Updates

It has been quite sometime since I last wrote in this blog. Ethan is now 4+, Zachary is 2+ and they have a little sister called Sophie who is now 6+ months old. Both Ethan and Zachary are still going to childcare centre and the little Sophie is looked after by her grandparents.

Growing Pains

Ethan is four and Zachary is two now. Even the younger brother now knows how to say "No" and rejects the first offer of anything you give him to eat or things you encourage him to do. He wants to do things "his" way.The issue of sharing is difficult to teach to a four-years old. Instances of both brothers wanting to play the same toy or game is common. Shouting and yelling to show their displeasures is frequently heard. One solution to avoid a dispute on sharing is to select toys or games that can be played by two persons. Some examples, we found workable, are picture/letter card games, finger/brush painting where both can do it at the same time, puzzles or a tri-cycle for two.

Social Skills and Interactions

Ethan and Zachary are both placed in the care of one Child Development Centre during the day. For Ethan, this stage of development is crucial. Ethan, not only can remember the names of all his friends in the centre, he is also at ease with all the friends around him in this interactive learning environment. With the guidance of his teacher, he learns to develop confidence, social skills in group playing/exploring, sharing, problem solving, communicating with his friends and build up his vocabulary in expressing himself to his teachers and friends.

Zachary is adapting well in a new environment of the Child Development Centre with unfamilar faces (friends and teachers) around him. With brother Ethan in the same centre does help a bit. We noticed he had learnt to feed himself, messy at times. For those with broadband Internet, you may download a movie clip of Zachary enjoying his peking duck sauce.

Activities of a 16-Months Child

Besides eating, drinking milk, sleeping, bathing and toilet training, a 16-month baby has periods of time where he is active and running around. If no toy is available, he will improvise his own activity to further develop his motor skills and senses. As care givers, we must constantly find ways to provide opportunity for him to challenge his own senses of hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and touching.

At the same time, his brain is also capturing all the experiences of the day. The next day, he will request for a re-run (or repeat opportunity) for reinforcing his own preferences on one or more activities he has experienced the day before. At this stage of development, he will have more opportunity to experience the senses of touch, sight, hearing and taste (during meals). Smell is too early to introduce at this stage. One reason is the problem of possible allergy the child may have.

Creative Minds

 

One of the means to nurture creative minds in children is to expose them to music and the art.

Expanding the Learning Space of a Child

Through innovation, we can improvise any challenging real life concepts for the young minds. Knowledge like learning space of a child, has no boundary.

First Experience of Snowing in a Mountain Resort

The mountain resort in BreckenRidge, Colorado USA is at altitude around 10,000 ft. It can snow at night and early morning and sunny in the late afternoon during summer.