Just to share about MPM.


I signed up my daughter with MPM in Nov09 (then 4 year 6 month). She was tested and she jumped to book 17 to start with. Lucky MPM has a center that is very near to my place, and i just simply chose a center in Hougang.

Reason why hougang, …it is just for convenience sake. I am working mother, and i need my hubby / maid to ferry her to and fro for enrichment class.

in my opinion, it doesn’t really matter which center is good, because the approach of MPM is not really a teaching. I feel that i pay money is more for the exercise books/ questions, not for the teaching. The center has the instructors / coaches and the roles are more for guiding and coaching only, not really teaching.

In the past three months, I am quite happy with my girl, simply because she is enjoying her work books, and she is self motivated. She looks forward to go to the center every wed. I love the questions in the work book, really mind blower, certain questions my maid can’t even know the answer. The questions provide several approaches and trains logic in a very logical way. I must say they are very creative built up.

tamarind:

siak,

Thanks for sharing. Your experience is actually quite similar to mine. Both my kids love the Leapfrog DVDs, and they still want to watch it now after 3 years. My older girl has a good foundation in phonics before she started the Peter and Jane series, she was very motivated to read them, and she loves the books even now. It was harder to make my younger boy to read the books, but it is no harder than to get him to finish his food or brush his teeth. It was just a matter of discipline.

Just to check, do your kids watch any other DVDs except Leapfrog ? These were the only DVDs we had for a long time. I only started to buy the Little Einsteins DVDs when my older girl was around 5 years old. That is why they asked for the Leapfrog DVDs everyday

Dunno if 2nd child is more difficult to control and stubborn or...... :?
My 2nd child is like that, it's harder to make her to drink water, to finish food, to read books, ....and her favourite answer is wait first. :x

I don't invest much in DVD, except Leapfrog dvd (5 sets) that I bought from Amazon, However we subscribe to Playhouse disney since the elder was 2 year plus. I do not restrict them to watch only certain programs, they love all kinds, like Word World, Little Einstein, Dibo, Mickey Mouse, JoJo the circus, Animal Mechanical....and plenty more. Despite these more interesting shows, they still love phonics - Leapfrog DVD

Siak, are your girls in K1 and N2? So close in age, must be fun for them. [/quote]


Yes, born in 2005 and 2006, so elder is now K1 and younger is in nursery (or N2 in childcare term). they always bicker in everything, they compete in everything too. Anything one wants to have, the other also wants to have, including fighting to have my right hand to hold their hand, die die...must be right hand. :lol:

Tamarind, I am not a systematic person, though I find systematic approach can produce a better result. May you share after P&J series, what is the next series that can be suitable for my elder daugther?

Charmaine_chong:

Siak,

awesome!

May i know how you got your first child to read p&j? For DVD, any systematic way that you do it?

We need to create the path for them to be ready
Well said. When i was struggled helping my child last year, i was always asking myself how to get him ready.

Early stimulation by reading aloud to young tots help them on various of developments (love for books, speech, vocabulary, imagination....)

Hi Charmaine, my opinion and view is basically based on the my past experience, and i believe everyone's opinion is drawn mostly by its own encounter and experience. There is no fast rule and what works for me may not work for others.

I only have two daughters who in general are behaving well, though they are bickering and too active, but when comes to \"learning\" they are very interested and inquisitve. I have seen some kids (in music class with my girls) who don't bother at all, and they did their own things, and until i hv never seen them anymore for 1 -3 months. This could be the parents concluded that the kids are not interested and do not want to waste money. Anyway music is considered not as MUST, so parents can withdraw them. But reading is considered important, thus though they have difficulties they will perservere to introduce and explore till the kids grab them one day.

I only can provide my different views for my 2 girls. My elder, she started very late in phonics, this is after i read and join forum, and i realised how ignorant i was. Like most of us, I did not learn phonics in the past, and truly speaking I only knew phonics and learnt at the same time with my daugther :lol: We both love watching Leapfrog DVD, and I need to know phonics too so that I can guide her. Within 2 weeks, she mastered all the 26 letters and its sounds and that was her modal to begin with. Few months later, In July 2008 I started with her Glen Doman flash cards. You see, most parents start flash cards much ealier, but she was late again. But I said ...never mind, since i have younger one (then 18 mths) my investment in glenn doman program would be more worth it. Combined with her good memory (she has better memory compared with her younger sister) and her basic modal, she could pick up the blending of 3 letters. But to read simple sentences that took her about 6-8 months. I only gave her books like Red dog..(sorry forget the title), and only she can blend the sounds, I then bought the Peter and Jane books. I bought not in bulks, only she can complete 1 level i then bought the next level. This was also to motivate her. Initially she was so motivated to read P&J by herself. I must say i did not have problem to motivate her (with little good manipulation) she had self motivation. Half way thru, she was bored, cause I must admit P&J is quite boring, :lol:

You asked me how I got your first child to read p&j? I have no other method, my elder was easier, she is inquisitive and self motivated, and she likes books. My 2nd one, she is more difficult, but good thing is she has competitive spirit, whatever hse sister does she wants to do so. So when she saw her older sister was reading book, she also wanted to do so, this made me easier. But her memory is not as good as her elder sister.

For DVD, any systematic way that you do it?
No, just switch on the dvd and let them watch as much as they like, for the first month, they can watch at least 2 times daily. Till even now, they still love to watch Leapfrog dvd.

I am sorry if i dont help much.

