Book Review: Sherlock Sam

 

(Photo credit: Epigram Books)

 

First up, a confession. The authors of this book are my friends. So the book review could be slightly bias, just a wee a little bit!

 

This book is about a little boy name Samuel who prefers to be known as 'Sherlock Sam'. As the name suggest, he loves a good mystery, throw in local food, even better! In this series, a mystery landed right onto his lap when a family friend lost her precious Peranakan recipe book, a family heirloom. Together with his side kick, a robot he built himself, his elder sister and his classmate, they go in search of the missing book.

 

Mummy's rave:

 

1) I love the feel and look of the entire book. From the cover page, illustrations right down to the font size! The overall look gives an instant impression that this book is easy to read- and it is! With just nine chapters, this book is manageable for any kid!

 

2) Local delight! It is written by locals so of course expect lots of local flavors from the book. The book will bring you to places like Katong, Marine Parade and present to you local food like chicken rice. It makes the story very realistic to young kids since these are familiar road names and dishes they have tasted. I suspect this was one of the many reason why sonshine enjoyed this book. His eyes lit up whenever we come across familiar places and food.

 

3) Witty banter and use of words. I thought their play of words were pretty entertaining. Those with annoying, pesky siblings would also surely relate to the exchanges between Sherlock Sam's and his sister!

 

4) Perhaps it was due to my own expectation but the ending really caught me off guard. Throughout the entire book i thought i knew where the heirloom was (i thought i was the clever adult who could surely unravel a children's mystery book). So i was totally surprised by how the it was solved.

 

5) Entertaining characters. Kids surely will be amused by the cute characters, from Sherlock Sam himself, Watson the robot and the 'not so clever' classmate of Sam's. Each with their own antics and 'silliness'.

 

6) Rich cultural exposure. The kids will learn about the Peranakan culture, particularly the food. 

 

Sonshine's rave

 

To be quite honest, i think he was pretty much lost with all the dialogues. He is probably too immature or under-exposed to appreciate most of the on goings Although he understood enough to know simply that a book was lost, the kids went in search for it and then it was found! LOL. So i reckon this book may good for older kids like 7 years up.

 

Before this story, he didn't know what a mystery is nor the Peranakan culture. I was worried that he would be bored since he was not familiar with most of the contents. Surprisingly, he thoroughly enjoyed the book despite. Funnily, a recent show shot a footage of Buah Keluak (a nonya dish that you will read alot about in the book) and sonshine was so excited that he dashed into the room yelling 'MOM! BUAH KELUAK!'. Ah, yes so now he knows a little bit more about Nonya food.

 

Overall, sonshine loved the book. Everyday, after school. he would ask to read the book, two chapters a day at least, no less. He is now looking forward to their second book!

 

 I recommend this book to all local kids who appreciate a good mystery and of course good food!

 

 You can get your copy from Popular bookstores and i am sure most bookstores (i am not sure :P).

Disclaimer: I was not asked by my friends to do this review nor are they even aware i own a blog! This was written entirely on my own accord simply because sonshine & i truly enjoyed the book.

 

This and that

Last 2 weeks, Sonshine worked on Math, English and mandarin.

 

I have started Kumon grade 3 book with sonshine. He worked on multiplication problem sums. I was particular about him getting the multiplicant and multiplier right. It was down right confusing for both of us but i had to insist that he gets it right because this is what the schools are expecting.

 

My attempt to help him understand which is the multiplicant and which is the multiplier. I drew pictures and group them. I taught him that say 3 groups of 2 meant that we have to multiply 3 by 2 i.e 3X2 not 2X3 (yes, i know, both give the same answer). The page was eventually scribbled by doll, who else?

 

I love this Grammar assesment book. I think it really test the child's grammar. The questions are in multiple choice format which works very well for sonshine since he hates to write. And the questions are not straight-forward, requires some thinking and full understanding of the grammatical rules. The questions work as a check for me to see how well he understood the grammatical rules.

 

We completed 2 more chapters of SWKD. I must say he is doing very well. I appreciate that it does not take him long to remember and recognise new words. Phew. I dread it when it comes to doll cause i suspect she is not quite like her brother in this department. -__-

 

He learn to write two new words, one of which conincidently was a new word he learnt from SWKD book. Works well for me since it helps to reinforce his learning.

