How do you relax?
I relax by playing rugby with my team, The Devils, outside of school.

What is your most treasured possession?
My most treasured possession is my cat.

What sound or noise do you hate?
The screeching sound when you scratch your nails against things.

What would your super power be?
Time travel.

Which book changed your life?
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.

Which living person do you most admire, and why?
I most admire Shauna Coxsey because of her amazing climbing ability, determination, and positive attitude.

Which living person do you most dislike, and why?
Donald Trump because he is sexist and racist.

Who would play you in the film of your life?
Amy Poehler.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
The cast of [British topical comedy show] Mock the Week.

If you could bring one extinct species back to life, what would you choose?
The Dodo bird.

What do you owe your parents?
Pretty much everything. They have taught me everything from being able to catch a ball to my manners to my self-reliance.

What do you owe your school?
A good education and the many experiences I’ve had living in China.

What advice would you give other students at your school?
Take every opportunity you get, otherwise you’ll regret it later.

What is your earliest memory?
Giving my younger sister one of my toys when she was born.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you so far?
Smiling actually makes everything a little bit better.

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Teleportation would allow me an extra hour of sleep in the mornings.

When were you happiest?
I’m happy whenever I’m with friends and just having carefree fun.

What makes you unhappy?
Animal cruelty.

Where would you most like to be right now?
I’d most want to be on top of a mountain with a nice view.

What tops your bucket list?
Skydiving.

What trait do you most dislike in others?
Apathy.

What trait do you most dislike in yourself?
My sarcastic nature.

What is your favorite word?
Plasmodesmata.

What is your least favorite word?
Meniscus.

What is your greatest achievement?
I recently received the Head Girl and the Senior Sportswoman of the Year titles.

What is your greatest fear?
Forgetting people.

When did you last cry, and why?
I cried last week while suffering from a cold.

This article originally appeared on page 37 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos: Courtesy of Newbold Family

While good food is one aspect of a healthy body, British-Canadian Mika Dronyk focuses on the other side of health as the Head of Primary School Athletics at Beijing World Youth Academy.

What brought you to Beijing? How did you end up at your current school?
I’ve been interested in living in Asia ever since I took a year out to travel after university. My wife and I looked at jobs in different countries in the area and found this one in Beijing. We’re glad we chose Beijing. Although, we had planned to only stay for a year or two, it’s now been four years, and we have no plans to leave yet!

What did you want to be when you were a kid? What other career options did you explore before teaching?
I wanted to be a football player. I worked very hard to do so, and came pretty close. But when I realized that that dream was over, I knew I still wanted to have a career in sports. I’ve always been involved in coaching and I enjoy working with primary school aged children, so in the end, teaching physical education made sense to me.

How would you (or your students) describe your teaching style?
I don’t like to label my teaching style too much, as I think it’s all about having the right balance. I would never want my students to fear me, but I need them to respect me. I want my students to thoroughly enjoy PE and sports clubs at school, but it is also important to nurture a coachable student going forward. For that they need to respect their teacher and try to take on board what is being taught.

What are some of the topics you cover?
For the lower primary grades, I cover topics such as “Cooperation games”, “Striking and Fielding”, “Target Games” and many others. At this point, I’m trying to build a skill set, both physically and psychologically, before they take part in sports specific units. As the students get to the upper primary, the units start to be more sports specific. It’s important I make sure they learn a variety of sports and games.

What topic was the most challenging to cover with children? Why?
Our “Cooperation Games” unit is primarily about teamwork and working together. It also includes acting as both leaders and followers while accepting the different abilities of their peers. As young children, especially children who don’t have siblings, these can often be concepts that are initially difficult. When they start to understand the advantages for everyone and display good teamwork, it is very rewarding for both the students and me.

What topic was the most interesting to your students? Why?
For our upper primary students, the most popular units are sports such as football and basketball. My challenge is teaching the basics of the game before the students start trying incredibly difficult skills that they’ve seen on TV. Especially with male students in basketball, they want to try to dribble the ball between their legs and pass behind their backs before they can dribble with control and execute a satisfactory chest pass. Having said that, I do encourage creativity, just not before they’ve learned the basics.

