November, 2009

Don’t miss this week’s excellent events that are fun for the whole family. E-mail newsletter@beijing-kids.com to get each issue sent to your inbox. Check the beijingkids website for full event listings, www.beijing-kids.com.

Thurs 26: Thanksgiving

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Feeling crappy in a way you can't quite put your finger on? Here’s why. After a few days of clear skies last week (nothing to do with President Obama’s visit we’re sure), air pollution readings in Beijing were once again off the scale yesterday.

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Dr. Richard has a few ideas for the PTA to mull over at their next meeting. See what he has to say in his new blog:

There is overwhelming evidence that air pollution causes both long-term and short-term damage to children’s health. That includes health effects from children playing sports on heavily polluted days. There are two essential reads for all concerned parents and school staff, both from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The first is their 2004 policy statement, Ambient Air Pollution: Health Hazards to Children. The second is a review paper in 2008 called Air Pollution Threatens the Health of Children in China. Both are available as PDF, for free. Part of their conclusions are:

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New York Magazine has an interesting article about the problems with over-bolstering your kid's self esteem.

Research suggests that if parents continually praise their genuinely intelligent chidlren as "smart," it tends to cause a pattern of underachievement and an unwillingness to strive for risks on the part of the kids.

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The Ministry of Health has refuted a Greenpeace claim that a high proportion of fruits and vegetables sold in Beijing supermarkets (including Walmart and Carrefour) contain harmful pesticides, according to a report in today's Global Times.

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News this morning is that Beijing United Family Hospital has confirmed they now have the H1N1 (better known as Swine Flu) vaccine available free of charge. The hospital began offering shots over the weekend.

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Who doesn’t love the story of Cinderella, a tale of unlikely love with magical elements and a triumph of good over evil?

 
But the real question is, what's the best way to study this fairytale?

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Don’t miss this week’s five excellent events that are fun for the whole family. E-mail newsletter@beijing-kids.com to get each issue sent to your inbox. Check the beijingkids website for full event listings, www.beijing-kids.com.

Thu 12 – Jiaozi, only better!
The air is frosty, the trees are snow-covered, and your hands are freezing. There’s only one thing that can cure your winter chills – jiaozi! But not just any old jiaozi will do; you need multicolored parcels filled with beancurd, mushrooms, eggs, carrots and more. Bao Yuan Jiaozi Wu near Solana has just what you’re looking for with a family-friendly dumpling selection and colorful jiaozi wrappings that the kids will love (colors include purple, red and green).
Bao Yuan Jiaozi Wu. Daily 11am- 10.30pm. 6 Maizidian Jie, Chayang District (6586 4967) 宝源饺子屋，朝阳区麦子点街6号       
 
Don’t Forget: Chaoyang Park is just next-door if the kids need to burn off some energy after dinner.

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There's much chatter about whether or not kids in Beijing's international schools should take the H1N1 vaccine. Here's what MyHealth Beijing blogger, Dr. Richard has to say about the vaccination:

The H1N1 virus is full into its second wave all over the world. There has been a large increase over the last 2-3 weeks, including in China. There are some disturbing signs that this H1N1 virus is more dangerous to pregnant women and children than previously thought. With pregnant women, the risk of death from H1N1 is six times higher than the population, and health authorities are stressing that pregnant women get the vaccine. And as for children, already in the US 86 children have died from H1N1, again already a higher total number than we would usually see during the entire seasonal flu season.

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The media is filled with stories, homages and commentary on Sesame Street's 40th anniversary this week, among which is this Time.com interview with Kevin Clash, the puppeteer and voice behind Elmo - behold the face of He-Who-Has-Our-Toddlers-Transfixed.

Though not dire, both of my children were recently ill, signaling the start of the cold and flu season. My son had a sore throat, high fever and a cough, while my daughter thankfully only had a runny nose and suffered from a bad night’s sleep.

 
Below are a few steps that you can take to make your child more comfortable when they’re suffering with the cold or flu.
 

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Every new parent rejoices (and loses sleep) over the sounds of their newborns crying, but a recent study shows there is something much more complex involved. WebMD reports scientists have discovered that the "the cries of infants as young as three days old already reflect the language their parents speak," and "the surrounding language seems to affect infants' sound production much earlier than researchers thought."

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My childhood fixation with Sesame Street has extended well into my adult years, especially now that our daughter, like many toddlers, is obsessed with Elmo.

Yes, I am well aware of the crass commercialization the show has undergone in more recent (and post-Jim Henson) years, and I definitely agree that television programs can never substitute for good old fashioned parenting, but I will forever hold a fondness in my heart for the program -- it is, after all, what taught me English in my earliest years growing up in a Chinese speaking household before pre-school. Sesame Street also offered me my first glimpse of my future home, China. 

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Don’t miss this week’s five excellent events that are fun for the whole family. E-mail newsletter@beijing-kids.com to get each issue sent to your inbox. 

Also this week, beijingkids supports all efforts to improve education for the children of Beijing, and we're sponsoring the Early Years Education Conference on Nov 6-8 (www.eye-conference.com), hosted by Dulwich College Beijing.
 
Friday November 6th – Daytime Stroll
Looking for a new place to stroll with your infant/toddler? One place that's often left off the "must-see” list is the Confucius Temple. Go late in the afternoon on a weekday for a tranquil outing free from tourist hoards. Right outside the gates is one of Beijing's nicest veggie restaurants, Xu Xiang Zhai serving buffet style cuisine (perfect for the picky eater) with unexpected treats. Give your kid some culture at an early age and enjoy one of Beijing's sites crowd-free. Extra bonus: it's located a hop, skip and a jump from Line 5. Lunch buffet 11.30am-2pm. 26 Guozijian Dajie, Dongcheng District (6404 6568)
 

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Thanks to everyone who came out to the BeijingKids Halloween Party this past weekend at the Wangfujing Hilton. Over 60 families (250-plus people showed up and enjoyed a delicious brunch and a host of games and activities, including pumpkin carving, face painting and a costume parade. Pics are up in the gallery.

Sign up for the BeijingKids club here and don't forget the next BeijingKids Club members-only event is the Sealicious Brunch, featuring a fresh seafodd buffet, games, crafts and more at the Westin Chaoyang on Saturday, Nov 21 from 11.30am-3pm.

Get out the sweaters, scarves, boots and….the tissue! It’s officially autumn and, unfortunately, flu season, but the November issue of beijingkids answers your H1N1 questions. Doctors from Beijing United and SOS give tips on how to avoid catching the virus and what to expect if you do. If you’ve ever wondered about alternative medicine, check out Melissa Rodriguez’s comparison of traditional Chinese medicine and naturopathic medicine with Western medicine – and get tips for easing the symptoms of the common cold. 

Looking for the right healthcare in Beijing can be tricky but Kaatje Schreurs Harrison gives the lowdown on what to expect from local and foreign hospitals (and where to buy children’s medicine). Donna Scaramastra Gorman investigates the options for children with learning disabilities. Elsewhere in the issue, an expat mom in Beijing shares her story and advice on adopting from China. 

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Fragrant Hills: Beijingers flock here in autumn when the maple leaves saturate the hillsides in great splashes of red…
–Lonely Planet: China

…and it can be a nightmare.

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The restoration of Beijing’s imperial infrastructure continues, with the recent unveiling of a small park-like passage along the banks of a Tonghui He tributary, winding its way diagonally between Di’anmen Waidajie and Di’anmen Dongdajie near Houhai.

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