With kids back at school and the weather finally cooling down, it’s the perfect time to include more active fun in your family’s weekly schedule. So let’s see what awaits for you this first week of September:

Sunshine Studio Dance Classes

Dance classes for kids and adults are back every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday at Sunshine Studios. Starting from RMB 140 for one one-hour class a week, classes are divided according to kids’ age and level, so if your kids want to learn some cool dance moves and become stronger, fitter and more confident, scan the QR code to register for one of these classes.

When: Every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday

Where: 7 Gongtixi Lu, Chaoyang District

Price: Students pay per school term/Adults pay per 6-week block

RMB 140/one hour-long class a week, RMB 220/2 hours a week, RMB 300/3 hours a week, RMB 100/each additional class a week, RMB 160/drop-in (adults only)

Lil Peaches Kids Yoga

Lil Peaches yoga classes, where kids can improve their flexibility. balance and posture, are back at Taozi Tree Yoga. Kids Yoga-certified instructors will make sure your children are safe and well taken care of. Classes are available with Danielle and Sandra on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, starting from Aug 30. Scan the QR code on the posters to register.

Where: Taozi Tree Yoga

When: Tuesdays (4.30-5.20pm with Sandra) and Wednesdays (5.15-6.15pm with Danielle)

Price: RMB 800/six classes or RMB 180/one class

Kids Club: Xiangtun Village Loop

Join Beijing Hikers in a kid-friendly hike by Xiangtun Village, which  is a small collection of courtyards and houses that have now mostly been converted into guesthouses and small restaurants. You’ll hike up a short, steep, section of the Great Wall, and finish the hike with an easy walk out through chestnut orchards. This outing is best for ages 6 and up. Younger kids could walk in places but would need to be carried for most of the hike. Scan the QR code to register.

Where: Depart from Liangmaqiao subway area, and Lido Metropark Hotel Starbucks

When: Sep 3, 7.30am (Liangmaqiao departure) and 8.00am (Lido departure)

Price: RMB 380 /RMB 340 for members, RMB 220 for kids 5+, free for kids 3-4 years old

Friends of Little Park Workshops

Little Park Childcare will be organizing a series of workshops on infant development for parents and infant-toddler educators. You’ll have the opportunity to learn from experienced educators and get the tools needed to support your child’s development. The first workshop in the series is The Diaper Change! where you’ll learn about consent, independence and respect through diaper change and other caregiving practices.Scan the QR code on the poster to sign up.

Where: Little Park, Bldg 10-9D, Jingda Apartments, Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang District

When: Sep 17, 3.30-4.30pm

Price: From RMB 100, select your own price: embrace the freedom of choice!

Longtan Park’s Festival of Lights

You don’t have to leave Beijing to enjoy a good light festival. Longtan Park is located in Beijing’s Dongcheng District, and has been hosting a kid-friendly festival that features more than 17 light installation sculptures spread around the park. There’s also a waterplay area for the kids, so don’t forget to take water toys and a change of clothes for your little ones.

Where: 16 Longtan Lu, Dongcheng District
When: Ongoing
Price: RMB 98 for 1 adult + 1 child (RMB 79.9 discount tickets available on Douyin)
RMB 68 per adult (RMB 49.9 discount tickets available on Douyin)

Images: Pexels, courtesy of the organizers

Summer is in full swing now, and the best way to enjoy this charming weather is to get outside and soak up the sunshine. And we’ve found a great outdoor day glamping place that’s perfect for that! It is located within Chaoyang District (in the vicinity of Surprise Outlet Mall) and on regular days it costs RMB 98 per entry all day (half price for kids and free for those below 1.2m)!

Shenglu Vineyard is a sprawling, lush piece of nature that combines a vineyard, day camping green fields, natural playground, petting zoo and even picturesque wedding grounds. While you are welcome to pack your own picnic basket, there are food vendors and a restaurant onsite, offering really tasty chuan’r, freshly baked-in-a-panda-shaped-kiln pizza, and cool icy drinks like honey lemonade.

