Connor can read: Phonics and Reading with McGuffey

Sometime ago, my friend who runs a blog called Figur8 wrote about an app called Phonics and Reading with McGuffey.  I clicked on it and saw it was free for a limited time period.  So I figured what the heck... and downloaded it onto the iPad for my little man.

Now, I had wanted to start him on reading last year but with his speech therapy, I was advised to put that on hold.  Why?  Because we had to work on his understanding of language first before teaching him how to recognise the symbols for that language.  Gotta learn to walk before you can run.  So I put aside all thoughts of teaching him to read and focused on teaching him how to talk properly first.

A year later and now-we-can't-shut-Connor-up later, I decided to try reading again.  I dunno if it's just my inadequacies as a teacher or something but Connor was NOT interested.  At all.  Luckily the app appeared.

I tried the app out first and found it utterly BORING.  It was so dreary.  The flat voice-over almost killed me with boredom.  Bleh.  I handed it to my son anyway.  Who of course found it the most amazing, absorbing, interesting app he'd ever had.

He played with it a lot.  I don't mind him playing with educational apps.  And of course the inevitable happened.

Connor somehow taught himself to read with the help of the app.

Ta-dah!

How did I know?  Well, because he began reading out things to me.  I was SO thrilled!  Dear Hubby and I thought they must have been teaching phonics and stuff at school.  We thought what he learnt at school + the iPad app = him reading

Until today that is.   I was asking Teacher how Connor was doing and she said he's doing fine.  She then asked me, "Are you teaching him to read at home?"  I said, "Oh not really but he has this phonics app on the iPad that he really enjoys.  Why?" "Because he can read.  We don't really teach phonics now in Nursery, just letter sounds for a few letters but not whole word phonics.  So I was surprised when he could read."  She went on to describe the times Connor would read stuff out in class after sounding it phonetically himself.

And you know what?  I felt really happy.  Utterly relieved.  My son, who could not talk properly a year plus ago, can read.  And he taught himself how to do it.

When we first started seeing Mario for speech therapy, I had worried and worried if Connor was slow and would need help in school later.  Mario was surprised I even thought that, he said no, it was obvious Connor was quite bright.  Just not talking.  Not talking is not the same as un-bright.  Not talking just means not talking.

So now at night, my son reads me a bedtime story before he goes to bed.  It used to be just me reading to him.  I pick books geared at beginners and he reads them to me.  He needs help on more complicated words but he's working on it.  I still read to him of course... I read him the more difficult stories.

Try this app if you're looking for a phonics app for your child.  It really helped Connor and he really enjoys it.

Mummy 101: Helping your child with shoes

Connor has a pair of Columbia hiking boots that he usually wears to school.  They are lovely shoes, perfect for Scottish rural life but unfortunately the left shoe looks very similar to the right shoe.  There aren't any obvious external markers on the shoes to indicate to a child which is which e.g. straps or a cartoon character on the side which might show a child which foot the shoe goes on.

I used to get super-annoyed with Connor for putting on the wrong shoe on the wrong foot especially as he tends to do so when we're rushing to/from school.  But looking back, I couldn't really blame him as even I had probs telling the right shoe apart from its partner.

One day, I had a Mummy Lightbulb Moment.

I was marking all his school belongings with his name when it hit me.

What I did was after writing his name on the clothing tags, I simply added in an "L" on the inside of the left shoe.  The right shoe got the letter "R".   So now Connor has a clear visual clue which shoe goes on which foot.

Guess what?

He's never put the wrong shoe on the wrong foot since.  Not only that, it helps with reading... "L.... L is for left!"

Why didn't I think of it earlier?  Now all his school shoes are labelled with his name AND the letters L/R.  We've never had a problem with putting on shoes ever since.

Number Two's gender

For those of you who are still trying to figure out the scans I posted... the colour of this snowsuit I bought should give you the answer.

School is closed - snow play!

School was closed yesterday due to the snow.  It's been snowing non-stop since Monday, nothing too heavy though so now we've got about 6 inches of snow in our garden.  I guess it must be much worse further inland and some children who attend our local school come from residential areas further inland.    

