Aptitude Tests For UPSR

Many of us are not aware that there is an aptitude tests on the last day of the UPSR. You can't "study" for this aptitude test because there are no reference materials available.

Relax. Don't worry about it. The paper is 1 1/2 hours long and include IQ tests and personality assessments. You won't find any books on it because there is none. There are no past  year papers as well.

There is however, a teacher's blog which gives some examples of the UPSR Aptitude Test in case you are interested. You can take a look at it to have an idea but there is no need to get your child to "study" it. This will only stress them up further.

To all parents kids taking the UPSR 2015, the last batch to do so. GOOD LUCK AND STAY CALM!

Kupasan Mutu Jawapan UPSR (Analysis of Quality of Answers In The UPSR Exams)

This post is for those sitting for the UPSR examinations.

I wish to share a page on the Moe portal which is called the KMJ or Kupasan Mutu Jawapan UPSR. This page is useful for parents and kids to go through together.

The KMJ lists down the analysis of the quality of answers in past UPSR examinations for every paper. A detailed analysis is given together with sample answers for strong, medium and weak answers.

You can download all of these analysis for free on the moe portal. You will find the analysis for years 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Mandala Coloring Pages For Kids

Mandala Coloring for adults are the rage. Have you got caught in the adult coloring craze yet? Why not color together with your child? Here are some fun Mandala Coloring Pages for kids for your child to color together with you.

This one is from preschool activities. They've got some summer themed mandalas which include ice-creams, beach umbrellas, palm trees, beach balls and more to color.

How Many Papers Do Children Sit For In UPSR

The final batch of UPSR students sitting for the UPSR in September 2015 will be sitting for

1. BM Paper 1
2. BM Paper 2
3. English
4. Math and 
5. Science

All together 5 papers for SK schools and for SJKC 7 papers which are all the above mentioned plus

• BC/BT paper 1 and 
• BC/BT paper 2

BC=Bahasa Cina

BT=Bahasa Tamil

Learn BM , BC & BT Online for P1 to P6 Kids

It is easy to find resources for learning English online for kids. However, when it comes to Bahasa Malaysia

An Inspiring Teacher

This year my boy is fortunate enough to be in the class of an inspiring teacher.

At the beginning of the year, even before school started she sent emails to parents to go to school to collect the school text books. She didn't have to do so because it was not required at the time but she did so anyway. She gave each parent a note to say that she would be working closely with the parents and boy she certainly did that!

What To Look For In A Before Or After School Care Centre

Many households these days do not have the luxury of having one parent at home to look after the kids before they go to school or after they return from home depending on whether they attend morning or afternoon session schools. Sometimes there are adults home but it may be just a maid or elderly parents. In this case parents have no choice but to find a good before or after school centre.

Heat - Based on Chapter 8 of the Std 5 SJKC School Science Text Book

Some time ago, my son and I created some bilingual English/Chinese Science for Chapter 8 of his SJKC
School Science syllabus on Heat.

We have some others in our Slideshare but I can't remember how to get them there from our Haiku Deck account. Anyway, it is embedded here so you can use it if you like.

We created this with Haiku Deck using his school textbook and Google Translate to include the English translation as well as the pinyin.

Here are our other Std 5 Science References:

Misconceptions And Stereotyping Of Schools Sk And SJKC

As founder and admin of the Malaysia Primary And Secondary School Parents on Facebook group, I read through each and every discussion to moderate. One of the things that strike me is the stereotyping that parents have for a particular school. SK schools have been stereotyped as very relaxed with teachers missing in action etc. whereas SJKC is stereotyped as very academically focussed and overly strict with liberal use of the rotan (cane).

Online Games for Girls Only

Cute Online Games for Girls based on Girls Cartoon Characters and other themes for girls

Barbie, Hello Kitty, Strawberry Shortcake, Disney Princesses, Dora the Explorer, Powerpuff Girls and more girls online cartoon character games are featured here.