For entertainment, Alan’s Natural Playground, tucked in the northeast corner of the place, offers hours of fun climbing, jumping, sliding, swinging and other general kids’ fun. To the southwest, there’s Bambi’s Home – which I didn’t get to explore personally, but which I’m guessing is a petting zoo for deer. Don’t forget the swimwear, because there’s also a small lake area where you can canoe or SUP,  plus an inflatable kiddy pool to splash around in. There are also mini electric cars that kids can drive for RMB 75 for half an hour or RMB 120 for a full hour, plus a RMB 300 refundable deposit.

A full day goes by easily when you’re at Shenglu Vineyard, whether or not you’re sitting snugly in their wooden camping chairs under their tents for rent (RMB 800 per day) or in the shade of your own tent that you are welcome to bring. We arrived after 3pm on a Saturday and it was happily uncrowded, with many available tents. The place is open from 9am to 8pm, and most vendors leave the premises after 7pm.

Find it:
Shenglu Vineyard 圣露庄园
奶乐村村东顺白路471号东1门

East Gate 1, 471 Dongshunbai Lu, Chaoyang District

Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush

We’ve got the tree, we’ve ordered the presents (and are just hoping for their prompt delivery!), and the cookies are baking in the oven, so what’s missing? Why it’s the sound of Christmas, in the much-heralded form of Christmas carols, sung by our very own jingkids’ kids and families!

Yes you read that right, we’re imploring our readers to create their own Christmas cheer this year by singing their favorite Christmas carols and sending us the video!

It can be the kids who do it, the whole family, or a bunch of friends together – whatever gets your karaoke on! It’s all in the name of good clean Christmas fun. If you’re shy, don a Santa hat and sunglasses, or get creative with the video editing. You can even play the piano, ukulele, or any music instrument you’re handy with!

So set up your phone, hit record, and belt out your favorite Christmas ditty, then send your video to webeditor@beijing-kids.com or to our editorial team, Mina Yan (WeChat ID: wilhelmina87) and Vivienne Tseng-Rush (WeChat ID: VivienneTseng-Rush). We can’t wait to hear you!

If singing isn’t your thing, we’re also running our December Drawing Contest with the theme “All I Want For Xmas” as well as our ongoing video Read-A-Story campaign where kids read their favorite bedtime stories aloud.

KEEP READING: Where to Go In Beijing to Get a Little Christmas Cheer

Images: Pexels

First of all, we’d like to thank everyone who submitted their beautiful, creative, and heartfelt design submissions. Over the past few weeks, we asked kids to submit their design for our COVID-19 T-Shirt Design Contest.

We hope it provided a little space for reflection and creativity during this difficult time as we show support for all those fighting COVID-19 around the world. The submissions were sent in and the votes were cast.

Over 860 people cast their vote and we’re excited to announce the winner!

Congratulations to our winner, 14-year-old British School of Beijing, Shunyi (BSB Shunyi) student Lina Patuschka.

Thank you to all those who’ve participated. Together we’ll overcome COVID-19!

Photos: beijingkids, Lina Patuschka

Over the past few weeks, we asked kids to submit their design for our COVID-19 T-Shirt Design Contest.

We hoped it might provide time for a little reflection, creativity, and show of support for all those fighting COVID-19 around the world. Whether it was through a message of unity and solidarity, the importance of proper hygiene techniques, the power of social responsibility, or showing love and appreciation for doctors and nurses.

Well, all the submissions are in! And needless to say, we are absolutely thrilled with the heartfelt ideas kids put forth.

While there were tons of amazing designs, the beijingkids staff had the difficult task of whittling them all down to the following finalists. Now we ask for the help of our readers! Please cast a vote for your favorite design by scanning the QR code below:

Scroll down to see the entire list of submissions.

