Got a little one at home and hoping that they will socialize with others their own age? I know that organizing plate dates time after time can get exhausting. Everyone’s got a different schedule, and meeting other parents with kids of a similar age is no small task. That’s why I always recommend that you find yourself some regular meetups to make life easier on yourself.

The British School of Beijing Sanlitun and Shunyi organizes weekly toddler meetups that are free and open to parents, whether you’re planning on attending their school or not. These Baby Groups are open to kids aged 0-3, and are a great way for babies to start socializing in a safe environment and for new parents to socialize and ask questions in a safe and educated environment.

There are a few rules though: 1) They organize these events to help foster bonds between parent and child, so you’re not allowed to send ayi to attend in your place, 2) Since the schools can only accept foreign passport holders, the events are only open to those with foreign passports.

Here’s what you can expect when you attend one of BSB’s playdates.

An Early Years teacher welcomes everyone and leads the kids in a friendly warmup with songs, games, and crafts. Then kids get to play with age-appropriate toys and enjoy the company of others their own age while parents spend the time bonding with their kids and socializing with other parents while enjoying snacks and drinks.

Since space is limited, we highly recommend that you book your spot in advance.

British School of Beijing Shunyi Baby Group

Upcoming Dates:
Thu, Sep 28 (due to holiday), Fri, Oct 13, 20 & 27
Time: 9.30-10.30am
Location: The British School of Beijing (BSB) Shunyi, Early Years “Soft Play Area”
Address: South Side, 9 Anhua Jie, Shunyi District
Tel: 8047 3558

To sign up, scan the QR code in the poster.

After the October holiday, over at BSB Sanlitun they’re relaunching their Baby Book Club and Baby Dance Classes as well. These groups are open to kids ages 0-3 years old and their parents.

• Baby Book Club – starting Mon, Oct 16; runs every Monday 9-9.30am
• Baby Group – starting Wed, October 18, runs every Wednesday 9-10.30am
• Baby Dance Class – starting Fri, Nov 3, runs every Friday 9-9.30am

To sign up for their events, scan the QR codes in the posters to register.

Images: British School of Beijing Sanlitun, British School of Beijing Shunyi

“Bleat, bleat, bleat!” Here comes the adorable penguins made by Carmel Watson’s Pre-Nursery, Seahorses Class. All you need are some basic craft supplies and, voila, the kids are in for an afternoon of crafting that lets them explore their own creativity. British School of Beijing, Sanlitun students Evelin Hlusickova, Gemma Zhu, Nihit Singh, Austin Su, and Mia Marangone show you how it’s done.  

Materials:

•  Craft paper (white and colored)
•   Black felt
•   Scissors
•   Cotton wool
•   Glue
•   Googly eyes

1.  Cut 1 large oval shape (black). This step can be done with craft paper or felt.

2. Cut 5 pink medium size hearts of the color of your choosing.

3. Cut 1 large-size heart.

4. Cut 2 small white circles and 2 small black circles.

5. Cut 1 small triangle of the color of your choosing.

6. Glue the large heart at the bottom of the oval to make a penguin’s tummy, glue the cotton wool onto the white heart to add texture and to make the penguin’s tummy cute and fluffy.

7. Add the triangle for the beak.

8. Glue the two white circles for the eyes and the small black circles on top of the white circles to complete the eyes.

9. Glue 2 hearts on the sides of the penguin’s body to make the wines and 2 hearts on the bottom to make the feet. 

This article appeared in the jingkids 2023 Graduation Issue

Every school is run by a kaleidoscopic cast of dedicated individuals – from teachers and administrators to support staff and cleaners. However, while it’s great that we celebrate Teachers’ Day and honor those who provide a direct service to our students, there’s an unfortunate lack of Janitorial Staff or Canteen Ayi Days to recognize these irreplaceable people in our communities who often operate behind the scenes. Jingkids decided it was time to appreciate these unsung heroes of our kids’ campuses, so we asked schools to nominate their less visible staff members for all their hard work!