How do you encourage your students to be passionate about physical education?
Encouraging healthy competitiveness is often a challenge. Being competitive in sports and physical activities is often a natural attribute. I try to encourage a thirst to win in competitive situations, but learning how to lose well is also very important. I want my students to try their best, but to accept both winning and losing in the right way.

This article originally appeared on page 36 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos: Courtesy of BWYA

McJoseph Besong, physical and health education teacher at Beijing No.55 High School, International Students Section, emphasizes that eating well is key to performing well in sports and other athletic activities. Besong says that using a variety of online apps, kids can learn about food groups, nutrition facts, the digestive system, and cooking skills, so they can make healthy decisions about what they eat. Apps are an ideal platform for nutritional learning because kids are excited to use them, and healthy eating habits built early will last a lifetime.

As children come back from the highs of summer and get into more indoor activities, it’s a great opportunity for kids to learn how to make the right choices about eating healthier food and learning to get a better grasp of different food groups through educational games. Besong recommends:

Easy Eater 2
Easy Eater teaches your kids to eat healthier by eating more fruits and veggies. In Easy Eater, kids are responsible for naming and keeping a pet healthy and happy by feeding it the same foods they eat. Set in a magical forest, Easy Eater boasts a motley cast of characters that teach food groups and encourage food recognition. Kids learn foundational food facts like that shrimp, tofu, and nuts are proteins and that avocados are fruits. Healthy choices earn “grub bucks” to buy app accessories and real world prizes.
Platform: iOS
Price: USD 0.99

Healthy Heroes 1 & 2
As the Healthy Heroes 1 in this game, kids are charged with saving the city of Yogopolis from Hungry Monsters. Through 36 levels of game play, kids fend off the Hungry Monsters with healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Junk foods anger the monsters and prevent advancement. Kids learn to recognize healthy foods and eating habits throughout the game. Getting the right nutrition is an important part of a child’s growth and development. Kids who eat healthfully perform better at school than those who have poor eating habits. Teaching your children how to make the right food choices will help give their brains and bodies the energy they need to grow into healthy adults.

Healthy Heroes 2 is about “Queen Ignorantia”, who has meddled in the Yogome world once more by sending her robotic henchmen to steal away the good stuff, leaving the healthy monsters feeling sick and out of sorts.  Players journey through a prehistoric landscape to find the five food groups and restore nutritional balance.

While we all learn about the five basic food groups in grade school, public education does little to really reinforce that learning. School lunches are rarely as healthy as they should be, while junk food is available just about everywhere.

Healthy Heroes 2 seeks to teach kids the basics of holistic eating by combining a compulsively playable “matching game” puzzle mechanic with a story that seamlessly ties together the five food groups (i.e., fruits, vegetables, cereals, proteins, and dairy) and rewards learning. There are plenty of different morsels to find for each food group in the pyramid – over 30 healthy foods in all!

More so, Healthy Heroes 2 teaches kids about balanced meals and as they play the game, parents are encouraged to participate in the process by offering healthier eating options at home. If our kids are our future, then nutrition should be a concern higher up on everyone’s list. Help the healthy monsters feel happy again by taking nutrition out of the classroom and into the living room with Healthy Heroes 2.
Platform: iOS
Price: USD 2.99

This article originally appeared on page 35 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos:Screenshots

Benjamin Hong (Canada)

Harry Xu (Canada)

Jinju Pack (Korea)

Misaki Matsubara (Japan)

Ren Ren (China)

Roy Zhang (Canada)

Soo Jin Kim (Korea)

Yuna Choi (Korea)

Zoltan Lee (Malaysia)

This article originally appeared on page 32-33 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos: courtesy of CISB

Are schools responsible for instilling healthy eating habits in their students?
Unlike schools back home where a higher order dictates school cafeteria offerings, private international schools in Beijing generally have more control over what foods they offer on campus. However, whether schools are responsible for teaching and encouraging healthy eating habits in our children is up for debate. Some would say that healthy eating habits should start in the home, and would naturally be reflected in a student’s choices in school. Others are more worried about their children eating their fill, as nitpicky, finicky eaters might avoid eating altogether when faced with a lack of tasty options. We can all agree that children ought to eat when hungry in order to fuel their bodies and brains for the school day, but how do schools take on the healthy food movement?

