This is a video sent to us by our friends and we find it meaningful. Many times, we are too busy with our work and neglect that we our parents truly wish is our TIME. Watch this touching video
Excerpt:
I wish I could walk faster….so i won’t hold you back
I hope you don’t find me irritating….I’m just concerned for you
I wish i wasn’t such a burden….
I hope this New Year, you’ll spend more time with me…because I haven’t seen you for a long while
Now let’s put a smile on their faces, spend time with your parents this Chinese New Year
Mums@Work (Singapore) is glad to have Mumpreneur, Elaine (Founder of Today’s Motherhood) to share her experience of starting up a business with other Mums.
Come join us for this interesting sharing session, and get the opportunity to network with other like-minded Mums.
Date: 24th Feb (Thurs)
Time: 10am – 1pm
Venue: S’pore Council of Women’s Organisation (SCWO)
96 Waterloo Street Singapore 187967
*Tea-break, provided by a mumpreneur caterer will also be provided
NTUC FIRST CAMPUS VENTURE INTO NEW MEDIA TO ATTRACT THE Z-GENERATION WITH FACEBOOK GAME
1. NTUC First Campus (NFC) launched a facebook game, called ‘Skool Dash’, to give players a taste of challenges faced by pre-school teachers in a childcare centre. Making its debut at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Career Fair today, Skool Dash introduces the early childhood care and education field to a new generation of graduates in a fun and engaging manner. NFC’s revolutionary venture into using new media to attract potential candidates demonstrates the organisation’s progressiveness in keeping up with fast-changing times.
Game with A Difference
2. Conceptualised by a group of early childhood care and education professionals from NFC, Skool Dash took more than seven months to develop. The game developer worked closely with the NFC team and spent time at our childcare centres to get first-hand insights of a typical day in a childcare teacher’s life.
3. Skool Dash tests players’ coordination and responsive skills. It is presented in a childcare setting with four different zones: dining, playing, studying and sleeping. The aim of the game is to satisfy each child’s needs and players will earn ‘badges’ to mark their achievements. For example, the Naturally Enthusiastic Badge denotes that a player was able to answer each child’s needs in less than four seconds for a duration of two minutes.
4. “For Generation Z, often referred to as the digital generation, internet is a common place for them. Social networks and online games have become “The” way to engage with friends. To attract and engage this group of “digital natives”, we have taken an innovative approach.” said Ms Geraldine Lee, Chief Human Resource Officer, NTUC First Campus. She continued, “We hope to bring visibility of the early childhood care and education profession to the younger generation through our facebook game Skool Dash. By playing the game, potential candidates can have a better understanding of the early childhood care and education profession while having fun and be inspired to embark on the profession.”
5. At the game debut today at the job fair, players can had a go at the game and two movie tickets will be given to the top scorer at every hour interval; and the top scorer of the day will walk away with an instant camera.
Established as NTUC Childcare in 1977, NTUC First Campus Co-operative Limited (NFC) became one of the nine co-operatives of the National Trades Union Congress in 1992. With the social mission of providing quality and affordable early childhood care and education services to working parents, NFC is a renowned and trusted early childhood care and education service provider in Singapore. NFC childcare centres include My First Skool, The Little Skool-House International and The Caterpillar’s Cove. NFC is also a community of teachers, parents and early childhood care and education professionals working together to bring out the best in each child and create inspiring moments for all.
Prolonged cough or chronic cough is defined as a persistent cough of more than 3 weeks duration. It is a common symptom in childhood. 10% of preschool and early school aged children have chronic cough without wheeze at some time in their lives.
Chronic Cough Syndromes
The 2 most common causes of chronic cough in children are cough variant asthma and post nasal drip.
Cough Variant Asthma
Children with cough-variant asthma have isolated cough without wheeze that responds to anti-asthma treatment.
Features suggestive of cough-variant asthma include:
- Presence of cough between episodes of upper respiratory tract infections (colds/flus) associated with known asthma triggers
- Cough that is typically worse in the early hours of the morning when the child is asleep
- Cough that occurs after playing or exercising
- Family history of allergy
- No evidence of alternative diagnosis
Allergic Rhinitis (Allergic Nose) and Postnasal Drip Syndrome
Allergic rhinitis (Allergic Nose) and postnasal drip syndrome (PNDS) is one of the most common causes of chronic cough.