Dou Shifu, Beijing International Bilingual Academy (BIBA), Property Engineering

“The Walking Map”

His name is Dou Jianjun and we’d like to call him Dou Shifu. He is in charge of the Property Engineering Department of BIBA. He has been working in BIBA for over 15 years. He loves his job. We call him “the walking map of BIBA” Because he knows all the facilities of school and even every pipeline. Whenever we need him, he will show up with a bright smile. No matter how hard his work is, he always keeps a pure and peaceful mind, which perfectly demonstrates BIBA’s educational concept of “Let Children be fulfilled because of us.”

Zhou Ayi, British School of Beijing, Sanlitun (BSB Sanlitun), Classroom support

“Going Above and Beyond”

Zhou Ayi has worked at the British School Of Beijing, Sanlitun Early Years for 14 years, quietly going about her daily role. Zhou Ayi is amazing with our Tadpole children (under 2 years old), she not only cares for them, attending to their personal needs (changing diapers, feeding the children, helping them to settle to sleep) but also goes above and beyond her role by playing with the children in the classroom, joining in at carpet time and even learning some English Nursery Rhymes and Makaton actions, helping the children to develop their communication and language skills. Zhou Ayi is a friend to everyone in our Early Years, she is patient and kind and is always happy to lend a helping hand or go that extra mile.

“As a new teacher to Tadpole class this year, I really appreciated Zhou Ayi’s help and experience, it made all the difference in making me feel happy and welcome in the new classroom.’’ says Rebecca Zhang – Tadpoles Class Teacher

Brenda Leung, British School of Beijing, Shunyi (BSB Shunyi), PR and Community Development Manager

“Always Ready to Help”

Brenda has worked at the British School of Beijing, Shunyi for seven and a half years as the Public Relations and Community Development Manager. Her dedication and love for BSB and education can be seen in her enthusiastic attitude coming to work every day with a great smile and her professional work ethic in doing what is best for the school and the students. Everyone can always count on her and she is always there to help.

Originally from Hong Kong, Brenda has lived abroad for more than 30 years, completed her IGCSE in England, and her BSc from the University of Toronto. She often shares her own international education and expat experiences with parents and students and assists in organizing school events to help new parents settle down in Beijing. She is an integral member of the team and has built many great relationships with our parents and community partners over the years.

Yajing Chen, Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB), Director of Finance

“Longest Service”

We would like to nominate our Director of Finance, Ms. Yajing Chen! The delightful Ms. Chen has worked with the AKD Education group for 25 years and as the Financial Director at CISB since it opened in 2006. Ms. Chen works incredibly hard, is always positive, and underpins so much of the behind-the-scenes of CISB. Ms. Chen, in many ways, is the unsung hero of our school, whose work all too often passes unnoticed because of her humility and attitude of service to the school and the CISB community.

Join Toni’s Talk this Thursday evening to ask John Brett, principal of British School of Beijing, Sanlitun, what factors really matter when choosing a school as a parent.

John is a musician, a school leader with over 30 years of experience, a book author on curriculum research, a father, and a grandfather. What can John share with us with his experience and insight into primary and nursery education? Join us this Thursday night to find out!

What are the typical mistakes parents usually make when they want their children to study music?

What advice would you give to parents who want their children to learn and develop in music?

When parents are faced with different curricula, what should they really check? What really matters behind the different curricula?

And more…

Let’s have a sneak peek at John’s education theory by reading his article: Six must-have features of outstanding schools.

Images: Jingkids

As the old adage goes, anything you can do I can do better. And it is this adage that has been a rallying cry for women across the world in pursuit of equality in the greater society and also in fields largely considered to be the preserve of men at the time. Nowhere does this hold truer than in sports. Women, especially in the last century, railed against the misconceptions of female fragility by emerging as top elite athletes, conquering the world of sports everywhere from marathon running, to deadweight lifting. Who can claim not to know the likes of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova?

Despite these gains in certain sports, some continue to be closed to female participation, a boys club if you will, and none more so than soccer. Just this year, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Women’s World Cup was held in France, with the US team beating their Dutch rivals 2-0. And despite it being a spectacular event, it didn’t garner as much fanfare or international coverage as is offered to the FIFA Men’s World Cup when it happens. And even when the teams or indeed the players were featured, it was rarely anything to do with their exemplary performance on the field, and more about “drama” back home. Most famously, Megan Rapinoe, the captain of the US team, got into a Twitter battle with President Trump, further detracting from a hard-won victory.

