Help, My Son Still Can’t Read! (Part 2/2)

Help, My Son Still Can’t Read!
(Click here to read previous chapter)

Don’t worry, there’s a number of reasons and steps to overcome this

By Vanessa von Auer | reprinted with permission from Today’s Parents Magazine

ONCE you identify one or more of the core problems affecting your son, you can now be proactive:

Social/Emotional: Involve your son’s school, teachers and peers. Provide him with much encouragement to strengthen his confidence and sense of self-worth. Help make going to school enjoyable to him.

Psychological: Motivate your son by making reading enjoyable. Some examples of turning a boring reading exercise into an exciting one would be “flashcards baseball”. Put some words he struggles with on a flashcard. Get him to try and read or sound them out. When he is able to complete this, he is allowed to move to the next base (which could be parts of the home environment i.e. the couch, the chair, etc.).

If he is able to read a complex word or sentence, he gets a homerun. This is just one example of adapting something very mechanical into something stimulating. The extra “mommy time” will also be very much appreciated! Get creative, folks! The more fun your son has the faster he’ll learn.

Developmental: If it does seem that your son is struggling more than usual with his words and has no other emotional or psychological challenges, then it is time to seek a psychoeducational assessment from your friendly neighbourhood clinical or educational psychologist.

This professional will be able to provide you with detailed insight into your son’s developmental difficulties. Identifying his core weaknesses are important so that he can receive appropriate intervention.

It is best to do so at an early age because as your child enters primary school, he will notice at some point that he is not able to keep up with his peers and feel “different”. Without further appropriate intervention, he will grow up thinking that he is not as good as his peers and his self-esteem will plummet.

Vanessa von Auer is a clinical psychologist whose passion consists of working with children and their families to ensure a healthy and happy family environment. She runs the VA Psychology Centre (VAPC), a centre that offers a variety of psycho-socio-emotional services to children, teenagers and adults.

Source: Help, My Son Still Can’t Read! (Part 2/2)

Help, My Son Still Can’t Read! (Part 1/2)

Help, My Son Still Can’t Read!
Don’t worry, there’s a number of reasons and steps to overcome this

By Vanessa von Auer | reprinted with permission from Today’s Parents Magazine

FIRST thing’s first – don’t panic! There are a plethora of reasons why your son may not be reading yet. The other tidbit you should know is that your son is not the only one who may not be reading at his age yet.

Being able to calm yourself is essential so that you can be the best “researcher” you can be.

You now need to proactively examine what is delaying your son’s reading development. There are the following possibilities: social/emotional, psychological and developmental.

Social/emotional: If he is not reading because he is having a difficult time at school (i.e. with peers, teachers, separation anxiety, etc.) then this is something that can be easily remedied by involving teachers (integrating him more effectively in the classroom cliques) or his peers (i.e. by inviting them to a sleepover, taking them to an amusement park, etc).

Psychological: Your son maybe averse for some reason to reading. It may not be stimulating or fun enough. Then, when we add the constant reminders that parents often do e.g., “it’s time to do your homework”, or “you can’t go swimming until you finish your reading comprehension”, he may wish for you to believe he can’t read at all to delay the unpleasant consequences of having to read.

Another reason may be related to attentional issues. If he has younger siblings who need more attention, he may temporarily regress to get mommy to sit with him while he reads.

Developmental: Your son may be coping with a learning difficulty. The causes of such difficulties are not well established but it seems to be a real biological/developmental problem. Your son is not being a rebel but he truly has difficulty with stringing sounds together, reading sentences or making sense of the words on his book page.

Click here to read Part 2: Once you identify one or more of the core problems affecting your son you can now be proactive.

Source: Help, My Son Still Can’t Read! (Part 1/2)

Expert Advice on table Setting

Setting It Right
Time to unpack your fanciest bone china and shiniest silverware
to glam up that special night of romance

By Nadya Huang | Photo by Koh Boon Wei | Styling by Nadya Huang and Sabrina Wong
reprinted with permission from “Expert Advice” by Home Concepts Magazine

IT’S global recession and you have important guests flying in town. How would you like to entertain them? Dining at a five-star restaurant may be tasty but it certainly is not tasteful. So, why don’t you just entertain at home? If you have no time to attend a crash cooking class, you can always hire good catering service. Just remember to bring out your best china and flatware to make your guests feel truly important.

