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| Monday, August 07, 2006 |
| Mummy Cat, Daddy Cat |
Whenever I ask my toddler girl what she would see "downstairs" (a local term for void deck), she would proudly say "Mummy cat, daddy cat!"
My wife has a way of awakening our daughter's, Rae's, primal instinct to interact with animals. We brought Rae to the zoo when she was 9 months. (We are a "Friend of the Zoo" now.) Since about 6 months old, Rae would bark like a dog whenever she saw one. Now she uses the word "dog" or "gogdi" (instead of doggie). We have these play cards which we showed her since 4 months old, and she sure can tell her animals apart. One small occasional mistake is white cats and dogs with black patches could be potentially mistaken for cows!
Apart from seeing them, my wife would sometimes let our daughter touch the stray cats, much to my disapproval. Well, we make sure that she washes her hands the moment she reaches home.
I think it is important to allow kids to exercise their curiosity and expose them to nature as much as possible. After all, MOE* extols the virtues of creating rich classroom experiences beyond the four walls. I have learnt to be less uptight about hygiene during play. Now Rae enjoys picking up leaves and twigs and stamping on puddles of rainwater to create ripples. Recently she saw a real grasshopper for the first time, 3-D and jumping.
And when play is over and the day draws to a close, Rae snuggles into her bed with her favourite stuffed toy and he is none other than Eeyore** ;-)
*MOE - Ministry of Education.
** Affectionately known to Rae as Eeyah
By Chris Chan |
posted by SGPETS @ 7:29 PM  |
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