Time to revive the blog and Reese is taking over!

Wow, have not updated this blog since August 2014!

So much has happened the past 2 years. Reese has grown a lot and going into preteen stage of his life even thou he is only 10 years old. Ha!

We are enjoying our 3 weeks world schooling adventure in Eastern Europe now and will be back in Malaysia end of the month. Next year will be an interesting year because for the 1st time, Reese will be going to school!! Hoping for the best and praying for a smooth transition from homeschooling to schooling!

Reese will blog about his adventure in Eastern Europe soon. Stay tuned!

Another Great Online Bookstore

Most of you know that I buy a lot of books from the USA. Buying from a local bookstore is usually more expensive. So I  hunt down books from book fairs. I save a lot of money but I will never get the latest titles especially non fiction. Not to mention a lot of time wasted  and constant backache from digging piles and piles of dusty books. So my only option to get cheaper books is through  Bookdepository and sometimes Amazon. There are disadvantages thou. Books take 3 to 4 weeks to arrive and sometimes get lost in the mail.

Recently a friend introduce me to http://www.noqstore.asia and I was delighted. They carry a wide range of books and the best thing is.... it is cheaper than local bookstores! Definitely worth checking out. They guarantee that their prices are the lowest around. I did a check and it is true. :)

For those who use Singapore textbooks or assessment books for primary and secondary.... GOOD NEWS! You can buy them at at NoQ Store online store. It is free delivery in Malaysia.

By pure luck, 2 weeks ago, I received an email telling me that my readers are entitled to an exclusive 15% discount on all purchases at NoQ Store when you use code REESE at checkout.

Discount code is valid from 11 August - 31 December 2014.

Science Fair 2014

Dear all, make a date with us on 18th August 2014. Reese and his homeschooling friends are working very hard to make our 1st science fair a success! We need your support! Reese is doing microbiology where he is growing bacteria! He is also doing a science showcase on fungi. His favourite subject right now. :)

Researching his projects

Carried 5 mounting boards and walked 10 minutes from stationery shop to my car.... when one is motivated, nothing can stop him :)

Science Co-Op at Janda Baik

Recently our science co-op decided to have a science review close to nature. We went out of town about 45 minutes drive from KL to Janda Baik. Found a nice river with Gazebos for rent.

The kids did their science review and then we had BBQ and water play in the river. It was so refreshing! Simple food and fun. Couldn't ask for more. The beauty of homeschooling. We bring learning everywhere!  :)

A beautiful location

One of the daddy that came with us! 

Reese presenting his work. Totally a unique experience for the kids :)

Kids favourite!

A very talented mother bought stingray and marinated it on the spot and wrapped it in banana leaf

Our 'kitchen'

Kids playing by the river

Food is everywhere

More food

Roasting marshmallows 

Smores!

Kids were so tired that they slept through the car ride home

Dark Caves

A recent visit to the Dark Caves at Batu Caves. Reese and his science co-op friends were studying about bats. It was certainly very educational. Learn a little more about bats and other cave dwellers.  You can find more information at http://darkcavemalaysia.com

 Reese and his friends all ready for the climb. We bought cheap headlights too.

Reese loves chasing after the pigeons

There were many interesting creatures in the cave

A huge opening and see how tiny we are

 This area is closed for conservation studies

Lots of monkeys around

A Walk in the Jungle with Professor Dr. Ille Gebeshuber

Dr. Ille and the kids

Recently we went for a really lovely walk at FRIM with Dr. Ille Gebeshuber a physicist and a teaching professor from Austria. She is currently based in UKM. Check out her talk on TEDxTalks . This is our second time meeting her. 

The crown of shyness unique to this biggest man made jungle in the world

One of the best hike we had so far. We hired a guide and he was very knowledgable, he took us to see various species of useful trees and plants including trees that are used to extract the precious 'oil' to make perfumes. 

