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
Read more →. “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
Read more →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
Read more →Confucius is the teacher of all teachers. Benevolence rén 仁 is the core of Chinese culture and it is the fundamental teaching of Confucius, the greatest teacher in Chinese culture. Chinese children study Confucius words, The Analects at school. However, they learn about Confucius’ basic teachings way before they start school. Chinese kids learn about being kind, helping others, and practicing what you have learned from their parents. They learn from the culture that they live in.
Read more →“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
Read more →What Chinese expression do you say when you meet someone new? What do Chinese people say when they meet a friend? There are several commonly used Chinese expressions along with “Hello! | nǐ hǎo 你好.” “What’s up?” “How’s everything going?” “How are you doing?” We hear these greeting expressions all the time. But, how about in Chinese? Hello! | nǐ hǎo 你好 is just the beginning. Chinese people say Hello! | nǐ hǎo 你好. It literally means
Read more →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
Read more →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
Read more →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
Read more →I always enjoy attending Maker’s Faire. Every time I attend the event I meet many creative people. In addition, I experience a lot of surprises. However, what interests me the most at every Maker Faire is seeing children can easily engage in building, creating, and designing. Kids ask questions. They are curious about the out-of-the-box designs. And, children are eager to make their own design with the materials provided to them at the event. Making something is
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