Safety comes first so if the school authorities think it may be dangerous for children to travel to school, they shut it down.  You don't really get the day off.  There are special snow day education packs online and offline for days like these so instead of going to school, you do the work assigned in the packs.

For nursery kids though, it was a holiday!  We spent the afternoon playing in our back garden.

First, the obligatory towing of child in sled around the place.  After two rounds, Mummy was tired as she's now carrying an extra 20lbs or so on her frame.  So child was told to get out of sled and find some  entertainment of his own.

We made snow pies.  A snow pie = 10 x snowballs packed together.  We then flung them high into the air and waited with eyes squeezed shut for them to land on our bums.  I can tell you a firmly packed snow pie makes quite a thump on the bum.  My son thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

And of course we had to make a snowman.  This is my first attempt at making a decently sized snowman and I haven't got the hang of rolling the snow up into a proper ball to make the body and head.  So excuse me if my snowman looks cacat.

Connor and our snowman.  Snow courtesy of nature.  Plastic red straws, carrot, blue milk bottle cap and green basin courtesy of Mummy's kitchen.

We only came in when we got too cold and wet.  I didn't buy proper snow gear for this winter but I will for the next winter.  The problem with wearing just plain ol' jeans to play in the snow is that they get wet and then we get cold.

So there you go - our fun day in the snow in our back garden.  

Kids' Toys: The yBike Glider

Many mums know of the yBike balance bike.  It's like a bicycle, except it hasn't got any pedals.  Kids use it just like a regular bike.  Their claim is that with regular bikes attached with training wheels, kids don't really learn to balance as the training wheels catch them each time they lose their balance.  They just learn how to pedal real quick.   With yBikes, they focus more on learning how to balance themselves on two wheels and that is really the key to learning to cycle.

Well, we didn't get Connor a yBike as he already had a Thomas bike for his 2nd birthday.  But we noticed he would always stare in fascination at the older kids in our condo development who had kids' scooters.  He received one for Christmas in the UK but it was designed for a much older child who could already glide and Connor struggled with it.

About a month ago, we got him a yBike glider from Toys 'r' Us in Bangsar Village.  He was so happy with it that we unpacked it right away and let him glide back down the connecting bridge (with Daddy's help).  

Man, I don't know why we waited so long to get him that toy.  He's absolutely in love with it.  It took him about a week to figure out how to turn.  It's real easy, just lean on the handlebars in the direction you want to go and the glider will turn.  The glider is really well made, soft rubberised edges to protect little bodies, feels really sturdy and best of all, it's really, really, REALLY quiet.

We've cleared a path in our apartment so that Connor can glide from one end to the other.  He does so frequently and now that he's mastered turning, he goes round and round in ecstatic circles round our dining table.  When we had one MSN chat session with Nana in Liverpool, we picked up the laptop and let her see her little grandson zooming gleefully around on his glider and she thought it was brilliant.

I think we paid RM200+ for the glider.  There are cheaper ones on the market but I feel this was well worth the extra cost as it's so sturdy and SO quiet.  I was out the other day in Mont Kiara McD's and one little boy went past with his.  Click-clack-click-clack!  My god.  I would go nuts hearing that all the time in my house.

Right now, Mothercare is having a sale and I saw it going for under RM200 so get it while you can!  Honestly, you won't regret it, it's such a brilliant toy!

Connor's progress at speech therapy

At last week's session, Mario asked, "Have you noticed any improvement?"

My answer was a happy and resounding "YES!".

What have I noticed?  Well, Connor's describing more things and using far more words.  He's also linking more concepts together.  For example, he has a shiny Ferrari.  A toy Ferrari though, not the real ones.  Naturally, it's Ferrari red.  He was playing with it and talking about his red Ferrari and how James (from Thomas the Tank Engine) was red too.

He's answering questions with longer sentences, mainly because I won't give him what he wants unless he asks properly for it.  For example, previously I would let him get away with "Juice?" or "Juice please?"  Now he won't get any juice unless he says "May I have some juice please, Mummy?"

At that moment in Mario's room, Connor was on the floor playing happily with the Thomas train track.  Mario's office is filled with his toys as his patients are all kids.  Connor was chattering away as he played.  "Stop, Thomas! The traffic light is red.  Now it's green! Now you can go!  Look, Mummy... Thomas stopping at train station.  The passengers getting on!"   Connor has a tendency to leave out "is", "are", "were", "was" etc so we're working on that.

