beijingkids's blog

The 3rd edition of the Expat Show Beijing will take place on 26-28th March 2010 at the China World Trade Center. Around 150 exhibitors will present their services and products during the three day exhibition.

For this third edition we will set up 4 new animations to enjoy your visit: • Food Festival
• Travel in Asia
• Live Performance
• The Kid Show

The Entrance is FREE to all the visitors. So be sure to note the dates in your calendar and register directly on the website to win great prizes, including: vouchers for famous Beijing restaurants, a weekend in Sanya, Beijing Guide, massages at Dragonfly and Spa de Feng, hotels rooms and much more.

Check www.expatshowbeijing.com or call us at 5869 9752 for more information.

Adopting a child from China is a long, difficult process. And now, it’s even harder.

Chicago Tribune reports:

“Three of the most popular countries — China, Guatemala and Russia — have scaled back, tightened rules or temporarily halted adoptions as they struggle to establish more transparency and accountability.”

“Countries also have raised the eligibility bar, excluding more prospective parents based on income, marital status and even — in the case of China — body mass index.”

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The ice is thawing, the trees are sprouting tiny flower buds, and spring is on it's way. As we come out of hibernation, it’s time to reconnect with the roots of this fair city. That’s why the March issue is all about what makes Beijing a great place to live.

See what goes on in a week in the life of a local Chinese family. Find a new Chinese restaurant, museum, or hidden market. Read what parents have to say about sending their kids to local Chinese schools. While Kara Chin tracks down the best Mandarin teachers and discovers their top tips for perfecting Putonghua. If it’s time to say goodbye to Beijing, Kaatje Schreurs Harrison’s got you covered with advice from families who’ve done it before.

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Peanuts are close to being crossed off the list as the “most lethal of all food allergies.” Read Alpha Mummy’s post here.

Researchers from Cambridge's Addenbrooke's Hospital are busy working to desensitize children to peanuts. So far, they have successfully done so with four children over a six-month period.

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In addition to new spring courses beginning on March 20th, ClubFootball will be offering FREE trial soccer classes given by professionally qualified coaches. Classes will be offered at Chaoyang Park (March 20), Wangjing/Lido (March 28), Zhongguancun (28th March), as well as at several schools. To register, call ClubFootball call 5130 6893/4/5/6 or email coaching@wanguoqunxing.com. For details, visit www.clubfootball.com.cn or http://www.wanguoqunxing.com/cms8/index.php

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Parents and babies beware of the milk! Despite the scandal of deadly melamine milk powder in 2008, 170 tons of milk powder are being recalled. Although China made efforts to punish those responsible, including the execution of two workers (a dairy farmer and a salesman), government officials were only moved around, most to the same position if not a higher one, and tainted milk products went back into circulation after being repackaged and resold. Read more from Business Week and BBC News.

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If your kids loves the limelight, sings in the bathroom, or can't get enough of High School Musical, then check out this email we got from the Rainbow VIP Party Center:

"Can YOUR child make people laugh, cry, or smile? Do they have a special look that grabs attention? We are hosting a 2 hour party for international kids ages 5 to 8 so our talent scouts can passively observe and photograph new faces in Beijing for upcoming TV commercials and catalog advertisements. This is NOT a posing session nor audition. It is a preliminary screening, and if the scouts see someone special they will contact you for private auditions. For the kids it is just one big fun party with 90 other international kids with clowns, magic, games, pizza, drinks, and cake. One of our rising stars (Nui Nui) is now in Hong Kong shooting a TV Commercial. Will your child be next?"

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"A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down," but then again, maybe not a spoonful. A recent article on MyHealthBeijing suggests that children are receiving incorrect doses of medicine due to different shapes and sizes of kitchen spoons.

The article states: “In the study, first printed in the Annals of Internal Medicine and reviewed in Pediatrics JournalWatch, patients tried to pour 5ml into a series of spoons. They found a 20% error in under/overdosing.”

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beijingkids is sad to announce that long-term columnist and beijingkids contributor, Sarah Cooper, will be leaving to seek out new adventures in the UK.

We are currently looking for talented mom who thinks they have what it takes to write a bi-monthly column. Applicants should be able to meet the following criteria:

- be a talented writer (a writing/journalism background is a bonus)
- consistently meet deadlines
- able to write fresh new content every column
- be actively involved in the international community
- love Beijing

If this sounds like you, e-mail 2 writing samples (max. 600 words each) and a cover letter explaining why you think you'd be perfect for the job to: imogenkandel@beijing-kids.com

Good news: The H1N1 flu virus is on the decline.
Bad news: The virus is not completely gone, patients have stopped asking for the vaccine, and doctors are worried about another outbreak.

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