top – Beijing Kids https://www.beijing-kids.com Fri, 03 Jun 2016 16:08:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.2 And the Honors go to…The Top 10 Most Viewed Blogs of August https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2014/09/02/and-the-honors-go-to-the-top-10-most-viewed-blogs-of-august/ https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2014/09/02/and-the-honors-go-to-the-top-10-most-viewed-blogs-of-august/#respond

Well these months just keep zooming past us, we are heading for cooler temperatures, heavier traffic, back-to-school ritual, soggy streets and of course blogs. August in Beijing feels like a re-birthing period, new residents have made the much-anticipated journey to the city. This edition of the top blogs as per Google Analytics brings some freshness to the list that has remained constant for some time. Lets get to it…

beijingkids and JingKids Family Health Fair Open to Exhibitors and Sponsors
beijingkids and JingKids jointly present the first Family Health Fair to be held on September 14 and there was a call for exhibitors from health-related business to sign up. Check out the rules of eligibility to become either a sponsor or exhibitor.

Dumb and Simple: The Trick to Using Taobao without Alipay or a Chinese ID Number
The complexity of paying for items on Taobao can drive most sane people to the brink of insanity. There is now a little trick of using online banking. This blog shows you a step by step guide on how to use it.

To Be or Not to Be? The Dual Citizen Conundrum
Written in 2009, this blog tries to clarify the situation of mixed families children who are born in China yet are foreign passport holders. China does not allow dual citizenship but there is a legal gray areas that are touched on in the blog.

More Bureaucratic Bumbling for Mixed-Nationality Chinese-Foreign Babies
The issue of foreign-Chinese couples’ children nationality status is becoming increasingly confusing as there are no clear policies due to different statements from different public organizations.

Lunar Lessons: Ten Things You Didn’t Know about the Mid-Autumn Festival
With the Mid-Autumn festival shortly upon, getting to know some background on the holiday made this blog a hit.

Links:
PSB Crackdown on Dual Citizenships: Will Families Be Affected?
Little Chinese “Nerds”
5 Chinese Online Shopping Sites to Rival Taobao
Coming to Toytown: Beijing’s Best Toy Shops
I Was Scratched by My Dog and Had to Get the Rabies Shot

 

 

Photos:

]]> https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2014/09/02/and-the-honors-go-to-the-top-10-most-viewed-blogs-of-august/feed/ 0 And the Honors go to…The Top 10 Most Viewed Blogs of March https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2014/04/05/and-the-honors-go-to-the-top-10-most-viewed-blogs-of-march/ https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2014/04/05/and-the-honors-go-to-the-top-10-most-viewed-blogs-of-march/#respond Sat, 05 Apr 2014 10:00:00 +0000

With the help of Google analytics, we came up with a list of the ten most viewed post in the month of March. Some are new, some are old, some written by the team, others were not. The honors of the most viewed post in the month was written by a Beijing mom. Take a look at the ones that made the top ten.

Missing Malaysian Airlines MH370
The story of the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 was worldwide news and hit close to home as the flight was Beijing bound. Friends and family members of the expat community were on-board the flight. The story had more twist and turns, which is currently unfolding. The two stories that made the list are: Beijing French School Teens Believed Aboard Malaysian Airlines Flight and Two on Missing Jet’s Passenger List Found Alive, Victims of Passport Theft in Thailand

Coming to Toytown: Beijing’s Best Toy Shops
The third story that made the list was by written by former Staff Writer, Oscar Holland. He came up with a list to help shop for kids’ toys around town.

Where Are They Now Series
This series made headway in the top spots with two placement, snatching the fourth and eighth spots. This series features the lives of Beijing International School alumni after leaving school. What makes these blogs different is that even though there were posted last year, both blogs featured students from the same school. Find out which one: 21 year old Michelle Chung from Malaysia and 19 year old Hong Konger Helen Leung.

The others that made the cut were:
5 Chinese Online Shopping Sites to Rival Taobao (No.5)
IB Diploma the way to go for Students in Beijing International Schools (This is sponsored content written by The British School of Beijing, No.6)
Food Goddess: Female Chef Talks About Working in a Man’s World (No.7)
School Choice Fair Updates: List of Exhibitors, Ivy Schools and UCCA Kids’ Corners (No.9)
What’s That Air Purifier Really Doing for You? (No.10)

File photos used

]]> https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2014/04/05/and-the-honors-go-to-the-top-10-most-viewed-blogs-of-march/feed/ 0 And the Honors go to…The Top 10 Most Viewed Blogs of November https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2013/12/07/and-the-honors-go-to-the-top-10-most-viewed-blogs-of-november/ https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2013/12/07/and-the-honors-go-to-the-top-10-most-viewed-blogs-of-november/#respond

With the help of Google analytics, we came up with a list of the ten most viewed post in the month of November. Some are new, some are old, some written by the team. The honors of the most viewed post in the month was written by a Beijing mom. Take a look at the ones that made the cut.

