We might be stuck with the kids at home with online learning but that doesn’t give us a reason to slack off, too much anyway. Plus, the kids need to keep moving, maybe now more than ever (so as to keep our sanity!) So here are some great online exercise options, some for the whole family, to bring the workout straight to your living room!

Shona’s Online Dance & Fitness Classes

Shona is a Spanish dancer and choreographer with more than 15 years of experience performing for different artists, brands, and television programs. She worked in Spain, Portugal, Russia and is now based in China.

She has also taught various styles of dance for over 15 years to both adults and children. Right now, she is offering rumba flamenca, modern dance, and family hip hop dance classes online. If you’re simply looking to get fit, she is also offering a workout class every morning at 9.30am!

Fitness With Diva’s Online Workout Programs

Whether you’re in actual quarantine, pseudo-quarantine (like most of us), or have been agoraphobic your entire life, Diva‘s online fitness programs use little to no equipment and can be performed pretty much anywhere! A former professional dancer turned fitness trainer, Diva has fun dance workouts and strength training programs to suit different fitness goals.

When you buy her program, you’ll get access to online videos demonstrating all the moves at various intensities, a daily workout planner that schedules your rest days as well, and best of all, you’ll join her supportive WeChat community to hold yourself accountable and be inspired by others on their personal fitness journeys as well.

Taozi Tree Yoga

We love Taozi Tree Yoga, created with love by Theresa Parsonage and nurtured by the incredible community of Taozi Tree Yoga-certified teachers. They’ve been great at going with the flow and almost their entire class schedule is online now for our convenience. From hatha to vinyasa and ashtanga, you’ll find something to please your inner yogi. Plus, you might be thrilled to know they are still offering their special seasonal outdoor yoga classes such as Yoga by the River. Besides yoga classes, they also offer lifestyle and knowledge workshops such as “Plant-based Lifestyle” and “Traditional Chinese Medicine for Beginngers”. Scan to add Taozi Admin or follow Taozi Tree Yoga on WeChat to see their weekly class schedule.

KEEP READING: 8 Different Exercises Beijing Moms and their Toddlers Can Do Together

Images: Unsplash, Courtesy of vendors

One of the most inspiring things to see throughout COVID-19 has been the community banding together, pooling their resources, time, and expertise to bring at least a little sunshine into the lives of kids stuck in quarantine. What started out as expats and locals in China offering free online workout classes, language lessons, mindfulness workshops and more, has now blossomed into a worldwide effort towards alleviating the unrelenting boredom and stress through digital means.

One such individual who has taken his love of teaching, puppetry, and the arts to a wider audience is James Marshall, who recently started conducting online drawing lessons from his humble abode in rural Thailand. His classes not only provide students with a fun break from traditional school work, they also feature songs and cameos from some of Marshall’s handcrafted puppets.

The classes are held Monday through Friday at 2.15pm on Zoom (Zoom ID 726 967 267). What’s more, there’s a WeChat group in which kids can share their artistic creations and make suggestions for future class topics (scroll down for the QR code).

We spoke with Marshall about why he started offering the classes, what kids and parents can expect, and how his love of teaching influenced his current pursuits.

James Marshall

Please introduce yourself.

Hello! I’m James from Australia. I first started teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Taiwan back in 2007 and then worked in mainland China from 2011 to 2017 when I made the switch to working entirely online/remotely. Now I live in rural Thailand in a sleepy little town that thankfully has fiber optic cable Internet!

When did you start doing the free online classes and what was the inspiration for it?

I often do drawing activities in my online classes called ‘wordtoons’, which are drawings based around letters, numbers, and words. They are usually based on the lesson content, or sometimes just as a fun reward for good behavior. I noticed early on that this part of the class was always a big hit with the kids, even the older ‘too cool for school’ teens that I sometimes struggle with.

When the quarantine started I continued teaching my regular online classes but many of my students were miserable and said that they seemed to be doing even more homework than usual, and rarely had any time to do fun or creative things.

I’m a parent too and often saw the frazzled parents in the background of my classes and wanted to offer them something to give their kids a creative and fun activity, and also give the parents a chance to relax and have a break!

A panda ‘wordtoon’

How many kids have been participating in the classes? Where are they tuning in from?

I started with just my regular online students, so I had around 10-15 students a day, but then I mentioned it on my WeChat moments and on Facebook and the classes quickly grew from that.

Now we have between 25-30 students joining the live classes each day.

Most of the students are from China but we also have kids from Australia, Thailand, and the Philippines joining in.

You have kids from various nationalities in the class, but it’s conducted in English, correct?