To find answers, we approached two international schools for their school lunch policies and procedures. While both reputable, the British School of Beijing Shunyi (BSB) has a large, K-12 student body to serve, and a multinational organization behind it, while House of Knowledge International School and Kindergarten (HoK) runs smaller scale international schools, housing only kindergarten and elementary aged children on its two campuses. The differences do not stop there. Where BSB outsources its massive lunch needs and café offerings to an outside caterer (Eurest), HoK has a full in-house kitchen staff preparing breakfast, lunch, and snacks to its young population. We questioned the two vastly different schools how they determine what “healthy eats” are in today’s plethora of health recommendations, nutritional suggestions, and cultural opinions.

Beijing’s international community is so wide and varied that there’s bound to be a multitude of culture-specific opinions, food limitations, and other accommodations to be made. Do the schools monitor what is served our children, and how often is this menu reviewed? Are parents involved in deciding what their children are fed?

Healthy Eating is a Habit
Both BSB Shunyi and HoK agree that healthy eating is a habit. Andy Puttock, Principal at BSB Shunyi, explains that with a large student population in an international city such as Beijing, there will be families with “different views about what they want a school restaurant to provide”. Regardless, BSB Shunyi believes that children should eat healthily at school because “studies have consistently shown that students learn much better in school if they have a healthy diet; it feeds the brain as well as the body, and enables students to be alert and effective in their studies”.

Tara Gillan, Director of Marketing at HoK, responds in agreement: “healthy eating habits have been shown to stabilize energy, sharpen the mind, and improve moods, allowing us to maximize our student performance.”

Finally, both schools would agree that it is their responsibility to teach healthy eating habits as part of a holistic education program. Where BSB sees “the way students behave, interact, socialize, play, and undertake routine […] as an important part of learning,” including the way they eat.  Gillan states that “healthy eating starts at home and in school,” reminding us that “children watch and imitate adults; they look to them to learn from them and the environment around them.” Hence why “teachers at HoK sit and eat with students at meals and snack times, acting as role models, exhibiting positive attitudes towards healthy food”. Puttock emphasizes that “if [students]acquire good healthy eating habits in school, it is likely they will take these into their home and their future.”

Criteria for Healthy Food
What constitutes as a healthy, balanced, nutritional diet is up for debate even among nutritionists, dieticians, and physicians — so how do schools decide on what to serve? For many, the responsibility of decision is too heavy for one governing body, and is thus divided into tiers of decision makers.

At BSB Shunyi, for example, the catering partner provides menu suggestions based on the recommendations of their in-house nutritionist. The school then has a Food Committee, consisting of parents, students, and staff members, who meet once a month to discuss whether the menu is healthy, balanced, and appropriate for the students’ developmental needs (especially for the youngest). Comments and criticism from committee meetings are then brought up regularly at the top level management meetings as well as in meetings with caterers.

Other schools might choose their own criteria, deciding for themselves what they define as a nutritionally balanced diet.  The school’s opinion on healthy eating is then incorporated into their menus, their classrooms, as well as parent education.

HoK observes the World Health Organization (WHO) healthy diet recommendations, defining a balanced nutrition based on a diet with the five key food groups. The school only serves water (no sugary drinks), and has set water breaks when teachers monitor the children’s water intake.  The menu is then fully reviewed once a year at both campuses with all the teachers, the principal, and the kitchen manager. The bulk of the feedback is from teachers, who dine with the children on a daily basis, and as such are privy to which meals are well-received and which ones hardly get tasted. By dropping unpopular meals, the school can add variety and keep their menu fresh and exciting for the students.

Application of Healthy Food
In addition to balancing the amount of energy and nutrients for the growth and development of their young students, HoK is also careful about their ingredients.  With in-house catering, HoK has full control of everything from the menu to the ingredients chosen.  They promote themselves as leaving out “unnecessary ingredients such as extra salt, extra oil,” and brand themselves a MSG-free school.

As food safety is a key concern in China, HoK carefully chooses its ingredient sources, opting for certified organic farms when possible, and green label options when in the wrong season.  The school kitchen also uses organic rice and flours, Wonder Milk and Wonder Milk sugar-free yogurt, breads fresh from a German bakery, and meats from a licensed butcher.

