Vacancies for Existing Classes

Dear parents,

Thank you for your interest in our classes. Currently, there are no vacancies for all our existing classes except for:

- P5 English Paper 2 class (new class started in Jan 2015)
  Day: Saturday
  Time: 12 pm to 2 pm
  Limited vacancies

Due to requests from parents to start a new P5 Science class, we started gathering responses from parents last week. Thank you for your support. As at today, there are LIMITED vacancies (4) left.

If you would like to find out more about either of the courses, please send an email to serenagreenhouse@gmail.com or an sms to 98736115. Thank you.

New P5 Science Class

Dear Parents,

Due to requests from parents, we will be starting a new P5 Science class this Sunday. Here are the details of the class:
Day: Sunday
Time: 1.15 p.m. to 3.15 p.m.
Fees: $220 for every 4 two-hour sessions
Max class size: 15 pupils

Teacher Serena will be conducting the class. There are limited vacancies left. If you are keen to enrol your child in the class, feel free to send an email to serenagreenhouse@gmail.com or send an sms to 98736115 and further details will be provided.

Differences between a slug and a snail

Today, I showed my toddler a snail while we were taking a walk in the estate. An eight-year-old child passed by and was excited to see the snail too. I overheard the child's mother asking, "Do you know what is the difference between a snail and a slug?"

I thought it would be interesting to write a short post on this. The main difference between a snail and a slug is that a snail has a shell while a slug does not.

Other features are the same for snails and slugs:
- they move around on a flat, muscular foot.
- they have one or two pairs of tentacles on their heads. The larger pair of tentacles usually has eyes at the end.
- they eat using a tongue-like organ called a radula, covered with rows of teeth.
- most of them have both male and female reproductive organs and hence are hermaphrodites.

Slug

Snail

Writer's Craft: Slowing Down the Motion (Part 2)

Watch this TED video which describes how and why Hollywood movie makers use slowing down the motion to create suspense. The video also shows how the same convention can be used to slow down the motion in narrative writing. There is a very good example in the video on how to slow down the motion when we write about a basketball player shooting the ball into the hoop.

Writer's Craft - Slowing down the motion (Part 1)

During my Writer's Craft lessons, I believe that it is important to show pupils samples of good writing and discuss with them why certain phrases or writing techniques are used.

During one of the lessons, I was sharing with the P5 kiddos how authors slow down the motion to create suspense or tension. Firstly, I shared with them how films slow down the motion to create tension. The kiddos nodded their heads and agreed that they had watch such movie scenes before.

Then I shared with the class an excerpt from "January (Conspiracy 365)" to show them how the technique is used.

Telling: 
A shark bumped the boat a few times. Then it turned away. I thought it left but it returned.

Showing using expanding the moment technique:
"Then something bumped into the boat hard. I hoped we'd collided with something submerged, drifting in the water. I looked around. The sky was much lighter but I could't see anything but the chopping waves.

Another bump, this time so hard I almost lost my grip on the rope. I still couldn't see anything but I knew something was out there. I was freezing cold but broke out in a sweat.

A third bump, so hard that it knocked me completely into the water. I splashed and slipped, scrambling back to the top of the upturned boat, hauling myself up by the ridge. In the grey light, I spotted a three-metre shark rolling over, exposing its pale belly before disappearing again.

I waited, sick with fear, praying that it had gone away. I searched around for a weapon - anything to try and defend myself.

Tossing on the waves and just out of my reach, was the jag-hook of the boat.

Yet another powerful bump and the upturned boat and I, clinging desperately above, started to move over the water. The shark was under the boat, powering us along! Any minute now, it would bash through the hull and grab me. Then, just as suddenly as it began the motion stopped. I watched the dorsal fin speed away.

Was it leaving?

The shark had pushed me and the boat closer to the floating debris. I saw, again, the long wooden handle of the jag-hook floating nearby And then, in the background, I saw the vanishing fin slow, turn and flick around. The shark was coming back - and straight for me!"

Differences between an ape and a monkey

I took my toddler to the Singapore Zoo recently and overheard a child asking his mother, "Mum, what is the difference between an ape and a monkey?" This is a commonly asked question. Here's a brief answer:

The main difference between an ape and a monkey is that an ape does not have a tail while a monkey has a tail.

There are other differences between an ape an a monkey. They are:
(1) An ape is generally larger than a monkey.
(2) An ape has a longer lifespan than a monkey.
(3) An ape has a larger brain-to-body size ratio.
(4) An ape has higher intelligence.

Of course, there are exceptions. Some monkeys do not have tails and some are large. Gibbons, considered to be lesser apes, are smaller than some monkeys.

Great Apes
Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Bonobos and Orang utans

Lesser Apes
Siamangs and Gibbons

Monkeys

Baboons, macaques, tamarins etc

You can find out more by reading these books:
Apes and Monkeys by Barbara Taylor
All about Monkeys and Apes by Jordyn Madison

Here are some pictures of apes and monkeys:

TAMARIN

Gorilla

ORang Utan with babY

Chimpanzee

Gibbon

Wind-pollinated flowers

The P5 kiddos have learnt about pollination and fertilisation during our P5 Science classes. The kiddos have learnt that wind-pollinated flowers usually have small petals, dull colours and no scent. Their anthers usually hang out of the flowers so that the pollen grains can be blown away by the wind more easily and have a higher chance of landing on the large and feathery stigma. Here are a few images of wind-pollinated flowers:

A Good Read - Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's web is a tale of how a little girl, with the help of a friendly spider named Charlotte, saved her pig named Wilbur from the usual fate of nice fat little pigs. This is a beautiful story of friendship, kindness and the passing on into time.

Here is my favourite quote:

“Why did you do all this for me?" he asked. "I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you."
"You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing.”

A great read for children.