Seimpi Lesson 15

31 Oct 2010 (Sun):

We missed last week's lessons so we were a early today to practice what we have missed. Actually i hv caught Rachel playing solo on video, using my hp but blame it on my stupidity, i am unable to trsf the files & upload onto this blog due to incompabality of programs. Shall bring my camera instead for the next lesson, hopefully to be able to capture her playing solo.

Anyhow, we learned our Xmas performance item which would be Xmas carolling, singing " Angels We Have Heard On High ". There would 4 four little singers & this includes Rachel. Uh Oh! I'm nt sure if she would open her mouth & sing out loud on that day. Its about another 5 lessons only before the actual performance.

For lessons today, we revised Time Signatures - 2/4 counts & 3/4 counts. We did the flashcards on ' ta ' & ' titi '. And more practice on Steps & Skips. Teacher Marcia did mentioned this topic would be a little more complicated than the rest & so the kids would need more time to slowly learn & absorb. Not to worry.

A Skip Higher or Lower. Paste a ladybird on a line or space which is a skip higher from the following ladybirds. // Paste a ladybird sticker on a line or space which is a skip lower from the following.

Paste the missing letter names.

We played a little game. On the floors of the classroom, there were 5 tapes glued across the classroom, representing the music staff - Lines & Spaces. The kids stand in line , 2 by 2. When teacher Marcia called out " Step on the 1st space ", the kids gt to stand correctly. Then maybe " Skip 1 space " & the kids gt to step on the correct area again. This way, the kids learned from each other & will be able to know whether they are right or wrong. Parents can also checked if they themselves know the exact space or line to stand on. Interesting. Can i hv 5 lines/tapes gled across the floors of my living room too? Yes daddy? Hee.

We also did a new topic ( well, this was taught last week) but nevermind, we went thru it today again. Its the musical symbols:

Staccato - short, detached. Eg: a bouncing ball

Slur - smooth. Eg: a boy skating

Tie - together. Eg: friends holding hands

Fermata - pause/stop. Eg: a car stopping in front of a traffic light

( i checked with teacher Marcia on the above flashcards - did i or did i not purchase that set. Neither one of us remembered). Luckily, i hv the above exercise to help emphasize. This is only a simple beginning. We will go into depth next week.

We did the more exercises on Steps & Skips. As we missed last week's lessons, we have some extra homework to work on.

A Step Higher or Lower. Paste a sticker note on a line or space which is a step higher from the following. // Paste a sticker note on a line or space which is a step lower from the following notes.

Keyboard Topography - Skips. Paste a letter name which is a skip higher from the keys stated with letter names below. // Paste a letter name which is a skip lower from the keys stated with the letter names below.

Rachel got confused on the differences between Steps & Skips so i hv to very patiently teach & guide her along. This is where those jewel notes will come in handy. I am going to get those flashcards which i bought from Seimpi laminated in the next few days & to start refreshing Rachel's memory on a daily basis.

( a checked done when i got home. Nope. Those set of muscial symbols were not part of what i hv bought). Maybe i can get it next week. Next week, 07 Nov, by right is Seimpi's holiday due to Deepavali but teacher Marcia said that classes would still be conducted. Then 14 Nov will be a rest day as the school is having its SMART recital.

We did another new topic as well. Major & Minor Sounds. With the help of the CD player, the kids listen to the happy & sad pitch played & identify whether its a happy tone or a sad one.

I AM HAPPY.

I AM SAD.

Teacher Marcia showed Rachel how to position her fingers on the piano keyboard. " Just like a spider ", she told Rachel. And she taught Rachel how to play each note without the rest of the fingers leaving the keyboard. But of course, the actual age for children to really be able to stretch open their little fingers would be ard 5-6 years old.

But i felt that Rachel was able to position her fingers quite well & she remembered which were the exact notes/fingering. Though it still took her a little while to figure out where exactly was each note but she was able to grasp the method required to play those pieces. Yes, i repeat again. Slowly but surely. :)

Internet Issues

Since last evening, i was not able to access the internet. When i clicked the IE icon, a little window would pop up telling me " Internet Explorer has encounter some issues & needs to close down..." Then it gave me an option to either click on the "send report" or "don't send". I would usually click don't send and then the whole screen would shut off, returning me to my desktop.

