Glue Suggested on Using Felt

1. White Glue (Take longer time to dry it)
2. Hot Glue (Faster to dry, Best of felt- felt, or other fabric)
3. Industrial Permanent Glue (Strong smell, but very very strong adhesive)

Source: Original Link- The Funky Felter 3 Best Glues for Felt Crafts

A reminder for myself

Don't be a slave to your lesson plan, 

be an observer of 

your children's attention spans and abilities 

from day to day!

--- Cheryl Hatch, Preschool Plan It

Glenn Doman Method

Learn from the stage of YOUNG BABY?!!

The baby Fatih has learned to read the Glenn Doman flashcards since the age of 7 months. See! Fatih can read  a lot of words now!


Glenn Doman
Glenn Doman (GD) Method encourages that young babies should learn from the early years. Besides, it focuses on the right brain training. However, differently from Shichida Method which is classroom-based, GD method is home-based. From this GD method, I get a belief with "Every child can be a baby genius!".

Glenn Doman's books:
1. How To Teach Your Baby To Read (1964)
2. How To Teach Your Baby Math (1979)
3. How To Teach Your Baby To Be Physically Superb (1988)

Doman's daughter Janet and son Douglas's books:
1. How Smart Is Your Baby?: Develop And Nurture Your Newborn's Full Potential (Janet & Glenn, 2006)
2. How To Teach Your Baby To Swim: From Birth To Age Six (Douglas, 2006)

“The more you test him, the slower he will learn and the less he'll want to do. The less you test him, the quicker he will learn and the more he'll want to learn. Knowledge is the most precious gift you can give your child. Give it as generously as you give him food.” 

― Glenn Doman, How To Teach Your Baby Math

You may see other links:

1. Doman Flash Cards (To create your own flashcards by using your creativity is rather than buying!haha)
2. Doman Method

Theory of Multiple Intelligence (Howard Gardner)

"Kids go to school and college and get through, but they don't seem to really care about using their minds. School doesn't have the kind of long term positive impact that it should."

-- Howard Gardner

Multiple Intelligence
Howard Gardner has identified seven distinct intelligence. Gardner (1991) purposed that children possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways. According to this theory, "we are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligence - the so-called profile of intelligence -and in the ways in which such intelligence are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains."

The learning styles are as follows:


1. Verbal-Linguistic: words and language
2. Visual-Spatial: 3D picture and motion
3. Mathematical-Logical: calculation and thinker
4. Musical-Rhythmic: songs and music
5. Bodily-Kinesthetic: body movement and hands-on activities
6. Interpersonal: an understanding and interaction of others
7. Intrapersonal: an understanding of ourselves
8. Naturalist:the nature

These are the Apps for multiple intelligence!

Source: 
1. multiple intelligence
2. introduction of howard garnder

You may visit to R.E.A.L Kids Kindy which using Multiple Intelligence Approach !!!

Pedagogy of Play

"Education is what the child does in order to discover...it is not about pouring information into an empty vessel."
David Attenborough, Enough Rope, ABC TV

"Play is about exploring the possible. In times of rapid change, exploring the possible becomes an essential skill."

The Power of Play

As we all know, a rigid education structure will prohibit a child to think critically. However, play is a powerful vehicle for learning, in which children can learn and form their knowledge through their learning experiences. Children will pay more concentration, attention to detail and show persistence when playing. Therefore, they always can learn better through play. We can also say that play is vital to a child's self-awareness, intellectual development and also their development of social skills.

"Learning experiences must allow children to use as many of their senses as possible, since it is through the sensory pathways that the brain interprets and creates its knowledge structures."

Queensland Early Years Curriculum Guidelines, p 27

There are few theories which state that children should learn through play and their senses, such as Montessori Method, Reggio Emilia Approach and High Scope Approach. 

Activity
The best and unique advantage of learning through play compared to other ways, I guess everyone know it... The playing kids who are sure FUN, HAPPY and ENJOYED!!! 

An example of Learning Through Play: Sight Word Twister

Materials:
Twister Game, Index cards, Marker,Tape

Or

you can use your own way to draw, such using chalk to draw the twister on a big blank paper. (It can be happened at outside or inside classroom)

Twister with Sight Words

Steps:
Firstly, fill each circle with a target sight word, letter of the alphabet, number, etc... (you can think of many different kinds of possibilites!)

Lastly, PLAY, LAUGH & LEARN!