When schools outsource catering, as BSB Shunyi does, it is up to the caterer to source fresh, safe, and healthy ingredients. The catering company BSB Shunyi is partnered with is the same one used by Keystone Academy. Their daily menu includes at least one Western dish and one Asian special, in addition to their salad bar, bread baskets, and sandwich station. The displayed variety is enough for older students to make healthy choices, according to Andy Puttock, though the school’s management team does routinely keep an eye out on what is being eaten. However, with primary school children, the classroom teachers eat with them to ensure that children are eating well, and to be able to communicate with parents when children are not.

Giving the Menu a Global Kick
Due to Beijing’s international mixture of residents, most international schools will encourage global awareness by incorporating as many international dishes into their menus as possible. BSB Shunyi provides foods such as Indonesian nasi goreng chicken with prawn crackers, Japanese udon noodles, Korean bibimbap, Spanish seafood paella, Mexican chicken tortillas, and British roast pork with jacket potatoes.

HoK also believes that “food and culture are inextricably linked.” As such, their kitchen prepares a variety of dishes from around the world, including German schnitzels, Japanese curry, Mexican fajita wraps, and Italian pasta carbonara, in addition to Chinese food. “Encouraging kids to try new foods from other cultures is one way to foster acceptance of diversity and differences around the world and in the classroom,” expands Tara Gillan. “Although the students’ initial reactions to a dish from another country may be: ‘Ew! What IS that?’ We always encourage the students to try new things, not only for their health, but also for social education reasons.”

Food Accommodations
Whether your child has food allergies or dietary restrictions for other reasons, schools must accommodate them when providing foods to your children. Schools with catering, such as BSB Shunyi, will always offer specific dishes to accommodate religious or other dietary restrictions, such as a vegetarian dish, gluten-free foods, and halal-certified beef, lamb, and chicken. However, all schools, especially those with their own kitchen, have a running list of the allergies and dietary needs of their staff and student body.

As with most schools, the admissions process will require parents to disclose all allergies and dietary restrictions.  Oftentimes, this becomes a private discussion with parents, where the schools will take the time to sit down and properly discuss dietary options, the severity of the allergies, how to treat reactions, and so forth.  Parents of children with peanut allergies will be relieved to find that both BSB and HoK are “nut free” schools due to the rise in peanut allergies in children.

Finally Feedback
A part of encouraging healthy eating habits in schools is having food that is appealing to students. If students were to refuse to eat in school, then they risk becoming undernourished, snacking on unhealthy alternatives, or even going hungry. As such, creating nutritionally balanced healthy dishes that the majority of the student body finds tasty could just be the biggest challenge of every school.  Whether a school welcomes feedback from students and implements changes in a timely fashion is crucial to student well-being.

At BSB Shunyi, the menu is formally reviewed every month based on feedback from the Food Committee, which consists of parents, staff, and older students. Younger students are given simple feedback forms that are reviewed by school management and caterers. However, it is notable that the menu can be changed spontaneously based on customer demand in informal reviews with the caterer.

The feedback and review process is similar at HoK, where, due to the younger student population, the duty of food critiquing falls on the shoulders of their teachers. Feedback forms allow teachers to rate the meals based on taste, healthiness, presentation, food preparation, among others. Feedback is generally collected for the annual review, but some comments can be taken directly to the cook as they are received.

Although parents and schools can agree or disagree on which party is responsible for foundational eating habits, schools developing these processes ensure healthy, well-rounded diets for every child.

This article originally appeared on page 26-29 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos: Uni You and Courtesy of BSB Shunyi

Does the Media Cause Eating Disorders?
Teenagers are most media savvy, and also most affected by eating disorders. Seemingly every year the number of children suffering from eating disorders increases, while the average patient age decreases. However, whether the media is responsible for their body image issues and low self-esteem has yet to be proven. Students from Dulwich College Beijing weigh the responsibility of the media, chasing the cause of eating disorders.

