Clubs come in all shapes and sizes in order to fit the unique needs of students. They allow young people to expand, nurture, and develop leadership skills or other talents that might be neglected in their normal curriculum. Whether it be athletic, academic, or creative, these clubs offer students the perfect opportunities to connect with others who have the same interests and do so in an atmosphere that is very focused and passion driven.

Let’s face it, not everything you might be interested in learning or doing is available at every school. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue it, and maybe even help to develop a community for others who are also interested in these topics. With this in mind, here are some examples of students from the International School of Beijing (ISB) that took the initiative to create the clubs they wanted along with some advice about the process of building and maintaining their respective organizations.

Interact

Interact is a service club that has both local and international projects. We visit nursing homes and raise money for various foundations, such as End Polio, and aim to promote leadership and collaboration amongst students.

Give us a brief introduction about Interact. What are its current projects and mission?
Interact’s mission statement is “service above self” and is an important reminder for all its members to try to make a positive impact with those around them. A charity organization branched from Rotary, there are Interact clubs in over 150 countries around the world. Creating young leaders, Interact is giving students an opportunity to make a difference and challenging themselves. The Interact club at ISB is volunteering locally with a nursing home here in Beijing to provide fun activities and longtime friendships with the elderly. We also organize fundraisers such as bake sales to raise money for international causes like the End Polio foundation.

How long have you been an active member, and why did you join in the first place?
I’ve been a member since Interact’s founding at ISB, which was in my sophomore year. Once school starts in August, it would be my third year as a member of this club. I joined because I thought that it would be a rewarding experience to be a part of a club from its beginning, and help establish it into the school community. Furthermore, as a charity club, I would have the opportunity to help others and make a difference in the community.

So Interact is a subsidiary of a large international organization. Do you find that you get enough freedom to pursue the projects you think are most suitable?
The help that we get from others in this community is absolutely incredible. I find being a part of a larger organization is beneficial rather than limiting because we can ask for help and support when we need it. As long as we make a positive impact, we have freedom to pursue our own ideas and projects.

How do you personally feel that the club’s current projects fulfill your mission?
In Interact, we have a local service mission as well as an international one. For our local service, volunteering at the nursing home gives us an opportunity to learn more about an older generation and the experiences they had in China before we were born. By providing various activities such as flower arranging or musical performances we hope to make them smile and lighten their day. Internationally, by raising money for those in need we can give them the help they potentially couldn’t have had otherwise.

If you had to single it down to one particular thing, what do you feel has been the club’s greatest achievement in the time since you joined?
We’ve done quite a few things since this club has been founded, but by far our most successful fundraiser was when we sold bubble tea to the students during lunch. We completely sold out in under 10 minutes, and the sale was a very large success for us and the students who bought the drink. We donated all proceeds to End Polio and continued to have bubble tea sales throughout the year.

When you step away from the club, what are your hopes for the future of Interact?
Since this will be my last year in high school, we’re planning on finding committed members that can be a part of the general club and members of the executive team. After I graduate, I hope that these students can continue thinking of new ways to fundraise, spread a positive influence to their peers, and become leaders in the school community.

How should someone go about getting involved in Interact- who should they contact?
If you’re a student and there’s an Interact club in your high school, go ahead and join! The students in charge can help establish you as a part of their community. If there’s no Interact in your school and you want to establish one, you can visit the Rotary website to find all the information you need.

Photo:
A complete version of this article appeared on p44-48 of the beijingkids September 2018 Teen Takeover issue.

Clubs come in all shapes and sizes in order to fit the unique needs of students. They allow young people to expand, nurture, and develop leadership skills or other talents that might be neglected in their normal curriculum. Whether it be athletic, academic, or creative, these clubs offer students the perfect opportunities to connect with others who have the same interests and do so in an atmosphere that is very focused and passion driven.

Here are some examples of a couple clubs that are available to students from any school, along with some valuable insight about these clubs from active members. In our process of seeking out these clubs, we also learned about a couple of instances of students building their own groups focused on either a particular interest or a service to the community that wasn’t yet being offered through their school. They explain a bit of the process to help those wanting to get the ball rolling at their own school.

We hope you find this to be a helpful primer for learning about some of the great afterschool activities this city has to offer, and it encourages you to try something new.

UNIT-E

UNIT-E is a student-run trilingual magazine that distributes to over ten different international schools in Beijing including Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), International School of Beijing (ISB), and Dulwich College Beijing (DCB). The students are from various schools in Beijing, and they work as a team to create a bimonthly publication that offers a platform for their peers to showcase their journalism and artwork. Editor of UNIT-E, Melody Chen, tells us more about what you can expect through joining the team.

Melody Chen

What led you to first join UNIT-E?
I joined UNIT-E because I was looking for an opportunity to share my creativity and opinions through writing. Since UNIT-E is distributed to schools all around Beijing, it would have a bigger audience and more writers that I can communicate with than a school magazine.

How has UNIT-E developed your interests or skills?
Writing is one of my biggest interests, and UNIT-E has definitely helped me improve my skills in that area. Especially through editing other writers’ articles and taking notice of the details in their texts, I was able to pay more attention to specific things like grammar, sentence fluency, tone, etc. By correcting their writing, I think it helped me reflect on what I need to improve on in my writing as well.