My method is not a method, I don't have originality. :lol: There is no systematic way. But since young, i read story fairy tale books to them. And it becomes a habit for the elder that she has to read many many books before she sleeps, she HAS to read or me read for her everynight. Sometimes even I was too tired and ended up I fell asleep, she still insisted me reading for her. She loves planet and universe books. I bring her to library and let her pick her favourite books, and we will read the books over and over again. Sometimes she likes those picture books, it's ok, though she knows how to read lengthly pages, I don't want to restrict her from any kind of books. I remember my ex colleague commented that I might kill her interest in reading if I introduce lengthly pages for her to read at her age.

But I must say knowing phonics definitely facilitate my elder daughter in her reading ability, and it is accelerated. Now I can give her a new word, which she does not know and never hears before but she could try to spell it and 90% correct, this is because of phonics. Of course there are so many exceptions in phonics too, even us may not know it 100%, hayo....you ask many of us here still pronouce divorce as daivorse....or the other day my hubby and my daughter were arguing how to pronounce \"vineyard\", they insisted the righ one should be \"vain-yard\", i said ok ok...let's check, and it turned out to be vinyerd. :lol:

Charmaine_chong:

Hi Tamarind,


Appreciate a lot your willingness to share good resources and know how to parents who keen to teach at home. I learnt a lot from your thread.

Not many parents love to share their experiences but only to seek help. Sorry i am very straight forward sometimes.

I am thankful there is always someone there who is so passionate, so kind to share their know how in teaching to the rest, like you and buds. Truly appreciate.

I absolutely agree with Charmaine, thinking back, I was an ignorant mother who was strugglin with work only. By then my elder was almost 3 and she did not know ABC sound. I only knew phonics when i started feeling panic, that i did not do anything. That's why I chanced upon Tamarind's sharing in baybsupplies forum and ever since then i bought Leapfrog DVD and be more focused in guiding my daughter in phonics. She could only read confidently by 3.5 year. I started buying Peter and Jane series (that Tamarind recommended) for her only in Jan 2009 (she was then 3 year and 8 months), and last Wed she completed 12 B.

The reason I am sharing about her achievement is not to brag, but to encourage those mothers who feel panicked or lousy and then have to start to move them to phonic classes. Again, for a late starter like me....... :lol: and for a lazy one like me who can not afford time to teach them on daily basis. But yet, this is the result. it's rather we save money for other enrichment classes like music, math ....i guess phonics is easier to be teachable. I am not an native english speaker, but i am confident that my English is not bad to teach. But of course, if you could afford to send them for expensive classed, by all mean, i believe the centers could have a better and structured methodology that can work for the children. I do strongly believe in this too......well...if i can afford....i probably send them too ..ha...ha... :lol:

Tamarind, thanks to you million million times again.

You have been my best inspiration in teaching them phonics.

And I did not have to spend money unnecessarily.

Great work!

Everyone has opinion and they could be different. So please, please do not feel offended with any remark. Peace!!! :lol:


I am one who has benefited from Tamarind's blog, and though i did not really follow her method, but she has been my inspiration to start introducing phonics to my then 3 yo daughter. She is now 4 year 9 months, and she just finished readiing Peter and Jane book 12 B. Horrey! I am so proud of her achievement. and I believer she herself too. the Last book 12 b, she read thru by herself without me pushing her and completed within a day. She read so fluently and with fast speed, she can even read English subtitles in drama with that kind of speed. Of course there are new words that she does not know how to pronounce it correctly, but i would say she is a confident reader. Again, I tried only giving her watching Leapfrog DVD 5 sets and once in awhile i guided her but not in consistent basis. Please note that I can not dedicate my time in teaching her alone, not to speak for Phonics. My younger one, she could know all 26 sounds by 18 months because she watched the leapfrog dvd together with her elder sister. Now at 3 year and 3 months, she read peter and Jane book 3b. But her understanding about phonics is not as deep as her elder sister, she has not caught the essense of phonic and blending the sounds....this is i think partly because i didn not spend much time with her. You know...normally the 2nd child parents tend to be a bit loose. he...he... :lol:

Err....perhaps my elder can absord things fast or perhaps she is ready. But my stand is sometimes we can't say ready just for the ready per se. We need to create the path for them to be ready. For instance, like potty training or diaperless readiness. Both my daughters were without having to wear diaper when they were two years, inclduing night diaper. This is because I trained them from young even when they were babies.

I know some parents who believe that we need to wait them to be ready, then there will be no struggle.

True and false.

Sorry abit side track from reading. :lol:

Jedamum wrote:

\"my take again is ...what's the point?
I do recognise the importance of an all rounded education and that being top in pri sch or at any level does not mean a guaranteed success in life (whichever way you define the term 'success').
my point of contention is .... why are we tracking these kids? do we want them to come in and see their names and how the people around SG are 'tracking' their 'performance growth' and then to feel that they have failed their parents if they had not progressed as 'charted'? try putting yourself in their shoes.. \"

Well said and indeed have some wisdom in it. we do not have to pinpoint other's drawback/mistakes to prove us right. What matters is that one's succes does not depend on being top PSLE or Ace in the school, but we should not be saying the other way around. For the sake of research / study to prove the hypothesis, we should keep the names anynomous, as it is sensivitive matter. And i believe it is not the original intention of why we want to track them up. Perhaps any graduate student or any one of us who is interested in the topic can develop further statistic.

I just came accross this very interesting topic which is quite eye opening. there are so many wonderful parents like 2ppamm whose story is very inspiring.
:goodpost:

I am new here and new as a parent who is looking for a primary sch. What is SAP? HIPS is a top sch, but why? can anyone advise? I am staying within less 1km to this sch. Have checked about this name, but it’s not a top 10 or even 20 based on performance, so why this sch is so hot?

I have 2 girls, born in 2005 and 2006, i have to start looking around or do some homework before the time comes.

thanks