Yes, that’s right. I can speak some basic Chinese so for the younger students I might use phrases like “show me your drawing” or “that looks great!”. 99% of the class is in English.

Can you walk us through an average class?

I originally wanted to include a story with each class, but the feedback was that the kids just wanted to draw! So now we start each class with a song that changes each week, and then we do some quick greeting time with one of my puppets and then start drawing.

During the class, I will pause and then take a look at the students’ progress throughout the drawing exercises and that’s a lot of fun. We also do that at the end once everyone is finished.

Anything else you’d like to share?

A lot of students aren’t available at 2.15pm Beijing time so I edit the classes and upload them to Youtube, Youku, and Bilibili.

I also have a puppet business at www.pubbets.net and hope to start an online puppetry training program for ESL teachers once schools re-open soon.

Scan the QR code above to join the Online Drawing Club WeChat group.

Photos: Courtesy of James Marshall, Pixabay

Whether you’re stuck at a hotel or lucky enough to be home, it’s difficult to stay active and productive during quarantine. What’s more, when you don’t have to contend with subway rides or commutes to work, it can be a slog just to get yourself out of bed at an otherwise reasonable hour. Nevertheless, the other day I did, and I’m beyond happy with my decision because I got to join a “Krav Maga Combat Ready” class conducted on Zoom, and led by Von Ng, the China Director of Krav Maga Global (KMG).

Ng leading a Krav Maga beginner’s class on Zoom

Ng with his students

Ng has been training in Krav Maga since 2005, and teaching Krav Maga at KMG in Beijing since 2010. According to Ng, “Krav Maga is the primary fighting system used by the Israeli defense forces. It is [also]used by military, security, third party protection, law enforcement, civilian adults and children all over the world. It’s known for its simplicity, it is easy to learn, easy to retain, and it’s direct to the point approach.”

Despite my weariness and sleepy eyes, it was great to get up early and sweat the stress out with a bunch of “Internet friends” through the little screen on my phone. Needless to say, after the workout, I felt fresh and energized.

As it happens, I had stumbled upon the class in a WeChat group called “Yoga Under Quarantine”, in which folks share free online workout classes such as Yoga, Zumba, Chinese Plum Boxing, and more. They are all organized by different people who are passionate about various sports and happy to share their expertise with others.

Meredith C. Wen

Despite its name, the group offers much more than just yoga. According to Meredith C. Wen, the group’s founder, “At first I figured it’d be yoga only because that’s what I’m trained in and I didn’t know if anyone else would want to teach. But within the group, I’ve been approached by really amazing instructors!”

Asked why she decided to start the group, Wen explained that, “When we were initially preparing to return to China and quarantine, I was thinking about what I would need to stay sane. For me, it’s books and movement [so]I wanted to help people out in this way. ”

The online platforms used by instructors in Yoga Under Quarantine may vary, however a pretty popular one right now is Zoom, which is available for both iOS and Android users. It’s quite simple to navigate and comes in English. All you need to do is download the software from your App Store and then join a class by plugging in a Meeting ID, which will be provided by the workout class’ organizer.

During the class, you can choose to mute yourself or switch off your side of the video depending on your situation. But of course, it would be better to turn on the video so the teacher can check your moves and form. As a total beginner and outsider of  KMG Combat, I switched the video to keep a low profile. But rest assured, no one is out there to judge, I’m just afraid I would judge myself.

Photos: Courtesy of Meredith, Von Ng, and Wendy Xu

When many people think about art forms, their minds may go to concepts such as post-modernism, abstract art, or romanticism. Mainly, the focus tends to be Euro-centric as that is what we’re generally more familiar with. In order to give people a broader sense of international and traditional art, Atelier, a French art studio in Beijing, is holding two online workshops about the unique art forms originating from Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Atelier always encourages students to go beyond the limits of their own creativity, and it continues the trend of workshops that mix art, engineering, history, and literature, while taking the kids on a journey through art history.

 Thai Kaleidoscope

Age 8-13. Thai Kaleidoscope will center on the fusion of ancient Thai mythology with modern art that has been influenced by the country’s traditional culture. With lessons ranging from drawing their own mythical creature to crafting art using perspective and negative space, students will learn and experience a completely new side of Thai art. The price is RMB 499 for four classes, each of which is one hour long.

Josh Gibbs

This workshop will be taught by Josh Gibbs, an Atelier instructor, who has taken part in residencies and exhibitions in England, Ireland, Spain, Lithuania, and China. Gibbs graduated from Leeds College of Art and Design in 2011, and his multidisciplinary practice revolves around found object sculpture and installation, writing, and collage.

