Math For Kids – HEALTH FREAK MOMMY

Math Craze Cass Scores!

Today Cass gave me a very very BIG SURPRISE!

When I picked her up from school today, she told me that she scored 100% for her Math test! I could not believe my ears. I know that she is Math craze and can spend hours doing Math sums while waiting for her turn to see the doctor in the hospital. While waiting for our food to arrive when we eat out, she would also crunch on pages of Math sums from the workbooks that she puts in her little backpack.

To add icing to the cake today, she told me that she was the only one in her class to get a 100% for her Math! And she beat Ethan (who scored 92%), the top student in the class! Her class teacher asked all her classmates to clap for her! And she told me that she felt really shy LOL!

Actually I was not confident that Cass would even get 90% and above for her Math as I only did less than an hour of revision with her on the eve of her exam. We were out shopping at Mid Valley Megamall *guilt stricken*!!

When Cass told me that she was unsure of how to sum up money and panicked on the night before her Math test, I fished out my purse and did what I used to do with Alycia and Sherilyn, by using real notes and coins to teach her. De ja vu! I had gone through my nightmarish days of teaching her 2 older sisters money and hidden numbers sums and now it is Cass’ turn!

If you are struggling to teach your pre-schooler money, i.e. how to add up Ringgit and Sen, I suggest that you use real money to teach. It really does make a big difference when your child can see the real money and touch it. And she/he will find it very fun to be touching and counting 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1 Ringgit notes and coins.

Fortunately, my Math lover girl grasped pretty quickly. When I needed a break, Sherilyn took over and guided Cass.

Wawavooooom!! I am so proud of you baby girl! Keep up the good work and I can only hope that your interest in Math will never wane even when the tough gets going.

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Alycia and Sherilyn’s First UCMAS Class In School

I was waiting rather anxiously the whole of yesterday for their return from school. I could not wait to hear from them what they did in their first UCMAS class, how they liked the UCMAS teacher, did Alycia loose the money that I gave her for her to pass to the teacher and what they bought from the school canteen to eat for lunch. Sometimes I am ‘thankful’ that my life is on the fast lane. Time passes by so quickly that I do not have the time to worry about minor problems. Before I knew it, it was already 4pm and the entire house is filled with their noisy chatter again. I was so happy and relieved to hear from them that they liked their first UCMAS class. The first lesson was pretty simple, which was to count the number of beads on the abacus. They were so proud that they had to teach their mummy the abacus! I was never taught the abacus during my time in the early 1980s. All of Alycia’s fears and worries were unfounded. I could see a big relief on her cheery face. Alycia told me that she had finished the food that I packed for her and bought a skewer of fish balls to share with Sherilyn. Alycia and Sherilyn regaled me with what transpired during their time in school – who squabbled with who in class, who got punished, who ate what, etc. I was happy to hear that they are having some kind of fun being with each other during recess everyday. And Alycia is very pleased that Aidan and her are good friends 😀

Overall, I am very happy that Alycia and Sherilyn have each other as company during recess time everyday and when they stay back after school. And Sherilyn is loving school (albeit not liking having to wake up at 6am every morning) as her best friend Berlyn is sitting in the same van as her and in the same class with her as well. Berlyn is even sitting next to her during UCMAS class. They share food with each other everyday.

I am hoping that Alycia and Sherilyn will continue to enjoy their UCMAS class even when it gets tougher over time.

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Sherilyn And Her Math

So much for all the hair-pulling, stroke-inducing Math drilling sessions with Sherilyn, she came home from pre-school last week and happily told me that her Math teacher praised her for getting all correct for the Math sums. She proudly told me that her teacher informed the principal that she was the fastest in class to complete these Math sums with a 10/10 and said that Sherilyn is ‘very geng’! LOL!

I think anyone can be good in Math IF she/he keeps doing them. Math is all about practice. The more you do, the better you get.

Sherilyn at 6years 8 months

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Exam Season

It’s that time of the year again, when I am stressed up again over Alycia and Sherilyn’s final exams. With so much to do with my online store and so little time left to get my beauty sleep, I have to squeeze out some time now to spend with them to do revision. Alycia does not have much problems, except for being really careless and not checking her work, though I have been reminding her umpteen times to check check check her work! With Sherilyn, I can be really suicidal each time I set Math questions for her and see the output from her. I get so pissed with teaching her that my zits have popped out. Eeeeyerrrr, this morning I saw some big ‘stress-produced zits’ appearing on my face! Just don’t understand this girl. I have been teaching her the same thing over a zillion times for over a year yet she can still get her concepts all mixed up!! Maybe I should send her to some Math classes like Kumon or Enopi. Which one is fun and not boring can someone tell me? This girl needs something that is fun and colorful and not the boring classroom type of lessons.

Anyway to give due fairness to Sherilyn, I do think that the Math questions for 6-year olds from her pre-school is a tad difficult. It has the same level of difficulty for Year 2 pupils. In fact, Alycia is doing these sums in school now.

