My kids attended a calligraphy class recently. Before we headed to the studio they asked me if I was going to paint. “Yes!” I told them. To be honest, I was quite excited about it. I was looking forward to being a part of their experience. They have done this a few years ago when they were little. And, I remember I painted a really funny pig with a Chinese brush. Miss Lee is a fantastic art
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Confucius Says, Learn. Practice. Apply. It is good to know the original words of what Confucius said. The key phrase is about “learning.” Learning in a way that is joyful. Isn’t it pleasant to learn then practice and apply what you have learned? – Confucius 學而時習之 不亦悅乎 Xué ér shí xí zhī bù yì yuè hū 学而时习之 不亦悦乎 “What’s your favorite food?” I ask the kids. “Pizza!” “Pizza on Fridays!” “I love pizza!” Answers are popping
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Everyday Chinese Summer Is Very Hot. Seasons. It is a topic that everyone can talk about every day. This is a daily routine for many preschool and kindergarten. It is a conversation topic even with a stranger. Well, when it is 33C° (92F°) I think we can have some cold drink and talk about the weather with our kids. I took the kids to a hike a few days ago right after noon time on a hot
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. “Good job!” “high-five!” “Fantastic!” Celebration signifies happy, joy, and encouragement. Celebrate with your child on this Mandarin Chinese learning journey. All the little achievements count. After all, it is more than just language learning itself. This is about building confidence. It is about bonding. And, it is about moving forward little by little. What you are looking at is the process of growing from passive learning to active interaction in the target language. Is there something
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Top Chinese Story Books for Children Stories are wonderful for language development and learning. Children love listening to stories and some of the classic story books in English are also available in Chinese. With the background knowledge of the stories, it is fun for kids to listen to the stories they are familiar with in the target language, Chinese. These are a few of the story books that my children and students have enjoyed. Each has a
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“London Bridge is falling down…” I started singing with my hands patting on my knees. The tots quickly stood up, moved to their parents’ knees, and were ready to sit down for the song, London Bridge is falling down. Many of the tots in this class didn’t talk very much yet in their native language, English. But, they listened to Chinese and followed my direction. They giggled as they were getting ready for the song. Listen! Listening
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Got apps? “Let me take a picture of your screen!” “What apps do you have on your phone?” “Which app is your favorite?” Tools. Apps are tools. Tools that can help you and your child find the words or Chinese expressions you need. They are handy tools that can help you listen to the pronunciation of a Chinese word or a Chinese phrase. How many apps do you have on your devices? Do you use them
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Mr. Fool Moves The Mountain. It is a Chinese saying 愚公移山 “yú gōng yí shān” It literally means “Fool gentleman moves the mountain.”. Four simple words with a big message. Everything is possible when you are persistent and when you have perseverance. Kids always think this saying is quite interesting. They ask me, “Who is Mr. Fool?” “Why does he want to move a mountain?” I remember that one said, “Is Mr. Fool as silly as Mr.
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Preparation for launch! Sometimes we spend time a lot of time to prepare for an event. We want to make sure everything is in place. We ask ourselves, “Is there anything we are missing?” “What else should we have for the grand opening?” How about the launch date? Maybe we are not ready. We need to make it perfect and we might need more time. So, let’s push it back and postpone the grand opening day. Are
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Bumper cars! The trip started with a sunny day. We all got to the school at around 5:30am. Kids were excited. But, as we were approaching the amusement park after participating in the music festival the rain drops started falling. We had five buses filled with kids. There was no turning back. It was a go. Kids were off the bus and they headed directly to the gate followed by the teachers and parent chaperones. Kids immediately headed
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