I checked all lines & cables, thinking maybe one of them was not plugged in properly but the same thing happened again & again, no matter what i do.

I called one of hb's cousins this morning & she told me that it could be the ltelephone line issue. She asked me to call Singtel to check. Singtel told me they would guide me along in trouble shooting to see what the problem was if i was beside my comp but i was at work, hence, no access to my personal comp.

I called just awhile ago & Ms. Ramni was on the line. She very patiently guided & prompt me on where to click, what command to type & what to check on. Her reply was that it seems the issue doesnt lie with my connection but rather with the browser problem. Her next option was for me to call Microsoft & get their assistance.

I asked for their # & called Microsoft. Mr. Labib was on the line. Again, he very patiently guide me through & presto, i was able to gain access to the net again. I asked him where the problem lies & his reply was that ususally there would be many issues & but always, Mircrosoft would be able to solve them. Technically speaking, i just need to reset my internet settlings & clear my browser history.

So here's a BIG thank you to Ramni from Singtel & Labib from Microsoft. In case if u encounter this same problem as well, the # to call - Singtel: 1688 & Microsoft: 800 8523543.

SSO Baby Prom 2010

What a damper! No more tickets on both dates, 17 & 18 Nov 2010. Guess i was too late in coming across this event. I remembered earlier this year, i was wondering when the sale of tickets would be out and.................. I MISSED IT!!!

ITS REALLY A DAMPER. I hv not been to this event and i heard many good reviews about it, so i thought i must really see to believe but sadly, i will not be able to get a chance. Boo Hoo Hoo. :(

Seimpi Lesson 14

We had to forego this lesson due to work commitments on Mummy. So folks, nothing to show on her lesson. Instead, daddy did bring us out to the waterfront @ MBS last evening. I took a few photos of Rachel but as those were taken from my hp, the outcome were nt good & clear. I will see if i can upload some good ones.

How Much Sleep Does A Child Needs

How much rest does your child have a day? Look at the above graph. Sad to say, both Lionel n Rachel did not have the much needed sleeps daily.

For Lionel at age 5, he should have an average of 11 hours of sleep at night but all he has are at most 8-9 hours. At his age, daytime naps are not needed though he still goes for his naps sometimes. For Rachel at age 3, she should have at least 2 hours of sleep in the daytime & about 10 hours during the night but again, these were not followed.

As a mum, i tried to get them to sleep early as possible but most of the times, its nearly impossible for they would be requesting to watch some DVDs, do some drawings or reading. Guilty i may be, it seems i have to remain that way for a long long time. :(

Seimpi Lesson 13

17 Oct 2010 (Sun):

Today, we had our lesson 13. Weird but Rachel was the only student this afternoon. Nonetheless, there were no distractions from others (insert wicked laughter).

Rachel did very well today, I must say. Even teacher Marcia said her performance & attention span was excellent.

So today, we did the usual Hello song, Hockey Pokey & we learned a new piece called " 5 Peas in a Pod " (Is there such a song or did i hear wrongly?) Hehe.

We went thru Dynamics too - f for forte (loud), mf for mezzo forte (moderately loud), mp for mezzo piano (moderately soft) & p for piano (soft). Rachel was good in both f & p. When she said f, she said it very loudly. When its p, she whispered. Haha.

Rachel did this activity last night - Space & Line Notes. Colour the stars with line notes yellow & space notes red.
For this one, we did it in class. We revised STEPS & she has to paste the letter name which is a step higher from the stated keys Eg: the stated letter was F, so a step higher would mean G, therefore Rachel has to know what note is a step higher than F & paste the corresponding letter name. Bottom part: Paste the letter name which is a step lower from the stated keys.

This is a new piece of music score which we played today. You need to use both hands to play - trebel clef & bass clef. Teacher Marcia went very slow with Rachel as this requires coordination from both hands. So for homework, this is an extra piece to practice.

We also revised the previous pieces & Rachel remembered to hold the notes when she played the dotted minim notes. Bravo! Teacher Marcia praised & commented that Rachel really improved alot & she can also better grasped the speed needed already. " Continue to practise & keep up the good work!", she told Rachel.

I bought the flash-cards from Seimpi for our daily use. Teacher Marcia asked if i would like to purchase & i was surprised that they actually have it ready-made & for sale over the counter. It was not displayed so i did not think of asking.

