Thursday, August 23, 2012

Tangrams



Looking for some cultural activities that your young child can participate in?  Check out Activity Village's tangram page.  There is a pattern you can print to make your own tangram set and several fun tangram patterns you can puzzle out!

Want to know how to say "tangram" in Chinese?
- 七巧
- 七巧板 (qī qiǎo bǎn)

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Culture Kits

If you live near a university with an international program or a well-funded library, ask if they have Culture Kits available.  These are simply tubs of materials that are about a particular culture.  A Chinese Culture Kit might include realia such as:  traditional rice steamers, chopsticks, paper lanterns, traditional toys, and jewelry.  Each Culture Kit typically also provides an Information Sheet listing facts about the items in the kit.

If you live near Iowa City, the international program at the University of Iowa has several Culture Kits that can be checked out for two-weeks.  There is a 5 kit maximum.  Below are some links that direct you to the Culture Kits available at UI.
Home page for Culture Kits
List of kits searched by keywords:  China, Chinese, Taiwan, Asia

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Chinese Character Art

Here is a wonderful video/piece of artwork that displays the beauty of Chinese characters!

Games in the Foreign Language Classroom

Stuck for ideas about how to keep your kids' attentions on your lesson?  Here is a website with a list of wonderful games to play with children learning a foreign language.  Have a look and see what might work in your classroom or family!



Games in the Foreign Language Classroom