Has being a part of the magazine helped you meet or interact with any new people?
Definitely. In distribution meetings, I can often find people I didn’t know who were from different schools than me. During the mostly laid-back discussions we had in those meetings, I got to interact with them and get to know them.

What do you enjoy most about UNIT-E?
I like that I get to both help other writers with my feedback and learn from reading their articles. It is always interesting to step away from my own perspective and embrace what someone else has to offer – including subject matters that I’m not familiar with and different writing styles.

How is UNIT-E different from your average school newspaper?
The biggest difference is that it’s on a bigger scale. There are people from plenty of different schools involved in the writing and design processes, and the magazines are distributed so that most of the international school community can read them. Other than having a wider audience, UNIT-E is also not limited to just school happenings that most school newspapers publish. Each issue covers a broad range of topics from reports of current issues to horoscopes and fiction.

For more information, contact 19tinas@wab.edu

InkBeat Arts

Inkbeat Arts is a social enterprise dedicated to creative education. They design and deliver creative arts programming that pushes the limits of students’ creativity, publish the InkBeat Youth Journal, and support a community of young people based on experimentation and the artistic process. We talked with Jennifer Zhou to find out more.

Jennifer Zhou

What is InkBeat Arts?
InkBeat Arts is an organization that aims to foster creative learning in young people. As well as publishing InkBeat Youth Journal which showcases student writing and art, InkBeat also designs creative arts programs and holds workshops on things such as creative reading, self-expression, and visual writing.

How does InkBeat Arts play a role in your life?
I’ve been a student intern for InkBeat for about a year, and can definitely say that it’s a rewarding and unique experience. My tasks as an intern range from the serious and thought-provoking: holding writer interviews, or moderating a panel of student authors, to the fun and unconventional: writing speed poetry at InkBeat’s release party or writing an article about comic books for a superpowers-themed issue.

Tell me about your favorite experience from InkBeat. What made it so remarkable?
At the launch party for InkBeat’s second issue, I moderated a panel of student writers – together we discussed topics ranging from their writing habits and favorite books to their perception of literature and dreams for the future. It was fascinating (and, I won’t lie, a little intimidating) to meet so many insanely talented writers, and I truly enjoyed getting to hear their many candid, quirky, and humorous thoughts in the discussion.

Tell me more about these launch parties. What is typically done at one?
InkBeat’s launch parties are usually fun, dynamic events filled with a variety of activities – piece readings, author Q&As, student panels, and speed poetry stations, just to name a few. InkBeat has introduced me to everyone from amateur authors to professional writers to aspiring photographers to fanatical literature lovers, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know every one of them.

What’s the most unique or notable thing about this organization?
The way it revels in all things creative – in all ages, in all mediums.

For more information, email info@beijingyouthlit.com

Photos: Courtesy of InkBeat Arts and Unit-E
A complete version of this article appeared on p44-48 of the beijingkids September 2018 Teen Takeover issue.

In every educational establishment of this city, from traditional Chinese institutions to Beijing’s international schools, the desire of our parents for us students to succeed is evident. The race for the best tutors, the reach for the best grades, and ultimately the sprint for the best universities—present in every family, these are competitions which may at times be more nuanced, yet are always there.

Despite all of this, it is an unfortunate reality that the system we have grown accustomed to sometimes fails to provide kids with topics which truly absorb them. For every aspiring mathematician fascinated by the list of double angle formulae, there is a budding entrepreneur whose itch to build and innovate is sadly unmet by any subject presented to them in a standardized curriculum. And this, right here, is the problem. Kids are told that they can do anything, be anyone… to dream big, as it were. Yet, few of us dare to realize the honestly quite harsh (and scary!) truth: that we might just lack the proper tools to do so.

Whether we like to admit it or not, there are simply too many restrictions in a physical schooling system. There can only be so many buildings and classrooms and desks and teachers. This isn’t an accusation of our city’s educational infrastructure—it’s a hard reality. Whether it is the IB, AP, GSCE, or a traditional Chinese curriculum, there just cannot be enough options and varieties of topics for us (the students) to be able to truly experiment and freely pursue our interests.

Online courses, on the other hand, are tremendously scalable, hence the term MOOC: Massive Open Online Course. This hints at one of the most valuable aspects of e-learning, that its digital nature eliminates many of the barriers holding us back in the physical world – the “frictions”, as Professor David Bell of the Wharton School at U-Penn calls them in his MOOC which I’ve actually just finished, titled E-Commerce and Entrepreneurship in the Digital Economy.

While a traditional classroom setting can only be capable of hosting a specific number of people at a specific location at a specific time, e-learning allows for content to be shared and accessed by a potentially unlimited number of people from all around the world, at any time they so desire.

Most online courses follow an “on-screen, on-demand” format. Materials are primarily pre-recorded video class sessions and are available to students 24/7 for playback as needed. This format allows for an interactive style of learning where a student can feel engaged, as a real professor uses conversational language to provide content despite not being physically present. It also enables students to tailor the pace of the teaching to suit their own preferred learning styles.

Let’s take a look at some of the front runners of in the game of e-learning.

EDX

EDX (pronounced “Ed-Ex”) is a non-profit MOOC-hosting platform founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012 and is cited by some sources such as the New York Times as being the most popular application currently out there. This coveted reputation comes from the 14 million students actively using their service each year. EdX offers more than 1800 unique courses through their Open-Source Platform, coming from over 100 reputable institutions worldwide—ranging from US or Chinese universities to professional corporations. The caveat is that the best EdX courses are on the premium platform, but most paid options do come with recognized certificates, though EdX services do not offer functional degrees.

