Thursday, October 30, 2008

Check up on 20 October 2008

My pregnancy is progressing well. During the check up, Jemimah looked fine and the water surrounding her looked good. She weighed about 1 kg.

The gynecologist asked whether I would opt for caesarean, I said yes and suggested 31 December 2008 as the date to perform the operation. He asked whether there is any preferred time. We said no, but preferred to have the operation in the morning.

After the check up, I happily announced to my family and friends that Jemimah will be delivered on 31 December 2008 – same birthday as my sister. This is the date that I wanted. The other option is 1 January 2009.

But…now, there is a change. My parents-in-laws disagree with the date. According to the Chinese calendar, the date clashes with my animal zodiac – Pig, and it brings some kind of bad luck. Mum-in-law suggested that 24 December 2008 is the best date. As Christians, of course, we don’t believe in this. However, out of respect for my in-laws, we will consider changing the date.

My next check-up is on Monday, 17 November 2008. We need to confirm with the gynecologist on the actual due date, and work from there. If I STILL opt for caesarean, it has to be done at least 10 days before the actual delivery date.

Well, we will keep seeking the Lord for His perfect will and timing for Jemimah.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Tadika Grace Community

(Grace Community Kindergarten)

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
(Proverbs 22:6)


On Wednesday, 15 October 2008, I registered Jordan for school next year at the Tadika Grace Community, Taman S. E. A. 3, Petaling Jaya. The semester will commence on 5 January 2009 (Monday).

(Tadika Grace was established in 1995, with the purpose to develop young children through a holistic approach in education. It aims for academic excellence as well as strong stamina, emotional maturity and physical fitness. Together with other qualified staff, Tadika Grace Community promises a proper, well-balanced child development programme for children's educational requirements.)

Finally, after months of prayers, we have decided to place Jordan at Tadika Grace. Our first choice was King’s Kids at SS Gospel, SS2. Unfortunately, until today (17 October 2008), Jordan is still in the waiting list. I actually made the booking early this year but their waiting list is extremely long. Moreover, later, I found out that King’s Kid do not provide day care which we may need in the near future. So, I had to look for an alternative place.

Initially, we thought of placing Jordan at Q-dees but a Christian based kindergarten is still one of my (not Seng Chor’s) main priorities for the school. (The swimming pool at Q-dees is so tempting.) I desire for Jordan to develop strong Christian values during his formative years.

It was Dolly who popped out this idea of placing Jordan at Tadika Grace. So, I decided to check it out and immediately register Jordan. I was quite anxious because almost everyone that I know, who has a child born in the same year as Jordan has either registered for school or started schooling. It’s October, and I was afraid that Jordan would not have a suitable school to go to.

Thank God that there are still vacancies at Tadika Grace. They have 2 classes for 4 year olds. The first class is already full, and so Jordan is in the second class. The maximum number of children per class is 18.

Though their programme seems academic, it will help prepare Jordan for Chinese primary school as Chinese schools are known for giving students a lot of homework. He will not have homework next year. Children will be given homework and provided with Chinese classes when they are 5 and 6 years old. For 4 year-olds, the focus is to develop their motor skills in writing and colouring. The programme includes Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mathematics, Science, Art & craft, Music & movement and Physical Education.

The time is from 8:30 to 11:30 am. Day care is until 7 pm with an additional charge of RM 200 a month. The school fee is among the lowest as compared to others – RM 180 per month. Miscellaneous fees (insurance, snacks, books, worksheets, exercise books, stationeries, art & craft, library and games) are about RM 80 per month. Overall, we saved about RM2000 (including day care), which according to Selvi, is about the price of a flight ticket to Perth. Hehehe!

Praise the Lord!