Helpful findings suggesting PNDS include:
- nasal congestion or discharge
- the sensation of ‘‘something dripping into the throat’’
- frequent throat clearing in the presence of a wet chronic cough
- cough that is worse at nap times or at night
- cough that typically begins soon after the child assumes the recumbent position family history of allergy
Respiratory infections
Viral colds/coughs may occur ‘‘back to back’’ and give the impression of a chronic persistent cough. A detailed history may however show short intervals between infections where the child is well. Children may have up to 10 upper respiratory tract infections in a year and such “back to back” viral infections are most problematic in young children attending childcare or nursery.
Some lower respiratory tract infections may also cause prolong cough, including mycoplasma, respiratory syncytial virus, pertussis, chlamydial and tuberculosis infections.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
Gastroesophgeal reflux (GER) is a functional or physiologic process in a healthy baby with no underlying systemic abnormalities. GER is a common condition involving regurgitation, or “spitting up,” which is the passive return of gastric contents into the esophagus. The prevalence of GER peaks between one to four months of age, and usually resolves by six to 12 months of age. In contrast, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is an abnormal process in babies manifested by poor weight gain and persistent respiratory symptoms. GERD is a cause of chronic respiratory symptoms including cough and wheeze, particularly in young babies.
Helpful findings suggesting GERD include:
- Regurgitation with poor weight gain
- Fussiness, discomfort and crying with feedings
- Stridor or wheezing
- Recurrent pneumonia
- Neck tilting or arching in infants
The presence of regurgitation of feeds is suggestive but its absence does not exclude the diagnosis.
Other Causes
Rare but important causes of chronic cough in children include foreign objects in the airway, inborn lung abnormalities and tumours.
Diagnostic Approach
The history should establish the severity and time course of the cough. Special features including day-night variability, fever, runny nose, relation with meals, habitual vomiting, production of sputum, risk of contact with tuberculosis, parental smoking, possible allergies, and vaccination status, should be sought.
Relevant physical signs include ear, nose and throat infections, chest deformities, abnormal chest sounds, evidence of allergic diseases including eczema, low weight for height and, sometimes, a low height for age.
Children with chronic cough may require a chest x-ray if none have been previously performed.
Lung function tests are helpful in supporting the clinical diagnosis of cough-variant asthma.
Allergy tests such as skin allergy tests are of importance in determining whether the patient has allergic asthma and/or rhinitis and for identifying specific allergens for which avoidance measures can be helpful.
Proper understanding and interpretation of these tests are very important to avoid unnecessary overdiagnosis and misinformation to the child and parents.
Treatment
The treatment of chronic cough in children should always be preceded by a systematic effort to exclude serious underlying illness and establish the cause of the cough.
Exposure to cigarette smoke should be removed whenever possible. Cough suppressants should be used with caution in children as they may mask underlying lung diseases and delay treatment. In addition, cough suppressants may have unwanted side effects such as drowsiness and may also suppress normal breathing in babies and young children.
The treatment of cough variant asthma includes daily low dose inhaled corticosteroids and as needed bronchodilators to open the airways. Inhaled medicines with a spacer device are preferred over oral medicines as they are associated with fewer side effects.
The treatment of allergic rhinitis with post nasal drip includes nasal sprays and oral antihistamines.
Parents should be instructed on measures to reduce contact with environmental allergens and irritants.
Dr Chng Seo Yi
Paediatrician
Special Interest in Asthma, Lung, Sleep and Allergy
MBBS(S’pore), MMED Paediatrics (S’pore),
MRCPCH (UK), FAMS, FCCP (USA)
Dr Chng graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1998. Her post-graduate qualifications include a Master of Medicine (Paediatrics), Singapore, and a Membership of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health,United Kingdom. She is also a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine of Singapore and a Fellow of theAmerican College of Chest Physicians.
Dr Chng underwent advanced training in Paediatric Respiratory Medicine and Sleep Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, USA. She received training in all Pulmonary Medicine disciplines, including asthma, cystic fibrosis, lung function, lung transplantation, sleep and technology dependence.
Common conditions managed by and common procedures performed by Dr Chng include:
a. Asthma and lung disorders, including lung function testing;
b. Sleep disorders and sleep studies; and
c. Allergy disorders, including allergy skin prick testing.