Coursera

Coursera is another large MOOC service founded in 2012 by Stanford professors and has since expanded to partner with 149 institutions across 29 countries. Coursera courses traditionally last for between four and ten weeks, with one to two hours of video material provided each week. Unlike most EdX courses—which generally release all materials at the commencement of each course—Coursera courses release their materials in stages. Some courses also operate in a way which restricts access to past material after a certain point. This tends to mean that Coursera courses can be more rigorous and demanding of their students. Coursera scores over EdX, though, by offering fully accredited bachelors and masters degrees since 2017.

Udacity

Udacity, unlike the previous two, is a for-profit MOOC platform, offering courses at both the university level as well as professional qualifications. It was founded in 2012 through a Stanford outreach program, and it just so happens that the early renditions of Udacity and Coursera stemmed from a single collaborative effort by a Stanford team. This service hosts 1.6 million users, again through both free and paid courses yielding the likes of university credits, masters, and bachelors degrees, and “nanodegrees”—a degree system recognizing technical ability, unique to Udacity and launched through its partnership with AT&T. Nanodegrees have gone on to become closely associated with careers at the AT&T Corporation, beginning with entry-level positions.

Udemy

Udemy is unique in that unlike MOOC programs which are driven by traditional collegiate coursework and a university styled structure, this platform uses content created by specialist instructors. Udemy provides tools which enable users to create a course, promote it, and earn money from student tuition charges. This format allows for an increased amount of flexibility in terms of what type of courses are offered. Here, there are courses in everything from digital design and 3D modeling to computer programming and even Reiki healing. Though degrees aren’t available through this platform, this is definitely reflected in the lower prices at which their 80,000 online video courses are offered.

CreativeLive

CreativeLive is primarily for right-brained individuals looking to boost their skillsets in a variety of creative fields. Courses in everything from photography and video, art and design, music and audio, crafts, and finally money and life are a click away to set you on the right path towards mastering one of these many skills. The classes offered are a bit pricier than Udemy but it shows in the production quality of these video courses. This is also available in an IOS app so that you can watch and learn on the go. This is a great resource if you feel like you aren’t exactly gaining the knowledge you crave from your school’s more traditional art classes.

e-Learning

As we’ve seen, every service associated with e-learning has its own pros and cons. But there do remain some important things to consider before deciding to make this style of self-led education a regular part of your routine.
One major deterrent is the high price point that comes with some of the options available. While there is also a plethora of free courses, many outstanding opportunities can cost you upwards of hundreds of dollars (USD)—a price which may not be within everyone’s budget.

To decide whether the benefits of a course might outweigh the cost (or indeed might not — keep in mind, this style of learning may not be for everybody), make up your mind as to what your ultimate goal is. Specifically, consider whether your primary objective is simply to learn something new, or whether it is to obtain some form of credit for participation.

Courses from highly reputable institutions (think Harvard Law School, the Wharton School, and so on) tend to package completion of their courses alongside functional certificates or degrees, which are generally recognized by universities or even hiring organizations. However, more often than not, these so-called “verified” courses are the ones which come at the cost of more than a couple of bucks out of your pocket. For many, this style, of course, is not worth the cash. But if your goal is to use the accreditation from a reputable course to your advantage in college or even job applications, it may be something to consider.

Additionally, it is important to remember that a valuable part of the collaborative innovation that takes place in classrooms often comes thanks to just that—collaboration. When students are able to consult with their peers and share ideas with not only one another but also their teacher or professor, amazing things can happen.
This is something that may, unfortunately, be sidelined in most online learning opportunities. Set against the golden advantage of scalability, the limitation of e-learning lies in that fact that students (and, of course, the actual teacher) of the same course will be scattered all around the world, in different countries and conflicting time zones. As such, each participant can only really rely on his or her own pacing and comprehension of the materials.

So what is the real takeaway here?

The bottom line is this: whatever the costs, it cannot be ignored that the world of e-learning offers a significant step up in variety, in ways that the traditional education systems of our community are simply unable to do. As cliché as it might sound, this variety may very well be the key to opening up unprecedented opportunities, and in turn, a wider set of possible futures for students. While it remains true that mastery of the traditional realms of learning, such as mathematics and science, is essential to educational development, branching out from these areas and exploring alternative topics is something which is becoming more and more important in an ever-changing world.

Photo: Adobe Creative Cloud
This article appeared on p35-37 of the beijingkids September 2018 Teen Takeover issue.

Whether or not we are always conscious of it, we live in a community where competition is intense and endemic. Students are taught from a young age the importance of “hustle” in day-to-day life. Extracurricular activities, tutoring, and homework (alongside what can feel like a billion other commitments) fill up our days, and as time goes on, it becomes difficult to prioritize anything other than what is being constantly handed to us.

For a lot of teenagers, fitness and nutrition are not taken seriously enough in everyday life. This is not to fault anybody in particular—sometimes, it is simply too much of a “time consuming” prospect to try and fit an hour at the local gym into our already overwhelming schedules, or to prepare balanced and wholesome meals for ourselves to fuel our bodies and brains. Granted, not every one of us has to go to the extent that I personally have—tracking my specific caloric needs and having two separate workout sessions most days of the week—but there are certainly easier-than-you-think fixes to some of the temptations in our lives to remain sedentary in our activity or idle in our food choices.

