Yesterday, Zhirui had her first taste of school. Well similarly, Mummy had her first taste too.. of sending her kid to school.
As would all typical first-days stories go, it started off key with Daddy announcing the night before that he had to fly kite, both literally and figuratively.. He's going to skip attending the class with ya tou & I and go to West Coast Park for a corporate event (a kite festival).
We tried to prepare everything swee swee in order to make Zhirui feel at ease that morning. But somehow, there's always insufficient time & in the end, we still can't avoid rushing things till the minute we left home. We reached LNT 10 mins later than planned, though the class will only start in another 10 mins. After filling the registration form, teacher Lynn took us to the classroom where I tried to condition ya tou to the environment. It didn't took long cos the room looked friendly and soothing. Soon teacher Wang gestured the start of lesson. It's Chinese class today!
I reckon ya tou will move about exploring the room during her first lesson. But much to my delight, she did the reverse. Sitting obediently, her eyes glued to the teacher and her actions with intrigue. She enjoyed the sing-along sessions best, swaying her body as music plays. As for those intermitent games, she became quite upset when she had to return the games to the teacher. Going on to cards flashing, I noticed she didn't really pay attention. She was looking at her classmates most of the time. Maybe she finds that one male classmate very handsome.. haha..
I shan't comment or conclude too much about today's class, afterall, it's only the first. But frankly, the activities kept me in awe throughout the time. I had a great time!
After the class, we catch a cab to West Coast Park to meet Daddy and have some sun & fun.
This is the Chinese version of the set 'Continents'. It is designed to complement the English version.
[The Set-up]-- Each peach-print ang ku kueh has to be stacked on top of the ku-print ang ku kuehs. Place all other 抓周 objects around. Make sure baby's position is facing the main door (for girls).
[The Procession]-- Carry baby and let her feet step onto the ang ku kuehs 'towers'. While she does so, say auspicious words. This takes a minute so. Then, remove the kuehs and let her sit down to pick from a range of objects (abacus, calculator, dictionary, 四书, gold chain, a stack of notes, pen, calligraphy brush). This is call 抓周. 
Zhirui went for the calligraphy brush first. That was out of expectation given that the brush was the most boring-looking thing among all. She held the calligraphy brush and pen with confidence and try manipulating them after some moments, as if saying "You see, I know how to use this thing!". hahaa.. 
But the colourful stack of 5o dollars notes delighted her most. hmmmm...
The birthday cake was Cedele's Vanilla & Chocolate Battenburg Cake. People were asking why didn't I get a cuter cake, of some cartoon characters. Reason: Well, since the cake mainly serves to satisfy our platter, so get something that's delicious, not pretty-looking! :P
I've never tried Cedele's cakes but heard good reviews of them. Indeed, the cake tastes great and I felt guilt-free treating everyone to this healthy food (it's baked with organic unrefined sugar & grape seed oil)! Powderful!! :D
This set consists of 101 cards (including title cover).jpg)
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In celebration of Zhirui's first birthday this month, we like to share our joy by offering discounts on our home-made flash cards. :)
I paid a visit to lactation consultant Doris last Thurs to get some advice on weaning off Zhirui from breastmilk.
