not-so-sick-anymore, the little man gave me this toothy smile when I took a snap of him
We’re only half-way through the month of March, but this early I cannot help but feel that I really need a vacation and soon. Caring for a sick child was never simple. It breaks my heart to see the little man ill and it pains me to force him to take meds! 😥 I am just too relieve that he is well now and is back to being his usual rowdy, active and playful self. We’ve also just finished his medication, and even when I cannot say that it went well, since there are still times when he simply refused and cried, by the third day, he got the hang of it and I was able to finish giving him one nebule without too much fuss. I can do away without them for a little while longer if you ask me.
a lovely bay window
I guess lack of sleep and the unnecessary stress started to catch up on me and I am feeling rather in need of a break, a short vacation or even just a quick break from the daily grind. I find myself longing for the beach more often now and daydreaming of lush greenery, white sand and the bluest of beaches. Not to mention succulent seafood barbecues and beautiful and romantic hotel and resort bay windows.
Oh well, I know we won’t be hitting the beach anytime sooner, but I will make sure that we have some water fun soon. If only it can be done in a snap, I would really love to put up the inflatable pool now so the little man and I can take a swim. Anyway, if ever thoughts of the beach and the lack of it gets me down, I will simply delight in the thought that, at least I do not have to worry about my little man anymore because he is feeling a lot better now! :chic:
I got interested with brain fitness when I watched this informative Brain Rules for Babies DVD. Dr. Medina, who also wrote a book with the same name, believes that being physically active is actually key to brain fitness and successful learning in children. He also believes that children’s brains are more active and alive when they are in the playground bouncing about compared to when they are in the classroom and are actually studying. He also notes that the classroom set-up is the perfect anti-thesis to keeping the brain awake, active and ready to receive new information, and therefore, is counter-productive. Baffling if you ask me! I was thinking, “if this is so, what is the purpose of sending our children to school if they will not learn through that set-up, anyway?”
Since I saw that video, I have aimed to plan more physical activities for the little man, may that be as menial as going out for a short walk or running around in our little living room. I have to keep him active every way I can just so I know his brain is having the proper work out.
this might be a hazy photo but it is quite evident that the little man is having such a grand time! 😉
The goal to know more about brain fitness to help the little man lean more is what prompts me to sign up for the Brain Fit Studio intimate media event when one of my mummy blogger friends asked for participants in one of our groups. And I am glad I did! I had a very pleasant Friday night discovering about brain fitness and bonding with other mums in attendance. The little man found a haven and was at-home right away! :-))
Brain Fitness in a nutshell
Brain fitness is about having mental processes arising from more efficient and stronger connections in the brain. It involves activities that strengthen existing and building new brain connections. The brain’s fitness level influence the 5 pillars of cognitive development, which ultimately impact how we acquire knowledge, retain the information, apply what we learned and perform in excellent manner.
Teacher Marlene discussing the 5 pillars of the brain
The 5 pillars of the brain:
Attention and Memory {absorbs and retains information}
Auditory {remember sounds and words}
Sensory Motor {for holding and manipulating things}
Visual {which visualize patterns and interpret the difference between “b” and “d”}
Social/Emotional {which creates the desire to learn and build sense of pride}
The truth is Modern Science is still eons away from grasping the various concepts and functions of the human brain, but there had been more findings about it in the last 5 years than there ever was in the past. These neuro-scientific principles are what make the foundation of BrainFit Studio‘s personalized brain training. They believe that stronger brain promote better learning in children, thereby making them more willing and eager to learn, gaining more wisdom and having a sense of pride in what they have accomplished, making them happier children!
The BrainFit Studio Process
The first step is to make an objective assessment of your child’s brain fitness using the Cognitive Map, a tool that determines which of your child’s 5 brain pillars need enhancement
Recommendations are then made and a programme best suited for your child’s unique needs is designed. This programme can include any of the following modules: SMART Moves {for Sensory Motor}, SMART Vision {for Visual}, SMART Focus {for Attention and Memory}, SMART Move {for Sensory Motor}, SMART Listening {for Auditory} and SMART Emotions {for Social Emotional}.
Each module is made up of 20 fun-filled and engaging sessions, each lasting for 50 minutes. Each class has no more than 6 participants and each student’s progress is religiously tracked.
the little man giving the trampoline a go 🙂
Mums and children alike got the chance to try out some of the BrainFit activities and I must say they are not that easy, but totally fun and exciting. Jared had a blast trying out the trampoline and wouldn’t want to part with it. He also had a wonderful time trying his hand on the other activities that were lined up for the kiddos. It is also quite comforting to know that it is never too late for mums to have fitter brains, too, and at the end of the day, I must say we had a fitter and stronger brains when we left the premises of BrainFit in Greenhills.
Massive thanks to the BrainFit Studio staff for looking and running after the little man and to sis Ia, who blogs at Special Education Philippines, for inviting us to this event! :-))
The 1st Philippine BrainFit Conference
Of course, there is no way I can sum up all the wonderful things I discover about brain fitness in a post, so if you are dying to learn more I encourage you to attend The 1st Philippine Brain-Based Conference happening at the CEU Auditorium in Mendiola on 25 March, 2013 from 1-5pm. They are flying in Neuro-Science expert Dr. Martha S. Burns, Ph.D. from the US. Educators, parents and students are all invited to join. Admission is FREE and all you have to do is pre-register at brainfitph.blogspot.com.
For more information about Brain Fitness and the upcoming BrainFit Studio event do visit the BrainFit Studio Website or follow the BrainFit Studio Philippnes Facebook Fan Page, or you can always drop by their place at:
Little toddlers can be quite tricky to teach. For one, it is really quite difficult to engage their short attention span when they chose to be occupied with too many things at the same time. That is why I really make the most of those opportunities when the little man is showing keen interest on learning. Just like last week when he showed particular curiosity on the would-be shapes lesson I’ve earlier prepared for him! I cut out big papers and various shapes in small sizes in advance. I places the little shapes in a box. Jared chose a big shape to work on and he will search for the similar little shapes in the box to paste onto the bigger shape.
working with the glue stick
The little man enjoys this activity and I was surprised that he can now use a glue stick on his won. He was able to finish our circle lesson with just a little help from mum. After which, he was again occupied with some other things. This time he was bathing Iron Man with the different shape cut-outs instead of sorting and gluing them. Oh well, maybe we’ll just finish the rest of the shapes next time! 😀
enjoying his shapes lesson
For this lesson, I used materials that are readily available at home including:
several pieces of colored paper
glue {if you are buying one, choose something that is easy enough for the kiddos’ stubby fingers to use}
a pair of scissors
stuff around the house which you can use to trace some shapes like circles {coins} and stars
a box {i used a toy box} to put the little cut out shapes where your little one can sort through