The US women’s soccer team after their win at the FIFA World Cup earlier this year

This sort of discrimination, albeit unintentional on the part of news outlets, sets up a dangerous precedent which more or less states that if a woman dare go out of her comfort zone and attempt something in a field dominated by men, she will not be taken seriously and her gains no matter how hard won, will be diminished.

How then can societies across the world nurture and inspire the next generation’s elite athletes, be it male or female, while undoing gender bias in these same sports? Enter, China ClubFootball.  Established in 2001, China ClubFootball has dedicated its resources to providing the best possible training for all its trainees.  In the past year alone, the facility has seen approximately 3000 boys and girls aged between 3 and 18 enjoy their programs, which have been crafted by a pool of 16 full-time coaches drawn from the UK. With a curriculum designed by their Director of Coaching (an ex- Liverpool Football Club international Academy Head Coach), all trainees are guaranteed to not only have an all-inclusive, multilingual fun time, but also achieve the right balance between physical and motor skill and social skills.

Let’s Meet The Coach

Coach Sophie Hunt 

One way of motivating young sports enthusiasts to pursue their athletic dreams is to present them with a successful version of what they would aspire to be. Coach Sophie is just that.

What experience do you have as a football coach and how long have you been doing this in Beijing?

My coaching journey started in England working for Coventry City Girls Football Club (FC). As a previously first team player for the club, I was excited to start coaching and provide the opportunity for more girls to get involved in the game. It was here I gained my Football Association (FA) Level 1 and 2 coaching badges and was responsible for managing the under-11s girls team. The role included organizing and coaching the training sessions and running league matches on the weekends.

I was also involved in many projects with Sky Blues in the community. These projects offered opportunity for young players to play football and develop new skills. We ran a project called the Wildcats program which aimed to give 5-11 year old girls the opportunity to play football. We ran four centers across Coventry and Warwickshire and was a part of the 200 clubs in England promoting girls’ football.

I have now been in Beijing for three months working with ClubFootball and I am proud of what we have achieved in this time. My colleague Rob Skupien and I have worked together to create the ClubFootball High School Girls Team which have been training hard at the International School of Beijing (ISB) in the Autumn term. The number of girls in the team keeps growing so much that we have arranged and played four matches against Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), Harrow Beijing, and South American Football Academy (SAFA).

Members of the all-girls team 

This has inspired the club to focus on the younger generation and we have found great success with running a girls-only after-school program at ISB. We have 30 girls from grades 2 – 5 signed up for the autumn course and 24 for our winter course. This has been fantastic to see so many girls get involved in football.

Following the success we have been experiencing with the girls in Shunyi, Martin Chan, yet another one of my colleagues who has extensive experience as a coach, has been working hard to carry on the momentum in the Sanlitun area. Therefore, we ran a girls-only taster session at the British School of Beijing, Sanlitun (BSB Sanlitun) on December 8 and was thrilled with the response we received! It was great to see so many girls happy and experiencing the game and they all trained very well! We are now looking to run the girls-only winter program for grades 3-5 starting in January.

What does the curriculum entail for the girls?

ClubFootball’s age and level appropriate curriculum is overseen by our Director of Football Alex Arnold (ex-Liverpool FC International Academy head coach), and is designed to maximize each child’s technical, tactical, social, and psychological development through engaging, educational, and enjoyable coaching sessions.

ClubFootball use a process called the four-corner model. The four-corner model is designed to make coaches and parents think about more than just technique and physical fitness. It is used to highlight the needs of a developing person (player) and is used as a guide to think how you might construct practices to include all aspects of a player’s development needs. These four corners include technical & tactical, physical, social, and psychological attributes of a player. It is these four corners that we base our sessions around the girls.

We want each player to have as many touches on the ball as possible so they can feel comfortable on the ball and improve their confidence to express themselves and try new skills. I also think it is important that the girls get the chance to meet other footballers their age so they can make new friends and most importantly, play with smiles on their faces! The sessions will involve learning the technical fundamentals such as dribbling, passing, and everyone’s favorite, shooting!

