Ian Cook

Calling all aspiring artists and would-be watercolorists...

Take part in beijingkids’ Blue Ocean, Blue Dream painting competition for an opportunity to get your masterpiece exhibited in the Beijing Aquarium, and give yourself a chance of winning some great prizes.

- 3 lucky winners will receive a Beijing Aquarium 2010 family passport valued at RMB 660

- 5 runners-up will receive a Beijing Aquarium tickets package, valued at RMB 360

- 10 third place prizes will be awarded in the shape of Beijing Aquarium 10th anniversary special presents

- 100 highly commended entrants will earn a Beijing Aquarium ticket each or a Beijing Aquarium 10th Anniversary Celebration ticket.

For a chance to win of one of those great prizes, send your painting (minimum of A3 size) by mail to: Suite 2801, Bldg 10 Wanda Plaza, 93 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100022, or submit a scanned copy (300dpi minimum) to marketing@beijing-kids.com. All entries must be in before July 28th.

Good luck!

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, or check the beijingkids website for full event listings online (www.beijing-kids.com).

Thursday July 9 – Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
The third installment of the Ice Age movie series is released this week. Follow Manny the mammoth, Scrat the squirrel and Sid the sloth as they dodge dinosaurs and run amuck. Take the kids along to the Shijingcheng Wanda IMAX Theater to behold the movie in all its 3-D glory. Wanda Plaza, 93 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District.
Don’t forget: Those with weak stomachs can check out the normal 2-D version Megabox at the Village, Sanlitun.

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The annual AmCham-China July 4th event has established itself as something of an Independence Day institution in recent years, and with the help of beijingkids’ team of face painters and temporary tattoo artists, Saturday’s celebration at Ch'ien Men 23 was yet another all-out success.

Were you there? Check out the photos from the day in our online gallery to see if you were snapped!

The general consensus has been that babies of stay-at-home mums receive more nurture-time than those whose parents are full-time workers. It’s a logical conclusion, right? The more time you spend at home with your children, the more they will be cuddled and held and read to, which will in-turn help them grow in to well-rounded and emotionally balanced members of society.

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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.

Thursday July 2 – Peaches are in Season
Stay cool indoors and whip up a refreshing Peach and Sichuan Pepper Granita – the perfect tasty treat on a hot summer’s afternoon. All you need is sugar, water, peaches and Sichuan peppers. See the summer issue of beijingkids for a step-by-step guide, or check it out online
Don’t forget: For this recipe, the riper the better - so use the softest, most fragrant peaches you can find.

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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, or check the beijingkids website for full event listings online (www.beijing-kids.com).

Thursday June 25 - Summer Sizzler
Temperatures are set to skyrocket this Thursday – there’s only one thing to do – cool off. Deck the kids out in their swimsuits and let them play in the giant water fountains at Solana or at the Village in Sanlitun.
Don’t forget: Stop off at Cold Stone Creamery for an icy cold treat.

 

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In New York City, Meme Roth, a mother of two who is notorious for her fanatical concern with the rise of obesity (she came to fame for calling Santa Claus fat, vilifying the Girl Scouts for selling cookies, and for criticizing overweight celebrities) is involved in another nutrition battle closer to home. In order to make sure her kids’ diets remain 100 percent junk food free, she has taken matters into her own hands.

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

Thursday, June 18 - Half-price Movies
Take the kids to see the latest movie release for half the price. Mega Box at Sanlitun offers 50% discounted tickets for screenings before 1.10pm. RMB 25-35. Weekdays. Mega Box, B2/F, The Village at Sanlitun.
Don’t forget to: Check out the latest family-friendly flick Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian starring Ben Stiller.

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Bérangère and Renzenghuamao – two students at the China Agricultural University in Beijing – are heading a project to help provide clothing to people in impoverished and remote rural areas of the Qinghai province. If you have any unwanted clothes taking up space in your closet, they would love to hear from you.

Collecting sessions take place weekly. For more details, email be.bertoncello@yahoo.fr or check out their Facebook group: “Second hand clothes project in rural area”

Let’s face it, most of us struggle to hit the right balance when it comes to work, rest and play. The demands and time constraints that stem from the workplace can place limitations on our ability to indulge in a spot of R&R every once in a while. But surely, the barriers that prevent many adults from taking time out to relax should not drip-down in to the lives of children. Liu Shinnan, writing in China News Daily, provides the example of his 10-year-old granddaughter to illustrate the nonsensicality of inflicting “extra-curricular skills training” on children.

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