Ministering Spiritual Gifts – What I’ve received

26 September 2008

The Lord says…
Glorify Him
Bless His Name
The earth is filled with His glory
He is Almighty


The Lord says…
Trust in me and lean not on your own understanding

The Lord says…
Be bold and be strong

The Lord says…
I will provide you the strength to make that turn
I will give you anything that you ask, just have faith in me.
The train is arriving, get ready
The seed is small, but it will grow

Christine, the Lord Jesus says…
You are a beautiful Christmas bauble to me, colourful, sparkling, beautiful in My sight. I love you. I adore you. You bring me great joy. Let your beauty shine forth to reflect my own. Let our colours light up the night. Let our light, yours from mine outshine darkness around you.

The Lord says…
I will give you peace in your heart and shine a light to you.

The Lord says…
In peace I come. It is peace I want to give to you.
Do not be anxious for I am with you all the way, to love you and to protect you and prosper you.


The Lord says…
You are My precious pearl drop, so beautiful in My eyes, so pure and crystal clear.

The Lord says…
You are precious and the apple of My eye
I am with you always
No matter how small the things that you do for me, it is significant to me.

The Lord says…
You will do mighty acts for me
I will give you strength to fly like the eagles.
You are significant to me.
Seek me at all times.



29 September 2008

Visions/Words/Impressions received through seeing, hearing and feeling …
Queen Esther
• Position to exercise authority
• Influence
• Authority
• Represent God
• With God’s authority

Book with blank pages
God fill up the pages
The pages represent things done for God

Deep sense of peace
Not shaken
Fix eyes on Jesus
Jesus is my strength and source of peace

Precious child
You have done well
God is pleased with you
God sees your faithfulness
You will finish strong
Remain in me and I will remain in you
Psalm 37:4
Do not be anxious

Children
Happily playing together
Difficulties are small
Big things ahead

Worth so much in the sight of God
- Never doubt that
- Believe it
Enable to do much for Him within the family
God will answer
Press on
Fight for your family

Baby cot with baby inside
Everything is pink in colour
Hospital – holding baby.

Piece of jewellery (locket)
Precious in His sight
God will use me
God will bring people to me to share the good news
Bring beauty into others life.

Others
Fountain
Bridge
Diamond
Sunflower
Joy
Silver necklace with ornaments
Rule
Waterfall
Strength
White colour
Bunch of grapes

Garden
Peace
Strength

Crystal
Sword
River


In summary…
What I’ve received during that 3 days were consistent.
There were 2 main areas that God spoke to me:
* God will give me PEACE (with respect to Jemimah)
* I am a PRECIOUS child of God
(Christmas bauble, diamond, necklace, pearl drop)

I am really encouraged and blessed.

Praise the Lord!

Ministering Spiritual Gifts – What I’ve Learnt

About one month ago, Pastor Serena from the Baptist Church in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah conducted a workshop on Ministering Spiritual Gifts in my church. It was held from 25 September to 27 September 2008.

The materials were compiled by Dr Bill Hamon. In this post, I would like to share what I’ve learnt during the workshop. The workshop was divided into 3 main parts:

Part 1 Teaching and Activating the Prophetic
Part 2 Teaching and Activating Revelation Gifts
Part 3 Teaching and Activating Songs of the Lord, Warfare songs

Session One – Gift of Prophecy
On the first night, Pastor Serena laid down the foundation on the Gift of Prophecy.

There are 2 types of Gift of Prophecy:
• Foretell
• Forthtell

I was reminded of the purpose of gift of prophecy from 1 Corinthians 14:3 -
But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.

These are 3 main purposes of Gift of Prophecy:
1. Strengthening
2. Encouragement
3. Comfort

Pastor Serena also shared from 1 Corinthians 12:4 -11 on the type of spiritual gifts.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

We can divide the spiritual gifts into 3 categories

  1. Utterance Gifts (Mouth)

    • Tongues

    • Interpretation of tongues

    • Prophecy

  2. Revelation Gifts (Mind, Eye)

    • Word of knowledge

    • Word of wisdom

    • Discerning of spirits

  3. Power Gifts (Hands)

    • Gifts of healing (physical, emotional)

    • Miracles (instant)

    • Faith (to believe the impossible)


I was enlightened when Pastor Serena highlighted the chapter in between 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. What’s the chapter? Of course it is Chapter 13. Chapter 13 in 1 Corinthians focuses on Love which is the environment and motivation of the activation of gift. Isn’t this something beautiful? LOVE is the environment of the activation of gift. We need LOVE to motivate the activation of the gift.

