Unschool Addition 24 September 2015

Conversation on a car ride,

Hui : Mom, if 10 + 10 = 20, what is 20 + 20 ?

Me: 40

Hui: If 40 + 40 = 80, what is 80 + 80 ?

Me : 160

Hui : if 160 + 160 = 320, what is 320 + 320 ?

Me : 640

Hui : if 640  + 640 = 1280, what is..

Me : "WOW how did you figure that out? "

(yeah, with no conventional teaching or drilling of math)

Hui strolling with grandpa.

Count the Money - Math 14 February 2015

We let En settled the bill for us most of the time. She learnt the ringgit and sen here. Little Hui took over when she was 6. And she also picked up the calculation skill from paying the bills. 

Telling the time December 2014

I smiled upon seeing this drawing one morning. It is heartwarming knowing she figured things out.    

At 10 years old , En has finally understand the clock on her own accord and at her own pace. 

No, there are no test papers. I knew it based on day to day conversation with her.

She solved the puzzle bit by bit, from the questions she asked, when she wanted or needed to. 

  

Garage Sale 12 November 2013

The Garage Sale initiated out of helping with the fund for their pair of ice skate shoes

Both of them hold a garage sale at a cafetaria, all by themselves. En said "She was able to communicate with the customers in Bahasa Malaysia and understand their questions." 

They came home telling me what goods are highly sought after. While preparing for the next garage sale, they advised what price tag we can put for some of the goods. We also talked about how to rebrand the unsold goods to be more attractive. And how to sell the goods better. 

The money that they earned from the sale was used to fund the cost of their ice skate shoes needed for their lessons. 

Be a smalish at Smaland, Ikea 14 August 2012

Smales counter in front of Smaland, Ikea. 

The application is free and you need to bring the child 's identification card. 

Benefits of joining Smales.

I like the Smalish dallars (currency of Smales) benefits where kids will do some math here to redeem the Smales merchandise.

They were given a newsletter and a lanyard with pocket to store their booklet.

Each sticker (yellow round sticker on the booklet) is 0.50 smalish dallars.

When you visit Smales, you are entitled to one sticker.

My older kid was counting how many stickers will be equivalent to 10smalish dallars to exchange with this piece of  T-shirt. 

More math here. 

Board game 23 January 2011

The night ended with Pop Up Play Shopping (DK Toys & Games) with the four of us. We had superb fun.

Rolled the 12-sided dice, where players need to recognise number and read forfeit or bonus instruction. It involves counting backward and forward. When a player lands on a trolley symbol, he/she turns over two shopping cards (photo below). When the cards match the pictures or his/her lotto board, the player keeps them. Otherwise, the cards are turned back over in the same place.  The winner is the first player to collect all eight shopping cards on his/her lotto board.

Players have to remember where the cards are that they need to collect. This part stimulates the photographic memory of the right brain.

Classical Snap Cards 6 January 2011

While I was about to snap the photo, Hui said "take my leg too" !!. :)) 

Classical Snap! (Music Games)

RM27.80 at MPH 90% sale = RM2.80!

I told her to deal the card equally to all.

Hui said 'SNAP !! It's Britten' (Benjamin Britten)  When I saw Bach, I added 'He wrote the church music and became blind at the end of his life' (read from the info on the card) and so on. :)

Division & Remainder 11 November 2010

En skectched a pepperoni pizza and cut it for the 3 of us. Sensing a teachable moment, I said 'I wonder how many will each of us get?'. Thinking hard, she mumbled, '3 (paused) aiya not enough'. Then she brought bear in and distributed 2 each for the 4 of us.

Hui is counting 4 November 2010

I read "Circle number 4 and pictures with 4 objects". She did it without help. I said " Join the dot' and I pointed to number 4". She happily joined the dot in her own way.

I read 'Count and circle'. She did it on her own. I read 'Join the dot' and I pointed to number 4'. She replied 'No, it's too blacky'. (yes, I let her skip the blacky 4)

I read "Match the number of ice cream to the number". She joined the 5 ice creams to numerical 4 (checked the pencil line) and I said " That's 4" and she drew the line down to 5. She matched the rest of the lines on her own. At the next page, I read "Colour the cat" . Hui replied " I don't want. I want to count" and she flipped to the next page (yes, I let her skipped the colouring part), Hui lead the learning and I facilitate.

Hui insisted of getting this workbook she saw during our booksale trip in the morning. Not one, but some. I told her to get one only and we buy the next one when you have completed this workbook.

At home, she eagerly did all the pages at one go. I realised she recognised the numbers even though I have not taught her in a chalk-talk manner before. She did most pages with little prodding and ask for more. :)  

Not my way anymore. 30 July 2010

Friday.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked into the EnHui's bedroom,
" Tambourines and Treacle Tarts!  "

She decorated her bed frame and added a 'cupboard' for stationery.

Another 'cupboard' for toys and a window with Halloween theme

Two tables from the study room has been shifted to the bedroom.

Though I noticed she was decorating her room, behind close door, the day before, never did I know the changes was this much. Oh my. I was about to blow up.. then I saw her drawing.

It is such a happy drawing, with the caption "I LOVE TO PLAY"

That must be Hui's drawing. It is a rainbow. She has been trying to paint rainbow lately.

Then, I saw she completed another piece of sums.

Dad's drawing. Impressive. Never attend art class at all.

I think maybe she needs her table in her bedroom. I decorated my own room.. and why not her.  

Da, I want to do sum ! 22 July 2010

Thursday morn.

Early in the morning, En asked dad for more sum. After writing it down, dad left for work.

A while later, she put her work on top of the washer. When she wasn't near, I took a quick peep. ;p










Did you just peep too?