Lina Patuschka, Age 14

王皓哲, Age 11

张依然, Age 11

张乐然, Age 8

桂若礼, Age 9

高嘉琪, Age 7

高嘉琪, Age 7

Rachel, Age 13

宗亭君, Age 10

金歆萌Aimee, Age 5.5

潘隆欣, Age 8

Jacob Buryat, Age 7

徐洛怀, Age 4

陈梓昕, Age 6

崔亚楠, Age 32

Rodi Lee, Age 63

Rodi Lee, Age 63

李悦乐, Age 7

曾奚桢, Age 6

吕形, Age 6

Lester, Age 9

杨瑞轩（跃跃）, Age 9

任嘉禾, Age 5

苏晴, Age 10

Taliesin Andell, Age 7

Peregrine Andell, Age 14

孙嘉喆, Age 6

Solomon, Age 10

张乐然, Age 8

王宇泉, Age 9

王宇泉, Age 9

TT, Age 7

Cavior Jian, Age 17

武桢武岳, Age 9

王小南, Age 8

Tiffany Zhao, Age 7

张皓童, Age 8

金方喆, Age 6

Evan Gai, Age 10

Naheed Jamal, Age 7

Naheed Jamal, Age 7

曾千懿, Age 4

Muhammad Rao, Age 15

白雨瑄, Age 9

曹梓瑜, Age 4

肖子深, Age 6

Photos: courtesy of artists

Last call for all those who want to show off their creative side in our COVID-19 T-Shirt Design Contest!

While we keep those battling on the frontlines of the virus in our thoughts, we can also use this time for a little reflection, creativity, and to show our support for all those fighting COVID-19 around the world.

Whether it’s a message of unity and solidarity, the importance of proper hygiene techniques, the power of social responsibility, or showing love and appreciation for the doctors and nurses fighting COVID-19, we want to know what this experience has meant to you.

by Peregrine Andell

by 张皓童

It’s time to unite and show our love and support for one another. Together we’ll overcome COVID-19!

Here is how the contest works:
1. Submit your work here before Mar 29
2. beijingkids readers will have until Apr 3 to vote for their favorite design
3. The winner will receive a set of T-shirts with his or her design, a set of beijingkids quarantine-themed parent/child T-shirts, free entry to all upcoming Beijinger events for the year, and unlimited bragging rights!

Rules:
1. Use whatever medium you choose. it can be watercolor, stick figure, pencil, oil painting, computer drawing and so on.
2. Please paint/design on white paper or background.
3. Participants need to scan or take a photo of their works. Please make sure photos or scanned files are between 1-3M JPG, PNG, or PDF format.
4.  When you’re ready, click here to submit your work.

by Cavior Jian

See you on the other side of quarantine, Beijing! Until then, stay safe and remember to wash your hands!

If this weekend’s warm weather and blue skies are any indication of the beautiful spring in store for us, it’s safe to say that Beijing families are once again, planning small outdoor family activities. By now the videos of the adorable penguins waddling around the Shedd Aquarium have got viral, and while you can’t hang out with a bunch of cute penguins, you can start visiting some other ones at the Beijing Zoo again. While the Beijing Zoo isn’t the greatest zoo in the world and all the indoor exhibits are still currently closed, it’s still a great place for a simple stroll to enjoy this beautiful spring weather.

Yesterday Beijing News announced that the Beijing Zoo will reopen its outdoor areas on March 23. But before you start ordering a Didi, like with most places in Beijing, there are new regulations to follow. The zoo will be operating at 30% capacity, which means that visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets and time slots at least a day in advance through their WeChat account (ID: beijingzoo-ticket). While tickets can be purchased at the door, you won’t be guaranteed entry if the zoo is already at capacity for the day.

The zoo’s indoor areas, science museums, and exhibition halls will continue to remain closed for now, and if the pandas are what you’re hoping to get up close and personal with, currently the Panda House can only be seen from the outside. The viewing cars, Children’s Zoo, and kids’ entertainment areas will still remain closed.

Purchasing a ticket is relatively easy. Select e-ticket on the menu tab.

Though the mini-program is in Chinese, there is enough information to get by. Select the type of ticket you’d like to purchase. Anyone over 18 years old will need to purchase a General Admissions Ticket (RMB 10 or RMB 14 if you’d like to visit the Panda House). Seniors over the age of 60 can enjoy free admission to the zoo but will need to present a valid ID. Children between the ages of 7-18 years old can purchase the Discount Ticket (RMB 5), and anyone under 7 years old is free.