Passionate About Me: One Mum’s 40kg Weight Loss Battle
Beijing mom Paula Zhou shares her inspiring story about how she became comfortable in her own skin.

Tiger Cubs Strike Back: Top 5 Ways to Evade A Screaming Parent
This is a blast from the past blog. Written in 2011, the post puts a smile to begin with and ends in a state of hysteria.

Where Are They Now: Beijing Alumnus Harrison Kim
A blog series that gives a glimpse of into the lives of alumni of Beijing’s international school after graduation. Harrison was a student at the Western Academy of Beijing.

Kerry Debuts new Adventure Zone for Kids
A welcomed addition of a play area for the young and the young at heart. There are just so many zones to choose from.

A Wallet Work-out! The Directory of Holiday Bazaars
We come up with a list of this year’s Christmas and Charity bazaars that began in early November and will end sometime in the second week of December.

5 Chinese Online Shopping Sites to Rival Taobao
The mammoth that is taobao does have some competition especially from lesser known websites.

Do Try This At Home: Zha Jiang Mian
This is shared recipe to make a traditional beijing dish in the confines of your home.

The Painted Skin and Other Scary Tales: A Chinese Ghost Story Primer
This post looked at the various horror flicks from China make a fun watch for movie night even if Halloween is over.

5 Local Markets for Air-Filtering Houseplants
This post is part of a series that looks at various market around Beijing on where to get the air in the house a little fresher.

What’s That Air Purifier Really Doing for You?
Air pollution is a concern for most Beijing residents both local and foreign and instinctively the first thought is to get an air purifier. But what does an air purifier really do?

Photos courtesy of Paula Zhou, beijingkids, Liangjinjian,
Kevin Dooley  (Flickr)

]]> https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2013/12/07/and-the-honors-go-to-the-top-10-most-viewed-blogs-of-november/feed/ 0 Techie Talk: Best 6 Free Apps for Moms https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2013/08/22/techie-talk-best-6-free-apps-for-moms/ https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2013/08/22/techie-talk-best-6-free-apps-for-moms/#respond Thu, 22 Aug 2013 07:00:00 +0000  

Finances, nutrition and a little fun, moms can enjoy a wide range of different apps to help make life easier. The following apps are just a few that we found around that are not so new but necessary.These apps can also be for dads. 

 

Pageonce
Pageonce tracks your accounts and has a Payments Due feature that tells you when it’s time to pay. Best of all, if you lose your cell, you can log on to the website and block access to your account.Available on both iOS and Android.
 
Cozi Family Organizer 
This is a great app that helps you manage your life and keeps your whole family in the loop.  It’s an online organizer and a mobile app.  You get a calendar, shopping list, to do list and even a family journal.  You can access it from your mobile device or from and computer.  No matter where or how you and your family access Cozi, you’ll always be looking at the same information. Available on both iOS and Android.
 
Allrecipes.com Dinner spinner 
Trying to decide what’s for dinner?  This free app lets you choose recipes based on main ingredients, what you have on hand, and how much time you have to make it. You can even let it randomly select a recipe and meal plan for you.Available on both iOS and Android.
 
PBS Kids Video 
In a pinch and need to entertain your kids for a few minutes?  PBS has put together a bunch of clips and a few full-length shows for you to have on the go. More than 1,000 videos from over a dozen top PBS series, including Curious George, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, Dinosaur Train, SUPER WHY!, Sesame Street and Wild Kratts.Will need a VPN to watch the videos. Available on both iOS and Android.
 
Fooducate 
Have you ever found yourself standing in the store staring at a whole wall of yogurt, wondering which one is actually the most nutritious? Using the Fooducate app, you scan a food’s barcode, the app grades it, explains what’s really inside and will even offer a healthier alternative.  Give it a try on the food you have at home – you might be surprised.This will only work with imported foods here in China but not local brands. Available on both iOS and Android.
 
