Red Envelopes Hóngbāo Red Envelopes is hóngbāo 紅包 | 红包 in Mandarin. This is one of the most exciting gifts for Chinese children during the fifteen days of the Lunar New Year celebration. They are always red and that is because it is the lucky color in Chinese culture. WHAT ARE RED ENVELOPES Red envelopes or red packets, hóngbāo 紅包|红包 are special designed red gift envelopes contain money inside for the Lunar New Year and
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The Great Race The Story of the 12 Chinese Animal Birth Signs Chinese Zodiac There are many stories and folktales about the Great Race of the 12 Chinese birth sign animals. Here is a simple version and it is quite exciting. THE STORY STARTED WITH… Jade Emperor, the God of all Gods, announced that animal names would be added to the calendar years according to their arrival order to the big meeting. Then, the word got
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The Two Sides Of Teaching She is always a chapter ahead of the kids. “It is really fine and parents can make it work,” Kim told me as I explored how families homeschooled their children when they live outside of the U.S. “You are a teacher and you are a student. You learn first and you help your child learn…” another homeschool parent talked about her experience. Yes. You are a teacher and you are a student.
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A Gift It’s a new day and a new decade. It is an exciting time to continue what we have been working on and to begin something that we have planned for. Planning is a start. What we do after planning needs to be an action-filled journey. It is where the work becomes real. And, it is where the work turns into a daily project. It is where we see it grow. Ten years ago, I just
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La Ba Festival La Ba Festival is an important day leading to the Spring Festival, Lunar New Year. It is the day that kicks off the preparation for the Lunar New Year. Laba always falls on the 8th day of the last month on the Chinese lunar calendar 農曆 |农历. It will be on January 2, 2020, in the year of the PIG. The last month on the lunar calendar is called “La Yue” 臘月| 腊月
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Perfect Timing – Teach Your Child A Second Language What is perfect timing? Look at the big picture it can be when to start teaching your child a second language. When looking at the day-to-day learning it could be when your child is at the peak of the day to try something new. Babies are great with languages. They listen to the sounds around them even before they were born. Dr. Patricia Khul, co-director of the Institute
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Happy Holidays Merry Christmas HappyHanukkah The holiday season is an exciting time for children. First, there is winter break, that means no school for the kids! Next, it comes with family gatherings and travel. What else? It is a special time for baking, cooking, events, volunteering and time with the extended family… What should we say to friends during the holiday season? With our diverse community, families are more mindful of different cultures and traditions in the
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Input and Output – Teach Your Child A Second Language Kids get excited to save money in their piggy banks. They shake it, wiggle it, and peek inside. Is it heavier today than yesterday? Language input is like saving in the piggy bank. What you say to your child is language input. What you read to your child is language input. The books you have at home is providing visual input. The posters with text, games with
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Work Together – Raise a Bilingual Child Together is better. When parents work together toward the same goal you have a team. It is very much like team work on a project, in the office, or at work. You will need to work together. When you lead at work you have your team on your side to work with you. It is great to have support from your team when you introduce a new language to your
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Your Time Is Precious Your time is precious. As much as you want your child to be engaged in the learning. You, as a parent, need to be in the moment as well. There are many resources but you actually only need one to start with. You can aim for 30, 45, or 60 minutes a day but I often say it is a good idea to start with just five minutes. Quality over quantity. How about
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