FOR A FORMAL SETTING:

1) A service plate always acts as the centre of the setting.

2) A soup bowl is placed on top of the service plate.

3) A napkin is always balanced on the rim of the soup bowl or placed on the left of the forks.

4) Forks are placed left of the plate.

5) Knives are placed on the right, with the sharp edge of their blades facing the plate.

6) Spoons are on the right of knives. From left to right: dinner knife, teaspoon, dinner spoon, soup spoon

7) Dessert cutlery is placed horizontally above the service plate.
a. The handle of a dessert fork should face the prongs of other forks.
b. A dessert spoon, if needed, should be placed above the dessert fork in the opposite direction.

8) Beverage glasses should be placed above the knives and spoons.
a. A water goblet should always be placed on the most left, closest to the service plate.
b. If you are serving more than one kind of wine, glasses are placed in service order from left to right:
| water goblet, Chardonnay wine glass, Bordeaux wine glass, and champagne flute.

9) A bread and butter plate should be placed above the forks with a butter knife lying across it.
The featured formal setting would suit a five-course dinner that includes:
a. Soup, served with warm bread and butter
b. Pasta/rice course
c. Entrée
d. Dessert
e. Coffee/Tea

RULES OF THUMB:

• If possible, all dishware and cutlery should be positioned on a placemat.

• The service plate will act as an under-plate for the dishware of all courses served before the entrée. The plate is then replaced by the entrée when it is served.

• Remember that cutlery is used from the outside in. Cutlery used for the first dish should always be placed furthest from the service plate. For example, if you have a salad and a fish course before your entrée, your cutlery should be placed from left to right in this order: salad fork, fish fork, dinner fork; dinner knife, fish knife, salad knife.

• All utensils should be equidistant from each other and their handles should be straight and level.

Source: Expert Advice on table Setting

Authentic Fengshui for Modern Living

Learn about authentic fengshui from premier fengshui consultant, Adelina Pang.

Authentic Fengshui for Modern Living

Adelina Pang is one of Singapore’s foremost Feng Shui consultants and has had an active and respected presence in the field since 1995. Over this period, her expert application of authentic Feng Shui has been invaluable to organizations ranging from multinational companies to hotels and banks right down to football clubs, retail outlets and private homes. Her clientele includes prominent entrepreneurs and professionals as well as celebrities and members of royalty. Her no-nonsense professionalism in her job has established her as a respected professional worldwide.

Adelina studied under several renowned Feng Shui masters in Asia before venturing out on her own. Her brand of authentic Feng Shui, which goes back to original concepts of positive and negative Qi, has been greatly impactful to those who seek her feng shui consultations.

Listen to her at the 88DB City Events workshop. Click here for more details about the Fengshui workshop.

3 Characteristics Of A Good Tutor

How to find a tutor who is a good fit, knowledgeable and passionate?
By P. Sabrina

Tuition in Singapore

AS parents, the ultimate goal for your child is to see them improve both their grades as well as self-esteem. However, in today’s society, with the high cost of living, parents are required to go out to society and work. In other words, they are no longer able to put in just as much effort to educate and groom their child to achieve that ultimate goal.

What’s the alternative solution? Get a tutor!

Tutors are those who teach a specific educational subject or skill to an individual or small group of students. Such attention allows the tutor to improve knowledge or skills far more rapidly than in a classroom setting.

However, you can’t just get any tutor, you need the “right tutor”. But the question, really is how to pick the right tutor for your child?

Parents usually have a couple places they can turn to. They either ask a neighbor who might then refer them to someone down the street they heard was a teacher, or they will ask the guidance office at the school that will give them a list of twenty tutors or tutoring services.

