Programmer

Dominic (9) and Sammy (4) have caught the programming bug through Scratch (www.scratch.mit.edu).

Sammy likes designing new games, but doesn’t really quite know how to make his sprites move yet.  Here’s a couple of his games:

 

 

 

Time Traveler

Sammy approaches Daddy.  He wants to tell Daddy how his day went. Or how his day will go?

Sammy: Daddy, later I had lots of fun!

* * *

The Writer

Sammy is very eager to learn how to write.  He teaches himself by copying what other people have written, or by making up his own writing.  He copied the writing below from one of Domu’s messages:

 

Scary Tales

Sammy is sleepy and wants to go to sleep. Daddy tucks him in.

Daddy: Do you want me to tell you a story?

Sammy: Yes

Daddy: Do you like ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’?

Sammy: Not that!

Daddy: Why not?

Sammy: Scary.

Daddy: (amused, thinks about an even scarier one) How about ‘Hansel and Gretel?’

Sammy: Super-scary

Daddy: How about ‘Little Red Riding Hood’

Sammy: Ok, but only the start of the story.

* * *

Tinkering tailor

Daddy was at the computer.  Sammy walked over to Daddy, wearing his pajamas and holding a pair of scissors.

Sammy: Daddy, how come this scissors cannot cut my PJs?

 

* * *

Food of the dogs

Pia and Sammy were playing.  Then Pia went into the kitchen.

Pia: Come here, Sammy!  Let’s make a proper dog meal for you.

 

* * *

Medical terminology

While having lunch:

Sammy: Daddy, I have blood in my mouth

Daddy: What happened?

Sammy: First, I saw that I have no blood in my mouth. Then I crashed. Then I saw blood.

Then he noticed that there was no more blood.

Sammy: Look! My blood is dead already.

* * *

Learning to Write

Sammy loves to learn.  At four years old he can now read all the words in Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, and so on.

Now he’s teaching himself how to write.  He can write all the numbers, except 2.

Sammy: (tries to write ‘2’, but he always twirls the bottom so it becomes a ‘3’). D’oh!

Sammy: (tries again, same result) Augghhh!

Sammy: (tries again, same result) D’OH!

* * *

Spelling test

We are teaching the children how to understand Mandarin Chinese.  They also pick up some Spanish words from watching Dora the Explorer. 

One day, Daddy was watching TV.  Sammy comes up to him:

Sammy: Daddy, how do you spell ching chung chang chawa in Spanish?

* * *

Hundreds served

Daddy was reading a bedtime story.  He came across the word ‘century’.

Daddy: Pia, do you know what ‘century’ means?

Pia: (thinking) Uhm… one hundred years?

Daddy: Correct.

Sammy: Daddy, ‘century’ means one hundred years?

Daddy: Yes.

Sammy: What do you call one hundred meals?

* * *