 

 

I wanted to inject more fun stuff  in our home learning. So i am re-introducing continent work to him, something he is interested in. I am hoping as he work more on this puzzle, it will edge in his mind the locations of the countries in the continent.

 

I also made cards on European countries. On each card is a shape of a country on the continent. So far, he has learnt to recognise Italy, Germany, Denmark and Sweden just by looking at their country outline. We also revised the capitals of these countries which he has forgotten.

 

Dolly good time

 

 

These were some of the stuff doll and i did these 2 weeks.

 

Matching puzzles

 

She loves my DIY button snake and can thread the button through very well.

 

 

I put this DIY zipper frame on the shelf for the last 2 weeks & she just had no interest. She rather practice opening and closing the zipper on my bag.

 

I taught her the concept of big and small. Using similar items but of different sizes. At first, i didn't think she understood it. Until one day, she took a small pink tower block and said to me 'mall' as in 'small'. But she hasn't said anything about 'big' though!

 

I decided it was time to let her try the Pink tower. I won't say she was very interested in it but we're getting there. At first, she would just stack them up randomly and try to push them down. But now, she is begining to stack them up according to its size.

 

 

This is how she does it. First, she would randomly pick a block and put it on the largest block (usually i lay the largest block down for her first). Then she would randomly pick another block. But if she realises the third block is bigger than the second block, she would bump of the second and stack on the third. And she does this over again for the subsequent blocks. Once she was able to stack the first 5-6 blocks correctly until she decided it was time to keep it away. -_- Oh well.

 

Another toy to help her exercise her visual discrimination skills. I would lay all the disc on the floor and ask her to pick the 'big' one. She seem to understood and was able to select the correct ones except for one disc.

 

Another variation of stacking ring. This was easier for her because there's a 'control of error'. Okay, i really don't know how to further explain this. I shall stop here. FULL.STOP.

 

She was able to stack the IKEA stacking cups in accurately according to their sizes, whoohooo! She did this by trial and error. When the cup doesn't fit, she would take them out and try another cup and so on.

 

 

Matching word to pictures. I am not expecting doll to get it right but my aim is to expose to word recognition and naming the animals. Right now she is able to name the animals but not the words. That's okay.

 

 

 

Matching the latter half of the alphabet. As usual, i would say the sound of each letter as she match them. I was delighted when she uttered the sound of 'm' while doing this! :)

 

We did some painting. Splashed a bit of pain and smear a toy car over it. I let her run the car over a piece of paper to make painted toy car tracks.

 

 

Matching shape puzzles

 

Tea party with my babydoll

 

Inspired by 'How we Montessori', i decided to make a self help station for the kids. I used a mini water dispenser, placed a towel (for the kids to wipe any spillage) and cups (not in the picture). The kids were excited and kept helping themselves with cups and cups of water. I never seen them drink so much water before! LOL!

Primary school oh sigh!

Sonshine is due for Primary school next year. How do i feel about that?

 

Dreadful. Reluctant. Heart broken.

 

It pains me to think that he is going to spend the next 15 years in prison, i mean, school. Everyone in Singapore knows schools here are not the happiest place to be. In fact, it is probably one of the most stressful, joy killer, childhood damaging place to be. I feel guilty and utterly sorry that he has to go through our educational system this way.

 

Despite my reluctance, i am glad for two things: 

 

1) I made the point to prepare sonshine for primary school work.

 

Sonshine's personality is such that he crumbles under pressure and stress. When that happens, his thought process will go haywire and all that he knows will fly straight out of the window in a flash! He gets very upset with himself if he fails to complete perfectly even if it is the smallest of task like putting on his socks.  So i am certain, if he goes to school realising he is far from his peers, he would crash into pieces and it would be quite hard to piece him back up. And his mother is also the panicky sort. If he panics, i would panic and you all can say goodbye to our entire household!

 

Also, i am glad that i can put off tuition for him for at least 2 more years. That will save him from additional work (from tuition), give him more time to play, sleep and just relax. Well, at least that is my plan that i hope to work out.