They might even ask the teacher as well, but most schools will not allow teachers to tutor students from the same school for compensation and the time the teacher gives after or before school just isn’t enough.

Alternatively, in the age of the internet, parents can also plough through the list of Classifieds websites such as 88DB.com, which has its own Tuition category.

So exactly what should you look for in a tutor? Read more for some tips on finding a good tutor.

88DB City Events presents: Learn To Belly Dance

Learn one of the oldest social dances in world history with our belly dancing workshop, sponsored by Claribel’s Raks Sharki Studio.

Belly Dancing Workshop

What is belly dance?
Many experts say belly dancing is the oldest form of dance, having roots in all ancient cultures from the orient to India to the mid-East. Probably the greatest misconception about belly dancing is that it is intended to entertain men.

Throughout history, this ritualized expression has usually been performed for other women, generally during fertility rites or parties preparing a young woman for marriage. In most cases, the presence of men is not permitted.*

Read more and register for your spot at 88DB City Events.

*source: BellyDance.org

[88DB City Events] Healthy Cooking Made Easy

An exclusive get-together with Home Concepts

Health Cooking Made Easy

Home Concepts invites you to a special day with Chef Lynette Foo and Chef Bertrand Cheo. Get the insider scoop on how to whip up special gourmet dishes with little effort in your very own kitchen!

At this engaging and interactive culinary class, learn how to use Brandt’s quality cooking appliance to prepare healthy recipes like Zucchini Parcel – King Oyster Mushroom with Mesclun Salad, Pan Seared Wild Ocean Trout with Tofu & Honey Kumquat Sauce and Chocolate Mousse with Strawberry Jelly. Following Chef Bertrand’s presentations, with special annotation by Chef Lynette Foo, you will get to sample the 3 menu items, specially prepared using Scanpan’s PFOA-free non-stick cookware.

Visit 88DB City Events to find out more and register for this cooking workshop!

It’s Playtime Again This June!

Modeling courses, Kooky Cookies, Financial Education, and everything your child can possibly want
by Mavis Ang

GONE are the days when Singaporean kids spend their holidays cycling along East Coast Park, having sleepovers and building ‘tents’ out of blankets and laundry clippers, and having five stone marathons with friends.

Our children now are highly intelligent little bundles with endless amounts of curiosity and energy which need to be nurtured well lest they end up frustrated, pent-up, or restless. You can search and pick the most interesting summer programmes for your kids this June holidays with 88DB’s extensive list of children enrichment programmes, or browse through the most interesting ones we’ve spotted below.

Find out more about children enrichment programmes.

Cooking Tips From Master Chefs for $48

Great deal for foodies and closet cooks
By James P. Ong

IF YOU’RE a closet cook like most of us, the type who regularly surfs the Web for recipes and cooking lessons, then you’ll be thrilled to hear this news: five top chefs from all over the world are holding culinary lessons this Saturday at the Singapore Tourism Board, as part of the World Gourmet Summit.

According to the organisers, “each chef will be conducting a cooking demonstration and prepare two of their signature dishes.” And taste portions of the food! This is a superb deal especially for those who were unable to attend these chefs’ private dinners because of the tummy-growling prices.

For only $48++ per class, you can “witness the best of the culinary finesse of these international master chefs.”Each chef will share their secrets to the great cuisines as well as answer he enquiries.

Read more for cooking lessons from master chefs.

Design Your Own Cupcakes

Learn to make cute animal faces and more at Bake It Yourself’s pre-Easter cupcake decoration classes
By Mavis Ang

FORGET Easter egg hunting. Cupcakes are the way to go this Easter. And if you’re the type who wants to design their own cupcakes, then you should sign up for Bake. It Yourself’s cupcake decoration classes where you can learn to make cute animal faces and more.

Although it targets children, adults are welcome to join the class, but only if you’re an inexperienced baker like myself (and I enjoyed it tremendously), or you might get bored while the entire class goes crazy designing cupcakes using beginner-level ingredients and techniques.

Learn more about how to design your own cupcakes.