Practice Address : SBCC Baby & Child Clinic
Asthma, Lung, Sleep and Allergy Centre
6 Napier Road
#07-05 Gleneagles Medical Centre
Singapore 258499
Tel: 6475 0820
Edventure Books brings you Developing Early Literacy Skills Through Explicit and Systematic Phonics Instructions - A 3-day Intensive Workshop by Dr Alice Tang
Discover Fast Phonics with Alice for yourself. Presented through direct instruction, Fast Phonics employs a multisensory, systematic and explicit phonics instruction based on developmentally appropriate principles of early literacy instruction.
The Fast Phonics method trains and equips children with word recognition strategies that significantly strengthen their visual ability to identify word patterns, apart from the essential training of blending to read and segmenting to spell.
The Fast Phonics programme begins with prior knowledge of phonemic awareness to learning the letter sounds and culminating with decoding skills that give children a systematic strategic plan to read unknown words.
The 3-day intensive workshop of participative instruction helps participants acquire the requisite knowledge and skills that allow them to effectively and strategically teach the 44+ phonemes to young children.
Who should attend: Preschool teachers or parents who wish to teach phonics to children.
Dates: 12, 19 & 26 March 2011 (Sat) 9.30am to 4.30pm
Alice’s involvement in Singapore’s pre-school arena spans more than a decade. She is an active teacher trainer specialising in the implementation, modes of assessment and management of pre-school literacy programmes.
Alice completed a Doctor of Education with The University of Western Australia. Alice also holds both a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Management from RMIT University and a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College.
Her research interest lies in the area of: - literacy materials
- early literacy development
- literacy instruction
- teaching/learning strategies
Glenn Doman Mandarin Kit Volume 1 and 2 - comes with “The Amazing Farm / 奇妙的农场” storybook and a “Talking Pen” (Optional). Comprises of 1282 word cards
* 21 visual stimulation cards
* 635 single cards
* 100 couplet cards
* 60 phrases cards
* 20 sentences cards
* 330 sentence structure word cards
* 3 large blank cards
* 176 additional sentence structure words
Encyclopedic Bits
The Encyclopedic Knowledge Program provides parents with the tools they will need in order to organize and expand what they are teaching. Both parent and child will maximize learning and experience the joy of accomplishment with minimum expenditure of time.
The program will help you to:
* Provide baby with a life long love of learning
* Create his respect for knowledge for its own sake
* Broaden and enrich his vocabulary
* Enhanced his language development
* Increased his sensitivity to surroundings
* Nuture his ability to use information to solve problem
* Nuture his ability to relate one area of knowledge to another area and draw conclusions
* Enthuse him to teach others.
For more information of GD Baby products, please visitwww.gdbaby.com.sg
Stand a chance to win GIOTTO Decor products in Lyra Asia Singapore Valentine’s Day Giveaway Contest. We have 10 sets of GIOTTO Decor products worth $50 each up for grabs. Contest ends 23 February 2011. See below for contest details
Big on Heart, Easy on the Wallet - Great V-Day Gift Ideas!
Roses, greeting cards, chocolate … you’ve run through them all and more in your quest for great Valentine’s Day gifts. This year, why not put a little more of yourself into it, something that takes a little time, patience and care to create — your own hand-decorated, personalised creation? With a little effort and the right tools, you can transform everyday objects into colourful, fun, and perhaps more importantly, unique gifts that you can’t get at any store.
Turn an ordinary plain porcelain mug into a cherished keepsake with Giotto Décor Materials, which lets you add brilliant colour to porous surfaces such as stone, wood or rubber. Want a metallic touch? Giotto Décor Metal’s water based metallic inks are ideal for paper, wood, plastic, leather or glass. Or create your designs on fabric caps, t-shirts, wallets or shoes with Giotto Décor Textile.
With so many options from Giotto, there are no limits to the gift ideas you’ll be able to come up with!
Giotto Décor Materials is available in 12 waterbased, non-toxic colours, in boxes of 6 and 12.
Giotto Décor Metal is available in 5 metallic colours, in a cardboard box of 5 or blister packs of 2 (gold & silver).
Giotto Décor Textile comes in 12 colours, with special brush points, non-toxic permanent ink, washable at up to 40°C.
Giveaway Contest
We have 10 sets of GIOTTO Decor products worth $50 each up for grabs. Total 10 winners. All you have to do is
Every girl has a beautiful dream. In search of her own beautiful tale, a young Penang girl came Singapore to explore a world beyond her cushy home.