She helped me to decide what to buy & i bought almost everything except for some sets. I figured might as well purchased it so that i can refresh Rachels' memory every now & then. So in total, I spent S$56 for a total of 8 sets. This receipt is proof of my purchase from Seimpi.

Pitch in C Major. The notes with the corresponding letter. Full set.

Note Values. Semi Breve, Dotted Minim, etc.

Pitch in Bass Clef. Corresponding notes & letter name.

Major & Minor Sounds. Though i'm not sure what this is all about but teacher Marcia did mentioned that we would learn abt it in future so i may want to consider buying it first. So i bought it.

Time Signatures. Remember i wrote about those 2/4 & 3/4 counts where we used the rhythm sticks & hit accordingly, such as ' ta ta ta or te te ta ta or ta te te ta ', etc.

Then, this is about Steps- from line to space or from space to line.

Skips - from line to line or space to space.

I found this on the internet, with compliments of http://susanparadis.wordpress.com/category/steps-and-skips/

I love this piece when u have both treble & bass clef (staff) on 1 piece. I can use this exercise to test Rachel to see whether she knows her notes, space & lines. Cool.

I bought the coloured stones especially, in order to let Rachel place the notes accordingly. Although there is no letter name on the stone but i'm sure this can help her too.

Eg: maybe i will ask her to place a stone on note D, so she can then put on where she thinks is correct. In this way, i can tell her whtr its right or wrong. We can also learn more about lines & space. The size of the stone fits perfectly within each space.

Due to work constraint, we may not be able to attend next week's lessons. But i will see if i can pull myself away cos i dun see the big deal if there is 1 less person working. Here's hoping..

No more pee-ing on the bed

Lionel told me proudly last evening that he longer wets the bed. Instead, he knows how to get up by himself to go to the toilet. When i asked him did LK set the alarm clock, he said no. He quietly gets up when he feels the urge to visit the toilet bowl & gets back equally quiet.

This happened at his granny's place (my mil's). He has been sleeping there the past few weeks. So i told Lionel, should he decides to sleep at home instead one day, make sure he can do the same. There are 2 toilets at my mil' place; 1 inside the master bedroom, another one in the kitchen. But the room he sleeps in doesnt hv a toilet so he needs to walk towards the kitchen or to the one inside the master bedroom. Nobody occupies the master bedroom anyway; its more like a study room instead.

Whereas at our own place, we sleep inside the master bedroom with a toilet attached, so the distance to the toilet is shorter.

So i told Rachel if Lionel can wake up & go to the toilet himself, its time she do the same thing too, means no more diapers at night. Rachel told me she can do it too. I was a little skeptical about this, but there were times when her diapers were totally dry when i changed her out of it in the mornings, so this could be a sign that she's ready? I need some advice here.

Pleaseeee..

Nowadays, Rachel loves to use this word 'Please' whenever she's told: " NO ".

Take for example yesterday. We were on our way to the escalators in the MRT when she wanted me to pick her up. I told her no & that she's to walk on her own. She looked at me with those innocent eyes, those beseeching eyes & she said ever so sweetly with hands held up: " Please... ". I dun hv the heart to reject her.

Then there were times when she wanted to have some fries at Mac. I had to said no cos she just had her dinner but then again, she tilt her hear to one side & said: " Please...". Oh.... i love those moments when i carried her in my arms, she would wound her hands ard me, hugging me tightly & give me a peck on the cheek & said: " I love you ".

Whoever taught this girl to say Please & I Love You. Its so heartwarming.

And i especially love it so when i went over to her granny's (my mil) place to pick her up & she would run towards me with hands wide open & i would swing her up & around. She would shout out in glee: " Mummy, mummy...." We would be entangled in a big bear hug!

And then those lovely words could be heard: " I love you mummy. "

Seimpi Lesson 13

10 Oct 2010 (Sun):

Today, we begun with the usual "Hello" song. We did note values & Rachel is getting very good in this - semi breve, dotted minim, minim, crotchet, quaver & semi quaver.

Next, we touched lines & spaces. The kids were given small cards with a different note on each of them & they got to point out which note is which according to the teacher. Eg: when teacher Marcia said: " Show me the note on the first line. " Then the kids got to find ' E '. When she said: " Show me the note on the second space", the kids pointed out ' A '.