Select the day you want to visit, and either morning (上午) or afternoon (下午). Select the number of tickets you want to purchase and fill in at the phone number for the contact person in charge of leading the group that day and their Chinese ID information. This person needs to be present at the entrance and the group must enter the zoo together

For foreign families who don’t have a Chinese ID, tickets can be purchased at the door by presenting their passport (presuming that they haven’t been sold out for the day or made changes to the new policy).

Ticket sales for Beijing Zoo starts tonight (March 21) at midnight. The zoo is open from 7.30am to 5pm. Currently only the South, Southwest, and North gates are open. The Northwest gate will remain temporarily closed.

While inside, all visitors must wear masks and expect body temperature checks at the entrance and at various points inside the zoo as well as volunteers with signs reminding visitors not to gather in large groups.

Before you start making plans with friends and neighbors, the Beijing Zoo reminds visitors that each group can have a maximum of six people and to keep a safe distance of at least 1.5 meters from other visitors.

Photos: Michael Wester, unsplash

It’s the perfect time for getting out on the ice again! The massive outdoor ice skating rink in Summer Palace is now open to the public until February 4! Don’t worry if you’re a wobbly ice skating beginner or don’t have your own skates, Summer Palace’s ice skating rink has a variety of activities on ice for you to skate away without a fear of falling on the hard ice.

Professional skaters in historical garb at the Summer Palace

The History of the Ice Skating Rink at the Summer Palace

With an area of 700,000 square meters, the Summer Palace ice rink is considered to be the largest natural ice rink in Beijing. Since the Qing Dynasty, the royal family had the tradition to have a “冰嬉” (Ice play/performance) in wintertime.

At that time there were three types of ice play for the royal family to watch: race skating (a speed skating competition), acrobatic skating (throwing darts on the ice, playing with knives, and forming human pyramids), and playing football on ice. These ice sports added a lot of festive atmosphere for the upcoming new year that time.

In the 1980s, the ice rink on Kunming Lake was opened to the public for the first time. But due to management difficulties and other aspects, the ice skating rink was closed for the entire 1990s, until in 2014 it was opened again.

Nowadays, this park’s Qing Dynasty architecture makes for a fantastically exotic background that skaters can enjoy while gliding across the massive lake.

People enjoying ice gliding on Kunming Lake

What to do there

The best thing about the ice skating rink at Summer Palace is that you can have plenty of space to zip around without collisions. Summer Palace management office staff announced that Kunming Lake ice rink is divided into three areas this year, namely the main lake, Suzhou Street Lake and the upcoming west embankment ice slide area. All the ice sports are suitable for people of all ages to participate in.

There is rental gear available, such as single or double sleds (RMB 50/100 for the whole day), electronic boats (RMB 100 for 20mins), electronic bumper cars (RMB 100 for 25mins), and skates (RMB 50).

Ice Skating Rink at the Summer Palace

RMB 50 above. Daily until Feb 4, 8.30am-4.30pm. Qinglongqiao Jiedao, Haidian district. 颐和园,海淀区青龙桥街道 (6288 1144).

Photos: Linda, Shaoqing Hou via the Beijing News, news.163.com

Coloring books are a lovely way to connect emotionally and socially with your children. Through coloring, children are able to express themselves as well as developing their creativity, fine motor skills, and more.

In addition, if moms want to have a bit of peace and a nice chat with each other over a cup of tea, coloring books are always winners.

New York Academy of Medicine has invited hundreds of libraries, archives, and cultural institutions all over the world to upload PDF coloring pages for the public since 2016. If you want to encourage your child to spend some time coloring, look no further, here is a list of some recommendations of free coloring books from 113 museums! The introductions are sourced from Colorourcollections. Happy coloring!

Washington University Libraries Julian Edison Department of Special Collections Coloring Book 2019

Link here.

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library

Link here.

Jagiellonian Library Coloring Book 2019

Link here.

University of British Columbia Library Coloring Book 2019

Link here.

Eastern Kentucky University Special Collections & Archives Coloring Book 2019

Link here.

So as you can see there are loads of options to get your kids coloring. You can even get yourself an adult coloring book, like this medicine-themed book, and join in the fun, relieving your stress and spending quality time with your children.

Check out more info here!

Photo: library.nyam