In her early 20s, Teresa began as a beautician in a local beauty salon. It was then when she developed a keen interest in the topics of beauty and aesthetics. Keen to further her interest in beauty and nail art, she began seeking professional knowledge through beauty seminars, talks and tradeshows.
In 2001, she imported her first batch of nail files from Cosmoprof Hong Kong and started distributing it in Singapore. This marked the dawn of Thyme’s Selection and her newfound aspiration.
Her business began merely as a distributor for nail files and accessories. Over the next few years, Thyme’s Selection became the supplier of choice for nail products amongst manicurists as well as many renowned establishments.
Teresa carried her ambitions further and opened up a whole new horizon when she launched her first label – Tsuya Tsuya - in 2002.
Tsuya Tsuya started its first Beauty and Nail Suite in Pan Pacific Singapore. In addition to the beauty services it provides, Tsuya Tsuya also has a variety of products under its brand, essentially make-up, nails and skin care. Each product has been formulated and designed to bring out the beauty of Asian women. We invite you to explore the world of premium quality by Tsuya Tsuya.
Korean Kids Boutique was founded by a Mum who loved to shop for her kids, but hated to pay the high prices. After all, kids grow so quickly and chocolate and fingerpaint don’t come out easily in the laundry! Now, she’s sharing these low prices with you on designer kid’s brands imported directly from Korea!
Korean Kids Boutique has a carefully edited collection that includes top brands, such as GOLDFISH, Mardi Amber Vintage style, Bonjour Annika , Ki & ruru, Pastel, Mery Jane and more.
We offer Off Season clothes at a discount of 30% - 60% below retail. All of our clothes are inspected for high quality standards, and are made in and directly imported from Korea.
How To Get Your Pre-Schooler Interested In Learning
Question:
How do I get my boy (turning 4) next yr to be interested in alphabets and numbers? His attention span is short so I need suggestion which are fast so he doesn’t get bored.
Answer:
You may like to start off by creating interesting and exciting games for your boy. You may like to have activities which are similar to games for your child to have fun while learning.
One of my favourite all time games would be SNAP you can replace it with numbers and alphabets.
The next game that you may like to try would be Treasure (Numbers/Alphabets) Hunt. First, hide some alphabets in the living room. Have your child to hunt for cards that have alphabets on them, once he found the alphabets, help him recognize the alphabets / numbers; and remember to praise your child for doing a great job!
Ms. Cynthia Lee has been in the Early Childhood Education sector for the past ten years. Her portfolio consists of being a principal at ChildFirst @Mountbatten; and setting up of pre schools. She believes in creating an educational environment that fosters a “love for learning” and a commitment to life-long learning. Ms. Cynthia Lee conducts numerous workshops; and has been a guest lecturer for AECES and Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
VAPC & AS3 (Autism Siblings Support Singapore) proudly presents
“Coping With Your Jealousy Monster” Workshop
Date : 7 Feb 2011
Time : 4.30 to 6pm
Admission is free but limited seats. Register by 31 Jan 2011. Call 6235 9602.
Workshop Content:
Understanding Autism can be confusing and for typical siblings even more “unfair” than the general sibling rivalry. This workshop will help the typical sibling process, cope and understand his/her jealousy towards the autistic sibling.
The workshop aims at helping the typical child remember that he/she is just as important as his/her sibling.
Workshop Outline:
Identifying triggers
Identifying negative feelings resulting from triggers
Excerpt:
Come join us for this interesting sharing session, and get the opportunity to network with other like-minded Mums.
NTUC FIRST CAMPUS VENTURE INTO NEW MEDIA TO ATTRACT THE Z-GENERATION WITH FACEBOOK GAME 
- Presence of cough between episodes of upper respiratory tract infections (colds/flus) associated with known asthma triggers
Discover Fast Phonics with Alice for yourself. Presented through direct instruction, Fast Phonics employs a multisensory, systematic and explicit phonics instruction based on developmentally appropriate principles of 
Dr Alice Tang (EdD)
Promotion ends 15 Feb 2011 so hurry.
With so many options from Giotto, there are no limits to the gift ideas you’ll be able to come up with!
In 2001, she imported her first batch of nail files from Cosmoprof Hong Kong and started distributing it in Singapore. This marked the dawn of 
Korean Kids Boutique
You may like to start off by creating 
Date : 7 Feb 2011
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