Believe it or not, fitness doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing commitment. Our levels of overall health and physical athleticism aren’t, thanks to giving up our time and social lives for the sake of hour-long workouts lifting 500 pounds or meal-prepping chicken breast and brown rice all our lives. You see, some have the mistaken belief that such a tradeoff exists. But it doesn’t.

Rather, our fitness is accumulated over a lifestyle, of small choices and changes that all add up to something incredible. Tiny tweaks here and there (which might seem insignificant on their lonesome) aggregate to amazing results. And some of those tweaks are not only very much compatible with our everyday lives but can also be shockingly easy to implement. It’s all about building habits.

Take, for instance, your morning commute to school. Now, this will, of course, vary based on where you live in relation to where you attend, but if you’re in the general vicinity, skip that car ride and hop on the bike. Yes, Beijing is polluted as all hell more often than we’d all like, but on clear days, a nice breath of ahem fresh ahem air and a rush of breeze can not only be a simple way to get your heart rate up and burn a few extra calories, but also act as a perfect wake-up call to a long (let’s face it, probably tedious) seven-hour day of sitting in the classroom. Plus, you can feel good about helping the environment.

If you’re farther from your school (say, downtown to Shunyi), a bike ride is obviously unfeasible. But there are some small strategies for you, too. When you get off the bus and into the building, why not take the stairwell farther away from your first-period classroom? That’s basically pointless, you might say. Sure, you won’t be doing much with that alone, but over the course of a day, a week, a month… Altogether, it adds up. Remember, it’s about building habits. Just don’t do it if you’re going to be late for class!

The same goes for the rest of your day. Every place you can walk just a bit longer to get there, do it! Skip the shortcuts and opt for some extra steps. If you and your friends like to just sit around during your mid-day breaks, get them off their butts and take a walk with you before your next class. Sure, just walking is boring, but get your pals with you and you can all talk about sports, nightlife, movies… I don’t know. Whatever floats your boat.

When it comes to food, giving generalizable tips can be a bit trickier. It’s just so subjective. Of course, I know exactly how my meals and nutrition are structured. I know my own preferences, and I know what kinds of food fuel me up just right. I don’t know about everyone else. I’m terrified that I’ll suggest some low calorie or “healthified” recipe for a dish that someone feels very strongly about. Yes, it’s happened. I made a low-calorie pizza one time, put it on my Instagram, and my Italian best friend nearly disowned me.

So let’s skip all that potential melodrama. I’ll do my best here. Regardless of what foods you’re used to eating, there’s generally a healthier alternative that’ll satisfy your taste buds just fine. Alright, let’s say you’re just not that keen on giving up chips and candy bars. Fine. If you find a version of your favorite snack food that is even just 10 calories less per serving, that’s still something. Remember, it’s not about perfection in one fell swoop. It’s about incremental improvements.

Specific recommendations? Let’s say you want some chips. I’d personally just skip the chips and snack on cherry tomatoes. (What?! you ask. I like vegetables, relax.) But I get that everyone else’s food preferences are not as devastatingly bland and boring as mine have come to be. If you usually enjoy snacking on Doritos, reach instead for Pop Corners. You can find it in any supermarket in Beijing and it’s 360 calories for a full 3-ounce bag, whereas the same volume of Doritos will cost you 550.

Let’s get more digital for a second. Since we students are honestly already on our phones and computers for way more of our lives than we should be, why don’t we just make better use of some of that time? Aimlessly scrolling through the Instagram homepage looking at memes is fun, but have you tried MyFitnessPal?

My point is that there are so many apps out there that can actually make incorporating “casual” fitness into our lives that much easier. The previously mentioned MyFitnessPal (MFP), by the way, is my personal lifeline. The app is a calorie/macronutrient tracker, with a database of food items and their nutritional profiles three times larger than the next-biggest app with the same function. As I’ve hinted, I understand that tracking calories is certainly not for everyone. But MFP has a variety of other functions which can be useful to you in your fitness lifestyle—including daily featured articles, workout guides, and recipe ideas. It also has a step counter, but if I’m honest, not a very good one.

For that, I turn to Argus, an app that has a range of functions, but its layout and simplicity make it very convenient for exclusive use as a step counter. The app’s homepage is composed of tiny little hexagons (which I find weirdly satisfying) each with various data, but the focus is on the one with a constantly updating number. That’s right, the step counter is literally constantly updating itself, up-ticking along with each and every step that you take.

But if you’re the seriously competitive type, and just knowing your own step count isn’t enough, try WeRun. If you’re on WeChat (and let’s face it, you are), you’ve probably heard of it. It’s a function that not only tracks your daily steps but pits you in a day-to-day battle to the death (at least that’s what some people I know make it out to be) with all your WeChat friends, everyone clamoring to be at the top of the leaderboard. The competition, though sometimes taken a little too seriously, is, in my opinion, a terrific motivator perfectly tailored to students and adults alike in our community.

