[Ang Mo Kio/Bishan/Thomson/Toa Payoh] Preschools
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hi smurf,
Yes, Pre-nursery got 2 classes per session.
But for Nursery, different.
Newton usually open up an extra class to accommodate / cater to outsiders – ie. those who join the school, enrolled only at Nursery.
example
=====
This year, all 8 classmates in my girl’s Nursery class are outsiders.
They have something in common - all come in only at Nursery.
In her class, two transfer cases from mmk, others from other kindergarten, Montessori background, child care centre, etc.
AM session always full house !
PM session less popular, normally got vacancies.
PM session less popular, lagi good!
I’m pleased with her current class size.
In her PM class - 2 teachers with 9 kids.
Good ratio ! fewer kids better, don’t fall sick so often.
I prefer PM session, because fewer kids.
last yr in her previous church kindergarten, class got 20 kids.
every now and then, come back home, fall sick. Xian !
can’t sleep at night. I worried when her fever roller coaster in the middle of the night, reaching 39 degree celsius.
you’re absolutely right !
even if you send him to school at 4 yrs old, it’s perfectly all right.
It’s not too late. In fact, for Pre-nursery level, you can home school him yourself.
issue is – does he listen to you, when you self teach him at home ?
if yr younger boy listens to you, then fine!
Just buy the LMA (large moveable alphabets) Montessori tool set, costs around $200 one time. Teach him Montessori phonics at home yourself. Promotes bonding between mother and child at same time !
I can pass you my set of instructional Montessori phonics teaching material. You zap, then return me. I can share with you, demo and guide you - step by step, how to teach him.
However if he doesn’t listen to you, then bring him for phonics enrichment once a week. Get Serene from Totsville to coach him. She’s patient, systematic, good and kind.
But for Montessori Maths, it’s a lot more complicated !
if you keen - after CNY, there’s this parents workshop coming up, teach parents how to teach Montessori Maths at home to kids.
This trainer called Nafisa very experienced. She > 25 yrs in Montessori education. If you can train yr child at home, good ! save lots of $.
after all, enrichment montessori lessons not cheap.
Last yr, I attended her workshop on Phonics. Very good!
the link is here:-
http://montessoriprogram.com/mathematics
if you keen on parents workshop for Phonics, click here:-
http://montessoriprogram.com/montessori-phonics-workshop
And when your boy turns 4, just place him into a proper kindergarten.
By 4 yr old, he’s mature - time for him to interact with others.
btw, regarding Speech & Drama, Eduplus has a strong emphasis on S&D.
they videotape the kids speaking into the microphone, and playing back their actions....apparently, this is popular with kids and parents....makes the language becomes so much real and alive!
also forces kid to articulate the sounds correctly (esp. good for kids who don't speak Chinese at home) -
hi smurf,
Yes, Pre-nursery got 2 classes per session.
But for Nursery, different.
Newton usually open up an extra class to accommodate / cater to outsiders – ie. those who join the school, enrolled only at Nursery.
example
=====
This year, all 8 classmates in my girl’s Nursery class are outsiders.
They have something in common - all come in only at Nursery.
In her class, two transfer cases from mmk, others from other kindergarten, Montessori background, child care centre, etc.
AM session always full house !
PM session less popular, normally got vacancies.
PM session less popular, lagi good!
I’m pleased with her current class size.
In her PM class - 2 teachers with 9 kids.
Good ratio ! fewer kids better, don’t fall sick so often.
I prefer PM session, because fewer kids.
last yr in her previous church kindergarten, class got 20 kids.
every now and then, come back home, fall sick. Xian !
can’t sleep at night. I worried when her fever roller coaster in the middle of the night, reaching 39 degree celsius.
you’re absolutely right !
even if you send him to school at 4 yrs old, it’s perfectly all right.
It’s not too late. In fact, for Pre-nursery level, you can home school him yourself.
issue is – does he listen to you, when you self teach him at home ?
if yr younger boy listens to you, then fine!
Just buy the LMA (large moveable alphabets) Montessori tool set, costs around $200 one time. Teach him Montessori phonics at home yourself. Promotes bonding between mother and child at same time !
I can pass you my set of instructional Montessori phonics teaching material. You zap, then return me. I can share with you, demo and guide you - step by step, how to teach him.
However if he doesn’t listen to you, then bring him for phonics enrichment once a week. Get Serene from Totsville to coach him. She’s patient, systematic, good and kind.
But for Montessori Maths, it’s a lot more complicated !
if you keen - after CNY, there’s this parents workshop coming up, teach parents how to teach Montessori Maths at home to kids.
This trainer called Nafisa very experienced. She > 25 yrs in Montessori education. If you can train yr child at home, good ! save lots of $.
after all, enrichment montessori lessons not cheap.
Last yr, I attended her workshop on Phonics. Very good!
the link is here:-
http://montessoriprogram.com/mathematics
if you keen on parents workshop for Phonics, click here:-
http://montessoriprogram.com/montessori-phonics-workshop
And when your boy turns 4, just place him into a proper kindergarten.