Source:
Learning through play

PERMATA Curriculum

Concept of PERMATA

PERMATA program is a early years program for children who age from 0 to 4 years. In the early year of other oversea countries, there are a number of similar early years programs have been carried out, such as Early Learning Program (Australia), Early Childhood, Head-Start Program (USA), Early Years & Sure-Starts (UK), Foundation Year, etc. For more information, PERMATA Negara Program adopts the model curriculum which practiced by Sure-Start Program and PenGreen Center, Colby England.

Concept of PERMATA Curriculum

Neuroscience Research (Brain Research)
1. Babies' brain is fully complete after born.
2. Babies learn in the mothers' womb.
3. Babies continue to learn after born.
4. Malaysia pays less attention on below 4 years old children.
5. First three years is the most critical period to develop a child's brain.

"Every experience a baby has, forms a corresponding network in her brain. These networks allow neurons to transmit information involved in sensing, feeling, thinking, learning and remembering."

PERMATA Curriculum
According to the brain research, we know that children can learn fast and efficiently from 0 to 4 years.
Below are the modules which clarify the children's milestones according to ages,which are stated in PERMATA Curriculum practiced by UPSI:

Module 1:  0-6 months 
Module 2:  7-12 months
Module 3:  1-2 years
Module 4:  2-3 years
Module 5:  3-4 years

PERMATA also focuses on six learning areas (same with Pen Green Program):
1. Emotion and Spritual
2. Social
3. Intellectual (language, literacy, thinking and comprehension around the surrounding)
4. Physical
5. Self-Maintanence
6. Creativity and Aesthetic 

PERMATA Approaches
1. Pedagogy of play-Types of plays (Smilansky,1990)
2. Thematic Teaching
3. Emphasis on creativity and critical thinking

Special Features of PERMATA
1. Early communication
2. Early literacy and increase usage of language
3. Improve social skills
4. Personality, high self-esteem, self-confidence
5. Love God
6. Build critical thinking and pre-mathematics
7. Encourage creativity
8. Encourage sense of curiosity and inquisitive 
9. Appreciation to technology and environment


Source:
1. PERMATA Curriculum
2. Learning with play
3. PenGreen Curriculum

Theory of Constructivism, Jean Piaget

There Are Three Basic Components To Piaget's Constructivism Theory:

1. Schemas 

(building blocks of knowledge)

2. Processes that enable the transition from one stage to another:

(equilibrium, assimilation and accommodation) 

3. Stages of Development

(Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete operational, Formal operational)

Schemas

Schema is the basic building block of unit of knowledge. A schema can be defined as a set of linked mental representations of the world, which we use both to understand and to respond to situations. For example, firstly, a child understand a dog's look is from a picture book. A schema is formed when the child know that a dog has ears, four legs and a tail. 

Assimilation and Accommodation

Jean Piaget viewed intellectual growth as a process of adaptation (adjustment) to the world. This happens through:

Assimilation– Which is using an existing schema to deal with a new object or situation. 

Accommodation– This happens when the existing schema (knowledge) does not work, and needs to be changed to deal with a new object or situation. 

Equilibration– This is the force, which moves development along. Piaget believed that cognitive development did not progress at a steady rate, but rather in leaps and bounds. Equilibrium is occurs when a child's schemas can deal with most new information through assimilation. However, an unpleasant state of disequilibrium occurs when new information cannot be fitted into existing schemas (assimilation).

Equilibration is the force which drives the learning process as we do not like to be frustrated and will seek to restore balance by mastering the new challenge (accommodation). Once the new information is acquired the process of assimilation with the new schema will continue until the next time we need to make an adjustment to it.

For example in assimilation process, the child mentioned above expands his understanding of what a dog looks like by observing it in a park. The dog still has ears, four legs, and a tail. However, the dog has fur and it barks. At this moment, disequilibrium occurs. This is because the dog has fur and barks do not appear in the initial schema. When disequilibrium forms, the initial schema will be added the new information and the child will construct the meaning again. The new schema is formed which is a dog has ears, four legs, a tail, fur and it barks. At this moment, we can say that the child returns the state of equilibrium. 

For example in accommodation process, the child sees a cat with the same traits with the dogs in a park. However, it is a different kind of animals. At this moment, the child reaches the state of disequilibrium again, which is the cat does not bark but it meows. Moreover, parent has to reinforce the child and tell him that this animal is called a cat. Therefore, the child will reconstruct a new schema about the cat which is a cat has ears, four legs, a tail, fur, and it meows. The child returns the state of equilibrium again.

Jean Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development 

Source : Simplepsychology of Jean Piaget