Rebecca, Denmark, 17 years old, has been a student at Dulwich College Beijing since 2007*
Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating followed by purging have been known to be fatal. So why has the number of patients suffering from eating disorders increased every year since 1999?

Even with the intensified amount of research and increased awareness – many are continuously reaching out to these disorders as solutions. But what are they solutions to? Researchers who have investigated the causes of these disorders have found that they are more likely to occur in perfectionists who exhibit poor self-esteem.

Media is embedded everywhere; 95 percent of the world’s population owns a TV set, 1 out of 7 minutes online is spent on Facebook, and 4.2 billion people access social media via mobile devices. These numbers demonstrate not only the ease but also the extent to which media has infiltrated our lives.

The constant overexposure to hyper-sexualized images of both genders, representing society’s “ideal body size” as portrayed through the media, is taking a toll on the way young adolescents see themselves. Photoshop models and filter-layered selfies litter the Internet, filling young minds with unrealistic expectations of “beauty”. Young men and women either slave away trying to mirror the lies of the media, or collapse under the pressure of wanting to achieve while placing their bodies in serious physiological harm.

Kelly Brownell PhD, leading psychologist and expert in health psychology, argues that the media creates a “toxic environment in which eating disorders are more likely to occur.” With every click and swipe of a finger while on the Internet, celebrity style icons are constantly promoted. Their almost sickly thin physiques, further emphasized by photo editors, have not only become goals, but obsessions for millions of girls across the globe who create blogs, apps and Instagram accounts dedicated to them. Their webpages are titled “How to look like Kendall” and “Thinspiration” filled with content that promotes nothing but unhealthy ideals and diet plans.

Then, we wonder why we are seeing such an escalated number of eating disorders within the “techno-generation.”

Miles, France, 17 years old, has been a student at Dulwich College Beijing since 2002*
Eating disorders – particularly anorexia and bulimia — have not been studied extensively. They are serious psychological disorders, a realm of illness that often cannot be pinned to a definitive, singular cause. One popular theory is to blame the media for a rise in the number of teens with eating disorders. Truth by majority opinion is a dangerous path.

The National Eating Disorders Association cites several studies that identify familial support and self-esteem deficits as an underlying cause. The American Psychological Association states that people with eating disorders suffer from “low-self-esteem, feelings of helplessness”. The importance of pinpointing the underlying cause of an illness is essential to developing an effective treatment. The essence of the problem in eating disorders appears to lie in an individual’s self-esteem, as well as their social circle.

People are far more isolated in today’s modern environment—a more likely cause. Shankar Vedantam in the Washington Post discusses the decline of social ties and support systems that carry a host of psychological benefits, stating how “intimate social ties… are shrinking or nonexistent. In bad times, far more people appear to suffer alone.” He further reveals that “three-quarters of people in 1985 reported they had a friend in whom they could confide; only half in 2004 said they could count on such support.” Additionally, the U.S census bureau determined in 2012 that 27 percent of households were single-person households, as opposed to 17 percent in 1970.

It seems pertinent to be concerned by the parallel trends between the increase in social isolation and eating disorders. Even more so now that there is a verifiable link: self-esteem and social support. Who is more likely to be affected by the media? A person with a warm supportive family and a large group of friends, or a person isolated from the world, with few people to speak to? Logical deduction should lead us to conclude that it is not the rise of mass media that is the cause of the eating disorders, but rather the decline of social support. This becomes even more evident when noting the tendency of people with eating disorders to seek further isolation… leading to a recursive cycle. The Center of Eating Disorders for the leading mental health institution of Sheppard Pratt states “individuals with eating disorders often find themselves stuck in a pattern,” later elaborating that “social-isolation” is embedded in this cycle.

The combined effort of a community to purge the media of thin-bodies seems wasted when an answer lies within reach. If we truly want to prevent eating disorders, what we really need are researched facts. We need to study the causation – not the correlation. From the research at hand, the media is not a viable issue to tackle. We need social reform. A rise in eating disorders may only be a symptom of a greater disease, an invisible tumor that lies in the heart of our society, buried in fractured homes, and isolated people. Spurious correlation doesn’t explain this one away. It is time for us to move away from the media, and address the issue at its core.

*Editor’s Correction: In the original print version of this article, the students’ length of stay in Beijing was wrongly listed as six months.