By 4 yr old, he’s mature - time for him to interact with others.
btw, regarding Speech & Drama, Eduplus has a strong emphasis on S&D.
they videotape the kids speaking into the microphone, and playing back their actions....apparently, this is popular with kids and parents....makes the language becomes so much real and alive!
also forces kid to articulate the sounds correctly (esp. good for kids who don't speak Chinese at home) -
hi,
The story of Jonah
==============
look at this video here.
such a expressive, little girl with a natural talent, telling a story so vividly that captures yr heart.
http://vimeo.com/16404771 -
greenbean2011:
issue is – does he listen to you, when you self teach him at home ?
if yr younger boy listens to you, then fine!
problem is he sometime he listen, sometimes he doesn't.
greenbean2011:
Er, he sees me from morning till night, not sure if it's bonding...haha...but sometimes, Its better to let other people jaga, else, will go crazy!Promotes bonding between mother and child at same time !
greenbean2011:
thanks! But where did u get that from? U bought it? Was it costly?I can pass you my set of instructional Montessori phonics teaching material. You zap, then return me. I can share with you, demo and guide you - step by step, how to teach him.
greenbean2011:
But for Montessori Maths, it’s a lot more complicated !
if you keen - after CNY, there’s this parents workshop coming up, teach parents how to teach Montessori Maths at home to kids.
This trainer called Nafisa very experienced. She > 25 yrs in Montessori education. If you can train yr child at home, good ! save lots of $.
just worried that no time and he doesn't listen.
greenbean2011:
I'm not sure, but I'm not keen in eduplus, coz heard of many not so good reviews. Maybe can try berries.btw, regarding Speech & Drama, Eduplus has a strong emphasis on S&D.
they videotape the kids speaking into the microphone, and playing back their actions....apparently, this is popular with kids and parents....makes the language becomes so much real and alive!
also forces kid to articulate the sounds correctly (esp. good for kids who don't speak Chinese at home)
-
hi smurf,
I attended parents workshop for montessori Phonics last yr.
costs around $480, for 4 sessions.
spread out over 4 Sundays afternoon.
each session lasts 4 pm – 7 pm.
venue: Lower Delta road.
so much things / so much content to absorb during that 3 hrs, quite tiring for me. There were 6 parents sitting on the floor max, for the training.
Trainer Nafisa very experienced. She taught > 25 yrs montessori education. She went through in detail step by step, using concrete material demo parents how to teach / engage our own toddler in Phonics.
we role play – some of us pretend to act as toddlers, while others act as parents. Just to get the hang of it – so that when we go home and face our own child, we know exactly what to do systematically step by step, how to teach, how to engage toddler’s interest.
Training was excellent!
Nafisa gave many useful tips, valuable insights !
Parents also shared what problem they all had with their own child, so we all learn from one another.
I purchased that LMA (large moveable alphabets) montessori tool set, because need that tool to teach my girl. No tool, how to teach ? costs around $200, just to buy LMA.
The next parents workshop coming up after Chinese New Year is montessori Maths. Maths is a much more complicated subject, compared to Phonics. Maths more complex !
still, I encourage you to attend.
esp. for parents with > 1 kid.
because montessori enrichment not cheap.
enrichment costs $100, or $120 per month, depending on which enrichment centre.
if got 2 kids, times 2.
if got 3 kids, times 3.
might as well pay one time fee, go and learn yourself, then teach x number of kids at home. Save up lots of enrichment $. -
hi smurf,
why you OT every night ?
what time you sleep then ? -
Hi greenbean
Thanks for sharing on your daughter's 'history' with Totsville & YKidz. And for the other info on newton kindy & Montessori programmes. Very very helpful indeed for a sotong new mummy like me who doesn't know anything abt the Spore pre-school system :thankyou:
After reading your reviews on Totsville, YKidz & Newton, you make me want to send my boy there!
You're a very hands-on mummy! I can't believe you even attended the Montessori workshop so that you can teach your daughter at home
My daughter sounds like my son. Cannot seem to concentrate on anything at one go. He'll play with one toy, hear some sound then rush to check it out.. then he'll look for Toy A again, but along the way, he'll see Toy B & reach for it. Then he'll get distracted by the TV. Many people tell me that it's normal for a small toddler to behave like this, but I can't help but worry leh. Coz I believe you don't need to be super genius to do well in school, but you need to be able to concentrate to learn something. No point being so clever but you cannot settle down to learn. -
hi sean wife,
Sorry, I couldn’t find the invoice / receipt that state the model no.
don’t know where i kept the invoce.
But it was the rectangular table they displayed on level 2 inside the show room when you go up level 2.
I chose pale yellow table.
The other 2 tables on display at level 2 were soft pink and blue, also very sweet color.
I bought wrapping paper (for book type), to wrap up / protect the table top. My girl likes to do coloring. Don’t want her to use color pencils to color my table top, dirty it.
maybe Tiong Hin increase price ?
operhaps I could have remembered wrongly.
my sincere apology !
still, < $50 is worth it.
I searched high and low so long, before I managed to find this type of table.
btw, I think sales office close on Saturday.
If you want to buy, go on weekdays.
ask them for precise dimension, - see if can enter yr car.