What is your goal as a coach with your students?

Ms. Hunt in session with her students

My goal as a coach is to make a positive impact on my students and meet their individual needs. Some girls may just want to come and make new friends so I try to make sure the session is as social as possible so that players can meet new people. Some players may want to improve on a certain technique so I need to make sure the practice involves different technical skills and set individual challenges, so their needs are being met.

My goal for the girls team would be to keep running girls-only training sessions all year round. I would like to make sure they enjoy the experience with us and in the long term to arrange friendlies with other teams and build a girls-only league. This would be a fantastic achievement and I believe in the long term is very much possible.

What is the inspiration behind the girls training program and how are parents reacting to it?

From Martin’s and my own experience, we have seen the ladies game grow in England and have experienced the potential it holds. We would love to replicate this in China and see huge potential in how big the women’s game can be here.  Also, the Women’s World Cup was a great success this year with an average live audience of more than 82 million watching the World Cup final. I believe this can be a huge inspiration for any girl looking to start playing football.

Whenever I speak to parents with regards to the girls-only session, the feedback has been extremely positive. Many parents are happy to see the program as there are not many girls-only classes in the city. They feel reassured that their child is learning in safe environment where they can play against girls of the same physical ability and relate to the girls they are playing with.

Photos: Courtesy of Billboard>Mitchell Peters, Clubfootball 

What’s happening in Beijing’s international school community? See spring homecoming party, various performances, and sport matches in this month’s Circuit.

House of Knowledge World Studies Exit Points
House of Knowledge (HoK) elementary students recently presented an impressive range of “exit points” (final results) for their World Studies projects at HoK’s Shunyi campus. The projects were, as always, embedded with the HoK core values: Design thinking, Communication, Inquiry, Global Mindset, and more.

Grade 10 Plays with Earth at Beijing City International School
Recently, Grade 10 students at Beijing City International School (BCIS) began learning the fine art of ceramics. For their first lesson, they were given the task of starting the process of creating a pinch pot. As its name suggests, a pinch pot is a form of pottery that is made by pinching and turning clay.

Harrow Beijing Prep Production of Beauty and the Beast
On February 27-28, Harrow Beijing students successfully staged their annual production. Their rendition of Beauty and the Beast captured the classic fairy story in a series of upbeat musical numbers.

Homecoming Party at Beijing No. 55 High School
In order to help students adapt to school life as soon as possible and let new students integrate into the collective more quickly, No. 55 High School held a “Homecoming Party” in the basketball hall on March 6. Teachers and students of all grades took an active part in this activity.

WAB Season 3 Sports Teams Now Ready for Action
Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) has released its Season 3 varsity and junior varsity team photos. The student athletes will compete around the Asia-Pacific region in track and field, soccer, badminton, and softball.

Grandmaster Zhao Xue: Simultaneous Chess Match at The British School of Beijing, Shunyi
The British School of Beijing, Shunyi (BSB Shunyi) chess addicts had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pit their wits against Grandmaster Zhao Xue. She played 21 simultaneous matches and defeated our “last man” standing, Year 8’s Felipe, at 1 hour 20 minutes, an impressive record since other schools normally lasted 30 minutes.

DCB Junior School Councillors Lead Efforts to Support Migrant School
In supporting a migrant school in Tongzhou District, Dulwich College Beijing’s Junior School Councillors visited the children, raised awareness of their needs, and organized several successful donation drives, collecting over RMB 11,000 as well as a shoebox full of presents for each migrant student.

Grade 2 Circus at International School of Beijing
Roll up, roll up! International School of Beijing (ISB) students staged a circus show. Gym 1 was transformed into a big top for one day only as the acrobats and clowns of grade 2 put on a circus show on Friday, March 8. In two performances, students and parents saw a wonder of athleticism, choreography, and color.

The Masquerade Ball at YCIS Beijing
Yew Chung International School of Beijing (YCIS Beijing) students hosted a great masquerade ball on February 15. The glamorous affair was a fundraiser for Roots & Shoots, A Voice for Animals, and Lost Puppies of Beijing. Students had a great time performing, running raffles, and selling masks they made themselves on the night.

