Singaporeans & Malaysians!

[iyph28]

Every parent would love to provide the best for our kids. Most importantly, we have to shower our children with LOVE, CARE and quality TIME.

There are so many material/educational things that we would want our kids to have. Such as the best enrichment classes, gym sessions, educational VCDs and many tons of stuffs.

Just try our best to provide within our means that would be less stressful.

It is out of LOVE that we would want our kids to have the best or at least the good ones but definitetly NOT the “fear of losing”, “KIASU”. Money spent, it can be earned again. Golden time lost, it can never be bought for.

Love conquers all fears :happy:

[ZaJa]

Amen to that iyph28! I second the motion!

[KL]

@angie post:17

There is a lot of argument on the early learning. Some people argued that we should not teach the children at all. The following is the video clip from Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Professor at Temple University and author of the book “Einstein Never Used Flash Cards: How Our Children Really Learn-- And Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less”.

Yes, this is one of the more popular books that is anti-early learning. Maddy (our Editor) has dealt with her main arguments here:

http://www.brillbaby.com/early-learning/teaching-will-harm-the-child.php

And Nohayo is completely right - the biggest misunderstanding is that people think it’s EITHER / OR, eg,. it’s either learning or play.

and iyph28 - well said!

[Maddy1]

Thanks KL. And btw I have responded to more of the points presented in Einstein Never Used Flash Cards in this article.

To me, the authors are particularly misguided when it comes to early reading. They say, “A number of studies indicate that children who have been taught to memorize printed words might be ahead in first grade, but by third and fourth grades many of the other children have caught up or even surpassed them.”

This doesn’t take into account the fact that if you start teaching your child to read as a baby, she will normally be able to sound out words - and so will be a phonetic reader - by the time she starts school! This is an enormous advantage compared to those children who begin school unable to read.

Besides, other scientific studies have shown that there are lasting benefits to learning to read early - at age three or four compared with five or six. You can read about those on this page of Robert Titzer’s website.

[angie_1]

, I do believe in early learning and I am still holding on to the flash cards. As a mother, I want the best for my son and when I see someone doubting about what I have been doing, I will take a step back to look at what went wrong with it. I have not read this book and I intend to do so. One of the reasons is to understand if there is any supporting document or statistic to prove that it is wrong using the flash cards. At the same time, I would also like to understand how successful GD method and I am sure we can find some examples as this method has been around for decades. Can anyone share with us if you came across this?

I like the comment from iyph28. Yes, love conquers all fears. Love has make me a better person.

[KL]

@anushyam post:19

I’m from S’pore and my son is attending shichida classes for a 2 months now. The classes are actually based on having fun and learning. The teachers don’t force the kids to sit in one place to learn, they can be moving about. The quickness of the activities (1 activity 3 mins or less) first bewildered me but that’s how fast the kids get bored of doing an activity.

Good to know! Can you share a bit more with us what happens in the class? what kinds of activities do you do?

[LDSMom]

Sorry, just stumbled upon this thread… I just wanted to add that I find it highly interesting that according to Dr. Titzer about half of the babies in Singapore use YBCR. So surely early education (and flashcards) can’t be all that bad if the children there are doing so well? :o)

http://www.teachyourbaby.com/ - do a search for Singapore and you’ll see what he says.

[LDSMom]

Just wanted to add this too from the site on my previous post:

“Singapore ranked #2 in an international comparison of fourth-grade reading scores throughout 45 countries released in 2007. The U.S. placed in the middle of the pack after dropping two points since the previous test. In the results from 2001, Singapore was below the U.S. in their overall scores. What is extraordinary is that children in Singapore learn multiple languages yet they now score above Americans when tested in English. Around half of all of the babies and toddlers in Singapore are currently using our program to learn to read. Since the earlier the child is taught to read, the better the child reads, I believe Singapore will move into the number one spot as more fourth graders who learned to read as babies and toddlers will be represented in future international comparisons.”

[noorhidayah]

hello there,

I am from Malaysia but have been living in Manchester, UK since 2004. Currently, have a lil daughter…

[Lendal]

Hi

My son was in the Shichida programme in Singapore for about two years (2004 to 2006). I believe that success of the programme depends on the following:

1. Interest and aptitude of your child
2. Commitment of parent - being a working mum, sometimes it gets too difficult to balance work and a not very cooperative child
3. A lot of hardwork

At the end of the day, we may be better off doing things at our own pace, rather than being bothered by whether we are able to learn and absorb as fast as the rest of the class.

Hence, with my second child, after weighing the cost and benefit, I would prefer to DIY using LR rather than signing up for classes.