Math with dad 18 July 2010

Sunday night.

En had math practise with dad . After completing the sum, she happily made herself a trophy( with cardboard & straw) and medal (with cardboard and ribbon).

En & business plan 15 April 2010

Thursday 8am.
Yesterday night, at bedtime, I heard En whispered 'a table, stick an umbrella on it'. She was in deep thoughts and laughed once a while. Finally she broke the silence by announcing, "I can make money by selling paper-cutting craft". I replied "yeah, okay, good. Maybe you could start by selling it to your relatives and family members. Ask 'Ah Yi'(aunt), Ah Kim (aunt), grand aunt bla bla. When their friends see the great craft of yours, they will enquire about it. That's how you get the contacts"

This morning, oh my.. before I knew it, she was outside, setting up her business. 

En began cutting papers and Hui wonder what was En up to!

I : What are you doing out here?

En : I am setting up a table to sell paper-cutting craft.
I : Oh ok. 
En : See, I have dressed up nicely for customers.
While I snapped photos,
En : I love my job. I love my work. *grinning*
I : (I was speechless! What more can I say? She loves her job. Wow!! ! It's so wonderful. ) Kid should be free to explore life. And they can't do that with people telling them what to do all the time. And who decides what they are supposed to learn.
Hui : (finally spoke) Woman can go to work?
I : Yeah, I want to find a job too.
En : No need mommy, I will work. You look after mei mei. (paused)
En : I don't know how to calculate money and I took your calculator.
I : How much is this? (pointed to a little yellow thing she has cut)
En : 3 ringgit.
I : ok. I take this. (give her 5 ringgit)
En : How much do I need to return you?
I : 5 take away 3.
En : oh 2.

A moment later, she came in, mentioned  no one buys her craft. So I said 'maybe it's the location'. En said "I cannot go out there. I need to ask dada 's help".

En used to comment " I don't like to work. I don't like to get out of the apt. I don't like to drive. Hui drives and bring me food  when asked "what would you do in future".

Then one day, last December, at DPC playground, she asked me " Do you like this(pointed to Northshore) or that (Zenia)? I said "If I am single, I love Northshore. Now that I have children, Zenia would be more appropriate as it's has garden and compound for you to play. En added "Ok, I'll buy this (pointed to Zenia) but not now. I need to sell lots lots of books first" (at that moment, her ambition was an author). Zenia and Northshore Gardens
Her first ambition was a kangaroo zoo keeper, falling in love with kangaroos at aged 4. Then, she wanted to be an astronaut, wondering what up there is like. Follow by cleaner (seeing cleaner aunty sweeping the apt), bakery business because she loves food, baking and cooking. Subsequently, author for a long time before changing it to animal trainer after experiencing feeding giant tortoises at Singapore Zoo last month.

She has been typing stories, short and whimsical. One day, she passed me a book (she called it) that she has printed and asked me for RM1. (she meant selling it to me). I took it happily, commented "wow! that's cheap. Ok. Then I pointed to a book at my bedside table - this one I bought at RM60!" En was shocked! :)

My RM1 book!

Yesterday, at lunch with aunty Rayhana & aunty See Ming, she blurted out "You know I start to make money."Aunty Rayhana asked "yeah, how do you make money?". En said "doing farming". 

There is so much thoughts in this little 6 year old ! (turning 6 next month). 

Cupcakes and Play 20 March 2010

Saturday.
En got Hui to be a baby and made her a babycot. She sang lullaby and read board books to the 'baby'.

When dad asked them to go to the car workshop, they protested with a "NO", "We want to bake".
Mom and EnHui baked butter cupcakes. They enjoyed baking! Hui didn't like the scooping of batter part as it's sticky, she said.

Left- EnHui engrossed in watching the mixer, spinning the ingredient.

Left- En adored the cupcake box that she has folded. She loves boxes.

Right- Again, they were so engrossed in watching the mixer spinned icing.

Left- While waiting for the cupcake to cool, they watched the cake decoration videos on youtube. Their eyes were glued to the screen. !

Right- Mixing the icing colours

Left- EnHui decorated the cake. Right- When dad came back, he joined in the fun.

When En scooped the icing into a ziplock bag, the icing was scattered all over the bag. She was sad and thought she couldn't it well. She said "What if I tried again, the same thing happen and I waste the icing". She walked away and locked herself in the room. After a while, she returned, tried again and happily squeezing the icing on the cake. I am glad she was able to sort things out alone and keep on trying.  

Left- The birthday people! Right- Our birthday cupcakes for Ping, Jane & Fai :)

First day of cny 14 February 2010

Sunday morning.                    

Dad was so obsessed with clear blue sky and less cars in KL & took some snapshots from the living room's window and apt. car park!

We went  "pai nian" at paternal grandparent's home. First thing that EnHui look forward to, the chicken coop at the backlane ! They love to hold chicks and feed the chicken.

Then, we visited grand aunt. EnHui and cousins(aged between 14 -10) conquered the bunk bed whereas the adults chatted in the living room. En quizzed the older cousins many addition sums! I think En is amazed of how she is able to solve sums now and got excited about it. She take sums as a form of play. The cousins found her weird and ganged-up to get rid of her. I saw how they got out of room and turned off the light, leaving En alone in the dark. En followed them out. They walked away fast and went back to the bunk bed, trying to trap En out of the room. This cat & mice game went on and on.. It just broke my heart seeing En, confused and trying her best to join in. I found a chance to explain the situation to her. Well, En is much stronger and nicer than I am. She took it with no ill-feeling at all and continue to play with them gaily.   

At the last open house for the day, po po's home, En  had a sudden urge to draw. She drew 4 drawings and did a page of sum that she wrote the questions herself.