 

2) The choice of our school

 

By the accounts of other parents whose kids are already in my almar mater (which is the school sonshine is going), it looks like school work is pretty manageable, maybe even easy breezy for the first 2 years at least. I was even told that this school's work is even easier than assesment books. YAHOOOOOO!! My niece who is in Primary 2 comes home everyday and tells me there is no homework. Okay, that is because she is able to complete them all even before she reaches home. But that means it is quite easy isn't it?

 

Again, sonshine is the sort who thrives in a relax environment. The more chilled it is, the better for him. So i am really glad that the school environment suits his learning style and needs.

 

However, i am warily aware that in primary 3, things will take a sharp turn. That is where my stress level will go up. But, we'll take that as it comes.

 

On another note, i personally know some mothers who tell me that their pre-schoolers are struggling with their work. I sympathise with them. However, it baffles me why despite that, they are still insistent about sending their kids to the 'top', SAP schools. Why do that to the child? If its the parents' Alma mater or distance is the issue, then, that i can understand. But otherwise?

 

And then there are the other group of parents who decides to send their kids to the top school but still opt to take the 'relax, chill out' attitude. Do they really know what they are doing to their child?  I know such parents claim they don't really care for the grades and it is okay that their child scores borderline grades. That aside, what about the child's self esteem? Our school system can be very unforgiving and cruel to students who score below the mark. I can assure you that the school, teachers, friends, relatives will not hesitate to tell the child that he/she is a 'poor student'. Even if the parents say 'it is okay' but it is the child who has to battle the system all by him/herself each day at school. Everyday, somebody or something (simple things like reward stickers for good work) will remind him/her that 'he/she isn't very good'. Unless you are very certain that your young child's confidence and self esteem are strong enough to stand against the pressures, then, please don't do this to your child. Our education system is not one to 'play' with. It is no longer just about the grades, it impacts their self esteem and confidence. If they get damaged, they may bring this negative self worth into their adulthood, that's not good.

 

I am not saying that parents should expect fantastic grades from their children and send them for countless tuition to prepare their child. What i am saying is, make sure your child is comfortable academically enough to handle the pressures of primary school. Start them as early as possible. Sure, it is a 'kiasu' (trying to be ahead of everyone) syndrome but i would rather be labelled as that than to risk my child's self esteem, won't you? I am not confident that my child's self worth will still be intact after going through our education system. I think our education system has come to a point where being 'bo chap' (being care less) is damaging to our children's emotional being. So, as a parent, i want to do what i can to protect my children's self esteem. Sadly, one obvious way is to stay ahead of the game.  The other, of course, is to choose the right school for your kids that suit their personalities, abilities and learning style. Don't blindly choose one just because it promises over the top grades. So even if it is your Alma mater but if the school expectation is too much for your kid, then please consider some other school where your child will be happier.

 

We are all frustrated with our education system. But it is something we cannot overturn in a night. So meanwhile, we have to wise up and try to do what we can and not make silly decisions like sending them to schools that don't suit our child's learning style or choose to be 'bo chap'. I apologise if i offend any parent here. Just my honest opinion.

 

What's up valentine!

 

We had yet another bump this week with sonshine down. So, that's 2 weeks of being hostages to our own home y'all!

 

But, i manage to plan some valentine's activities for the girl.

 

 

 

Pasting colored cut-out hearts onto a large cut-out heart.

 

Stringing hearts. Should have laminted the hearts, it was too flimsy and doll even managed to rip one off!

 

 

Un-buttoning hearts. A tad too challenging for her at the moment.

 

 

Matching colored hearts.

 

 

I made this for doll to put cheerios on each of the white spots on the heart. BUT! She was too greedy and polished off the cheerios instead! LOL!

 

 

You can't really tell from the picture but she was suppose to match the various heart sizes onto the master copy. This was aim to work on her visual discrimination skills, learning about sizes.

 

 

Matching numbers. She somehow had no heart (LOL) to do this.

 

 

Sweeping cut-out hearts.

 

 

 

 

Another activity to work on her visual discrimination skills. I took out my heart shape cookie cutter and traced them on a white paper. She had to match each cookie cutter onto the paper. She enjoyed this very much and kept taking this out to 'play'.