Being a parent to children living in the digital age, internet gaming, online games, games on handheld devices and other gadgets are a norm. As a parent, I have to be the constant guide to my kids, so here are the mum-tested online games for my girl. Instead of letting her browse freely, sometimes I search for good girl games that may interest her. I will share them here with other parents with girls.

The links on this post link directly to the official sites for each of the girl's favourite cartoons. They point directly to the games section so you don't have to waste time searching for the games. Enjoy!

Girls Cartoon Character Games

Cartoon Characters are the best online games for girls because they can recognize and relate to them.

Fun and Games for Barbie fans

Barbie fans will surely love this site. Everything Barbie is here. Barbie Princess and Fairy, Barbie Fashion, Barbie Pets, Barbie Music and Dance, Barbie Puzzle and lots of Barbie fun for Barbie fans big and small.

Angelina Ballerina Games for Girls

Here are some Angelina Ballerina games for little Ballerina wannabes. With game titles like Dance with me, Dance to the Rhythm and Dress up Angelina. Besides these, there are some cool printables too.

Sanrio

Home of Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty is another character that little girls adore. Big girls too! Sanrio Town is the place to go for all Hello Kitty fans and that includes the big fan I have at home, my girl. Visit Sanrio Town for Hello Kitty fun and games.

Ni Hao Kai-Lan games for girls

from Nick.Jr.com

Another Nick.Jr.com favorite for girls are the Ni Hao Kai-Lan games. Ni Hao Kai-Lan's games are Chinese themed games for girls including the Ni Hao dragon boat race game.

Dora the Explorer Games

Dora the Explorer is great for inquisitive little girls who love puzzles and adventure!

from NickJr.co.uk

Little fans of Dora The Explorer will find plenty of Dora the Explorer games at Nick.Jr.co.uk. Of course Dora's friend Boots, the Map, and the Stars are featured in the games not to mention plenty of adventure and puzzles Dora style.

Strawberry Shortcake

Here is Strawberry Shortcake's Play Catalog featuring Strawberry Shortcake games for girls including the Fashion Show Game, How a Garden Grows Game, Berry Cool Beach Party Game and more.

Strawberry Shortcake

She might be tiny, but Strawberry Shortcake has a huge heart. Strawberry Shortcake likes to make delicious treats at her Berry Cafe for her friends in Berry Bitty City.

The Powerpuff Girls Games

from Cartoon Network

My girl can't decide which cartoon character she loves the most. I can tell from the cartoon she chooses for her cake. One year it is Hello Kitty. Next it is Powerpuff. I remember one year we had a Powerpuff cake for her birthday but most of the time it is Hello Kitty. She loved playing these Powerpuff Girls Games. These games are for girls with an adventurous spirit.

Other Online themed games for Girls

Besides Cartoon Character games, girls can play themed Games like dressing up games, cooking games etc.

Other Online Games for Girls

Besides girl's cartoon character games, all games love to play paperdoll and dressing up games like these.

Cool Fashion Games
Fashion Games for the fashion conscious little missy from MyScene

Paper Doll Heaven
Paper Doll Games, cute dollhouses, dolls, hair , make-up and makeover games.

Most little girls adore Disney Princesses.

Disney Princess Games

At Disney.com, girls can look forward to playing Disney Princess games like Princess Solitaire, Princess Jewel Match and Hidden Treasures.

Thank You For Following This Blog, We Are 11 This Year!

To all the readers who have been following this blog, thank you. Now it is time to hear from you! This blog is going to celebrate its 11th year anniversary next month. I can't believe how time has flown by.

When I first started this blog, my son was just 5 months old and my daughter was 2 1/2 years old. The boy is now 11 years old and the girl 13. Time really flies. After writing for more than a decade, you'd think that I would run out of juice or ideas on what to write about but fortunately it has not happened yet. Oh, I do get writers block now and then and sometimes I take time off but when I do, I lose momentum and run out of things to write about. It is when I write continuously that I have more ideas to write. The more I write the more things I have to write about. It is really strange that way.

