ZALORA | Bringing Out the Best In You

Zalora is one of my favourite online store for shoes and clothing, but the store does not limit itself to only these. It features also accessories, watches, bags, sports good and beauty products too. Renowned brands like Adidas, SKII, Fossil, Melissa, Clarks, are marketed by Zalora as well. 

What I like about shopping with Zalora is the hassle-free, and secure transactions. It provides 30 days free return, free shipping for spending above $40 (can be easily achieved!), and excellent customer service. Zalora also has ongoing sales for popular brands.

When you subscribe to their newsletter, you would get a $15 voucher. Only for new sign up!

To be aligned with the Great Singapore Sale, Zalora rolled out a "Mix and Match" scheme till 11 July 2016, 12 PM, with a "buy 2 or more and get 20% off" promotion. Many items are further discounted, and hence more savings to you. It is very easy to get 2 or more items, like a bag, a pair of shoes, and a watch to go along. Ta-da! 3 items already! And you would be entitled to another 20% discount. How cool is that!

If you would only like to spend on items $20 and below, here it is! GSS Everything at $20!

And I thought the dresses were quite a hit! Can't help but kept scrolling down the page. Haha! There are certainly more products on Zalora than you think. Take your time to go through. I am pretty sure you would find something you need. 

Hold on! There are more promotions for men:

Everything at $15, buy 2 at $25

Denim on Denim (up to 60% off)

Feeling fingers itchy? Well then, hurry up before all these promotions end! Trust me, you would not regret shopping with Zalora.

Love
BeezMom Serene

Flash Cards: Simple & Versatile, Reap Their Benefits!

Flash cards bring great learning benefits to children of all ages, but have they been used wisely?

We all know that newborns and infants see picture outlines in black and white better than coloured ones. As they grow up, bright and colourful ones would be more appropriate. There are many types of flash cards around - cloth types, thick cards, laminated cards, etc. Regardless of the type of flash cards we use, our kids can only learn when we use them correctly.

Flash cards are simple and highly versatile learning materials, for children of all ages and even adults. It is particularly good for children of reading age, as they are visually well-presented, allow for practice through recycling vocabulary, and helps the brain to familiarise with the learned words.

Flash cards are good for visual and kinaesthetic learners, due to their colourful  and eye-catching illustrations. There are studies showing that children and adults score better in examinations, than peers who do not incorporate learning through flash cards. This method of learning enhances knowledge retention through active recalls to remember a concept, and to better understand new words.

Cards like the above are introductory to children 1-3, as there are touch and feel textured panels for their little hands to explore the different materials used to represent the animals' fur or skin. They get to learn the names and species of some of these common animals too.

For older kids like 3+, cards with words that are associated with our daily lives are helpful in their learning. There are cards with prints on both sides, one side with a picture and the word, and the other side with simple descriptions for parents to read and relate to the child.

Take for example, the flash card above. Other than introducing the type of fruits and their names, both the child and parent can learn facts like where and how apples are grown, which country produces the most, and the types of apples in the world. I bet most of us do not know some of these facts, right? Neither do I. That is how parents learn with the child too. (",)

Flash card teaching method is best when it is used for 10 or more consecutive days, at least 15 minutes each session. Concentration span of a child is relatively short, thus it is advised not to over-stretch the session.

While flash cards can be bought easily from anywhere, DIY can also be an option if you have the time to do so. Bear in mind when designing flashcards - use bright colours, interesting illustrations, simple layout, useful information, and the theme of the flash cards.

All right, time for you to re-think on how you can better make full use of those existing flash cards you have at home, or consider making a set for your little one.

Love
BeezMom Serene

Make Learning Chinese FUN | More!

Continuing from my last post on "Make Learning Chinese FUN!", I have a few more good books to recommend to parents. Mainly targeting at Preschoolers and Kindergarten children, these books contain brightly coloured illustrations, easy-to-read and understand sentences, and interesting hands-on activities.

If you could still recall the simple rule of learning a language, "listen-recognise-speak-read-write" , this book focuses on developing a child's ability to recognise basic words.

Again, themes that revolves around our daily lives are introduced here. Your child can cut the words out if he is able to hold a pair of scissors steadily and with care, and paste them onto the appropriate boxes to label the family members shown in the picture. Not only can your child practice his fine motor skills, he is also having fun. Even adults are attracted to the workbook. Hee...

This book on Chinese Language Usage concentrates more on strokes, sequence of strokes and opposite words.