3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.


Session Two – “GOD WANTS TO COMMUNICATE”

I) WHY GOD WANTS TO COMMUNICATE

Psalms 139: 17 – 18
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
God is continually thinking about us. 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. He is motivated by love, and communication is an integral part of God’s personality and love for us (See Psalm 95:7 – 8)

A) IT IS COMMON FOR GOD TO COMMUNICATE

Throughout Scripture we see God communicating to mankind and to His entire creation. He spoke to young, old, to sinner and to saint.

i) Illustrated in Genesis – God communicates through the spoken word, visions and dreams.
ii) Illustrated through the entire Bible – God speaking to individuals was a common occurrence throughout the Old and New Testaments. Below are just a few examples of God speaking to men and women, both the righteous and unrighteous.

B) HEARING THE VOICE OF THE LORD BRINGS US MANY BENEFITS:

i) It brings purpose to our corporate existence
ii) It brings revelation of His plan for us
iii) It brings protection to our lives
iv) It brings provision
v) It brings peace into our hearts
vi) It brings intimacy
vii) It brings transformation

II) METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

Old Testament Prophets – God’s Communication Channel
Jesus – God’s Ultimate Revealer
The Bible History – God in Written Form
The Holy Spirit – God’s Voice, Teacher and Agent of Truth
New Testament Prophets – God’s Spokesman
Prophecy – The Voice of the Holy Spirit
Angels – The Messengers of God


III) GOD CREATED US TO HEAR HIS VOICE

Proverbs 20:12
Ears that hear and eyes that see— the LORD has made them both.


Session Three – “DISCERNING THE VOICE OF GOD”

I) LEARNING TO DISCERN GOD’S VOICE

A) DISCERNMENT COMES AS A PROCESS OF GROWTH

Hearing the voice of God is not hard, but each individual must continually exercise his/her spiritual senses in order to grow in his/her “receptive” abilities (see Hebrew 5:14). The key to discerning the voice of God is to continually exercise our spiritual ears to hear. As we spend time with the Father and extend our faith to hear from Him, His voice becomes clearer and more distinct, and we become more familiar and attuned to how He speaks to us.


II) DIFFERENT MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

Isaiah 21: 2 – 3
2 A dire vision has been shown to me:
The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot.
Elam, attack! Media, lay siege!
I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.
3 At this my body is racked with pain,
pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;
I am staggered by what I hear,
I am bewildered by what I see.

Isaiah demonstrates different means of divine communication: a vision, a physical pain and hearing.

A) GOD SPEAKS DIFFERENTLY TO EVERY PERSON

B) LEARN TO DISCERN


III) SEEING

The ability to “see by the spirit” can be divided into three categories: mental image (by the Holy Spirit), visions and dreams (night visions).

IV) HEARING

Hearing can come as an audible voice to the human ear or it can come as a strong mental thought which has originated from the Holy Spirit to the human spirit.

V) FEELING (IMPRESSIONS OR SENSING)

Some receive from the Holy Spirit through impressions. The impression can be physical, emotional or in their spirit.


Session Four – “CHRIST’S COMMANDS CONCERNING SPIRITUAL GIFTS”

I) COVET EARNESTLY

1 Corinthians 12:31
“But earnestly desire the best gift. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”

1 Corinthians 14:39
“…desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.”


II) DESIRE SPIRITUAL GIFTS

1 Corinthians 14:1
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.

Mark 11:24
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
(Desire – Pray – Believe - Have)


III) STIR UP YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

2 Timothy 1:6
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

1 Corinthians 14:14 – 15
14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.


IV) EXERCISE AND USE

A) IT IS BY REASON OF USE THAT BELIEVERS DEVELOP THEIR SPIRITUAL SENSES

Hebrews 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.