Writing online on a blog is about life so you never stop having things to write about because life goes on and you face new things so you write about new experiences along the way. Still, I would really like to hear from you.

Please take just a moment to fill up this form to let me know what else you would like to read on this blog. That will mean a great deal to me. Thank you!

How To Add Other Language Keyboards And Toggle Between Languages On Your Computer

My child is studying in a Chinese school but I don't know Chinese, so when the time came for doing school reports in Chinese using the computer, I did not know how to type in Chinese on my computer. How do you type Chinese characters on a pc. How do you get your computer to show the Mandarin characters? 

What about on Facebook. How do you tag the friends who have their names in another language? How do you type a foreign language using your computer's keyboard? I took hours to figure it out. Even after adding a new keyboard language, it took me another couple of hours more to figure out how to use it! I am going to save  you those hours now by showing you a step by step tutorial on how to add other language keyboards and how to toggle between languages on your computer.

5 Things You Should Do If You Are A Parent With A Teen On Social Media

Teen Talk - Relationships Complicated By Facebook And Social Media

How simple it was to be a teenager in the older days. We didn't have to worry about being blocked by friends on Facebook.

These days teens and pre-teens have to juggle separate identities as they go from real life to cyber life day in and day out.

Tips On How To Make Sure Your Child Becomes Independent In Packing Their Own School Bags

I have two types of bag packers at home. Not backpacks but children and how they pack their bags. One is Little Miss Diligent and the other one is Little Mr Couldn't Be Bothered.

Little Miss Diligent or Little Miss Perfect wanted me to sit with her from Day One. She was the happiest when I sat down and sorted her books together with her and packed them together with her. I think she would have been happier still if I had packed them FOR her. Little Miss Diligent took hours to pack her bag, literally. Seriously, she takes about an hour, going through each and every book and checking each one in detail to make sure that she had not forgotten any homework. The amount of time she takes drives me nuts.


Little Mr Couldn't Be Bothered or Mr Couldn't Care Less as his name suggests just could not be bothered by it all. From day one he was an independent bag packer, shrugging off any attempts to help with a "I can do it, mom." His "I can do it, mom" meant not packing at all sometimes. He just took everything home from school and took everything back to school again the next day. He was swift in his packing because sometimes he didn't really pack at all! To give him credit, sometimes he did pack according to his timetable but usually he just shoves all his books into the bag in no particular order even though I had taught him how to put the early morning session books in the back part of the bag, the late morning books (after recess) in the front part and the exercise books in another bag.

Photo Editing iPhone and iPad AfterApp For Cool Family Photos

As parents we love to take photos of our children. With social media, this love is taken to even bigger and sleeping moment to share with our friends.
proportions as we record every waking

Today, I want to share with you a cool photo editing app to make your photos look really extraordinary and very special. 

I'm talking about the Perfect Image App by TongShuo. Sorry to Android users, this is only available for iOS devices.

Std 5 History KSSR Bilingual Slides (Incomplete)

The Std 5 History Slides below were prepared by me and my son. The topic is on The Invasion Of Foreign
Forces. I wasn't sure whether to share them because they are incomplete but I suppose it might be useful to some because of the translation. Only the first part has translation because the second half was prepared by my son and he insisted that he didn't need to translate them because he understood what the words meant (he was just being lazy).

Do You Think It Is Worthwhile To Spend On A Premium Ergonomic School Bag?

Last year, I created a poll for my post on Where To Buy A School Bag In Malaysia. I just want to share the findings here.

My question was:

Do You Think It Is Worthwhile To Spend On A Premium Ergonomic School Bag?

Two choices were given:

1. Yes, I think it is important to protect my child's spine

2. No, I think the school bag makers just found a way to charge more for the same thing

The poll was created in October 2014. It had about 58 votes over time.