This article originally appeared on page 30-31 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photo by Dave’s Studio and www.williamwhitepapers.com

Run by a Chinese-American native of Brooklyn, New York, Mrs. Shanen’s offers cream cheese bagels in a variety of flavors, including jalapeno cheddar, sesame, and cinnamon raisin. Their mostly organic food menu also includes  toasted muffins, smoked salmon, soups, salads, sandwiches, artisan pizza, burgers, falafel, and pasta. Loaves of bread can be purchased for home; their Challah bread is in high demand and should be ordered beforehand for pick up on Fridays. Produce and other organic products from the owner’s other venue, Green Cow Farm, are also available.

Annika Norberg (age 7) gets ready to dig in at Mrs. Shanen’s

This month’s food critic, Annika Norberg, 7, studies at Springboard International Bilingual School (SIBS). She was accompanied by her mom, Sara, and months old little brother, David. Sara and Nathan Norberg moved to Beijing from Alaska four years ago. Annika is their only daughter in a family of five kids, and Sara joked that she truly is the princess of the family.

Their kids have fairly adventurous palettes and are mostly open to trying different cuisines, but comfort food for them is typical American food, such as grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, and pizza.
Although Annika’s favorite dish is pizza, Mrs. Shanen’s menu has plenty of American comfort food so Annika had a hard time deciding what to order. In the end she went with macaroni and cheese (RMB 40), a hot ham and cheese sandwich (RMB 50), waffles (RMB 45), a sunny side up platter with a side of home fries and bacon (RMB 65), and lemonade ice tea (RMB 35). Sara ordered a plain pizza (RMB 20 per slice) to share and a cup of coffee (RMB 20).

While we waited for our food, we chatted with Denise, the friendly face of Mrs. Shanen’s, who took our orders and relayed it to the kitchen. She is known by all regulars, and mothers everyone like only a grandmother would.

Annika devoured the mac and cheese before Sara could get a chance to taste it. She paused for a giant gulp of the lemonade ice tea, which she told me was “lemony and refreshing.” She described the mac and cheese as “cheesy, gooey, and melted in the mouth.” When I enquired if the sandwich was good too, I got an enthusiastic nod before another bite.  When the waffles arrived with the sunny side up egg, Sara commented on how appetizing it looked, reiterating that both Annika and Sara loved the presentation of all the dishes. Sara also added the pizza was really very good, with the right amount of cheese, sauce, and basil.
Annika gave Mrs. Shanen’s a five star rating and promised to bring dad and her other three brothers next time.

Family-friendly Facts: Small and cosy, with no free WiFi distractions. Limited outside seating is available on a beautiful day, and a nice play area for little children. Best to come prepared to pay cash as their card machine often doesn’t connect.

Mrs. Shanen’s
Sun-Thu 7.30am-8pm, Fri-Sat 7.30am-8.30pm. 5 Kaifa Jie, Xibaixinzhuang (next to Capital Paradise), Shunyi District. (8046 4301)顺义区西白辛庄开发街5号 (紧邻名都园)

This article originally appeared on page 20-21 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos by Dave’s Studio

Nangong Scenic Area is located 20 miles southwest of the center of Beijing, in Wangzuo town, Fengtai district. That’s quite a trek if you live in Chaoyang or Shunyi, but the numerous attractions make it well worth a day trip.

At the north west corner of the resort is Thousand Spirit Mountain (千灵山). As the name suggests, it’s a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists, with cave shrines dating from the Sui and Tang dynasties. At 699 meters above sea level, it’s a challenging hike up to the obligatory plump, smiling golden Buddha at the top. Reward yourself afterwards by relaxing at the beach of picturesque Blue Dragon Lake Park (青龙湖公园) – or just go there in the first place!

Nangong is a spa resort, and you can take the waters at the Nangong National Hot Spring Health Park  (南宫民族温泉养生园). As well as the spa and massage facilities, there are indoor and outdoor pools and water slides. Even more aquatic fun is to be had at Nangong Hot Spring Water World        (南宫温泉水世界), where a wave pool, a pirate ship, river rafting, and a Hawaiian beach await you.  Serious swimmers can take the plunge into the international standard pool, where you can try to beat your PB for the 50 meter freestyle!