B) OUR ABILITY TO DISCERN HAS ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES

(see Malachi 3:16-18; Revelation 5:10, 20:6, 22:5; 2 Timothy 2:12)

C) THE PARABLES OF STEWARDSHIP REVEAL OUR INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITIES


V) BE NOT IGNORANT

1 Corinthians 12:1
Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.

VI) NEGLECT NOT

1 Timothy 4:14
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

VII) DESPISE NOT

1 Thessalonians 5:19 – 20
19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt.

VIII) BECOME ADDICTED

1 Corinthians 16:15
15You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers,


IX) MUST MANIFEST MEMBERSHIP MINISTRY

A) EVERY SAINT HAS MEMBERSHIP MINISTRY

1 Corinthians 12:27
Romans 12:6

B) COMMANDED TO MINISTER TO ONE ANOTHER

1 Peter 4:10
1 Corinthians 12:11

C) MANIFESTING THE GIFTS BRINGS EDIFICATION AND GROWTH

Ephesians 4:16

Stay-at-home Dad

MEN, WHO ARE OPTING TO BE THE HOUSE HUSBAND TO SPEND TIME WITH THEIR CHILDREN, ARE LOVING IT BUT THEY NEED TO KNOW HOW TO BE EFFECTIVE IN THIS ROLE

By Rachel Goodchild

IT used to be a rarity, only happening when the dad was, for some reason, unable to work and the mother was able to find something to keep the family going.

However, roles are changing and more and more men are finding themselves not only at home with their children, but quietly pleased they got to be there.

Today, more men are opting to be the stay-at-home parent. But although they do a wonderful job of it, they lack the maternal instinct and patience that many mothers seem to be born with.

As a result, it can be very helpful to a stay-at-home dad or one seeking to be one in the future to have some tips and tricks for keeping himself sane and the children happy.

Don’t try to be mum. Mothers and fathers are very different in their nurturing styles and care-giving and one should never try to be the other. Simply put, be dad and be yourself. The children love you for who you are.

Like a boy scout, you need to be prepared. Children get hungry, cranky and bored very easily. Carrying all the needed essentials on trips will help make daily life a little easier for all to cope with.

Meet with other parents who stay at home. You may be surprised to find that many communities offer play groups for parents where you can get some adult time and the children can meet and play with other children.

Just like mothers needing time for themselves when they are sole care-givers, the same holds true for dads. Find time to go to the gym, out with the boys or just generally time for yourself. A dad with a lower stress level can care for the children better.

Routine is key. You will very quickly learn why the mother is always nagging about getting children home in time for bed and naps. Children are rather inflexible in their schedules and will show it to you quite loudly and quickly when over-tired or hungry.

Live in the moment. Get down and dirty with the children. Children look at the world through eyes of innocence and often by the time we reach adulthood, we forget how truly amazing the world can be.

By getting down to the child’s level, not only are they happier in their interactions with us, but we also get to relive a littler of our innocence.

When first undertaking the role of being a stay-at-home dad, lower your expectations. No one expects you to jump into the role and be able to balance all the housework and the children right away.

Let the dishes sit dirty till after the children are in bed or make do with whatever you have till you have adjusted to the stress that comes with taking care of children.

Be prepared for the stereotypes. Although the number of stay-at-home dads is on the rise, it is important to be aware of the judgement you may face from those around you.

Though times are changing, many still find it odd and refer to stay-at-home dads as Mr Mum or other such names. Fathers are fathers, and they can care for their children just as well as mothers.


(If you have parenting tips to share with Rachel Goodchild, write to her at www.drumedia.co.nz)

The art of parenting
theSun
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Page 20

Monday, October 06, 2008

Coping with Childhood Fears

PARENTS SHOULD KNOW HOW TO TURN STRESSFUL SITUATIONS INTO HELPING THEIR CHILDREN DEVELOP A SENSE OF BALANCE AND WELLBEING

By Rachel Goodchild

FEAR is a normal part of childhood. It comes with children learning about the world around them and discovering themselves.