Here are the results:

How To Increase Confidence Through Speech And Drama Classes

Kids Speech And Drama Class At BluBricks

• Do you have a child who lacks confidence and has low self-esteem? 
• Perhaps you have a child who is a top scorer in academics, a straight-A student but when it comes to social skills...well, she or he hasn't had the time to develop in this area
• Or your child is often overlooked and not picked when it comes to school performances because it is always given to the same students all the time - the same outgoing kids, the ones who speak out. You think your child is just as good, he is just not given the opportunity to even try out at school plays

If this is you, then one way to increase your child's confidence is to send them for speech and drama OR public speaking classes. 

Merdeka Coloring Pages For Kids

It is the month of August and during this month schools will be having Merdeka themed art and decorations
all over the school grounds.

It is quite merry to see the flags and decorations being hung up in schools. Parents too should take the opportunity to talk to their child about Merdeka during this month of August by giving them Merdeka art and craft to do. The best way to teach a little bit of history of Malaysia to the kids is through art, craft and activities.

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid - The Long Haul (A Review)

Recently my kids had been hinting to me about getting thicker storybooks with more words in them. However when I got to the bookstore, I couldn't resist buying this one: Diary Of A Wimpy Kid The Long Haul (Book 9 in the series) even though it had half words and half illustration.

My son devoured the book in a few hours and I followed soon after. I admit that I enjoy reading children's books. They are fun and full of adventure and makes me feel like a kid again.

I enjoyed this one. It reminds me of my own road trip not too long ago. Albeit this one is a little exaggerated where even a pig came along for the ride. I can identify with how mum tries to make plans for the family based on magazine recommendations which don't always turn out exactly as shown in the glossy pages of a magazine. I am not going to give away any more spoilers here. You'll just have to get the book to read for yourself.

Subjects Your Child Will Be Learning Under The KSSR Syllabus

BI, BM, TMK, RBT. etc. We promised to reveal the meaning of these abbreviations from our previous post on Abbreviations You Should Know Before Your Child Starts Primary School In Malaysia.

If your child is starting primary school soon, he or she will be studying the KSSR curriculum. In our previous post, you would have found out that KSSR stands for Kurrikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah. The subjects that will be covered under the KSSR are as follows:

Facebook Groups and Pages For SJKC Schools In The Klang Valley

It is always a good idea to join parents Facebook groups for specific schools to keep up with developments in your child's school. Previously some members of our FB parenting group went on to set up their own Facebook groups for their children's school for networking purposes. We also found some other Facebook groups for SJKC schools in the Klang valley while some parents shared some FB pages from schools. Please note that many of these are private parents groups on FB rather than the school's official pages while some official pages may also be included.

Here is our compilation of these FB groups and pages. If your child's school does not have a FB group, why not start one?

Abbreviations You Should Know Before Your Child Starts Primary School In Malaysia

TMK, SBT, PT3, or KBAT, LINUS and KSSR. Do you know what these letters stand for? Here is a compilation of what we think parents whose children will be starting school in SK or SJKC/SJKT soon should know before their child starts primary school.

Malaysia Public Holidays 2016

The Malaysia Public Holidays 2016 list is out and has just been uploaded by Sistem Guru Online. You can visit the site to view the public holidays 2016. They have also made available the list in pdf format for you to download. You will get two lists, a national one and another which includes state holidays.

Next, many parents are waiting for the school holiday 2016 list so they can plan their holidays for next year.

Some notable public holidays in 2016:

1. Chinese New Year 2016 is on 8-9 Feb (Mon & Tue)
2. Hari Raya Puasa 2016 is on 6-7 July (Wed & Thur) subject to changes
3. Deepavali 2016 is on 29 Oct (Sat) subject to changes

Where To Learn Hanyu Pinyin On The Internet

Hanyu Pinyin is included in our Malaysian school syllabus for the Chinese Mandarin subject. I actually like the study of hanyu pinyin because it makes it easier for me as an English learner to read Mandarin. Sort of like a cheat sheet for reading Mandarin. I often buy bilingual Chinese/English storybooks with hanyu pinyin so I could read with or to the children. They didn't know my trick when they were younger but now they laugh at my horrible slang.

Are We Kiasu Because We Send Our Kids For Tuition?