We were blessed with rain just a few minutes into the jungle. The children were more than happy to walk under the rain.... Reese was not amused thou. He hated being wet and whined a little but decided to continue. Before long, he was having fun. He was proudly declaring that he over came walking in the rain....bla...bla..bla.... 

The kids had so much fun trekking under the pouring rain, jumping in the puddles, making umbrellas out of big dried leaves, Reese even dug out a 'footprint' and claimed that it was from a giant Amoeba. Dr. Ille was happily answering the kids questions, encouraging them to explore, play in the rain and feel/smell the plants and trees. While in the jungle, it felt so magical. We mummies also had a good time learning a little bit more about the jungle while beaming with pride watching our kids enjoying themselves. 

The very reluctant Reese when the rain started pouring but later... he was enjoying it

This place is so magical.

A poisonous mushroom

This is a black lily

 Enjoying the rain

 8 homeschoolers, mummies, our guide Yan and Dr. Ille

Reese attended a talk by Professor Andrew Fletcher

Reese attended a talk by Professor Andrew Fletcher on Life, the Universe and Everything. Topics included relativity, quantum physics which is something the boy loves! Surprisingly Reese was well behaved and thoroughly enjoyed himself. So glad that the organiser made an exception for Reese. This event was meant for teens. 

Reese was engaged and the speaker said he is dangerously smart! Haha... Reese seemed to know everything he was presenting to the audience. I am so glad that Reese was able to engage really well intellectually. Just wish there were more such opportunities. 

He was so excited about the talk and he dressed his best the next morning. The cane is his latest fashion accessory. :)

Break time and a chat with Professor Andrew

Reese and Professor Andrew

What is Reese up to?

January- March 2014

1st Archery class. He loved it even though initially he complained about the dirt and mud (rained the night before).  He spent 3 hours with fellow homeschoolers learning the techniques of shooting training arrows. His motor skill in this area a little weak I would say. :)

One of the owners of the archery club patiently teaching Reese the right way to hold the bow

It was fun. The kids practised in a big field and they get to shoot different targets. They have 3 instructors at hand to guide them

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Learning Bahasa Malaysia

The boy has started learning BM from me. On his 1st lesson, he is able to construct simple sentences with his limited vocabulary. He is enjoying it. Mummy gets to make use of what she knows!

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Recently the boy did something that got me so enraged that I banned him from iPad. No iPad for weeks! So what did he do to kill boredom?

 Make sculptures with everyday things..... Pretend play with self made props....

Reading even more books

Inventing stuff...A gold press machine complete with a conveyer belt and different levers and a pulley system

So parents, it is a good idea to impose gadget less days once in a while. It can seriously bring out the creativity and imagination of your children! 

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Reese:Mum, here is the Parthenon. A small scaled version.
Me: Why is the roof red?
Reese: I theorised that the roof was once red because of the tiles.
Reese: See how my structure was built? (Remove a small section to reveal the internal parts). I have added internal columns to stop the outer pillars from splaying out and causing the model to collapse.

He loves architecture and engineering... A very big possibility that he will one day choose a career in these areas.

Parthenon by Reese

The great library by Reese and daddy

Built by Reese and hubby. According to Reese, this is the great library. I am thankful to have a very supportive husband who loves his son to bits. Even after a tiring day at work he will still spend time with his son building stuff using Lego. He is Reese's mentor when it comes to Lego!!

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Reese's way of fighting terrorist...

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The boy suddenly wanted to try his hand on drawing portraits..... This is a portrait of himself at the age of 40+ and smoking a dry ice pipe! Hehehe

Praying for his grandma at the hospital. This boy loves all his grandparents dearly. He was able to hang around the hospital for hours without whining. A good boy indeed. 

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Crazy boy gave me a shock one day. He shaved his head without my knowledge. He convinced his dad to let him do it. Grrrrr.... I don't like it at all.

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Playing scientist. Simple fun with science apparatus we bought and inherited. :)

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The boy's latest craze. Capital cities of the world.

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The boy's 2 pet hamsters. Hopefully he will be responsible to care and love his pets.