I actually have finished reading these 4 chapters many days ago but did not have the time to write the review. I'm happy that my first review has benefited some readers and even the author of the e-book had generously dropped comments, so we all can learn more.
I was thinking what is the best way for me to write the review of these further chapters, because I think they have more substances than the initial introductory ones. I decided to tailor it to best fit a busy working or studying mother, because that is what most of my friends are (who have been loyally reading my blog-thanks people!). I obviously will omit a lot of things so if you think you want to read the whole book you can go to www.learnerade.com and buy it using paypal-it's very easy. In a couple of months other payment methods will be available too.
Chapters 9-10 are about making learning fun and informal learning (actually you can get chapter 10 free on the website). Obviously very important because we are talking about educating small children, who don't know what they are learning are actually important skills for the future (like maths skills). If you can make learning enjoyable your kids will develop the attitude that learning is not a chore and they will have the willingness and drive to learn independently (ye lah sampai bila pulak kita je nak sorong2 dia suruh belajar)
But first, you yourself have to be interesting-lah! (gaya2 tak siuman yg bebudak suka tu ha ni lah masanya nak gunakan). See the child's feedback, ok..(jangan syok sendiri je). And don't forget to go down to his level.
Some of the author's suggestions are:
1. Use ordinary daily activities to teach him-like when you bake a cake you can talk with him through the chemical reactions involved (aiyyyaa-susahnyaaa sebab sendiri pun tak tauuu!!)- but last week I was cooking when Adam came into the kitchen and asked "are you cooking rice, Mama? can I help you?" (Adam memang suka sibuk2 kat dapur-especially kalau buat donut dia nak main tepung). 2 weeks ago I would have shooed him away, but this time I thought, this is my chance. So I made him scooped out the measurements, stood on a chair by the sink and watched me wash the rice and measure the water and put it on the rice cooker. He enjoyed it because he gets to play the water (which is a big no from his father) and surprisingly after the task is finished he stayed in the kitchen. He sat at the dining table and watched me cook other things and bombarded me all questions about rice and water (penat jugak nak jawab sebab balik2 soalan yg sama je-rasa dah jawab dah tadi).
Since we are all busy parents, you might want to grab any chance of stimulating your child (don't just wait for you to have the time to sit nicely on a table when you or him are not sleepy...) no, do it in the car when you are sending him to the baby-sitter (eg reading road signs or describing pedestrians), when you are cooking (put your baby on a high chair and describe to him your actions), counting the oranges that you just bought etc...
In summary- turn everyday activities into opportunities for learning (I like this one, easy to do, once you start you can never stop- I will stick to this even if I won't remember the rest of the book).
2. Challenge and reward him. Or play learning games or compete with you in a say, spelling game.
3. Involve your older child in your own activities- eg make the shopping list with him, teach him how to find things in the supermarket, compare the prices etc (hey, I think this is a good idea, never thought of this before). Similarly get him involve in planning your holidays / trips.
OK those are the suggestions that I like....
Chapter 11 talks about using holistic approach- basically it says that you cannot only focus on learning activities, your child needs play, good food, enough sleep etc. Your child needs to be generally happy and content-easier to teach!
Chapter 12 is about communicating often-regardless of what you talk about, frequent conversations will benefit both of you. But you need to have constructive conversations (or informal discussions).If you have a very small baby, just keep talking to him even if he does not understand yet because this will develop his language skills. For older children you can discuss about the cartoon episode that he just watched, or if there is thunderstorm outside you can discuss why you see the lightning first before hearing the thunder etc.
Ok will move on to more serious chapters next time (chapters of Fundamental Skills). Hope this review did help!
