March 19, 2015

Writer’s Workshop: Really Looking Forward- Visiting New Zealand

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Reviews, Thoughts alpha thursday, Changi Airport, mama kat's writers workshop, Middle Earth Exhibit, Terminal 3

Hobbiton Exhibit at Terminal 3, Singapore Changi Airport

New Zealand is one country which I really wish to visit. R has been there a couple of times and I really love the pictures that he took of their scenery. The snow capped mountain tops and the possibility to try out activities like bungee jumping and white water rafting.

Even though I have yet to visit the place the kids and I were fortunate to get a taste of New Zealand this March school holidays when we visited Changi Airport’s Terminal 3.

The 3 kids and me outside the Hobbit Hole

Since watching the show The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies in the cinema, I have been having a fascination about this place called Middle Earth. It was great that I was able to visit this second authentic Hobbit Hole which had been specially imported from Matamama , New Zealand for this exhibition.

Gandalf and The RING

Do you remember seeing this guy- Gandalf? The all powerful high wizard who help chase away all the bad guys who came after Frodo for his golden ring. The kids certainly don’t know who he is as they just ran past the exhibit to the more interesting things to do.

They haven’t heard about Middle Earth, Gandalf or the places in Hobbiton Woods as they have yet to watch the shows.

Tiger girl watering the plants

What was more interesting then looking at the exhibits?

Watering the plants it seems as she was attracted to this watering can when she spotted it outside the Hobbit Hole.

A spinning wheel which introduced the different fun activities available in NZ.

The boys went in to the house and were caught having a go at this wheel spinning it.

The boys fixing a puzzle

They also had a go fixing this puzzle which they saw at one of the display areas.

The boys having a go at putting

Tiger girl too tried her hand at it.

The kids had a go at the golf putting range. It would certainly a visual treat if I do get to play golf among the mountains one day.

A write up about the all Blacks the national rugby team in NZ

An exhibit for the Cycling trails in NZ

The kids skipped pass these exhibits and went straight for the most enticing one there.

The 5D Simulator Ride

This short ride was suppose to be thrilling for my adrenaline junkies but it fell flat according to their standards. They found the trip through the stimulated roller coaster ride extremely passive and even the 4 yr old complained that it was not fun enough. Nothing beats riding on a real roller coaster I guess.

The kids having their pick of organic ice-cream

What was lacking in the ride was made up in ice-cream as they were treated to some yummy organic ice-cream at the end of the tour

Now is there anyone who wants to sponsor us air tickets for us a visit to New Zealand?

Naturally New Zealand @ Changi Airport
14 March – 5 April 2015
12pm – 11pm
T3 Departure Check-in Row 11, Changi Airport

Disclaimer: We were invited by CAG to view the exhibits at their Middle-Eart Exhibition at Terminal 3, Changi Airport. All opinions are 100% mine.

March 18, 2015

Bridging the GAP: Identifying the Gap between P4 and P5 Chinese

Dominique Education, Parenting and Kids Bridging the Gap, Education, P4/P5 Chinese, Series

Bloom or Wither?

Like a flower that has yet to come into bloom one wonders what is in store for our child. Would all the pruning and fertilizing that we are doing at the moment bear fruit? Is it worth out effort and investment?

The answer to this question will not come immediately. Only in time would we know if our efforts have paid off.

This is a gamble that I’m willing to take.

If we as a parent do not put in the effort to teach our child the skills to cope with the changes, he would certainly be placed at a disadvantaged.

I’m sure you would not want that for your child. I definitely wouldn’t not want my children to lose out in this harsh world of ours.

As Monkey boy enters Primary 5, the challenges that he faces increases. The expectation of how he has to perform academically is also much greater as compared to when he was a Primary 4 student.

Being a Primary 5 student he is facing a very challenging year as the teachers will be pumping into him all the information that is needed to prepare him for the PSLE come 2016.

Technically most of the stuff that he has to know as a upper primary student will be taught from now till March 2016. From April 2016 it is solely revision all the way till the PSLE in August .

This is certainly a crucial year for him in his journey as a student and he has to be able to get a firm foothold of everything that has been taught to him so far.

In this segment where I’m focusing on Monkey boy, I will be going through the gaps in each subjects highlighting what the differences are in the subject at Primary 4 as compared to Primary 5. I am starting with one of the most challenging subject for him- Chinese Language.

Composition Requirements for Chinese

As you can see from the above diagram even there is quite a lot of difference in the length of the Chinese composition that needs to be written. Monkey boy is doing Higher Chinese so he will have to write 200 words or more as compared to the length of 80 words which he used write when he was in Primary 4.

There isn’t the option of choosing Picture Composition as what is available is selection of given topic or to complete a given scenario with your own ending. It is certainly more challenging as he has to come up with more appropriate vocabulary on his own and to be able to describe the situation aptly.

Everything has to be explained in detailed and there is a great emphasis on the use of appropriate descriptive sentences and idioms.

Paper 2 Format

In Primary 5 everything is more complex. It is no longer just simply cut and paste the answer as you see it. There is a heavier emphasis on comprehension.

Monkey boy has to be able to do the following.

– Compare and contrast what is happening in the given situation.

– Rephrase information given from a dialogue speech

– Come up with his own conclusion and guess the next action

– Give an analysis of what was learned from the story he just read.

There are more higher order thinking questions involved and an increased need to explain why a certain action had taken place.

Chinese Oral Format

There is a higher weightage in marks for Reading and Picture Description.

Here again Monkey boy has to have a great mastery of vocabulary 词汇（字形、字义、用法）and be able to use the appropriate words to describe what he knows and sees to be able to do well in the Picture Description and Dialogue section. He needs to have build up his vocabulary word bank so that he be able to draw on the reserves stored within his memory when needed.

An overall difference between P4 Chinese and P5 Chinese

In the next post I will be sharing on the materials that I am currently using with Monkey boy to improve his knowledge of Chinese Language and to help him meet the expectations of school.