As parents, we often seek to soothe our children of whatever troubles them and we approach fear in the same way. It causes discomfort in our children, thus we seek to remove it from their world.

But this is something we should not be doing!

Fear is an essential part of life. It teaches us how to deal with stressful situations and how to overcome them. Ultimately, it can develop a sense of balance and wellbeing in our children.

How can we best help our children to cope with their fears? The first step is to know the things we shouldn’t do.

We should not focus too much on it. Children learn in simple ways. We often allow our own anxieties and stress about certain things to interfere with getting the message through to our children. This is wrong.

The more attention that is given to a child’s fear, the more he may turn to it as a way of getting attention from his parents. In fact, the younger the child, the less time we should dwell on the fear.

It is also important to understand the fear itself. Children have wild and vivid imaginations and many of their fears, especially during the pre-school and early school years, are imaginary, such as monsters, ghosts and boogymen.

Reassuring our children is essential. No matter how little or insubstantial the fear may seem to us, we need to assure our children of their safety.

For a child who is afraid of the dark, he may not realize that his room is the same whether in the light or in the dark. Explanations about shadows and light could help him overcome his fear.

Do not enforce the fear by suggesting that the boogyman would get him if he gets out of bed when he should be sleeping as this would confuse him. It would also shake his trust in us.

Showing them that they are not alone in their fears can also help. If the child is old enough, talk to them about the fears we had as a child and how we overcame them. Let him know that we were afraid of and what we did or what our parents did to help us overcome it.

Childhood fears are a normal part of growing up. If we do not help our children to cope with it or learn how to deal with it themselves, it could become a bigger issue in the future.

Many of the fear we had as children grow into bigger issues in adulthood without us even realizing it.

By being well-prepared and open with our children about their fears and the coping mechanisms can help to ensure they are not plagued by fears that may grow into full-blown horrors.


The art of parenting
theSun
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Page 20

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Fify Boutique

For the past 2 – 3 years I have been buying clothes from one boutique – Fify in Centerpoint. The owner is from China – Fen Fei and she was an ex-KBU student who studied B A (Hons) Interior Architecture. Her husband, Ge Wei Yang was my student in the BSc (Hons) Software Engineering programme. She gave birth to a son last year. It was not easy for her to take care of her son and handle the shop at the same time. So, they decided to return to China for good. Furthermore, the husband need to find a job as well.

I got to know Fen Fei when she was working as a part-time salesgirl at a Korean boutique in 1 Utama. The boutique has closed down. After her graduation, she decided to open her own boutique. She knows my style, and often give me ideas to mix and match my clothes.

I did my final round of shopping on Monday, 29 September 2008. I spent RM 34:

3 baby girl’s pants – RM 5 each
1 blouse – RM 15
1 Jeans – RM 2
1 red skirt – RM 2

The boutique was officially closed down on Tuesday, 30 September 2008. Well, there goes our shopping spree (as my colleague puts it.) Hmm…where can we shop at now?






Saturday, October 04, 2008

Introducing Jemimah's Blog...

Jemimah Teoh Shang Mei - http://teohshangmei.blogspot.com

I have set up this blog few months ago but didn't post anything until today. It will be recordings of Jemimah's progress. Photos and videos of her in the womb will be posted as well.

Happy reading!

Friday, October 03, 2008

Post-Langkawi Comments on the Climb to the Waterfall

Seng Chor:
“If you have climbed up to the Seven Wells, I would have to deliver food to you up there for 2 weeks.”

Colleague:
(In Cantonese) “Please don’t do that anymore. You are making us worry. It was a high risk to climb to the waterfall.”

Mama:
“You could have a premature birth.”