Same thing as usual, do not rush down to writing. Do this together with your child - raise up one finger to the air, say the strokes out loud and trace in the air at the same time. Then, your child may attempt writing. There are some simple cut and paste activities for your child to engage in too. Who says Chinese is boring?

In your free time, sit down with your child comfortably and read a Chinese book. Books like 三字经 and 弟子规 are good to begin with.

弟子规 is a book of manners that we can teach to our children. It is illustrated in the form of comic strips. Prior to that, the book also has some simple explanations. Fun to read, and manners be taught. 三字经 is taught at certain preschools, like my child's. Though not the full version, at least she is able to recite to me. I enjoy reading with my child as it fosters a stronger bond.

Okay! I hope you have enjoyed the sneak peaks of these books that are useful for your child when learning Chinese. If you wish to know more, drop me a message and I would respond asap!

Love
BeezMom Serene

Make Chinese Learning FUN

Learning Chinese used to be a simple thing of the past, but not now. Majority of the kids now comes from English-speaking families. It would be a "thank-god" if the child understood what has been said to him in Mandarin. Even if the child speaks a little of Mandarin, he may sound a little "off", just like a Caucasian beginner.

Much has been reiterated by the government that it is important to grasp the ability to articulate fluently in 2 languages, at least. English and Chinese. A 3rd one would be a bonus (not dialect, pleaseeee...). China, being one of the largest and important pillars of the economy at present, makes it more prominent to us that Chinese and Mandarin is essential.

How do we then make learning Chinese fun and easy for our children? The old-school practice - Listen, speak, read and write. Notice that writing is placed last? Yes! Even babies learn their languages through listening first. The mimicking, learning to read and write comes at a much later stage. This holds true for learning any languages.

The approach to my 5 year old at home begins with books that have single, big words, and colourful pictures. These are some basic books for preschoolers up to Kindergarten, Book #1 to #3.

For a start from Book #1, my child learns words from themes like "My Body", "Comparisons", "Plants", and "Nature". Below is a snapshot of the content of Book #1.

Learning has to be kept simple and lively. Songs and poems are good to be incorporated too. Here, my child learns the basic strokes, understands how a character has evolved from the past, and how it can be used to form a word. There are reading and singing activities too. How fun it can be!

As language can only be mastered with diligent practice, it is best to either read daily or on every other day to reinforce learning.

For Books #2 and #3, we are ready to take a step further. Themes like "My Family", "My School", "My Home", "My Pets", "Market Place", are popular amongst educators. Children can relate them to what they see and do in their daily lives. Familiarity. When they can visualise and relate, they can learn and comprehend much better.

Do note that there are Hanyu Pinyin provided beneath each word. We can slowly introduce Hanyu Pinyin to our children as we use these books. It is never too late to start.

And remember, to aid in learning, point to things and recall what they are called in Chinese when you are at outdoors.

If your child is confident holding a pencil and writing, try simple writing books like the ones shown below.

How to make full use of writing books? Do not jump straight to writing them. Read along with your child on the words. Go through the different strokes and their sequence. It is important to build a strong foundation. Then, trace the dotted words, and slowly attempt. Don't despair if your child can't seem to write yet. Hold his little hand and try again. Give plenty of encouragement, and praise, praise, praise!

There are more books that I highly recommend, and would reveal more in my next post. If you can't wait to know more, leave me a message. (",)

Useful Links:

https://www.facebook.com/ShaoLanChineasy/
http://www.chineasy.com/

I hope you find this post useful and have an enjoyable time bonding with your child through learning!

Love
BeezMom Serene

Cordlife | Easy Peasy Eye-check with Eyescreen

Fear-free, tear-free, happy, eye screening for children

What do moms think?

It is never too late to let your child go for an eye screen, as many eye -related issues can be prevented and detected with early intervention. From as young as 6 months of age, paediatric eye screen is available. A regular optical store nearby your home is not able to  assess eye health for 6 years old and below. Hence, a Paediatric Optometrist, is the one who is able to help detect as many as 11 common childhood eye problems, with the use of automated Photoscreening machine and other age-appropriate supplementary tests.

Cordlife is having its yearly eyescreen now for children from 6 months old to 6 years old. Fees as shown above. Register your child now, by clicking on the picture above, as it is never too early to start good habits.

My children went for their first check up last year, and was a pleasant experience for them. Simple, fast, interesting, and comprehensive. They even get to do some colouring and watch cartoons on T.V. by the big round table meant for kids while waiting for their turns. The test reports can be sent and/mailed to you, if you prefer.

If you have any other enquiries, do refer to the FAQ.

Love
BeezMom Serene