Of course, there is a plethora of other fitness/lifestyle/nutrition management apps out there, other than those I’ve summarized here, but they all have one uniting quality to them. They make us aware. It’s not hard to slack off when we have nothing holding us to account. That’s what makes our schooling system functional, after all. Due dates prompt us to finish assignments on time, and grades prompt us to do those assignments well.

The same concept applies to fitness and nutrition in our lives as students. When there’s no benchmark to go by, why would we feel compelled to hit up the gym in the middle of exam week, or go for a run the weekend before that big project is due? Why would we feel any motivation to take a few extra steps, when we have no idea how many we’ve already taken?

That’s the beauty of these apps, the way they bring accountability into our lives. If we know we want to hit 10,000 steps a day, we’ll have more purpose to walk the long way to do so. If we decide that there’s a certain physique goal we want to reach, we’ll start to reach more for the lighter, healthier options.

It would be impossible for me to give everyone tips on how to make fitness a well-rounded part of your life specifically; everyone is just too different and unique. But just remember this: it’s not about perfection in one fell swoop. It’s about building habits, incremental improvements accumulated over a lifestyle of small choices and changes, that can all add up and become something incredible.

Photos: Adobe Creative Cloud
This article appeared on p20-21 of the beijingkids September 2018 Teen Takeover issue.

Clubs come in all shapes and sizes in order to fit the unique needs of students. They allow young people to expand, nurture, and develop leadership skills or other talents that might be neglected in their normal curriculum. Whether it be athletic, academic, or creative, these clubs offer students the perfect opportunities to connect with others who have the same interests and do so in an atmosphere that is very focused and passion driven.

Here are some examples of a couple clubs that are available to students from any school, along with some valuable insight about these clubs from active members. In our process of seeking out these clubs, we also learned about a couple of instances of students building their own groups focused on either a particular interest or a service to the community that wasn’t yet being offered through their school. They explain a bit of the process to help those wanting to get the ball rolling at their own school.

We hope you find this to be a helpful primer for learning about some of the great afterschool activities this city has to offer, and it encourages you to try something new.

Imagine

Imagine is a British organization based in Beijing, offering a variety of action and adventure-based activities year-round, all in English. They are also well known amongst the international and bilingual schools community for survival camps, parkour training, ski trips, school trips, team-building outings, sailing camps, and the annual school snowsports championships known as ISSCC.

Joshua Ai

Imagine is a unique organization providing kids with a great opportunity to participate in a variety of outdoor activities. Give us a brief introduction of some of the activities you have done with Imagine.
So far, we have loved participating in their water camps, parkour training, survival classes, ski camps, and bubble football.

What first inspired you to get involved in the range of extreme sports offered through Imagine?
I guess it would be how fun all of the activities are, such as their Civilization Games. All of these activities were pretty new to me. I learned lots of new games and was able to try many new sports that weren’t being offered at school.

What are some of the most memorable experiences you’ve had with Imagine?
Last winter, I won three gold medals at International Schools Snowsports Championships of China (ISSCC) ski race in the Giant Slalom, Dual Slalom, and Freestyle categories. Plus, this past summer I went to the Water Camp hosted by Imagine and loved jumping from the boat.

Tell us about some of the most important skills you’ve learned through your participation.
From their parkour classes I learned how to do a front flip, and in their fun ski classes, I’ve learned lots of new freestyle tricks. Most importantly I’ve also enjoyed the opportunities I’ve had to collaborate with and get to know other kids.

Do you have any advice for newcomers to Imagine?
Be brave at the beginning and you’ll find plenty of excitement with the coaches’ help. It’s also a great opportunity to meet new friends with similar interests in the sports being offered.

For more information, email info@imagine-china.com 

Sports Beijing

Founded in 1999, Sports Beijing is an organization that connects students and parents with a variety of interesting athletic opportunities for all skill levels and age groups. They seek to retain the essential spirit of community and volunteerism in their recreational programs where there is an emphasis on participation, fun, and learning the basic skills. But they also recognize the appetite amongst young athletes for higher-level training and competition with qualified professionals and ‘match play’ teams across many programs.

Nicole LeCren

How long have you been playing hockey?
13-years. I love it! My dad works for a hockey brand called Bauer. Since the Olympics are coming to Beijing, it has been his job to help people gear up. Also, the government has been building up hockey facilities and encouraging people to give it a try.

What is Sports Beijing doing to help build this interest in hockey?
We cooperate with Sports Beijing because they have this really developed base of people already interested in sports. If we tried to start a hockey class on our own, it might be hard to get students. But since they have this huge community of people, it has been helpful in getting kids out to try our class.

What’s the class you offer through Sports Beijing like?
All of the kids starting off can’t skate or have likely never played hockey before, and we help them build confidence, and start them off with a lot of beginner-friendly scrimmages. Usually, a standard class will be about an hour long of teaching the basics of hockey, then we will have a scrimmage game for about 15 minutes to encourage the kids. Usually, kids come in for about one or two semesters to learn the basics then we send them off to a more competitive club. Hockey gets pretty intense, so our program is just to help kids to have fun with the sport.

What are some of the positive changes you’ve seen in the kids taking your hockey class?
It’s really cool to see the kids come in being very shy at the beginning of the semester, and then by the end, they open up and learn about teamwork and sharing, which are both very important in hockey.

