This is part of a series on a Bloggers’ forum that was conducted with Julia Gabriel. You can find out more about the Julia Gabriel Forum here and here.

One of the questions I asked our Pre-School experts was:

How can I prepare my child for school, and help them prepare for the much anticipated 1st day at school?

I asked this question, as the 1st day of pre-school is commonly a day of tears and much crying. Sometimes, it is a day where you see parents “tearing” their kids off them, as they try to drop them off at school.

Fiona Walker (CEO of Julia Gabriel for Learning & Chiltern House) reiterated that it is important to prepare them for this journey by not just preparing them mentally but also “stretching the bond” between child and care-giver.

There seems to be an “invisible” chord between child and care-giver.

I am sure you understand what I mean as sometimes our toddlers cry like “there’s no tomorrow”, when you:

• Leave them to go to the toilet
• Walk briskly to take something from the bedroom
• Put them into the hands of a relative or a good friend.
• And the list goes on….

As Parents, we need to stretch this cord as much as we can!

We start slowly by:

• Going down to the shop downstairs without them
• Leaving them at a Grandparent’s house.
• Letting them join a party at a friend’s house alone
• Putting them into Sunday School without a helper around.

Both myself and my wife are working, so I guess we have been doing these things sub-consciously.

It also helps that after we have broken through with Nicole, Nathan seemed to take to school like a “fish in the water”.

Mentally, he knows that it is the norm, and that’s probably why he did not really “kick up a fuss”, when he went to school. So, having a sibling that sets the pattern really helps!

Exciting News!

Julia Gabriel is a MEGA BIG   household brand for all Parents as they provide Premium childcare and education for children.

Therefore it was a real privilege when their PR company contacted me and wanted to do something with us!

What was the Julia Gabriel Forum about?

Well, when I was a kid, I told my mum once, “I’m not Chinese, I’m English”! (Of course I was referring to speaking and learning the language)

It was totally foreign, and understanding it alone was a REAL  CHORE! (remember writing and rewriting each character in those little boxes? And memorising them? ARRGH…)

As a parent, I was worried that my kids would say the same thing to me! (You know what they say: You reap what you sow!)

Basically, the team from Julia Gabriel was here to hear our concerns about Mandarin, and they were also ready to offer us helpful parenting tips to conquer our FEARS!

The topic of the day was therefore:

Mandarin and your Child!

Honestly, before meeting the JG staff, I was a bit apprehensive…

Are they going to make me read Chinese every  day to the kids?

Do I have to watch Channel 8 from today onwards?

Are they going to convince me that Chinese Enrichment classes are a must, since my Mandarin is so bad?

Well, the fears were allayed immediately when we met their staff.

Introducing:

Fiona Walker (Left) – CEO of Julia Gabriel for Learning, Chiltern House Child Care Centres and Julia Gabriel School of Education

 Huang Ying (Right)– Head of Mandarin Department.

Tips for Parents

As educators, they gave us insights to what the ‘playing field’ was like. And, as parents themselves, they brought out valuable inputs that really matched our concerns! We heard personal experiences of how their kids learn Mandarin and the struggles they face at home and in school.

In fact, they were both quite inspirational!

Some quick highlights…

It was a BIG relief to know that even though Huang Ying was from China, she still had to make a great effort to make Chinese enjoyable to her child!

And it was heartening to hear that Fiona’s daughter enjoys Mandarin despite both parents not speaking a word of it!

….It was a Phew! If she can do it, we can do it too! (Or rather… we must be able to do it! Cos if we fail…quite embarrassing hor!)

So what did we learn about Mandarin and pre-schoolers? Tune in to my next post!

The last few weeks, I had a sudden inclination to go to the showrooms to test drive some cars.

I guess the main cause is that COEs have been going up, and also because recently my Toyota Wish has been giving me problems.

The Toyota Wish is a real functional car, but it has grown to a bit cramp for the family. With the 2 car seats, and 1 booster seat, the car is always fully-packed when we go out. In terms of the car interiors, the kids have maximized all the compartments, and even my cup holder has been stolen by the kids. (Read about it here)

I decided to test-drive a mini MPV instead of a full size MPV(as they have better fuel consumption), and after driving Japanese all my life, I decided to test drive a European car as they offered better road handling and safety.

I was looking at 2 essential ingredients: Safety and Performance.

With these factors in mind, I looked at:

1) The Volkswagen Touran

2) Citroen Grand Picasso

Both of them are Ranked 5 star in terms to European Safety standards and in terms of Performance:

Both cars have a turbo engine, but the Volkswagen has more power and offers better fuel consumption. (I will spare you all the techie specifications, as it might be a bit boring to read if u are not a car enthusiast)

The Volkswagen also needs a smaller area to make a turn, and it is therefore more agile as compared to the Citroen Grand Picasso.

When looking at the Interior:

The Volkswagen is very simple and functional. This is German Efficiency at its best, and everything is placed with no frills and made with a “boring” efficiency.

For the French Citroen Grand Picasso:

The Driving Console was artistically done, with lots of extra compartments to put all your essentials. The car also has a “moon roof” and it has increased visibility with it’s larger than life windscreen.

In the Volkswagen Touran:

Last row seats were small, which were similar to the Citroen. However, the car seemed smaller than the Citroen, and it felt cramped when the family squeezed into the German Automobile.

Both Cars could fold their 2 and 3rd row seats down, so as to carry more luggage, and both had European simplicity in shifting the chairs.

Hmm…Which car should I choose? Power or Functionability?

Find out in the next post…

Mummy blogs… (Part 1)

How many of you remember your Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales?

As a parent of 3 pre-schoolers, I’ve to tell stories, sing songs and recite nursery rhymes often.