Personal Project Excellence at BWYA
On February 26, the Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) secondary school held their Grade 10 personal project exhibition. Every year, the students produce strong results, and this year was no exception. With displays about Chinese architecture, Korean grammar, quadcopters, and much more, it was an abundant array of hard work and creativity.

Book Week at BSB Sanlitun
The British School of Beijing, Sanlitun (BSB Sanlitun) encouraged children to get #caughtreading by taking photos of themselves reading in exciting places. They also had a Book Fair during the week and the parents organized a book swap. To round off the week, March 8 was Dress Up As A Book Character Day.

Success for Daystar Academy Phoenix Swimming Team
“Beijing vs. Asian All-Stars 2019”, an annual swimming event between international schools, took place from February 22-24, and once again the competition was fierce. Jennifer Zhang from the Daystar Academy bilingual school won the gold medal for the 50-meter breaststroke in the 7-8 years old group.

This article first appeared in the beijingkids April 2019 Exploring Beijing issue.
Photos: courtesy of featured schools

There were schnitzels, goulash, and crème brûlée lavishly spread out for the Thornton family to tuck into, at the number one spot for Czech cuisine in Beijing. Prague Restaurant is the perfect place to get familiar with the diverse and delectable cuisine of a country steeped in rich culture and history.

It may never have occurred to you to take the family out for Czech food, so there’s no better time than the present to introduce you to the wonderful culinary world of Prague, through the exceptional offerings on the menu at this issue’s Dining Out restaurant.

The Thornton family, although originally from Minnesota, have traveled from sunny Orlando, Florida to take up residence in Beijing. Emily is married to Conor Thornton and their two kids, Robert and Lucie, attend The British School of Beijing, Sanlitun (BSB Sanlitun). Conor is a Facility Design Manager with Universal Studios, and Emily, a former preschool teacher, is enjoying expat life here and keeps busy by volunteering as a Daisy Girl Scout troop leader at BSB Sanlitun.

The Thornton’s culinary adventure at Prague Restaurant was a daunting one for the kids, whom Emily described as picky eaters! The Thornton kids love to tuck away Saturday night staples like pizza, and enjoy steak, spaghetti, rice, fruit, and veggies! Neither of the kids is a fan of Chinese food, so this weekday outing was the perfect opportunity for the kids to try something new. Mom and Dad, however, are adventurous eaters and will try just about anything and everything.

From start to finish the Thornton family were given the red carpet treatment. The entire staff was extremely pleasant and showed Mom, Dad and the kids around. The family was seated and introduced to the menu while the manager made some recommendations.

The Thorntons were presented with some of the restaurant’s signature and most decadent dishes, including Deep-Fried Camembert (RMB 69), Pork Schnitzel (RMB 59), Goulash Soup in a Bread Bowl (RMB 49), and the Slow Cooked Braised Beef (RMB 89) in special gravy, perfected by Chef Martin.

Mom and Dad enjoyed everything, while Lucie loved her fries and soda, and Robert demolished the Fried Camembert and the Vanilla Crème Brûlée (RMB 32). Everything was beautifully presented and the portions were just right. The environment is family-friendly and intimate, with a space designed to be inviting and warm.

There’s also a little light entertainment for the kids, with the Czech national mascot taking up residence on the first floor of the restaurant. The mascot is a replica of one of Czechia’s most famous cartoons, Mole, created by Czech animator Zdenek Miler. After fried cheese, get the kids and go and say hello! And maybe learn a few phrases in Czech to impress friends at school.

Mom and Dad were so impressed with their culinary journey through Prague and the excellent service that they returned just a few days later to enjoy beer pong! Yes, you read right; if awesome, delicious Czech food isn’t enough to entice you to try something new and exciting, then you’ll always have beer pong to fall back on as an excuse to jump on the express train to Prague.

What are you waiting for?