For more information, contact activities@sportsbj.com 

Sunshine Studios

As one of Europe’s largest dance studios, Sunshine Dance offers dance classes for beginners and advanced students alike. The primary instructor here in Beijing is Jerry Tse. Having trained all over the world, including London, Hong Kong, and LA, with some of the industry’s top choreographers, he has gone on to become a choreographer and teacher himself. He’s worked with many big stars, and TV shows, and now spends most of his time flying around the world teaching courses and masterclasses sharing the knowledge he has gained in the industry.

Deniz Guven

What is Sunshine Studios?
Sunshine Studios is a big, international dance company that was founded in Beijing by Jerry Tse. For me, I like how it is international with branches across China and the UK. We practice twice a week, mainly in the style of street dance and hip-hop mixed together. It’s really cool!

How has this experience helped you to develop your love for dancing?
Dancing with Jerry is so different from what I’ve experienced with any of the dance teachers I’ve had before. He’s so passionate about it, and he inspires me because of his attention to detail. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s crazy good at dancing. I think with him teaching me, it has made me love dancing even more.

Do you ever get to choreograph or create dance routines of your own?
First, for the basic stuff, Jerry choreographs it for us, but we are able to add our input for what we think would be cool and he helps us to connect our imaginations with his to make it happen.

What is the typical practice like?
We get into class, and we first have a short workout comprised of sit-ups, pushups, and planking. Then we do some stretching and start dancing. Sundays are typically our longer classes, so we do the workouts and stretching, then we do some warmups and leg exercises. You need to be fit for dancing.

What would you like newcomers to know about Sunshine Studios?
The class community is super tight. Everybody is friends, and it doesn’t matter what age or level you’re at. We all support each other and want to grow together. It’s a safe space, where you don’t need to feel like you are good or bad at this, and everybody is learning together.

For more information, email enquires@sunshine-studios.co.uk

Photo: Courtesy of Imagine and Sports Beijing
A complete version of this article appeared on p44-48 of the beijingkids September 2018 Teen Takeover issue.

Tacos, burritos, nachos … all tasty treats, without question. But these familiar dishes are only a small corner of the extravaganza which is true Mexican cuisine. Unfortunately, here in Beijing, it’s easy to feel limited in our options and understanding of Mexico’s food culture, and what it can really be.

Well, no more. Enter Pebbles Courtyard.

Pebbles is an innovative restaurant nestled in Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District, which delves into the farther reaches of Mexican cuisine, boldly bringing less familiar dishes and flavors to the plates of Beijingers. During our visit, we had the pleasure of speaking with Ray Heng, one half of the husband-and-wife duo who own and run the whole operation.

Ray Heng is both a genuine, cool guy and a real culinary aficionado. He’s no regular Beijing restaurant owner—having trained under his friend and mentor, celebrity chef Rick Bayless, the depth of his knowledge of and love for Mexican cuisine was palpable both in our conversation and in the food we tasted.

Our first dish, the Shrimp Cocktail appetizer (RMB 68), was delightfully refreshing. Having walked through the midsummer Beijing heat to get to the restaurant, the coolness of the shrimp, tomatoes, and avocado was immensely satisfying. A just-right hint of saltiness, too, was capped off perfectly with the crunch of the crackers which were paired with the dish.

Soon after, the staff brought out our second appetizer, the Empanadas de Queso (RMB 68). Before the dish got close enough for even the aroma to reach us, my eyes feasted on the colors on the plate. The perfect golden brown of the dumpling-shaped pastry sat gently on a bed of carrot and sweet potato purée and was garnished with flower petals. I would later learn from Ray that the principle of this “carrotine” purée is that its ingredients vary by season, but the end product would always hold this vibrant and tasty color.

Cutting into the empanadas, we discovered a generous stuffing of melted cheese in each. On my first bite, I was taken aback by the way that the savory flakiness of the crust and the rich fluffiness of the cheese inside complemented one another—a superb blend of textures. Even just the purée itself probably could have made for a splendid appetizer. The creaminess of the mashed carrot and sweet potato was seasoned just right—absolutely not too salty, but just enough kick to maintain an amazing flavor.

Each component of every dish is handmade. Nothing that a customer pays for comes out of a freezer or a bag. As he walked us through the thought processes behind his food, I was amazed by the sheer attention to even the smallest details that is responsible for making each dish just right. It’s not just about flavors, Ray says. It’s also about the texture, and believe or not, even the colors (as the empanadas demonstrate) that really make each dish hit their full potential.

The crackers paired with shrimp cocktail, for instance, were chosen in the stead of a perhaps more familiar stack of chips for its milder flavor, which allows for the other ingredients to shine.

Ray very well may have put more consideration into that single dish than I did for my semester final English paper…

A few moments later, our main dish was served. Again, the aesthetic quality of our food was on point. The presentation of the Street Tacos Platter (RMB 98) was rustic and beautiful. Along with the five tacos (chorizo con papa, carnitas, barbacoa, lengua, and tinga-de-pollo), we were presented with a range of eight different styles of salsa to try. If you think that’s impressive, remember that their entire menu offers over 30 different salsas!

The taco I tried—the barbacoa—was incredible. It was unlike any taco I’d had before. While the slow-cooked beef, coated in its smoky savory sauce, boasted a formidable flavor, it was the homemade tortilla that especially stood out. It had a rich and crumbly quality you simply would never be able to experience from its store-bought counterparts.