Thank God that I have fully recovered from the climb. Bumpy roads and humps no longer cause me great pain. The backaches that I am experiencing now are pretty normal. This is my 26th week of pregnancy. She has been moving actively and stretching herself every now and then.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

BEng (Hons) EEE - SHU 1C

This academic year is the first time I'm teaching Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Year 1 students. The module is Introduction to Programming, which is, actually C++ programming - my forte.

The photo below was taken during my 4th lecture with them at the newly renovated ECAD Lab (Electronic Computer-Aided Design), Level 6. There are about 32 of them (the number is not stable yet) and no girls in the class.

What do I think of them? Their attendance is good so far, and they seemed attentive throughout the lecture. Their attitude seemed good as well.

The first lab session that I had with them went well. It was an introduction to the Microsoft Visual C++ Integrated Development Environment. I was on medical leave for the second lab session but I arranged the lab exercises to be printed for them to do during my absence. Surprisingly, the attendance was even better than the lecture in the morning, and all of them completed the lab exercises. What an encouragement!

However, quite a number of them struggled in the last lab session. It was related to program design. The limited number of PCs in the lab was not helpful at all. Almost half of the class had to share computer. Problem solving tasks are always difficult for students. I will need to revise with them next week. I have told them that the topics will be getting more and more difficult. They must practise more.

I’m glad that I have managed to arrange a better computer lab for them starting next week. Thank God that the lab is available during my slot. It is usually fully booked.

I hope that they would continue to show interest in this module, and be motivated to learn.




(Wednesday, 24 September 2008)

Tuned to Learning

EARLY MUSIC EDUCATION CAN AID IN DEVELOPING DISCIPLINE AND FOCUS AMONG CHILDREN

By Anna Tham

WHEN is comes to music education, there are parents who are divided about its benefits to their children’s development. Should it be given priority equal to that of academic subjects like history, mathematics and science for example?

Many studies have been done over the years and the general conclusion is that music is good for children. However, research and tests are still on-going to determine the specifics of its benefits.

A study done in 1993 by scientists at the University of California at Irvine, found that listening to classical music before a test could improve one’s memory.

However, this study, known as the ‘Mozart Effect’, has been conducted by other researchers could not provide the same findings. While there is no evidence that music enhances memory, it does not mean that music education is not important.

According to Kindermusik, a popular children’s music programme, learning music “encourages self-discipline and diligence traits that carry over into mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history and geography”.

Findings from a study conducted at Sam Houston State University in Texas reports that early music training can improve intelligence.

It’s said that “strong correlations were found between musical abilities in young children – particularly the ability to match vocal pitches and reproduce rhythmic patterns – and abstract reasoning abilities”.

Apart from intellectual benefits, I personally think that music education helps children develop discipline, focus, self-esteem and confidence.

My daughter is currently enrolled in a junior music course. Like most children, she has problems concentrating. However, she knows that in order to receive praise and applause, she has to focus and practice consistently, and does try to do that sometimes.

At the end of each semester, there is a mini concert where each child sings and plays individually for the audience. They also perform an ensemble. This develops confidence and team spirit. Even the most reserved and shy child can be seen performing without any problem.

Music also helps the child develop his fine and gross motor skills and rhythm sense when he participates in music and movement activities, for example jumping and skipping to music and using his fingers in action songs.

Research ahs found that the human brain has specialized parts to process music. As such, exposure to music developed cognitive skills, visuo-spatial capabilities, and perception, thus improving intelligence.

According to a youth arts project by the US Department of Justice National Endowment for the Arts, arts education has a measurable impact on youth in deterring delinquent behaviour and truancy problems.

It also increases overall academic performance among those youth engaged in after school and summer arts programmes targeted towards delinquency prevention.

If you do not wish to spend too much for music education initially, you could simply start at home by more consciously engaging your child in singing and moving to music, and listening to various types of music from ethnic and classical to jazz and rock.

Bouncing your baby on your lap in a rhythmic way while singing is already exposing him to music. Make musical instruments such as drums and shakers in craft projects, clap and dance to different rhythms. Find free and useful resources from the Internet to help you get started.


Bringing up children
theSun
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Page 20