This leads to a new topic on " Skips & Steps ". Skips - one note to the 3rd note, skipping the note in between . Eg: from ' C ' to ' E ' (skipping ' D ') or from ' E ' to ' G ' ( skipping ' F '). For Steps - it means one note to the very next. Eg: ' C ' to ' D " or ' F ' to ' G '.

In other words, Skips means space to space or line to line whereas Steps means space to line or line to space. Remember, we have 5 lines & 4 spaces in a music score.

They did 2 activities in class. One is to count the number of crochets in the clouds & paste the corresponding stickers. The other is to listen to the player on how many crochets ( sound of drum) played & circle accordingly. Then tell the teacher where did the 3 girls ended up in.

For the last 20 mins, we practised on the keyboard. Teacher Marcia went round listening to the kids' playing & guided them through, Rachel particularly, cos she is still quite slow & always never hold the keys down when playing dotted minim - 3 counts notes. To eager to jump to the next note. Heh.

For homework, a new piece on: " The Spiders Web ". Also a bass clef piece. So i think for this few weeks of practise, its all on ' The Hardworking Ants ', ' The Fishes In The River ' & 'The Spider's Web '.

And oh yes, i hv got to bring an empty CD for class next weekend as teacher Marcia wants to copy the song for the Xmas Prom so that the kids can listen and played the neccessary.

Aside from this topic, i've tried another way from Yishun to Hougang. For previous trips made, i always took bus 985 to Sengkang & then transfer to the MRT from there, 2 stops away to Hougang. Yesterday, i tried another way. I took the MRT to Bishan, interchange to the Cirlce Line towards Serangoon & then hopped onto the North-East Line towards Hougang. You may think its more tedious this way since i have to interchange so many times but i tell you, the whole journey took us only less than 40 mins, compared to the last mode of transportation, that took us abt 1 hr or slightly more.

So i should use this new found mode of travelling for our future lessons. Yishun to Bishan = 4 stops, Bishan to Serangoon = 2 stops & Serangoon to Hougang = 2 stops. Total = 8 stops. Travelling time cut short alot! :)

To The Zoo

09 Oct 2010 (Sat):

Last week, LK called & asked if we like to go to the zoo as she has a zoo pass that admits 2 adts & 2 child per pass. Hey, why not & so here we are.

We arrived ard 10am & it was already packed with people. Both kids were very excited although they have been to the zoo umpteen times. Lionel especially, at least more than 5 times, including his recent trip to the zoo, brought by their school.

We thought of walking than to take a tram ride, so that we could explore more. We walked thru the Treetop Trails & the first creature we saw were the otters. We missed the feeding time though.

Inquisitive otters...haha.

With the rhinos & LK

Zebras

Frilled neck lizards

Giant Tortoise

Giraffe.

Leopard.

Malayan Flying Fox

Lion

We proceeded for our lunch @ Ah Meng's Restuarant. The portion was quite big for each of us. We ordered Roast Chicken Rice set, Nasi Lemak set, BBQ Chicken set & Fish n Chips set. Big mistake. The Nasi Lemak set was too big a portion & the kids cldnt finish. So its up to us adts to try & complete all, as much as possible.

Ring Tail Lemur

Searching for those small creatures.

There were many small little furry animals such as the deermouse, ducks n ducklings, mongoose-like creature (dun know what u call that) & even peacocks.

Posing outside the restaurant after lunch...with the moo moo cow

We caught the 130pm show at the Shaw Foundation: The Rainforest Fights Back.

Engaging the audience.

An Orang Utan delighting the audience.

The tribal performancers


Posing with a fake baby elephant at the ' Elephants of Asia '.

Shortly thereafter, we watched the sea lions & penguins' show @ Splash Safari. It was very crowded by the time we arrived & we cldnt find a seat. We had to sit right at the very front, so we were really wet by the time the show ended. The sea lion loves to splash water all over its audience ( there were prior warnings given) but we do not mind. It was a hot day, so getting splashed was very welcoming. Hehe.

Australian Outback


Safari Ride

Komodo Dragons

Mongoose

Baboons. Rachel was following this baboon very intensively; the baboon was within her sight at all times.

We left the zoo at about 4pm plus. Both kids enjoyed themselves very much & they cant wait to go again. Enjoy below video, first - a giraffe feeding session & second - Lionel's map reading skills. Oh...map reading? Ahem!