Image Courtesy of acclaimclipart.com

I never believed in tuition. I believe that tuition should only be remedial, to cover the gaps in teaching/learning and not as a means to progress more quickly than other people by learning ahead even before lessons are taught in class.

Yet, why are more and more people sending their children for tuition these days? Are we just being kiasu? After being in the public school system for over 6 years, I realized that this is not necessarily the case.

Malaysia Parents And Tuition Teachers Forum

Hi parents, we just want to update you on the developments on our website Mumsgather Finds. This website was setup and works in conjunction with our two parental groups on Facebook namely:

1. The Malaysia Primary and Secondary School Parents On Facebook
and
2. The Malaysian Primary and Secondary School Parents Market

A Little Bit Of History

Learn Bahasa Malaysia Apps For Kids

One way to encourage children to learn languages is through play. Our neighbour, Singapore has a couple of very good educational apps to facilitate learning Bahasa Malaysia. Two very good ones are the Pintar Peribahasa and Pintar Kata apps. The app developer is the Malay Language Centre of Singapore, Ministry of Education, Singapore. Both games are free to download.

1. Pintar Peribahasa - Below is a screenshot of the Pintar Peribahasa app. As you can see, the app tests the player on his or her Peribahasa knowledge. Players will be given points or virtual coins each time they guess the peribahasa correctly. Points will be deducted if you request a clue. This is an excellent and fun way to learn your peribahasa. You can challenge your child just for the fun of it. Every child loves a challenge. Can you guess the peribahasa in the second screenshot?

Inspiring A Love Of Reading In Children

Child Enjoying A Story At Book A Book

Does your child love to read or reads for the sake of reading? There is a reading programme in school where kids are required to read a certain number of books and record them down in a little booklet. They are required to record the title, author, publisher and give a short synopsis of the book. The record book is then handed to the teachers to mark.

3 Online Chinese Abacus Or Suan Pan

My children had to learn how to use the Chinese Abacus or Suan Pan in lower primary. It was covered in their school math syllabus for KBSR as well as KSSR. I was clueless on how to use one and their Math books were in Chinese so as usual I relied on the internet for help. If you are in the same position and want to understand how to use the Abacus better when your child comes to you for help, you can check out these 3 Online Chinese Abacus or Suan Pan sites.

Free ebooks For Kids From Oxford Owl

I love a freebie, don't you? I especially love it when the freebie is a book. Books may be cheap when bought one at a time but you don't usually buy books one at a time especially if you have little bookworms at home who devour books. So, I am especially delighted whenever I can find free books for kids, even more so when the free books are in digital form (so they don't take up shelf space) and tablet friendly.

The Importance of Learning English for SK & SJKC Kids

Kids in Malaysia have to learn 2 or 3 languages in school. So how do you make sure they don't become a Jack of all trades and master of none? Do you learn and master one language first or learn them all simultaneously? Will your child get the languages mixed up? After all, the way one forms sentences is different from one language to another.

Sadly, the importance of learning English in SK & SJKC schools are often pushed to the back burner and ignored. That leaves many parents confused on what to do. Should they send the children for English enrichment courses or let them attend tuition? Should they be following the school syllabus or learn a different English syllabus altogether. Some opt for Singapore syllabus; attend classes taught by foreigners etc. to make sure the kids have a better grasp of the English language.

How To Find Free Apps For Kids

If you own a tablet computer and you are a parent, you will need apps. As a matter of fact, let us take out the parents part and add smart phone users. If you own a tablet computer and or a smart phone, you will need apps.

Morris Allen English Malaysia Open Week 5-9 August 2015

Dear Parents,

As many of you parents in our FB group (The Malaysia Primary and Secondary
School Parents) know, this Parenting Times blog has been merged with our website "Mumsgather Finds". The aim of our website is to discover courses, programmes, offers and latest events for you busy parents. 

One such ongoing event is the Morris Allen English Malaysia Open Week 5-9 August 2015 which is going on right now! If you are a parent living in and around Bandar Utama or Subang Jaya you should drop by Morris Allen English to find out more about their English programmes. The kids and staff are all waiting to welcome you.