Do you think this is too difficult for 6-year olds? Teaching Sherilyn these sums are taking years of my life away from me prematurely!

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Sherilyn And Her Math

I normally go through the use of threats to get Sherilyn to do her homework or work that I’ve given her. With all the dilly-dallying and a bucket full of excuses from her, she sometimes takes days to complete 2 pages of Math questions from the Kumon workbooks that I bought for her. But sometimes, this fella would seem to be very motivated and can complete her work in a jiffy in under half an hour.

On 8 February, this was what I asked her to do. I told her that when I got out from the bathroom, she had better finish the 2 pages of Kumon Math equations, else there will be no dinner for her… and yes she did, she kwai kwai sat on the chair and without a word or sound from her, she told me that she had finished everything, in under half an hour! I know it’s still considered slow for a ‘Kumoner’ but looking at her past record, it’s considered good. She got all the answers correct with only one careless mistake. Not bad for a 6yo doing a Grade 2 Kumon Math workbook eh? I told her with delight, praised her sky high that she’s POWERFUL and boy was she proud LOL!!

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Math Is All About Practice

I try to ensure that Alycia and Sherilyn practice solving Math equations at least 3 times in a week. This is in addition to their school Math homework. I think anyone can be a Math wiz if he/she keeps practising it.

Alycia in full concentration…

The Math questions that I set for her. Do you think it’s too hard for a Primary 1 kid? The questions are a tad harder than the ones she’s doing in school now but I think it’s good to give her something more challenging to stimulate the wires in her brain haha! I want her to keep up with the A that she scored in her exam recently.

However, for the past 2 days, my kids’ butts have been glued to the couch and eyes glued to the tellie. I have been super busy with my online store for the past 2 days and haven’t had the time to read to them or coach them in their homework. Today, I MUST help Alycia complete her very first school project before the deadline, lest she gets reprimanded by her teacher!

Here are some cool stuff from my online store, Old And New Stuff For Sale :

DD-Q4341 Guess Orange Check Pattern Dress

Carter’s Colorful Flower Dress

E10171 B2W2 Rose Dress

E10183 B2W2 Princess Set

E10159 B2W2 Blue Superman Set

E10155 B2W2 Red+Black Set

80143 Romantic Flowers Retro Dress With Belt

68033 Korean Lantern Floral Dress

OD015 – Dress

MD001RD – Dress (Red)

MD010RD – Dress (Red)

Do check out Old And New Stuff For Sale for more great and affordable stuff!

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New Math Workbooks

These are the Math workbooks that I got the girls from MPH on Friday. Hubs said purchase of books can get rebate from Income Tax, so off we went to a books shopping spree and spent close to RM500. We received some cash vouchers from MPH and we shall shop for books again soon.

The Kumon workbooks cost RM24.90 each, frigging expensive eh?

The contents of the Kumon Math workbook. Kumon is all about practising and practising till your hands turn numb!

No. of times viewed = 1634

How The Girls Are Spending Their School Holidays

The first week of the school hols have zoomed past us really fast and it was pretty exciting for the girls. The girls’ koong koong and granny were in KL last week for 3 days and there was a lot of bonding time together.

In the morning, the girls are normally up by 7ish am, Baby too. As for me, I am getting up earlier and earlier each day to avoid ‘clashing’ with the gals’ waking up time, coz if it clashes, shiaks, my only me time would be gone. I really need my me time, I need a respite, I need time to run or work out in the gym. I am normally up by 5ish am and would leave the house by 6:45am to exercise. On days when Alycia and Sherilyn are up before I leave the house, they would pester me to bring them along. On Tuesday, all 3 girls woke up at 6:30am. So I strapped Baby in the stroller and brought Alycia along with me when I jogged at the lobby of our condo. Rascal #2 of course protested that she couldn’t go and I told her that she can follow me the next day. On Wednesday, rascal #2 followed me, with me lugging Baby along on her stroller.

On Friday, we went to Mid Valley and Gardens for shopping. I bought a stack of Math workbooks for Alycia and Sherilyn for them to brush up their Math. With the workbooks, I don’t need to write and set my own questions for them.

After lunch each day, Alycia and Sherilyn will take their shower. After shower, it’s Math and reading time. I will set 20 Math equations each for Alycia and Sherilyn. During this time, Baby doesn’t want to be left out and would normally latch on my boobies as she listens to me teaching her 2 jie jies. I hope she’s also absorbing everything that I teach her jie jies.

Here’s Alycia, all absorbed in solving her Math questions…

What motivates the girls is a big, big star when they get all correct, hehe. Kids, they are so easily satisfied.

Sherilyn solving her Math addition….

“10+5 is? Hmmmm……10 is bigger than 5, so I put 10 in my head and take out 5 fingers. After 10 is 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. So I write 15!”

No. of times viewed = 232