HFMD 2011: Activities at Home 2 - Snowman 1

While staying at home with the Gers, we experimented and prototyped our X'mas gift for their trs.

Researched on Internet and found something that the Gers can do: Papercraft snowman!

1. Print template out from website. A4-sized is too huge for the Gers, So I printed 2 sets of templates onto 1 A4 paper.

2. Colour. The Gers had different concepts on this. Gerry, scribbled and drew circles. Gerlyn used a single colour for every confined space/shape. Gerrard had a multicolour concept.

Cheese! We are done with the colouring!

Gerry deploying pointism.

3. Cut out the template. Mummy did this for them as they are still not very gd with scissors...

4. Creative time! The Gers decorated their snowmen. Gerry did not do this as he was not very good with following instructions and the coordination was horrible.

Playing dress-up? I'm good at this!

Gerrard was concentrating hard.

We had lots of time, so we experimented with other media....

Poster colour. Messy. The Gers used cotton buds instead of brushes, as the height of the apparatus is more suitable for their tiny hands. Gerlyn messed up her colours and ultimately, there's only one colour - brown. The key problem with using poster colour was that the outline was all covered by the poster colour that it was really tough to cut out the template. The Gers had fun though.

Gerlyn likes to watch Gerrard a lot.

Collage. Had fun. Killed time too. Initially used the papercraft punchers, but they were tough to press down. Turned to using the good old ordinary paper puncher. Initially, recycled wrapping paper was used. Then I turned to getting the children to paint on blank paper, and use their paintings to punch out paper flakes.

Gerlyn trying out the papercraft puncher.

Pasting. Unaware of colour coordination.

HFMD 2011: Activities at Home 1 - Colouring

The very first activity that I had done during HFMD episode with the children was colouring.

Initially, they were colouring from the books that they have. Then I started browsing on the Internet after they were fighting for the colouring books.

Lots and lots of free printable colouring pages around. Their favourite are the Sesame Street's buddies.

Gerry doing his 'colouring'. Actually just scribbles and circles...

Teachers' Day 2011

This year's Teachers' Day is indeed different.

For more than 10 years, I had celebrated Teachers' Day as a student. And for a good 10 years, I had celebrated it as a teacher. This year, I am fully a parent.

This year, I got the 2 elder Gers to do their own present. Gerry is still too young to be involved. After looking at ideas from the Internet, I had adapted and planned something simple for the Gers...

Looking at what we have in the house, I was simply delighted to find a huge tub of pre-cut heart shaped confetti. That was actually meant for for customary marriage!

Get ready the hearts.

Working intensely...

Look at this!

There! One's done!

Factory...

And of course, Mummy is good at recycling, cos she's in the school's Environment Education Committee! The body of the bookmark was the ice-cream sticks bought for the window decoration activity...

The message was typed by Mummy. Guide lines were printed at the back, so that the Gers can follow the lines and cut. Alas! Their motor skills are not that refined to control that yet. Hence, the product ended up very 'artistic'...

Working with the pinky shears


Packaging in progress

The presents were divided into 2 batches as the Gers found it tiring to cut with the shears. So, the 1st batch was for their form teachers and subject teachers. There was also one for their auntie, Auntie Elsie, who gave Mummy a lot of invaluable advices. The 2nd batch was meant for other staff in the Centre, including Auntie Sharon and the VP Ms Chin. However, the presents were given out on Mon evening in a haste, as the Gerry was down with HFMD, while Gerlyn was put in the suspect list. A decision was made that Gerrard will also stay at home. Hence, the 2nd batch, which was meant to finish up yesterday, had to be given away without the complete packaging...

The product of 2 weekends. A photo collage was attached behind.

What are my learning points:

1. Patience. It really took long hours to do this with the children.

2. Room for mistakes. If the heart or stick was pasted out of alignment, or if the children cut away from the line, so be it!

3. Expectations. If the task matched their ability, they can accomplish, and they feel good about it!

Overall, it was indeed a very good experience and I enjoyed it! I sure hope the teachers like their present!

Attention required

The finished product. Wanted to teach him outline, then thought may be messy...

Mummy's drawing. Not fantastic.


I find his drawing of Gerlyn resembles JoJo (cartoon character in JoJo's Circus).



Gerrard's trying real hard.

Gerrard is supposed to bring a drawing today for his Show-and-Tell. We managed to draw one yesterday afternoon, while all the other babies were asleep.

Mummy's not entirely an artist. I always managed to score in Art mainly because I was meticulous, not artistic.

So the approach was to draw with Gerrard.

Using very basic strokes, we drew together, step-by-step. From the face, hair, shirt, lollipop, school...

Then came colouring.

The most touching thing was that Gerrard was really trying very hard. The intense concentration..

He made a few mistakes and required a few practice of some drawings on the back of mummy's paper. But the proud thing was he finished it.

Realisations from this activity:

1. Gerrard wants to learn.

2. Gerrard wants to do things well.

3. Monkey see, Monkey do. So the Monkey must firstly be a good role model.

Just how many old monkeys understand point number 3?

Gerrard Home made t-shirt

Gerrard proudly shows his teacher Ms Tan his new personal shirt.

Back view of Gerrard's home-made t-shirt.

Gerrard means spear brave.

That's mummy's brilliant contribution.

Gerrard was very excited in the morning wearing the home-made t-shirt which he coloured.