Mario asked me, "Does he play like that at home?"  I replied, "Oh yes.  He'll talk to his trains like they're real and offer them juice and cookies.  Or he'll pretend to be a mechanic and fix his toys."  "That's good, that's good!  That's what we want to see."

He sat back and smiled at me, "See?  He's coming along very well.  I told you not to worry!" I smiled back and shrugged my shoulders "Well... I'm his mother..."

I am happy that Mario notes progress as well.  He said Connor is actually doing very well in the therapy and he's picking stuff up quickly.

Connor and speech delay

I'd mentioned before I thought Connor was a slow talker compared to other kids.  Well meaning relatives and friends comforted me with the usual "Oh, it's just boys!  Boys are slow!" and tales of their cousins/friends' sons/uncles etc etc who didn't say a word until they were four and then couldn't shut up.

But I knew deep inside something was not quite right.

End of last year, we had a school report.  The school also noted Connor's speech wasn't developing as it should.  They also mentioned that he showed signs of having ADHD as he's quite active at school and he won't pay attention to some things.

I immediately rang up speech therapists for a diagnostic appointment.  Guess what?  Most of them were booked solid for months.  Fortunately for us,  one of them rang back saying a patient had cancelled their appointment so he had a free slot.  Would we be interested in coming over?  I said yes immediately.

He administered a test which consists of flash cards and sequential story cards.  He would ask Connor questions.  At first they were easy ones.  "Point to the monkey."  They got progressively more complicated as we went along. "Point to the monkey first, then the giraffe."  He was also asked to repeat what was said in a story and the phrases got longer and more complicated as the story progressed.

Results showed Connor had a moderate speech delay.   When the therapist saw my alarmed expression, he said that speech delays were very common in boys.  He also assured me that he could help and with practise, it can be fixed quite easily as the delay was not related to a cognitive disorder.  That is, if the delay was related to say... Asperger's, then it would take longer to help him overcome the delay as there are other issues in play.

 When I brought up the issue of ADHD, the speech therapist was quite annoyed.  ADHD can only be diagnosed after tests and after the child has shown very specific behaviour consistently in different environments.  Based on what I'd said about Connor's behaviour at home and the speech test results, it was very likely Connor was being disruptive at school because he didn't understand what was being said to him.  He was annoyed the school had put the idea in my head as he could see I was worrying too much about it.

Connor now attends speech therapy once a week.  During speech therapy, we work on vocabulary and concepts like before/after, first/then... stuff that Connor hasn't quite grasped but should have.

I understand why the school brought up the ADHD issue.  I think their concern was if they don't highlight it and that turns out to be the case, the parent will accuse them of not spotting it and of ruining their kid's future.  Better to highlight it as a possible cause and then be wrong later.  I spoke to a friend who said her daughter's kindy had confided to her that she could be autistic as she kept having this spaced out look in class.  What the school didn't realise is that M was advanced for her years and was looking spaced out because she was bored!  M is now studying in the Aust Intl School here in KL and is a year ahead of her class.

What I really want to say is this - parents, you know your child best.  If you think there is a problem, act on it.  Listen to your heart, listen to what you know.  I know relatives and friends mean well with their reassuring stories and I appreciate that but this is YOUR child and his future at stake.  If you think he needs help, GET IT.  If you are worried that people might think your child is "abnormal" or "slow", don't be.  The earlier your child gets help, the better his chances will be.

I was utterly distraught the first few days when we had confirmation of Connor's speech delay.  My first thought was "Oh no, what about Cambridge now!"  LOL  After I'd calmed down, I thought of all my blessings.  Of what a loving, happy, good boy he is (apart from the usual toddler tantrums).  Of the fact that he is a healthy and otherwise normal child.  We knew Connor wasn't stupid.  He's just not talking as he should.  The therapist was confident Connor could overcome this easily with help.  Why shouldn't I as well?

Lately, we've noticed something has switched on in Connor's little head and sentences are just tumbling out non-stop.  We have been working on his speech, making him say more before he gets stuff he wants and it's working.  He's still not quite there but I'm happy to say that he's making good progress.

