Fire! Fire! The news was on. The heavy smoke. The beautiful historic buildings. The people who were watching. The emotions. Fire! There was a big fire. When I asked my students if there was anything big happened. One of the students told me there was something big happened at home. It was a big event. There was a roasted turkey and a big party with family and friends. It was a celebration. He did a good job
Read more →Slow process results in fine work is a Chinese saying. The original expression in Chinese is 慢工出細活 màn gōng chū xì huó 慢工出细活 literally means slow work produces fine products. I was finishing up a class with first graders and I started singing the Goodbye song. That was probably the 68th time they heard me singing it. I stopped two sentences in, they looked at me and thought maybe I forgot the lyrics so the kids continued
Read more →Be like water Be like water. It is a Chinese saying 滴水穿石 “dī shuǐ chuān shí.” It literally means dripping water penetrates the stone. Four simple words with a powerful message. It is persistent and it is perseverance. Drip, drip, drip. Little by little. Remember when your child spoke her first word? It usually takes about a year for us to hear our babies’ first word. Remember the excitement? First word! Then, one word after another. One
Read more →The Myth About the Chinese Language Chinese here refers to Mandarin Chinese, the official language of China and Taiwan, and one of the official languages of Singapore, and Macau. You may have heard that “Chinese Is One of the Most Difficult Languages in the World.” This may be what comes to your mind when you hear the “Chinese language.” But, I need to tell you that this is a myth. It’s a misunderstanding of the Chinese language,
Read more →Basic Chinese Tones in Mandarin Chinese. Is it important? YES! Introduction about the Basic Chinese series: How can I introduce the Chinese language to my child? Is it possible to share Chinese with my child if I don’t speak the language, and I am a non-native speaker? Yes it is possible! In this Basic Chinese series I will give you a simple introduction to the Chinese language, Chinese characters, and I will show you how you
Read more →Chinese Christmas Holiday Winter Break Chinese Playbook Lessons! Holiday season is filled with teaching and learning opportunities for you and your child. Turn on the holiday music! Set up the table with your favorite holiday color felt fabric. Have fun with holiday season teaching. Christmas Holiday Countdown Calendar Play with the Chinese Christmas holiday countdown calendar with dot markers! Traditional Chinese version. Simplified Chinese version. Christmas Holiday Countdown Chain Have fun with numbers and make the Chinese
Read more →Chinese Writing Systems: Traditional Chinese And Simplified Chinese Let’s look at the two Chinese writing systems: Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. I have color-coded the sentences for you to see the difference in the characters. The blue Chinese characters are the traditional form (繁體字). The red Chinese characters are the simplified form (简体字). Which should you learn? Traditional Chinese or simplified Chinese? Taiwan, Hong Kong, and many overseas Chinese communities use traditional Chinese writing.
Read more →Seasons in Chinese! Every day is a good day to talk about seasons! This is fun topic all year round. Let’s see what we can explore with seasons in Chinese. Seasons in Chinese with hands-on activities and music is a fabulous mix! I love to play background music for students when they work on activities. Teacher and parents can pick topic-related music and make each project a unique learning experience. Seasons in Chinese Teaching Resources: The music
Read more →Confucius for kids- Chinese Culture for Kids series is featuring Confucius! Confucius 孔子 is the greatest teacher 至聖先師 | 至圣先师 in Chinese culture! He is the greatest teacher, sage, and philosopher in Chinese history. September 28 is Teachers’ Day 教師節 | 教师节 in Taiwan. It is the birthday of Confucius. Quick Facts about Confucius The Greatest teacher, sage, and philosopher in Chinese culture. Born in 551 B.C.E. Died in 479 B.C.E. Hometown: Qufu, China. The book of
Read more →What is the best way to engage children in exploring world culture? Stories and books! 10 books for celebrating the Mid Autumn Festival! This selection of books for celebrating the Mid Autumn Festival includes books that tell the story of the Mid Autumn Festival and Chinese culture books. Many people ask about what is the difference between the Mid Autumn Festival and the Moon festival? Mid-Autumn Festival, zhōng qiū jié 中秋節 | 中秋节 is the direct
Read more →