Kids

In a thought-provoking piece for The New York Times, columnist KJ Dell’Antonia wonders what effect her and her partner’s choice to move to the countryside may have had on their children’s independence. She quotes Dr. Richard Jackson, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of California: “Children who grow up in suburbia can’t meet their life needs without getting a ride somewhere.” For many expat families living in Beijing, this sentiment is likely to hit home. 

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I have a pre-tween daughter, Leah, who is exercising her independence these days. She tests me with her words, and she certainly challenges authority. She's still a little girl, yet she knows that bigger things are just around the corner. To provide her with some much-requested liberation, I don't meet her at the bus stop anymore, and she doesn't have a great desire to hang out with me if there are other -- better -- options around.

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Protecting and maintaining children’s health and well-being is the number one priority on every parent’s list. Childhood immunization is one weapon that helps prevent our children from getting devastating diseases like meningitis, pneumonia and polio. However, navigating the immunization process while living in another country or moving between countries can seem like a daunting process.

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Growing up in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada, Rebecca Shatford was painfully shy. That started to change when she discovered drama classes at age 10. She liked the experience so much, she ended up going into acting in university. Since then, she has taught drama in countries like South Korea, Russia, and Thailand. Now, Shatford is the educational manager at Dreamaker (卓美教育), a drama education company based in Beijing.

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Holiday travels peak during festive periods. With the Lunar New Year around the corner, overseas assignees are making their way back to their hometowns to celebrate with their families while leisure travelers are departing for their holiday destinations. Some are also taking advantage of the long holiday to catch up with their loved ones based overseas. With so many travelers on the road, there is an increased chance that plans, schedules, and travels can go awry. 

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Before you embark on your holiday or before those fireworks start popping, stop by the Beijing City International School this Sunday for a sneak peek at Chinese New Year festivities.

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With some kids on holiday, and more about to take a break from school for Chinese New Year, the time is right to stock up on some educational, yet entertaining, math apps to help sharpen the skills of the young minds in the family.

The first app in our math roundup is Grow Your Garden by Learning Yard. This adorable app uses visual cues in the shape of water droplets to encourage kids to add and subtract the correct amount of water for each flower that they grow in their garden. Little by little, the plants get properly cared for and eventually fill your child’s garden. Reina (4.5 years of age) enjoyed solving the problems to get to the flowers, with only occasional assistance from mama and baba. Grow Your Garden is rated 4+ and is available for $0.99 for the iPhone and $1.99 for the iPad at the App Store.

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Tired of reciting the same old bedtime stories? Let your kids create their own!

With the Toontastic iPad app, children can use their imagination to create their own story with cartoon scenes, music and characters.

Kids learn about the five aspects of a story arc, choosing to work first on the setup, the conflict, the challenge, the climax, or the resolution. Next, kids can pick the setting of their story, be it a pirate ship or magic castle. Users can also imagine their own zany characters or adventurous settings using the illustration tools.

When animating the scenes, narrators can record their voice and make their characters come to life on screen. The scene is completed once background music is added. Once the story is done, it can be shared online with friends.

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If you’re not willing to brave those nippy winter days, The Familier is a good place to wile away the afternoon. Though prices can be a bit steep (RMB 70/two hours or RMB 100/full day), this 530sqm indoor playcenter has plenty of activities, games, and classes for ages 2-8. The Familier encourages parents to join the fun, with specially-developed programs in English, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.

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Education in China are expensive, especially the kindergartens. Apart from the school tuition, parents always have to face all different kinds of fees while the kids are already in the school.

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