Prague Restaurant
Daily 11am-2am. 1/F, 1, Compound F, Sanlitun Nanjie, 4 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区工体北路4号院80号楼1层F区1号. (152 0128 8544)

This article first appeared in the beijingkids April 2019 Exploring Beijing issue.
Photos: Uni You

What’s new in international schools this month? Visiting Olympian swims with kids, students win learning grants, and more!

BWYA Students’ Service to Community Recognized by ACAMIS

Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) students have won the ACAMIS (Association of China and Mongolia International Schools) Service Learning Grant. They stood out for their leadership, innovation, and contributions to the community. DP1 students Candy and Bella have been going to a local migrant school every Saturday, offering tuition in sciences, Chinese calligraphy, music, English, art, street dance, and film.

A Master Class from Olympic Swimmer James Goddard at Harrow Beijing

On March 6, Harrow Beijing Lower School students had an afternoon with the former Olympic swimmer, James Goddard, who delivered a swimming master class for the FOBISIA team, and then gave an inspiring speech about his life and how he became an Olympian.

Parent Education Workshop Held by Farshad Danicek at HoK

Farshad Danicek, Reggio Emilia education expert and co-founder of House of Knowledge (HoK), recently held a parent education workshop at House of Knowledge Xinglong campus. He transported parents into Reggio’s world with his professional teaching experience, humorous language, and vivid examples.

JISAC Badminton Competition at BSB Sanlitun

On March 11, The British School of Beijing, Sanlitun (BSB Sanlitun) students took part in the JISAC badminton competition. Lorraine Li and Cindy Huo won the Under 11 Girls Doubles final, while Chitraakshi Sharma and Carol Lakra reached the Under 9 final.

This article first appeared in the beijingkids April 2019 Exploring Beijing issue.
Photos: Courtesy of featured schools

Do you have an upcoming family-friendly event that you want to be included in our listings? Maximize the reach of your event and promote it on beijingkids’ social platforms!

Let us know by leaving your message in the comments section below or by emailing us at webeditor@beijing-kids.com. Follow us on WeChat (ID: beijing-kids) or join our family events WeChat group by sending us your WeChat QR code. Please note that readers should confirm with each organizer if events are canceled or scheduled as planned. For more events that may not be included in this list, please check our Events page. 

Spring University Fair at The British School of Beijing, Shunyi, Mar 19
Students and parents are invited to one of the largest university fairs in Beijing, hosted by The British School of Beijing, Shunyi (BSB Shunyi) and sponsored by five other major international schools in Beijing. Come and talk to over 90 university admissions representatives in person. Breakout session topics include college interviews, experiential education, scholarships, admissions process, and more. All ages. Free admission. 4.30-7pm. The British School of Beijing (BSB) Shunyi. (8047 3588, brian.chesher@britishschool.org.cn)

100-Minute Non-Stop Heyrobics Workout at BSB Sanlitun, Mar 19
Want an extra challenging workout? Join Heyrobics as they lead a 100-minute non-stop jumping, sweating, smiling workout! It’s extremely challenging yet fun for everyone. The Heyrobics team will bring the beats, some headbands, something to drink, and lots of happiness. You bring… yourself! All ages. RMB 80 (includes a headband and a drink). Sign up here. 6.15-7.55pm. The British School of Beijing Sanlitun. (beijing@heyrobics.com)

Women in Business – Future Women Leaders, Mar 19
The German Chamber and the Wirtschaftsjunioren (Young Business Leaders) Beijing kick off their new Women in Business series with a session on the complexity of issues related to professional women. This series aims to provide a platform for women with diverse professional backgrounds, to build and maintain strong networks, to enhance certain leadership skills, to share experiences and to foster personal and professional growth. Adults. RMB 300. Sign up here. 6.30-10pm. Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center.