[Jean_Low]

hi daddy n mummy,

Pls count me in, I’m from M’sia. I’d never posted bcoz my english is very very weak… Scared there will be a lot of mistakes :clown:

My girl Janice ( 20mths old )is attending SM for about a term, v r deciding to let her continue d class although she doesn’t show any improvement for d time being… Anyhow, I do believe in SM, strongly believe in SM!!! :biggrin:

[qisdhi_mom]

Hi jean
Nice knowing you are here.welcome to d club!do share experience with us and get info and knowledge for raising our children. I’m from msia tu.cheras,kl.you r in the right track!hehe.
Beside attending SM class,you must support her with your own teaching.Flashcard,slide show and of course you can have LM & LR as well.You will never regret.hehe.
well,like quote has said ‘the best teacher in the world is parents and the best student in the world is our baby!’ :clown:

[geniusqarissa]

Hi Jean,

Welcome On Board! :biggrin: Thanks to you coz reply in this topic coz i never realise it until today. Too many things to read here make me sumtime blur …hahaha…

Its ok Jean, just say what ever u wat to say, even in malay, we understand …hehehe:) we even have M’sian board here. Feel free to browse & drop some comments.

Btw Jean, u’re so lucky that ur baby enrol the SM. I called them right away when i read this topic but guess what…? The waiting list is sooooo soooo soooo longgggg…!!

The girl said that they MAYBE can gimme some space April next year but its not confirm yet… Anyway, i think the price for the class is so so so expensive … I just write it here for information for those who interested. I called SM @ One Utama area:

• 4 intake in 1 year : Jan,Apr,Julai, Oct
• 1 week once, 1 class max 6 student, min 4 students (no wonder there is a very very very long queue)
• 1 term 3 months. hey advise us to take at least 1 - 2 years course
• 1st enrolment - we have to pay 4 diff fees.
  • Annual Fee- RM 100
    -Term Fee (weekdays - RM 1050) for one term
    (weekends - RM1200) for one term
  • Parent Education Seminar Fee - RM 295, if daddy come along RM 495
    (they will return the money if we take 1 year course)
  • Deposit - RM 500
    (will be refund after finish course but we have to inform at least 1 month @ two weeks before the terms end .)

When i count again, the total fee that we have to pay for 1 year course is around RM 4000++, nearly RM5K!!! Goshh…that’s a big money man … Currently, I’m enrolling Gymboree classes for Qarissa the fee is around RM 1900++ for a year. 54 classes & there are very flexible schedule.

This SM said let say the classes fall on Public Holiday, the vlass will cancel & there r no replacement class.

Annother thing i dont feel good is that, in 1 week time, they only have 4 days of classes - Thursday until Sunday. Monday & Sunday close, Wednesday is only for Admin job. No wonder…no wonder…no wonder …the queue to join the class is so so very long!! If they open 7 days a week like Gymboree, i guess many parents can join the SM.

Btw, my personal opinion - its too expensive. I might as well teach my dotter at home myself using GOGO Education Set. Lr & LM, once a week bring her to her social class - Gymboree to have fun with friends,…hehehe

it’s my 2 cents opinion anyway … unless if the rate is cheaper, i might change my mind …hehehe

Watie

[luckymommy1307]

Hi Watie,
Can u tell me more about the GOGO Education Set? Is for what age range? Any web link that I can take a look? Thanks

[geniusqarissa]

Hi Lucky Mummy,

I’m so sorry, I cant find the website of GOGO. :unsure: I bought it during International Book Fair @ Malaysia. It’s actually a full education set come with talking pen.They have 3 Audio CD (all song in the DVD compile in this CD), 6 DVD (full program full of interesting stories & song. The color also very attractive), 3 CD Activities (all the activities related in the DVD), 4 types of flash card (different subject), 3 Song Books, 2 Colouring Books, 6 Reader Books, 3 Activity Books, 1 Dictionary dan 3 Parents Guideline Books.They even have soft toys of all creature - GOGO & Friends in the set.

The talking pen can be use for the whole programme. I found one website about GOGO but this is not what i bought, but the GOGO creature is the same. Hhehee…
U can have a look at http://www.gogolovesenglish.com

Basically,in my education set,this GOGO is a magic dinasour who teach his friends English Lang. It’s suitable from birth until age 7 (or maybe 10) if I’m not mistaken. Below picture is my GOGO set.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m125/watieaziz/GOGO.jpg

Rgds,
Watie

[luckymommy1307]

Hi Watie,
Thanks for your detail explainations and even take the trouble to show me the photo. Not sure where they sell it in Singapore. Can you sent me a pm of how much it cost? you mentioned 3cd activities, does it means a cd for us to print out the activities to play?