I just wanted to post about my experience so that other parents can benefit from it.


Speech therapists in Kuala Lumpur/Selangor:

Marios Genethliou (we go to Mario for speech therapy, Connor adores him),
KL Sports Medicine Centre
Damansara Heights
Tel:  03-2096 1033
www.klsmc.com

Care Speech,
Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, KL
Tel: 03-2161 6618
www.carespeech.com


Jennifer/Melissa Peters,
Tel: 03-4252 7611 or 03-7981 5958
www.speakeasyconsultants.com


EDIT:   Just for parents' FYI, this is what Mario charges:  RM200 for initial consultation, RM165 for each one-hour session thereafter.  The test he administered for Connor cost RM300

Tips on potty training

Now that Connor is almost fully potty-trained, I feel that I am more than qualified to dispense advice to mums who are seeking to potty train their little ones.  I have been through the ordeal! And survived!  Therefore my words of wisdom are.. erm... true! *lightning flash and thunder*

Okay.

When you read all the books, they all say the same thing.  Rewards.  Buy the potty.  Buy training pants.  Take them to the loo every 15 min or so (or whatever timing) until they get used to it.  Chocolates.  Stickers.  Potty training books and CDs.  But none of them mention the ONE thing that is sure to get them to go to the potty.

One GIANT cup of juice.

Fellow mummies, that is the secret to potty training.  All you have to do is make your little one drink one giant cup of juice and take his diaper off.  Pretty soon, the little one will need to pee and that is when you rush to the potty.  For sure your little one will pee.  Then you clap and cheer.

Repeat with another giant cup of juice.  If your little one is reluctant to drink, an IKEA curry puff or Maggi curry noodles usually helps things along.  "Ooh, Mummy.. it's so spicy!  Juice please!"  Ta-dah.

Repeat with another trip to potty.  After a few days of this, they will get the idea.

My methods may be unconventional but hey, they work.  Connor was potty-trained within weeks and we had very few accidents.

Cubalah sendiri.

Kids Stuff: Racing car beds in Kuala Lumpur

Connor trying out his new bed when it arrived

Okay, the wording on the car was kinda dodgy (Armani??? WTF???)   but what can I do... these were the only designs in the shop

Connor had outgrown his cot a long time ago but we put off buying a big boy bed because we were doing some work in our apartment.

When everything was finally completed, we went out and bought Connor his big boy bed.  I was all for buying a simple bed with bed guard rails but I'd made the mistake of showing Dear Hubby a racing car bed that was available in Harvey Norman.  It was the little boy in Dear Hubby that insisted on buying a racing car bed for our little boy.

But when we got to Harvey Norman, they had just sold the last of the beds and weren't sure when the next batch would be coming in.  I don't know who was more disappointed - Dear Hubby or Connor.

Fortunately, friends pointed me in the direction of Little World Furniture.  We went to the branch that's located just off Old Klang Road.  It's pretty easy to find if you follow the map on their website.

They had a whole range of kids' bedroom furniture.  They had a few designs for racing car beds and one lovely fire engine bunk bed.   If we had two kids, I'd probably go for that.    They also had girls' designs and some gender-neutral designs like a music-themed bed, animals-themed etc.  You can even get matching cupboards, desks and chairs with some designs!  Some of their bunk beds were quite cleverly designed to incorporate lots of storage.  I saw one where the steps for climbing up to the top bunk were actually drawers.  Good if space is tight in a shared room.

We picked this one, the price includes a synthetic rubber foam mattress.  WIth Harvey Norman, you have to pay separately for a mattress.  The raised sides of the bed keep Connor from falling out so we didn't have to worry about him sleeping alone.  The bed takes a standard size 6'x 3' mattress.

You know what's really cool?

The wheels work!  If you push the bed along the floor, it runs on the wheels.

We were there on the weekend and the bed was delivered on the Monday and they helped set it up.  If you want to buy this bed, I suggest you let the bed air out first as there is a paint smell when it's fresh and new.

Until next time, sweet dreams... vroom, vroom!!!!!!

Crocodile Creek backpacks are awesome!