Ziplist
ZipList is a free shopping list management app that allows you to create and share grocery lists with family members, and syncs automatically with your ZipList account online. Sort grocery store lists by aisle or store, text lists to other members, download ingredients from sites to list, and snag meal ideas from the recipe database. The barcode feature is the coolest: simply scan UPC codes on products in your cupboard to add to your list. Strangely, family food management becomes fun and efficient. And now no one will forget the bread!Available on both iOS and Android.
 
We will give a list of paid mom apps available soon.
 
 
Photo courtesy of Fotopedia

 

]]> https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2013/08/22/techie-talk-best-6-free-apps-for-moms/feed/ 0 Top 10 Fun Educational Apps For Children Aged 3 and Above https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2013/08/12/top-10-fun-educational-apps-for-children-aged-3-and-above/ https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2013/08/12/top-10-fun-educational-apps-for-children-aged-3-and-above/#respond  

The beginning of the new school year has already started for some while the other lot waits patiently to start next week. Educational apps can help get kids in the right frame of mind for school in an exciting graphical way but most importantly learn something new. Here is a list of the top ten educational apps to help kick out the holiday mood.These apps are also fun for adults. 

 

LetterSchool
Handwriting with a little of phonics come together in this fun app as children get to learn how to trace letters (numbers from one to ten) in both upper and lower case. After the child finishes tracing the letters, they come to life and retrace their shapes with gorgeous animations. Then once they feel confident children can write without any help. It’s beautiful and absorbs children whilst they learn the shapes and sounds of letters.
 
Available version for the iPad and iPhone for RMB 18 or USD 2.99
 
Reading Raven
This is a step-by-step phonics-teaching app that engages a child’s interest with the exciting illustrations in the form of an adventure for every lesson. The app is designed to give young readers from the age of three to seven a foundation in reading.
 
Available version for iPod touch, iPhone and iPad for RMB 18 or USD 2.99
 
Meteor Math
An ‘explosive’ maths challenge with an arcade game feel – find two numbers to make the answer shown on the planet and watch as they explode! The game gets faster as you go up through the levels and it becomes exciting and challenges children to solve the sums more quickly. A great way of improving speed of mental maths. 
 
Available version for iPod, iPad and iPhone for free
 
Endless Alphabet
It has an ‘endless’ amount of words to choose from. Once you have picked your word – find the letters and pop them in the right place. As you pick them they make their sound and once placed they tell you their ‘name’. Once completed you hear a definition of the word. The only downside is this uses all upper case lettering. 
 
Available for iPad and iPhone for RMB 18 or USD 2.99
 
Barefoot Atlas
This is a really stunning app that allows children to explore an interactive 3D globe. It features the usual gorgeous illustrations you expect from Barefoot Books. It is much better viewed in a tablet.
 
Available for iPhone and iPad for RMB 30 or USD 4.99
 
Duo Lingo
A lovely and well designed app that helps you learn Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and English.  Learn new words and phrases easily whilst being tested along the way to reinforce your understanding and your learning. This a surprisingly fun and absorbing app.
 
Available for free on both iTunes and Android
 
Math Bingo
This is a simple concept and a great app for testing children on their mental maths of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Children have to get correct answers on a grid to complete their bingo square. Each right answer earns them a cute monster. The app is a good mix of fun and challenge.
 
Available in iTunes for RMB 0.99 and similar design available for free on Android.
 
Magic Piano
Great for all ages – this nifty little magic piano guides you through playing a variety of tunes on its three keyboards by following beams of light with your fingers. There’s everything from Bruno Mars to Mozart. Helps teach you about rhythm and tempo. Most of all it is enchanting and great fun.
 
Available for free on iTunes and Android
 
Little Writer
A great free app for tracing letters and learning all the sounds and letter formation of the alphabet. Bright colourful pictures make this a really eye catching and engaging app for little ones.
 
Available for free on iTunes
 
Star Walk
A fantastic app for older children. You can find your location and find out what stars you can see from your garden. It has stunning graphics with the use of augmented reality. It even tells you the names of all the planets while still pointed towards the sky. Then, if you point it towards the ground, it shows you what all the stars are in the other hemisphere. A must for any budding stargazers. This app works well with clear Beijing skies though.
 
Available on iTunes for RMB 18 or USD 2.99
 
Sourced from nutmums and Appannie
 

Photo courtesy of Intel Free Press (Flickr)

 

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