On good days, I’ve the luxury of having a book to rely on. That’s when I can confidently role play, change my voice, do silly actions and make strange faces to illustrate my point. (think of the BIG BAD wolf speaking in a low rumbly voice, and how Humpty Dumpty’s face would look like when he fell!)

But woe to me, if I’ve to do any of the above when I don’t have the book with me. You see, I’m not so sure of all the stories! I do know the basic story line. Alas, the actual words, or the actual ending? hmmm…like what ever happened to the wolf in the 3 little Pigs?

Here’s my struggles. This is Part 1—Fairy Tales:

1. Red Riding Hood

There was a little girl, (who wore red, had a red hood, red dress, blah blah blah). She went to visit her grandma who lived in the woods. When she reached the house, grandma was replaced by the wolf.

Sigh… that’s when I realised I forgot to tell the part about her meeting the wolf on her way there. So I back track. Then, I got stuck, when did they meet? How did the woodcutter (or was it a hunter) come into the picture?

Ohhh! and was grandma eaten up? Or was she tied up in the cupboard? And how did it end? did the wolf die? or it ran away?

2. Three Little Pigs

There were once three little pigs who each built a house (one straw, one wood, one bricks… blah blah blah)

I thought this was an easy story. But I found it rather incredulous that each pig had enough time to RUN to the next house while the wolf blew the house down.

Then came the ending. The pigs boiled a big cauldron of water, and wolf fell in from the roof. And then??

Nicole said, the pigs ate the wolf. Some friends told me the wolf screamed in pain and ran away. Some said that’s it, the end. So what happened?!?

3. Beauty & the Beast

Long ago, there was a girl who… uh oh… why did she go to the Beast’s house?

Oh yes, her daddy went there. erm.. but why?

Anyway, she went there and the Beast didn’t let her go (can’t remember why?!?!) and she made friends with the pots and pans and forks and spoons. (Cue for me to sing Shall We Dance here).

And her daddy (now back at home?!) was sick, so she left. Then the Beast got sick, and she went back, and they kissed and they lived happily ever after.

Gee what a terrible memory I have! I hope all of you have a better idea of these fairy tales! I’ve not dared to tell The Shoemaker and the Elves, Rumplestilskin, Princess & the Pea etc…

Tune in for Part 2 of my struggles—Nursery Rhymes!

You are invited to a sneak peek at a upcoming blockbuster exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) … The Treasury of the World is THE exhibition of the year at the museum…

Wow! When I saw the email invite, I was curious! A blockbuster exhibition? Treasury of the WORLD?

When I read on, I realised this is no ordinary collection! It has been shown in the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Louvre in Paris… and now for the first time in Asia—in Singapore!

I’m no historian, but when I read about what would be shown at this collection, I really wanted to see the artefacts up close!

So along with Nicole, we went for this exclusive sneak peek! Ooohh it was a night of Indian Culture! We had a short introduction to the Mughal Empire – one of the wealthiest dynasties ever in the world.

Some interesting facts:

- the Mughal rulers lived lavishly. Everything they owned was jewelled with precious stones. Check out the dagger…

It’s adorned with rubies, diamonds, emeralds, ivory and agate! And that round ball-looking thing? That’s a mouthpiece for a smoking pipe. It’s just good ol’ rubies that they used!

- the Mughals loved life and lived it to the fullest! They smoked pipes, and collected art pieces.

- the Mughals were passionate people. The famous Taj Mahal was built by a Mughal emperor, out of his love for his beloved queen. One of the rulers who had a harem of 5,000!

After the presentation, we were treated to an Indian dance performance, and were even taught basic dance steps! (See how shy Nicole was!

Nicole had a blast as she bravely offered her leg to the Henna artist. We had to convince her one leg is enough! She wanted her hands and legs and face drawn!

Artist at work:

Near completion:

Check out Nathan—our little Mughal prince! (much thanks to ACM for the turban)

 

I can’t wait for the exhibition when it runs from 12 February-27 June! The whole family would be going down to see how the Mughals lived, try their clothes, taste their food, and have a hand at some jewellery designing. I know Mummy is definitely going to check out those precious stones!

FREE TICKETS TO THE MUSUEM

AND… I have 5 pairs of tickets to give away to my readers!

To qualify, simply leave a comment on this post by completing this sentence (less than 50 words):

“I have a bit of the Mughals in me because … …”

Please send in your entries by 5 Feb 2010, 2300hrs .

Winners will be announced on 7 Feb 2010.

Valentine’s Day Contest

Well, that’s not all! The museum is having a Valentine’s Day contest for visitors in February.

In celebration of the Mughals’ passion, ACM is giving one lucky visitor a chance to win a prize of a venue sponsorship of ACM’s River Terrace and River Room. The location is ideal for a wedding, anniversary party, or any special occasion! Look at the pictures!

To win, simply fill in a contest form stating your favourite artefact and why. You can drop in your form into a box at the end of the exhibition. More information is available at the museum. The contest closes on 28 Feb 2010.

So quickly send in your entries to win those tickets!

Below are additional details about the exhibition:

Date: 12 February to 27 June 2010

Venue: Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place, Singapore 179555

Website: www.acm.org.sg

Admission charges: $8 (adults) / $4 (concession); Family packages at $20 for up to 5 pax. Free admission for children aged 6 and below and seniors aged 60 and above.

Opening hours: Mon 1 p.m. – 7 p.m., Tues to Sun 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. (to 9 p.m. on Fri)

Tips for Parents:

On the 27 & 28 March, ACM is organizing a weekend festival for the Treasury of the World.

It’s going to be carnival time as you get to try out the Mughals’ favourite past-time of archery, and get to watch live performances of song & dance!

Cool Yah!!! See you at the ACM!