Ray explained that it is the simplicity of the ingredients that gives the tortilla its outstanding texture. The cornflour gives it a distinct aroma, while the pork lard incorporated into the recipe gives it its crumbly, rich texture that almost melts in the mouth.

The innovation behind the re-imagined Pebbles Courtyard brings a fresh slice of Mexican cuisine to the plates of Beijingers. Its unique offerings introduce the city to a genuine take on the vast potential of Mexico’s diverse culinary world—and is sure to leave an impression on anyone who makes to the satisfying trip.

Pebbles Courtyard
Daily noon-11pm. 74 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区五道营胡同74号 (8404 0767)

Photos: Uni You
This article appeared on p24-25 of the beijingkids September 2018 Teen Takeover issue

While no food should be considered a “guilty” pleasure (remember, moderation is key!) it is an unfortunate fact that some of our favorite indulgences don’t exactly provide the most in terms of nutritional and health benefits. After all, as much as it is perfectly fine to satisfy your sweet tooth with the occasional cookie, we all know that no one—parents and kids alike—should be chowing down on that delectable doughy, sweet confection all day, every day. Wouldn’t that be nice, though?

This post is perfect for anyone trudging through one of those dreaded mid-week cravings! Moderately priced, convenient, and (most importantly) both healthy and delicious: don’t hesitate to check out these five vendors selling wholesome homemade treats made with fresh and natural ingredients of all varieties. And if you’re worried about convenience, these vendors all host WeChat pages through which you can place your order and simply wait for your delicacies to be delivered straight to your doorstep!

Morning Lab
Want a cookie? Morning Lab offers a plethora of your and your family’s favorite classics, from the likes of cookies to brownies. Their goodies are guaranteed to be fresh—baked and shipped on the daily. Indulge also in a selection of yogurt and granola bowls featuring some of their signature recipes. All products use only simple and whole ingredients and contain minimal to no sugar as well as no oil, butter, or flour. Note: Products are also suitable for Ketogenic diets. WeChat: morninglab

Yeyo Yogurt
Tired of the sugar and preservative packed yogurt options that plague the fridges of every convenience store? Yeyo Yogurt offers a unique selection of different flavors of hand-crafted yogurts paired with simple ingredient toppings and all-natural sweeteners. Their yogurt range is all dairy-free, and features healthy coconut milk as its primary component, in the stead of regular cow’s milk. WeChat: yeyo-yogurt

Dali Bars
Let’s steer clear of that Snickers bar for a moment. Look here instead—Dali Bars is a Chinese business started by a trio of entrepreneurs from the United States, offering specialty all-natural fruit and nut bars with no added sugars and whole ingredients. Their range offers a variety of unique flavors including Apple Pie and Cocoa Almond. WeChat: dalibars

NAKED Nut Butters
Just as their CEO and co-founder proudly claims: “Less is more”! NAKED Nut Butters offers a delicious deviation from the distinct and widely recognizable flavors of processed peanut butter of brands like Skippy and Jif. But let’s face it: from the hydrogenation to the added sugars and artificial flavors, these big name brands aren’t exactly helping our healthy lifestyles. Try NAKED Nut Butters—their specialty almond and cashew butters all use no more than two to three ingredients, and are sure to delight. WeChat: nakednutbutters

Bu Shao
Bu Shao offers a homemade range of locally sourced whole-ingredient snacks such from the likes fruit leather to granola. Forget the additives, sugars, and fats of store-brand snacks—this is the place to go for some convenient on-the-go eats that will benefit your daily schedule (and your waistline). Also: don’t forget to check out their variety of uniquely flavored kale chips with only one key ingredient—kale! WeChat: bushao2015

Photos: Feedspot.com, TheBeijinger.com, Iliangcang.com, Dalibars.com

Undoubtedly, it’s been said time and time again: Beijing is a city with countless dining options. From mobile kowlongmian carts that roam the streets to five-star sit-down restaurants of all cuisines to even the infamous universal sprawl of fast food, this city is a sheer agglomeration of different cultures and unique flavors, sure to satisfy almost any palate that comes through. With that said, we all know that some of these options, unfortunately, aren’t exactly the family-tailored establishments we oftentimes look for when we want to take the kids out for a pleasant, feel-good lunch or dinner on the weekend.

Fortunately, the city isn’t also without its countless establishments that cater perfectly to a comfortable group visit that is guaranteed to leave you satisfied and with full bellies. Feel welcome to try one of these five great family-friendly restaurants on your next family night out!

1) Haidilao Hot Pot

As the old saying goes, no food tastes better than food you cooked yourself. Enjoy a tasty and social experience as the family sits around a table with a hot pot in the center, where you can dip in all your favorite delicacies—from lamb to seafood to pork brains (yep!)—that arrive uncooked at your table. Be sure to order their shoulamian, a dish and a show rolled into one!

You can find Haidilao at various locations throughout the city.

2) Din Tai Fung (Soup Dumplings)

Experience a refined rendition of a unique cultural cuisine. Din Tai Fung is renowned the world over for their signature xialongbao, a mini steamed dumpling packed with meat filling and a soup that is indescribably rich in flavor. Enjoy xialongbao and various other cultural delights in a vibrant and pleasantly busy atmosphere that plays homage to the vibes of traditional Chinese dianxinfang (“Dim Sum Houses”).

You can find Din Tai Fung at various locations throughout the city.