We know that many of you are looking for suitable English programmes for your children so now is a good time for you to drop by to do your research on the best English programs for your kids.

Contact +603 77267656 (Centrepoint Bandar Utama) or +603 5611 9296 (Empire Subang Gallery) for details or to make an appointment.

Mumsgather Finds

5 Tips For Easier Transition From Kindergarten To Primary School

It is August and many parents just received their notification for the primary school application for children entering standard one for the first time in 2016 for Malaysian public schools. It is an exciting time, a new phase for parents and kids. So how do you make the transition from kindergarten to primary school for your child go smoothly? Here are a couple of things to think about.

How To Make A D.I.Y. Racetrack For Kids Using Magnets

Firstly, we would like to thank Babysitting Adventures for contributing this craft idea. Babysitting Adventures was started by a teacher and babysitter who will come round to your house to do activities such as this one with your child while you go out on a date with your spouse or if you absolutely have to run an errand and can't take the little ones along.

Magnetic D.I.Y Racing Track Instructions

What You Will Need:

1. Printer 
2. Baking tray of any size 
3. Magnets (Malaysian parents can get them cheaply from Daiso) 
4. Wide mouth bottle caps (I used mini Jar caps) 
5. Tape and some strong glue 
6. Some imagination and a toddler directing you

Photo Credit For All Images: Babysitting Adventures 
Image Above Is For Steps 1-4 as described below

How Many Days To UPSR 2015?

Hello mums and dads, it is only just slightly over 30 days more to the UPSR 2015 examinations, the final UPSR under the old KBSR syllabus. By now, the schools will be in full gear pushing the kids hard for the final leg of studying. This may include extra saturday classes, seminars etc. Kids may be given pep talks, positive motivation and more to rev them up for the exams.

Websites and Youtube Channels that offer free trial UPSR trial papers and tips will be very busy at this time of the year with downloads by anxious parents. Let us remember that the most important thing we can do for our kids at this time is to make sure they continue to get enough rest, exercise and nutrition. 

How To Make A Rainbow Muffin With Fondant

Have you ever eaten a rainbow muffin? They're the most delightful colorful muffins often decorated with

colored chocolate rice sprinkles. They are lovely to look at and even lovelier to eat. Today's post is about making a rainbow muffin minus the muffin. It is about an activity for young kids on a rainy day ie. How to Make A Rainbow Muffin using fondant.

If you have run out of ideas on what to do indoors on a rainy day, you can get him or her to do this activity

Here's what you will need:

1. White Fondant
2. Fondant in various other colours
3. Tiny shape cutters

How To Make A Cup Telephone - Simple Home Experiment For Kids

Image Credit: Kids doing science experiments at Kiddo Science, Puchong

This home science experiment post was contributed by Kiddo Science, Puchong who is currently featured on our website.

Here's how to make a cup telephone

Things you will need:

• 2 paper cups
• 1 long string (3 meter)

Are Playgroups Important?

A playgroup is an informal and relaxed meeting of carers of babies, toddlers and preschool kids with other carers and their little ones so that the children can take part in supervised social and creative play.

Are Playgroups really that important? To answer that, we'll have to take a look at what a playgroup does for children?

A playgroup allows a child to ....

• learn to get along with others
• experience new playing and creative opportunities
• learn to share toys and take turns
• explore in a safe environment
• make new friends 
• increases the child's confidence in relating to others
• helps transition a child from 
• prevents isolation

Free Printable August 2015 Calendar For Kids

I have been busy and haven't had the time to do my free printable calendars. Today, I sat down and realized it is August. Half a year has flown by just like that.

Now is just as good as any time to make a free printable calendar for Malaysian kids for the month of August. Not many Malaysian public holidays in August. Only the Malaysian National Day or Hari Kebangsaan which falls on 31st August. This year 31st August falls on a Monday. That makes it a long weekend. Yay!