for a long time, but after reading a book with a map indicating that Hawaii is rife with active volcanoes, she told me she doesn't want to go to Hawaii anymore!  Haha!

Big Bee is also very curious to know if there is life on other planets in the solar system or in other parts of this infinite universe. I have no scientific answers for her, but with this latest report, perhaps I might have something to tell her tomorrow.

In the meantime, Little Bee worked on a super simple craft to launch our new theme.

This craft is excellent for her to understand the different parts of the earth and to discover first hand that oceans occupy almost 70% of Earth. She is also very eager to identify different countries on a globe, and understanding where tiny Singapore is, in relation to the rest of the world. 

I think I should be the person benefiting most from this learning process this time :) 

Sand Angels

Last December, on the 17th, Fio and I brought the kids to Sentosa, together with our mums. We had the most fantastic time from 10am till almost 6pm! We started our day by relaxing at the Palawan beach, making sandcastles and sand angels, just like what my cousins and I used to do in Sentosa as kids. 

Can you spot the sand angels?

I really cherish the bonding lunch at the adjacent foodcourt. To see 3 generations of grandmothers (who are sisters) and cousins sitting together, munching on scrumptious food at our old haunt (our mothers used to bring us to Sentosa very frequently too) - this is truly priceless. 

We ambled around Sentosa before we chanced upon a story-telling session for "The Gingerbread Man" at the Images of Singapore area. That was when I discovered Little Bee's flair and passion for showmanship! When the story teller asked for volunteers on stage, she was waving her arms so desperately! Eventually, she was selected to sing "Jingle Bells" and she did it with much gusto and bravado, with everyone clapping in rhythm to her singing! Bravo, Little Bee! 

Big Bee is the brainy one. After much persuasion from me, she participated in a quiz on stage - and won a prize as well. So, we have 2 happy girls with early Christmas presents from Sentosa! 

Big Bee went to the Butterfly Park with Fio as I have this irrational (and ridiculous) fear of butterflies and moths. She had a great time with Yiyi Fio, taking photos of the gigantic butterflies and screeching whenever any behemoth butterfly fluttered past her! Meanwhile, the rest of us had a great time resting languidly at the cafe outside, slurping ice-cream and sipping coffee! 

We ended the long but wonderful day with a stroll around Resorts World, awed by their colossal Christmas tree and soaked with relish in the overall joyous holiday mood! 

北京恋爱

Hubby and I spent an unforgettable weekend in Beijing early last December, both coincidentally in the wintry city for work at the same time. It was a romantic and carefree weekend which ended too swiftly. We felt we were transported back to our core essence, away from the assiduous strains of daily life, hence slowing our internal clocks. 

I also thought it would be a lot more appropriate and apt to jot down my thoughts in Mandarin.

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去年十二月上旬，在一个天寒地冻的初冬周末，老公和我度过了一个爽心悦目的两天。我们俩碰巧同样时间需要到北京出差，所以我趁机会延迟回新加坡，以便跟老公涉历一个浪漫的二人世界。我们也要多谢我父母，他们踊跃地把孩子们带回他们的家，所以我们那两个女儿也能享受一个开心的周末。

我们绮丽的周末在星期五晚上开始。我的会议刚好在繁忙时间结束，因此我从老远的五环匆匆忙忙地感到建国附近。北京的交通近年来实在糟透 － 我在出租车堵了两个小时才到建国地区。可是，见了老公后，满肚里的烦冤也转化成兴奋。我们精神抖擞地在附近的一间火锅餐厅吃了一顿美味的晚餐，也体验了一个舒心的足疗。刚好那晚在北京极为大风，首都机场甚至因为起大风，在下午关闭了一两个小时。所以，那晚特别冷。可是在一个昼短夜长的冬天，冬令严寒，但我们的内心却暖烘烘。太美妙了！

第二天，在酒店吃了早餐后，我们到达我最有兴趣的故宫。这是我第三次参观故宫，可是每次来到威武巨大的故宫都会有新发现，太可观了！我们在故宫走了四个小时，直到故宫要关了，我们才依依不舍地走出气宇轩昂的大门。我们在故宫里特别开心，手拉手，眉开眼笑，真是太难忘了。

那天，北京平时灰蒙蒙的天空突然十分灿烂，晴空万里，真的是明月清风。在零下几度的气候，我们还好穿上足够的防寒服，所以感觉得特别温暖舒服。

在故宫观赏太阳下山是个警辟的经验。看到火红的太阳从故宫一个金黄的屋顶往下降，是一个没齿不忘的感受。

我们从故宫慢慢散步到王府井，走过了一个封河期的湖，感到十分好奇。

在王府井，老公和我充满了酸甜的怀旧感，回忆老公从2003到2004在北京住，我们俩在那两年也因此过了个异地恋，真不容易。

第二天，我们心旷神怡地缓步北京，欣赏北京快速的发展。我们徐行到一些以前经常逛的老地方，复兴往年在北京优游的日子。

不知不觉，时间一霎眼就过了，到了傍晚老公就得去见老板, 我也得回国看孩子们了！虽然我们知道我们会在新加坡重逢，我们带着恋恋不舍的心态暂且离别。

我觉得夫妻应该尽量久久一次找机会度过二人世界，重温旧梦，振兴夫妻俩的恋爱。在平时繁忙的生活，又加了孩子们的不辍要求，我们经常不经意间疏略了夫妻之间的感受与感情，有时也忘了俩人婚姻的主因。俗语说：春生，夏长，秋收，冬藏。婚姻也应该向着这俗语发展 － 在夏天的婚姻需要丰水来栽培感情，以便我们进入秋天的阶段能有持久的丰登。

Disciplined Math!

I worked a little later this evening, thus ended up at home around 7.30pm, harried and anticipating a mad rush after dinner to learn with the girls. 

The moment I opened the door, both Bees rushed to me excitedly, both clambering over each other to show me a page from Little Bee's K1 Math activity book. Big Bee chattered with much zeal, "You know, Mummy, Little Bee finished a whole page of addition by herself!" I was incredulous - because Little Bee was usually not very disciplined unless she has me around to encourage her on. I looked at Little Bee and she was bursting with pride, uttering, "Yes, I did it myself! No one to help! I can do Math!"

A look at the activity book in my hand revealed a whole page of neatly completed work, comprising 2 rows of addition sums. 

I had been working with her on a Math addition activity when we were on the "Farm" homelearning theme last month, using hens and eggs, and briefly taught her the concept of addition, but it was really a game instead of an exercise, so I am happy she retained that knowledge and applied it!

Capricious Spontaneity

Early last December, we went kite-flying on a whim and fancy at the wide expanse of meadow around Tanjong Rhu. The skies were brilliantly beautiful, painted in stunning hues of ultramarine and splotched with beguiling rounded masses of altocumulus clouds, always a favourite cloud type of mine. The meadow was lightly tinted by the resplendent amber setting sunlight.



The Bees immersing themselves in the gorgeous surroundings.

Hubby and Big Bee had a grand time trying to get 2 of their kites high up in the air, whereas Little Bee and I strolled around, admiring the breathtaking bay and enveloping ourselves in the rejuvenating riverside breeze.

The Bees also ambled around the expansive field, trying to spot mimosa leaves, and making them curl up in docile shyness. Little Bee had been fascinated by the mimosa plant ever since I showed her how the leaves close up with humble quiescence when we prod them gently.

From an unexpected turn on the road to visit the riverside on a whim to an extended 2 hours of kite-flying and relaxation on an enchanting Sunday evening. I love spontaneous moments like these :)