If not, you need a van. -
hello jul04,
I encourage you to attend parents montessori workshop too.
very good !
last year when I went, there were 6 parents in the group.
3 fathers, 3 mothers.
I was surprised to see fathers present in the workshop.
I thought only mothers attend this type of workshop.
But nowadays modern generation, seems like fathers change.
Fathers also concerned, “kan cheong” over kid’s education, not just mothers. One father came from India, another from China, last one local from SG. Quite a few foreigner parents there.
The father from China said his daughter’s english weak, because they speak mandarin predominantly at home. So come to workshop to learn the montessori method - can start teaching son at home from young, now 15 months old. He said English is his main concern for his girl.
The father from India said he come SG to learn, go back home then teach his wife, how to teach his 2 kids. He said his wife is the one spending most of the time at home with the kids, while he goes to work. He said worth it - pay one time school fees for this parents workshop, can teach 2 kids simultaneously at home, saves up lots of $ if were to send 2 kids individually to Montessori enrichment classes, costing around $100 / $120 per month.
He said Montessori method is good - very structured, systematic, step by step programme that helps kids grasp the fundamentals well, also help a child very much in spelling later.
The father from SG said it is his wife who ask him to come.
His wife fall sick, so can’t come. He said his daughter going to a good school in primary 1, so it is important that she can read well - because all the pupils in that reknown primary school are expected to read well.
For mothers, one was a foreign lady from Germany (Berlin).
curious, I asked why she joined ?
She said she is a kindergarten teacher from Berlin – teaching kindergarten the traditional way. She said come to SG, learn the montessori method it’s good - so that go back Berlin, she can incorporate into her regular kindergarten teaching.
I asked curiously – doesn’t Berlin teach montessori ?
She reply limited. Come SG better, because SG education system so advanced! In Europe, education system very different. Children play a lot ! Kindergarten kids still play a lot, even at K2.
The other mother is a local Malay. She wants her daughter to read well, so enrol for this parents workshop.
at the workshop, trainer Nafisa and parents shared many things.
sharing ….
In primary 1, there are a number of students in primary schools who still can’t read properly.
example:
======
at primary 1, there are pupils who can’t read simple sentences like “the fat cat sat on the mat.” If they can’t read, they face tough challenges ahead. How to cope with other subjects like Maths, and subsequently Science later at Pri 3?
so, help is on hand !
MOE recognise montessori method as a very good, useful teaching / training methodology tool - to help pupils lay good foundation in english. MOE allow the tool to be used by school teachers in training students.
so, weak students are identified early onset, by primary 1 subject school teachers. They are placed into small groups of 6 pupils maximum - called Learning Support Group for english (LSG).
In LSG, if that primary 1 english teacher happen to be montessori trained, then she can use the montessori method to help brush up the pupils’ phonics and grammar. Teacher can use that LMA (large moveable alphabets) montessori tool set to train pupils go up the learning curve quickly, catch up in time !
after training for a period, pupils sit for english tests.
If pupil pass, pupil quit LSG, go back normal class to catch up.
If fail, pupil remain in LSG, continue to brush up English, until can pass.
likewise, there is also Learning Support group for Mathematics, for pupils weak in Maths. Teacher use the montessori Maths tool set to train weak pupils.
sharing ….
toddlers got short attention span, < 5 minutes.
issue is - how to make toddlers learn ?
a) one mother shared – overcome, by asking the child to role play.
first, she teach her child montessori method first.
next, she place 3 soft toys in front of her child –like a bear, a rabbit, a toy girl.
now, she ask her child to teach the 3 toys what she’d learnt….
so, the child becomes a teacher to the toys now.
in the process, she learns.
if she is wrong, her mother corrects her.
b) creative method.
to engage toddler’s interest creatively, when using LMA tool set to match the object / picture to the word / phrase, she told her child this - if mommy get it wrong, mommy dance. But if you get it wrong, you dance, ok?
so even if the child is wrong, she learns.
she learns which set she has matched wrongly the object to the word.
then she dance !
if yr son has short attention span at home, can try apply above methods to help him.
if you keen in parents workshop, can drop trainer Nafisa an email at
[email protected]
when the time comes for her to conduct workshop, she’ll inform you. -
hi,
\t
fyi – sharing.
when comes to Chinese enrichment, everyone heard of Berries.
But not many people are aware that Kinderland kindergarten actually offers daily Chinese immersion classes Mon – Fri, 5 times per week at K1, K2.
The good thing is – this daily Chinese immersion is available to kids not just enrolled at Kinderland, but also to outside kids, from other kindergarten elsewhere. Outside kids can join in.
not many parents are aware got such thing.
now, it’s good that you know !
note:
====
Kinderland got 2 type – kindergarten and child care centre.
The one that conducts Chinese daily immersion lessons is the - kindergarten, not Kinderland child care centre.
you may choose Mon – Fri 5 times per week, or minimum 3 times per week.
each lesson, 2 hrs duration solid.
for costs fees per term, you may call up Kinderland kindergarten to inquire.
call up Kinderland Serangoon tel: 6288-2979, or
Kinderland Marine Parade tel: 6344-4722
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