Connor's Skip Hop zoo backpack was starting to fall to pieces so I started looking around for another.  Check these Skip Hop backpacks out, they are so cute!  We own the zebra design.

This was when I discovered it's virtually impossible to find a kid's backpack in KL that hasn't got Ben 10 or Thomas or Buzz Lightyear on it.  I didn't want to buy a backpack with a cartoon character on it as Connor's not overly big on any one particular cartoon.  If I bought Buzz now, he might just decide at age 4 that he doesn't really like Buzz anymore and refuse to use the backpack.

I searched online and found this - Crocodile Creek backpacks!  WAH.  So cute.  But they don't sell them in Kuala Lumpur.  Fortunately, I tracked down an online shop in Singapore called Little Sunshine that sells them.  They sell mainly to distributors and retailers but I thought I'd write in anyway and find out.

And yay! - I got me one!  I picked the jouster design as a nod to Connor's English heritage (King Arthur and his knights, anyone?).  This design is no longer available on the official Crocodile Creek website.

Auntie Beetrice was kind enough to help carry it back from Singapore on her weekend trip (THANK YOU AUNTIE B!) and I got it last weekend.  I am so thrilled.  The bag is very sturdy, the zippers are strong and chunky, the colours are wonderfully bright and we can fit in a whole lot more into this as it's much bigger than the Skip hop bag.  In truth, it's probably too big for Connor to carry now but I'm aiming to have this bag last him till Year 2 at school.

The bag!  It comes with a mesh pocket at the side for a water bottle.  That was one of my main criteria for a kid's backpack and it was amazing how many kid's backpack lack mesh pockets at the side.

See how much it can hold?  A storybook, spare change of clothes, pack of wipes, wash bag with his swim gear and towel... and space for more!

The front pocket has a handy label where you can write his name.  I know of many schools who insist parents label all their children's belongings to avoid mini-wars at school.

Even the side lining has jousters all over them.  A nice touch.

Connor with his new backpack this morning just before we left for school.  Cute bag or what!

Very pleased with my purchase, two thumbs up for sure! 

In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight...

What do you do when your son starts to look like a little lion with a great mane of hair when he's asleep?

You haul him off to Kwik Cut in Ikano for a hair cut.  We've been there before for his cuts and are very pleased with the quality of the cut and the professionalism of the poor hairstylist who's had to put up with Connor's screams and tears each time.  Not to mention their fabulous price of RM13 for a cut!

This time, Connor still screamed and cried but a LOT less than the last time.  It helped that another little boy was getting his hair cut before our turn and he didn't cry.  Connor was watching intently and I think he felt that it couldn't be that bad if the boy didn't cry.  I also figured out that Connor is freaked out by the hair landing on his arms so I dressed him in a long-sleeved shirt (the Thomas tee he's wearing in that sleeping pic actually!) and it helped a LOT.  I thought we were in for another disastrous time because Connor clearly remembered the last time we were there.  How did I know that?  Well, when he saw we were approaching the shop, he started whimpering and tried to drag me away from it.  LOL 

We promised him McDonald's as a treat later and when I asked him if he wanted to eat some chips, he nodded and said in between sobs "I want eat Coke and chips please."  So kesian!  A friend of mine joked that he was very well brought up because he could still say "please" even though he was crying.  LOL

He was hugged and cuddled and coddled all day long after that and we made a big fuss about how handsome he looked in his new hairdo.   

Think he looks so much better with less hair.  Here's hoping our next trip will be a lot better. 

The result!  This is Connor at the Mid Autumn event at Solaris Dutamas with his new boyish hairdo.

Budget Haircuts: Kwik Cut, Ikano-Curve Underpass

When Connor out-Biebered Justin Bieber in the hairdo stakes, we knew it was time Connor got a trim. I kept putting it off because taking Connor for a haircut is like taking him into a torture dungeon. He screams the place down all through the cut and at the end of it, Mummy and Connor are a hot sticky mess of snot, sweat and hair.

This is Connor before the cut.

We took him to Kwik Cut. It's located in the IKEA-Curve underpass. They charge a flat rate of RM13 for each haircut. If you're looking to replicate The Rachel, please go elsewhere. But if you just want your bangs trimmed or your toddler's hair chopped off, this isn't a bad choice. This is our 2nd time there getting Connor's hair cut.