Thanks

[geniusqarissa]

Hi luckymommy,

i believe u rcvd my pm before. just want to reconfirm, have u found the talking pen u told me in ur pm? what’s the name of the product?

watie

[VictoriaC]

Hi everyone,

I’m a Malaysian, too, hailing from Kuala Lumpur. My twins go to SM as well and they’re going into the 3rd term come July. The once a week class is definitely not sufficient although every lesson comprises up to 40 activities in an hour. I truly believe in SM but parents have to practise with children at home in order to see results. That said, please dont give up if you havent seen results yet. I think it’s important for parents to pay attention during class and repeat the same activities at home with the children. Trust that children learns very fast and although they havent or couldnt show you that they’ve learnt, it doesnt mean that they didnt learn. i have in several occasion thought of dropping out because i didnt see any sign of improvement in 6 months but managed to convince myself that there would be no gain if there was no pain. So I hung on… the good thing is, i totally enjoy the lessons. My kids seem to enjoy the ESP games most and they’re quite good at it… one more thing…i know we shouldn’t and are not encouraged to test our children but once in a while i just want to assure myself that we’re on the right track so I’d show 2 dot cards and ask my twins which is the card with the number I say and they almost always got it right. So I know…the seeds we sow will surely turn into beautiful flowers as long as we continue to nurture them with 1. sunshine ( love), 2. water ( good nutritious food) and 3. fertilizer ( knowledge and experience).

Btw, i’ve just started my twins with Time Life Total Development Program which consists of books that teaches values, science, skills, language etc. The knowledge set comes with a talking pen as well and my twins absolutely love reading sessions with me. in fact they ask for books, books, each night before i put them to bed. if anyone of u are interested to find out more, check out http://www.educationaltechnologies.com/ or send me a PM for details.

good luck

[geniusqarissa]

Hi VictoriaC,

So good to hear your experience. Which SM did u went? Bdr Utama @ KL area?
Maybe u can share with us here what type of lesson they teach in SM :yes: :yes: …?
I totally agree with you…we as parents shud do the activities with them daily & do not only depend on the teachers @ class…WE ARE THE BEST TEACHER … :yes: lol

me too during the Gymboree class will take note on the activities, and will do it @ home with my dotter … (i want to make it really worth it coz its not a small investment leh…heheh) I remember every single song i learned in Gymboree, hahha…& when i sing it to my baby, she laugh as if she knew the song is a Gymboree song … A week ago @ my aunt house during a b’day party, I was quite surprise when my baby suddenly do the “arms up” & “arms down” action repetitively when i sang “Gymbo the clown goes up & down, up & down, up & down…”…(she sit on a sofa that time). she never done it before coz everytime we sing the song @ Gymboree, we will actually hold her whole body up & down, so i was amaze that she actually understand the meaning of up & down … :yes: i strongly agree that we have to be patient in teaching our children & they hate to be tested… really true … lol

thanks for sharing the link…i will surely check it out! :yes:

Watie

[VictoriaC]

Hi everyone,

Thank you Watie for your comments. My twins go to the Lim Foo Yoong (KL) branch. I havent seen the BU branch before though have requested to change to that centre end of the previous term but there was no suitable class for my twins hence had to stick to the KL branch for the time being. I heard the BU branch is similar to the KL branch only more crowded and there is no TV/computer monitor mounted on the classroom wall. Oh, one good thing about the KL branch is that parking is free on Sundays

I’m embarrassed to let you know that I cant really remember all the activities we do during class because of the speed of which the activities are conducted. However, after receiving your request to share with everyone here, I’ve made it a point to remember today’s lesson with my husband’s help too

A brief summary of most of the activities done in class:

1. Singing ( in the English language and Japanese, approx 6 songs or so…lost count)
2. Extra sensory perception development ( this is basically a guessing game which encourages the students to trust their intuition to guess the answer. There is usually 2 or more of such games in a lesson)
3. Counting with abacus
4. Flash cards ( consist of foreign language, math, topical, picture sentences etc…lost count but approx 10 sets or so)
5. Miscellaneous activities such as fingers training, permutation, indoor sports such as kicking the ball towards the goal etc)
6. Linking memory games ( sensei will show some 6 picture cards and ask the students to arrange the cards in the order that she had demonstrated and then turn over the cards and start picking out the specific card that she randomly calls out)
7. Imagination activity ( sensei shows a picture e.g. a garden and then students are asked to close their eyes and picture themselves in the garden follow by some guessing games i think, probably same as ESP but using a slightly different approach).
8. Eyes training ( sensei will hold a bell/ figurin/ cartoon character etc and students are asked to follow the item in sensei’s hand with their eyes as her hand move up down left right etc.)

Overall I really enjoy all the activities done in the class but it’s a shame that the sensei that we’ve had so far ( 3 in total by now) are pretty weak in the English language hence are also poor in pronunciations. Sometimes I cant even hear what the sensei says due to that problem as well as the speed in which the activities are conducted. I’m afraid that my kids will pick up the inaccurate pronunciations the longer we stay with the same sensei…but I guess we have no choice. Other than that, I’m happy with the teaching methods, the cleanliness of the classrooms and helpful staffs there.

What about the rest of you? Do you send your children to any enrichment programs? Would love to hear and explore other alternatives if there is anything interesting.