 

 

And on V-day itself, i made heart-shaped bread for me son. 

 

 

 

On a different note, I've been reading 'The hungry Caterpillar' to babydoll. So, i decided to yank out my set of  props, i made for sonshine years ago. I retold the story to her using these props. I made sonshine retell the story too- great way to exercise his story telling skills.

All time favourite board books

I enjoy reading good books to my babies. Here are some must-read books on my list:

 

 

This is such a 'noisy' book! Filled with animals sounds from the front to the back! Although, i do think the illustration is not quite appealing to young kids, but both my kids love listening me dramatised each animal sounds. There's a mission for readers- find the goose who is sometimes well hidden!

 

 

My favorite children's author is Sandra Boynton. I love her cute illustrations. This is my MUST MUST read book! Even if i've 3rd, or 4th or 12th kid, i would & must read this to him/her! LOL!

 

 

Get up on your feet and get ready to dance! Reading this book, you can't resist joining in the animals' dance. Even if you don't, you would surely be tapping your feet as you read through the rythmic text.

 

 

Another must read Sandra Boynton book! This is a great book to read at night, very funny! I love to read dramatically at the begining of the book and then quieten down at the end- and then pack the kid off to lala land!

 

 

Another great book to read at bedtime. I personally didn't find any good in this book but both my kids love it. Reading this book the second time around, i realised it's a good read & point book. Lots of things to see on each page. Good to teach your toddler on naming household items.

 

Need i say more?

 

 

I enjoy journeying through this book. Readers follow the bus as it make numerous stop. At each stop, different people get off at different venues. There's so many things to see at different stops.

 

This is a great book about colors. It was particularly appealing to sonshine because he loved trains. I haven't read it to babydoll yet but i think i should soon!

This is a great alphabet book with a twist! What happens when all the letters go up the coconut tree? They all come crashing down of course! A very enjoyable book and a must read for all toddlers!



Sonshine thoroughly enjoyed this book. I suspect it was the repetition that entices him but it was also the repetition that made me dread reading this book aloud! Still, it is an all time favourite books amongst many kids!

I am sure there are more but these are books that i can think of off my head.

Chinese New Year Crafts

We were bumped off this week when a persistent virus hit us, so we decided to scrap our Chinese New Year (CNY) plans & stay put at home.

 

I scrambled to search for CNY activities for sonshine just to liven our (okay, more like my own) moods. Pinterest was my richest source of ideas!

 

Here are some of CNY crafts we did at home:

 

 

Painting Cherry blossom tree using Lego stamping.

 

 

The final product.

 

 

Chinese calligraphy wannabe anyone?

 

 

Well, i just told myself to look at it artistically & it didn't look so bad after all. He wrote two of these &  i used them as last minute CNY decoration for my home. :)

 

 

Can you tell? It's a friendly dragon using cut out hand prints. Sonshine drew the a happy face despite me telling him to make it look fierce. Check out the blue pom pom eyes!

 

 

We had a bit of fun playing Hong Bao treasure hunt. Instead of the usual money, i put in slips of notes in each packet. The notes could say '1 minute extra on the ipad', '1 jellybean!' or 'Extra game on the Xbox' etc. Things that i knew would make him excited. He had alot of fun playing this.

 

 

Practical life skill- peeling Mandarin oranges for Daddy.

 

 

Some non CNY stuff we did. Add some coloring in a plate of milk, give the kid toothpicks & let him doodle away! Watch how the colors merge and turn the milk into an array of colors!

 

 

Babydoll was the first to get hit by the virus. I gave her a bit of activities to cheer her up. Practical Life skill activity- slicing a banana. It was quite a mess. But oh well.

 

 

A tub of water with some cubes of ice. Water has an amazing ability to keep any child thrilled and delighted. It's free and readily available- one of God's best creation i say! She was particularly restless that day and this certainly perked her up.

 

 

Threading. She is quite a pro in this! She sat there and thread beads after beads without any help from me. Well done my girl!

 

 

Peering into big brother's box of toy trains. She loves to look for Thomas the tank engine & name each train 'nomasszzz'!

 

 

Stuck at home with an ill brother. What better way to lighten her mood than with paints?

 

 

The masterpiece!