Mummy was well-prepared for the Battle of the Hair. I wore a satiny finish sort of top so that the hair would all slide off. Don't wear a fabric top because all the hair will just stick to it. And don't pick a white top for god's sake. I picked a printed top so that you can't see the hairs clinging to it. I also packed M&Ms to distract him, the iPad, lots of wipes and a Thomas the Tank Engine tee for him to change into apres-cut.

So did the procedure go smoothly?

NO.

He screamed so loudly all the way through that concerned passers-by were coming into the shop just to see if we were kidnapping the child. Honest! My bro-in-law was standing outside the shop, watching our stroller and he said people were asking each other if some kid was being abused in the shop.

It took Dear Hubby AND me to restrain him before the stylist could do her job. The M&Ms didn't help either. He would pop one into his mouth tearfully, glance at all the hair stuck to his arms, freak out, scream... and yes, the M&M would fall right out of his mouth.

At the end of what seemed an eternity, we were done. Behind us were a line of customers, all staring in shock and sympathy. I wiped off the snot, sweat and tears and dusted down a sobbing Connor with baby powder and produced the Thomas tee with a grand flourish. We gave him big hugs and took him to McDs for a sundae treat.

This is Connor right after the cut. He looks completely different!

And this is Mummy shortly after we got home, all tired out from the Battle. Yes I was really asleep in that pic and had no idea Dear Hubby thought it would be "...so funny!" to snap a pic. One moment I was helping Connor build a tower of blocks to knock down. The next, I'm the one who's knocked down. Zzzzzzzz.....

The Power of Chocolate as a Teaching Aid

Chocolate is a wonderful thing. It is delicious. It tastes fantastic even when gooey. It tastes fabulous on bananas, toast, cakes... even on naked bodies! And it is a fabulous teaching aid for toddlers.

We used it to teach Connor how to say "thank you". You can't believe how much quicker the lesson is grasped when there's a lovely little chunk of milk chocolate up for grabs. It all started when my father gave his grandson an entire box of Cadbury's little chocs. We soon realised Connor became very obliging and obedient whenever one of those little purple rectangles was waved in front of his eyes. So I used it to teach "thank you". I tell you... he can't say "Enk-yoo!" quickly enough.

Chocolate can also be used to teach colours. This is a concept that Connor finds a little confusing. M&M's work wonders in clearing up that confusion. "Connor... if you want to eat M&M's, you can only have the red one. Which one is red?" and Connor will pick out the red one AND say "Enk-yoo!" at the same time. Brilliant or what.

Never underestimate the power of chocolate.

Our Thomas the Tank Engine Wall Decals have arrived!

They're here!!! And they look 100% like Thomas!!!! I'm so stoked.

I posted here about a company in Kuala Lumpur where you can get them. I'm very pleased to say that they arrived safe and sound and looking like the real thing. Definitely not like some ciplak Thomas. I've seen those before sold in local stalls.

Connor was so thrilled when I slid the sheet of wall decals out of the protective tube and showed him. "Mer-mer! Dercy! Jay!" (Thomas! Percy! James!) Yep, it passed quality control with the Thomas fan.

When I placed my order, I requested that my order be sent after 27 July as I knew I could be away from home then. And yes, the company actually paid attention and sent it out on 28 July. Well done. I was very pleased with that.

It's going to be a Thomas Home Interior weekend then.

Well done, IR Korea Deco!

Where to buy Thomas the Tank Engine Wall Decals in Kuala Lumpur

You can buy Thomas the Tank Engine wall decals from First Years in 1 Utama. But it costs an absolute bomb. I can't recall the exact price but I think it was RM100+. It looked really nice though, it was a large mural and I know Connor would have loved it.

Happily, I've found an alternative that is much friendlier on the wallet. I did a Google search and found a company here in Malaysia that sells them for a mere RM52. The wall decals are imported from Korea. I placed an order right away because Connor's fascination with Thomas is now bordering on obsession. I'm now praying and praying that they come looking like Thomas, not like some ciplak Thomas with the face looking not quite right.

You can order the wall decals here.

Happy shopping!