National Geographic: A New Age of Exploration 2.0, opens Mar 22
National Geographic magazine is holding a special exhibition: Classic Image Feast 2.0, to explore the wonders of the world and discover the beauty of China. The exhibition will showcase classic images of China and include a new display called “China Memory”, which allows visitors to rediscover the grand beauty and cultural heritage of Chinese rivers and mountains, from the perspective of award-winning international photographers. All ages. RMB 70-100. Buy tickets here. 9am-5pm. Beijing World Art Museum. 9A Fuxing Lu, Haidian District. 海淀区复兴路甲9号 (5980 2222)

Wild Women on the Wall Presents: Fun Run & Walk at Beijing Riviera, Mar 23
Ready your running attire and bring the fam to the Fun Run & Walk at Beijing Riviera, organized by Wild Women on the Wall. Join a whole morning of calorie-burning fun together with your family and friends in either a 2km (starts 9am) or 5km (starts 9.30am) fun walk or fun run. This activity is one of the preceding events organized by the participants of the Wild Women on the Wall marathon, which aims to raise funds for their beneficiaries, Agape Family Life House and Five Loaves & Two Fishes. Adults. RMB 50 (2km), RMB 80 (5km), activities start from 9am. Beijing Riviera Clubhouse. (Buy tickets or register through WeChat by adding either of the following organizers: Anna-Seidel, Lucille_Beijing, or cbeckett)

Slow Boat Spring Family Day, Mar 23
Join Slow Boat Brewery for their Spring Family Day on March 23 (Saturday), noon to 3pm. This themed event includes spring crafts and activities for children, an open breakfast buffet (noon-2pm) and a family-friendly setting for the little ones to craft, explore, and play. All ages. RMB 218 (adults), free for children under 10. Visit this link to register. Noon-3pm. Slow Boat Brewery Sanlitun. 

First Aid Training for Parents at IMC, Mar 24
The International Medical Center (IMC) Beijing is holding first aid training for parents on March 24. Participants will be taught the essentials of teaching children, including getting hold of emergency services and performing basic life support, and learning how to deal with environmental emergencies. Adults. RMB 300 (register here). 9am-noon. International Medical Center (IMC). S-106 Beijing Lufthansa Center, 5 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6465 1561)

Listen, Little Snail: A Musical Show for Kids, Mar 24
The Western Philharmonic performs Listen, Little Snail at the Tianqiao Arts Centre on March 24th. Follow Emma, a little snail, on a lively journey of exploration perfect for kids and families, and learn about the instruments in the orchestra, different musical techniques and the joy that classical music can bring! All ages. RMB 180-380. Buy tickets here. 10.30am-noon. Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center.

Open Days

Mammolina Children’s Home-Montessori Kindergarten Open House, Mar 20
Prospective parents are invited to visit Mammolina Children’s Home-Montessori Kindergarten and meet the school founder Sasha Giggliesi, who will discuss the ideas of Montessori education and how it is applied to help children prepare for the future. All ages. Free admission. 9.30-11.30am. Mammolina Children’s Home-Montessori Kindergarten.

March Open Days at Yew Chung International School of Beijing, Mar 26 and 28
Yew Chung International School of Beijing (YCIS Beijing) invites parents to their Early Childhood Education Open Day on March 26 to see the school’s Learning Communities. At this open day, participants will also understand how the Yew Chung Education Foundation’s long history in early childhood Education has shaped their teaching today. On March 28, parents can discover the Learning Community model in Primary and Secondary schools, the integrated Chinese program, and know more about the curriculum and teaching style at YCIS Beijing. All ages. Free admission (RSVP here). 9-11am. YCIS Beijing.

Recurring Events

Beijing Farmers Market at Nali Patio, every Tue until Mar 26
Nali Patio hosts the Beijing Farmers Market every Tuesday this month. Shop around for second-hand clothes, DIY toys, homemade food, and farm fresh goodies. All ages. Free to attend. Visit this page for more info. 11am-2pm. Nali Patio courtyard.

Hello Future Kindergarten Songs and Stories, every Tue until Mar 26
Hello Future Kindergarten hosts a weekly toddler playgroup every Tuesday morning from 9.15am to 10.15am. There’s reading, singing, dancing, and crafts for the kids, and coffee for mom and dad. Hello Future recommends that parents and not ayis attend this playgroup. Ages 6 months-3 years and parents. RMB 70. Scan the QR code on the poster to register. 9.15-10.15am. Hello Future Kindergarten, Cathay View West Gate, Maquanying.

Photo: Agung Pandit Wiguna, rawpixels.com via Pexels; courtesy of event organizers