Online workshop “Batik” 

Age 14+. The online workshop centered on traditional art from Indonesia and Malaysia will be about Batik. Batik is the technique of decorating cloth using wax and dye. It involves a three step process of using wax as a dye repellent on the cloth to cover parts of a design, dyeing the uncovered parts of the cloth with colors, and then dissolving the wax by either boiling it in hot water or ironing it out. This art form has been practiced for generations in Indonesia and has been pioneered into a new art form by Malaysian artist, Chuah Thean Teng. The price is RMB 469 for three classes, each of which is one hour long.

James Sserwadda

This online workshop will be taught by Atelier’s James Sserwadda. Sserwadda is an award winning artist and art educator who graduated from Kyambogo University with a Bachelor’s Degree in vocational studies in Art and Design with Education before obtaining his Master’s Degree in Experimental Art and Film at the Beijing Film Academy. He has taught in various Ugandan high schools and universities as well as in several art education centers in China before joining Atelier. He works with many different mediums including field sculpture, fabric decoration, painting, and experimental art and film.

For more information and to sign up for classes, scan the QR code above.

Photos: Atelierartschool WeChat

Whether you want to maintain your Chinese during the summer months while away from Beijing’s sweltering heat or want to continue learning Chinese after you’ve moved away, online language learning platforms are effective and convenient. Keep scrolling for a quick review of tried-and-tested ones.

Busuu
Cost: Free for basic membership, USD 20/month (approximately RMB 124) for premium membership
Best for: Reading, writing, speaking, listening

One of Busuu’s strongest features is their vocabulary learning platform. Users must review the 24 new words taught in each unit with an end-of-unit quiz, then practice the words with reading, writing, speaking, and listening exercises. If they do well, users can earn “busuu-berries” that allow them to buy virtual items and grow a “language garden” as their Chinese level develops.

Busuu also helps users develop their speaking and listening skills with a chat platform where they can practice their Chinese with native speakers. Users can either IM or use video chat.

With the basic membership, users must pay 10 busuu-berries, or the equivalent of answering 2 questions correctly on the first try, to use this social feature. Users with the premium membership do not need to pay.

This speaking and listening feature relies entirely on a concept of giving and receiving. For example, Chinese learners must rely on native Chinese speakers on the site to volunteer their time to talk to them. This is rarely a problem, but does givea sense of obligation to all Busuu users.

The bottom line: Busuu offers a wide range of activities for users to improve all aspects of their Chinese.

LingQ
Cost: Free for basic membership, USD 10/month (approximately RMB 62) for unlimited use, USD 39/month (approximately RMB 242) for unlimited use + private tutoring sessions
Best for: Reading

LingQ is a database of interactive and personalized essays. Upon creating an account, users are given access to essays of varying difficulty in Chinese, with each word highlighted in blue.

Each time the user comes across a blue word they don’t recognize, they can click on the word to save it to the list of words they already know so it will not be highlighted again. Words that the user doesn’t know, or “LingQs” can be added to a list of flashcards.

With the free LingQ account, users have access to all essays in the database, but they can only import 5 essays from other sources, and can only save 20 LingQs. While inconvenient, the user can get around this limit by deleting the LingQs once they have mastered it, or the essays they have already read.

LingQ users can also post messages, videos, or audio recordings to the public community or specific friends, but this aspect of LingQ is not what draws users to the site.

The bottom line: Although saving all the words the user already knows is tedious at first (especially for users who can already read a lot of Chinese), LingQ is a great resource for reading comprehension and learning new words.

Lang-8
Cost: Free for basic membership, USD 7/month (RMB 43.5) for premium membership
Best for: Writing

To put it simply, Lang-8 is a language-learner’s Facebook. Users can post videos, audio recordings, or writing ranging from one sentence to a formal essay for other users to make corrections in the comments. These posts can be seen by either the public or just specific friends.

Quite a few users use Lang-8 for school assignments before turning them in, but the majority of posts are simple notes for practice only. Because Lang-8 has many Chinese-speaking users, Chinese posts are usually edited within hours.

Premium members are given priority in the line of posts to edit, can study more than two languages on the site and can save more than 500 of their statuses to their Lang-8 notebook.

The bottom line: Lang-8 is a great, easy-to-use resource for homework help and writing practice.

All three of these platforms also support other languages such as Spanish, Japanese, and French.

Photo courtesy of alanaqkelly (flickr)

Leah Sprague is a high school senior and beijingkids’ intern for July. After living in Seattle for two years, Leah is super excited to be back in Beijing, where she lived from 2009-2012. When not at the office, Leah can be found biking or subway-ing around the city, soaking up everything before she leaves again in August.