3) Moka Bros (Healthy Fare)

Ever dream of collapsing into an inviting beanbag chair and chowing down on a tasty meal at the same time? Well, Moka Bros has got you covered. From Poké bowls to quinoa salad to fresh smoothies, this restaurant offers countless healthy options that are a treat for your taste buds (and your waistline). Be comforted to know that the kids will be eating fresh and locally sourced ingredients, all while enjoying the fun, homey atmospheres their various locations provide for customers.

You can find Moka Bros at various locations throughout the city.

4) Slow Boat Sanlitun Brewpub (Wings and Burgers)

A brew for the parents and a burger for the kids. For years in tow, Slow Boat Brewery, first in the hutongs and now in Sanlitun has reclaimed the crown this year after their back-to-back victory in the 2015 and 2016 Beijing Burger Cup with their award-winning “Fryburger”—a beef patty topped with cheese, house aioli sauce, and a golden tower of beer-battered French Fries. Other delicious options include their signature wings, a sweet dessert selection, and (of course) their very own craft beer for the adults. Though their menu may be bold and adventurous, their venue is simple and aesthetic, a perfect setting for a family dinner out and about in the city.

You can find Slow Boat Brewery at #6 South Sanlitun Street, Chaoyang District.

5) Kerry’s Kitchen (Brunch Buffet)

If the kids won’t eat, let them run around in the Adventure Zone and work up an appetite! No, seriously, Kerry’s Kitchen Brunch at the Kerry Hotel in Chaoyang offers a kids’ play area in conjunction to their mouth-watering buffet of both Eastern and Western classics. The dining area is spacey and inviting, and their Buffet Package offers complimentary wine and beer for the grown-ups.

Photos: Haidilao.com, Everythinghapa.com, Thebeijinger.com, Tripadvisor.co.uk, Lumdimsum.com

There’s only so much time in the day for the whole family to sit down together and enjoy a wholesome, home-cooked meal. Unfortunately for us, this means we’ll likely often be struck with some of those dreaded hunger pangs as we go about our jam-packed everyday lives. Enter snacking. Though it’s a heavily debated topic, let’s face it: snacking will oftentimes be our savior in the midst of a long day. But the real question remains: is this snacking really good for us? And for that matter, is it really good for the children?

To be fair, there is a simple reason for why this topic is so controversial. “Snacking” itself does not actually possess a concrete scientific definition. Likewise, an answer as to whether this snacking is really beneficial (or detrimental) to a child’s health remains just as ambiguous. And because of this, the best we can do is to try and better understand it—and its implications—and take the time to analyze it from a few different perspectives.

Statistically, children today are snacking more than ever before. According to Dr. Barry Popkin, a professor of nutritional health at the University of North Carolina, children aged between 2 and 8 around the world, on average, currently consume anywhere from three to seven snacks (which he designates as “[any]food consumed superfluously between the day’s primary meals”) every day. Compare that to not that long ago; the mean number of snacks consumed, per day, by children of the same demographic in 1970 was a mere one to two.

So what does this mean, exactly? Are children today becoming intoxicated by the addictive nature of calorie-laden snack foods? Of high concentrations of sodium, sugar, and dietary fats? Well, not exactly. Or, rather, it depends. And this is exactly where the multiple perspectives angle comes in.

Children are growing, and this in itself means that they have substantially higher energy needs than adults. Simply put, they burn a lot of calories every day just being them. And to support growth in early years, it is beneficial for them to consume at least as many calories as they expend. The problem is that, oftentimes, even with three meals a day, it can be difficult to satisfy those caloric requirements, especially for children who are active in their day-to-day lives (think after-school soccer or basketball or tennis practices multiple days a week). This is where snacking is especially helpful—providing some growth-stimulating fuel throughout a child’s daily schedule.

But again, multiple perspectives. Snacking carries with it a barrage of caveats that must be addressed. Despite the advantages that come with implementing snacks into your child’s diet, it must be done with care and strategy. This means paying close attention to not only the content of the snacks themselves, but also the ways in which they are being consumed. After all, packing pre-portioned organic nut butter with fresh celery sticks for your child’s morning recess is really not the same thing as allowing him or her to pop open a bag of deep-fried potato chips and plop down in front of the television.

In summary, the takeaway should be as follows. First, monitor (if possible) and consider the quality of the foods your child is used to snacking on. If you find that their choices tend to lean towards the unhealthy, remember that small changes can really go a long way. For instance, 100 grams of watermelon yields a respectable volume of fruit, and boasts a mere 30 calories, while 100 grams of, say, M&M’s barely give you a measly handful, and pack on a whopping 480 calories.

Second, consider constructing your own approach to snacking which you’d like to see your child adopt. If a kid is left to their own devices, it wouldn’t be surprising that they’d give in to their cravings and pick the cupcake over the apple. But few children would refuse the apple if it were given to them to begin with. Not to mention, introducing structure into the way your child snacks can provide a sense of comfort—for both you and them. If you know that your child tends to get hungry coming home in the afternoon, have some healthy snack options ready. You will be comforted to know what’s going into their bellies, and they, in turn, will know to expect a wholesome treat after a long day at school. Over time, a structure like this can adapt a child’s mindset—building, early on, a healthy and balanced relationship with food.

Photos: alarmy.com, longroom.com.uk, The Food Network