Zhen's blog
IB Equals Instant Social Life Death
IB: the rigorous program that prepares students for university and life beyond high school while single handedly ruining your social life. On the surface, IB is simply a two-year program that challenges and encourages students to only do their best academically and interact with the community. However, there’s much more that goes on behind the scenes.
Arty Pants
- 284 reads
There's nothing we like more at beijingkids than encouraging creativity in children. Maybe the editors spent too much time around glitter pens when they were kids, but the more colorful and creative you can be the better!
Which is why we love this art camp for kids in the 798 Art District. Run by practicing artists, and conveniently divided into two age groups as well as into morning and afternoon sessions, this camp is well worth checking out if you have an art-loving child in your brood.
All Aboard the CRH: Shanghai-Beijing on the Fast Train
- 328 reads
It's summer holidays and you want to get out of Beijing to hit up the Big Smoke that is Shanghai. The last thing you want to do is take tired kids on a ye olde train, right? Wrong!
Where's Dad?
Sadly, the traditional norms of doting mother and distant father still hold true in modern China. In a recent article published in the China Daily, the author raises some serious issues about the effect a father's absence can have on their child.
Going Green? Here's What the Experts Have to Say
- 268 reads
Beijing families are "going green" in increasingly large numbers. Phoenix Tso from Agenda heard the collective cry for more green-friendly info, and went straight to the source: Beijing Energy Network. Key green crusaders told Tso their tips for making the world a little more earth-friendly:
CC Huang: If just 5% of the Chinese population buys one less piece of clothing each year, they can reduce 40 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Second Hand Stuff: Where to get it
I don't know about you, but I love a spot of good ol' fashioned second-hand shopping. It's something about all those pre-loved items that makes me miss the days of blossom hats (remember those!?), high waisted denim jeans, and beige floral prints. I'm thinking 90s here, can you tell?
And coming from a long line of op-shop (that's Australian for opportunity shop, which is English for thrift store) lovers, I spent the majority of my childhood in hand-me-downs and choice pieces of clothing found at St. Vincent's charity stores. Considering kids grow out of/cover all of their clothes with tomato sauce within one week of purchasing them, getting your kids in some funky vintage threads isn't a bad idea.
Eliott's Corner: pediatric therapy services now available
News arrived in my inbox that Shanghai-based therapy center Olivia's Place has very recently opened a Beijing branch called Eliott's Corner.They will offer occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and educational psychology to both local and expatriate children.
This is great news for families with children who need expert pediatric therapy services. Until now, therapy services have been sparse and limited to Beijing's larger hospitals and Care for Children (Beijing's only dedicated special needs school). The arrival of Eliott's Corner means that families have more care options, which is always a good thing.
Cyber Bullying in Beijing Schools
- 501 reads
In the strictest sense, cyber bullying is when someone is a virtual target of humiliation, harassment and/or embarrassment via the use of digital technologies. However, unlike physical bullying, which at least puts a face to the harasser, cyber bullying is largely done behind closed doors using the protection of a pseudonym. Even if the harasser and victim are known to each other, the Internet offers a shield behind which bullies can hide.
Recently, there has been an incident of cyber bullying involving two juniors at one of the international schools. One of the young boys had been provoking and teasing his target over Facebook, making his taunts public for the entire junior class to see. The bully had been calling his victim names and publishing embarrassing stories about him. The teasing and taunting had been going on for months, but the victim chose not to speak up, as he felt like he had no one to turn to.
Move House, Feel Good
- 338 reads
The great Beijing migration has begun. As families begin unceremoniously dumping their "gently used" household items on any unsuspecting soul who will take them, why don't you take a moment and think about other ways you can lighten your load?
Like donating to charity, for example! Giving old stuff away to Beijingers in need, plus free removal, equals happy days, if you ask me.
Breast Milk Coming To a Supermarket Near You
What tastes better and has more immune-boosting qualities than cow’s milk? Why, human breast milk, of course.
Here's where it gets weird. Seeing its renminbi-making potential, scientists in China have genetically modified cows to produce human breast milk. Testing is still in the works, but the plan is to have the cow (I mean breast?) milk on supermarket shelves within three years.