The biggest attraction for younger children will no doubt be the World Botanical Amusement Park  (五洲植物乐园), opened in October 2015. Their Parrot Garden features nearly a hundred different species of parrots, some of which will greet you with a cheery “你好 !” (nĭ hăo) or even “恭喜发财!”  (gōng xĭ fā cái) “Happy New Year!” The greenhouse is divided into eight areas, including a butterfly spring and a flower garden. Kids can drive miniature cars around a model city, or run wild in the rainforest themed play area. Building with sand is always fun, but how much more so when you’ve got your own mechanical digger! And the whole family can go on a jungle ride along the kilometer-long track.

You can dine on locally grown vegetables, surrounded by exotic plants and soothed by the sound of the waterfall, at Quanyi Park Farm (泉怡园农庄). And if you want to make a weekend of it, there are numerous options for staying over, from the grown up luxury of the five star Hot Spring Resort Hotel, to the cartoon themed kids’ rooms at the Water World.

Resources:
Nangong Scenic Area 南宫景区北京市丰台区南宫南路
Getting there:From the West Third Ring Road, take the G4 Jinggang’ao Expressway (Beijing- Hong Kong- Macau). Leave the Expressway at the S315 Jingliang Road. Turn right onto Nangong Yingbin Road,  until you arrive at South Nangong Road.
Buses 321, 339, 662, 983, 971, 917, 458, 459 or 91. Taxi fare approximately RMB 100 from the city centre.

Nangong Hot Spring Water World, 南宫温泉水世界
RMB 98 (children under 1.4m RMB 78.) Monday-Friday 10am-9pm, weekends 9am-10pm. 8331 6030

World Botanical Garden, 五洲植物乐园
RMB 30 (children under 1.2m free). Rainforest Mischief: RMB 50/ person / day. Mini driving: RMB 30/ car / session. Jungle Coaster: RMB 30/ car / ride. Sand Park: RMB 20/ person. Weekdays 9am-5pm, holidays 8am-5pm. 8331 6030, www.nangonglvyou.com

This article originally appeared on page 22-23 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos:Courtesy of Beijing Nangong Henye Company

Lillian Li (age 6) beams with pride as she lifts her quilt full of reminder squares based on this year’s kindergarten activities. Keri Vineyard, the English Homeroom Teacher at SMIC Private School and Kindergarten, chose veggie stamping because it’s a great way to remember discussions about a healthy, balanced diet.

Originally from the US and with SMIC for 5 years, Vineyard has the freedom to incorporate her own passions of quilting and sewing into the Kindergarten curriculum while encouraging student choice.

“We started with sewing.  I’ve seen leaps and bounds in their fine motor skills and now their handwriting is incredible.”

Li makes a few stamps then hesitates, “How many?”

“How many do you want to do?”  Vineyard responds.

Li lets us jump in to help create the pattern then she becomes absorbed in giving the bell pepper flowers all apple wedge eyes, noses, and mouths.

Li uses her fingers to smear some of the heart prints she deemed too messy.

“I want them to know the process – tinting, shading, filling the space, and being intentional about what they’re doing while helping them to appreciate and create their own art,” Vineyard explains about the department’s overall vision to incorporate art into the classroom.

Vineyard mentions this can be modified with watercolor and paper, though all materials for this version are available in China. Note: acrylic will not wash out of clothes, but luckily for Li, comes off of fingers and hair.

Estimated time: 30 minutes
Suitable for: Age 3+ (adult assisted)
Materials
• Vegetables and fruits
• A knife
• Acrylic paint
• Paint tray
• Fabric
• Newspaper for underneath the fabric

Instructions

1.Using a pencil, draw a shape into the skin of a potato.

2.With the adult’s help, cut into the potato to make a stamp. (Use vegetables and fruits like corn to make patterns or bell peppers for natural shapes like flowers.)

3.Using a brush, apply paint directly to the veggie stamp. Alternatively, put paint in the tray and press into the paint using the stamp.

4.Press evenly onto the fabric.

5.Repeat!

This article originally appeared on page 24-25 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos:Lihn Phan