News

In light of yet another series of food scandals involving McDonald nuggets and melamine-tainted milk, China Daily reported over the weekend that inulin, a popular food additive and sweetener, has been found to induce stomach aches for some children if consumed excessively.
 
Inulin is a carbohydrate fiber that is found naturally in produce such as bananas, wheat, onions and garlic. When inulin is consumed from such unprocessed foods, it is hard to over-eat. However, inulin is often extracted and used as a food additive for processed products including chocolate bars, drinks and other snacks (and we know all too well how easy it is to over-eat chocolate!) If our intake of inulin is too high, we may experience symptoms such as bloating, stomach aches and diarrhea.

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A new study has found that gaming for extended periods of time can cause children to have trouble concentrating in school. Although researchers have yet to pinpoint the reason why this is the case, the findings could raise a red flag for parents. 

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New research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology shows that women who choose home births might put their babies at a higher mortality risk. The study compared women from the US and Europe who had planned home births to those who had planned hospital births and found that twice the amount of babies died in the four weeks after home delivery. They found triple the mortality rate for babies born at home when “they removed those with congenital defects from the calculation,” according to The Guardian. Many of these babies died from a lack of oxygen during or after labor.

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Starting Saturday 12 June The Schoolhouse is making it very easy for you to plan a day of fun and sun at Mutianyu Great Wall by providing you a roundtrip ride from Beijing on The School Bus. No hassle, no worries, no packing in the bus like sardines - just a smooth ride out to the fresh air and blue skies at Mutianyu.

For your convenience, they'll have two School Buses -- the first leaving at 9am, the second at 11.30am. Both School Buses will make a stop in downtown Beijing and then Shunyi before smooth sailing to The Schoolhouse front gate. Enjoy a stroll up to the Great Wall or explore the area on your own and hike hidden trails. What's more, all day-trippers will get a free pass for their School Bus shuttle, which will travel in and around Mutianyu throughout the day. Roundtrip School Bus tickets cost RMB 120. For more information CLICK HERE.

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Summer is here and we all have our hot weather gear on to prove it. The temperature is rising, the kids are out of school and it's time to pack your holiday itinerary with oodles of fun.

Our huge double summer feature has come to the rescue of families still searching for ways to fill their hot and sticky days. We've got a list of 20 any day activities to satisfy restless little ones. Want to get out and about? Nine Beijing day trips, excursions and fun spots will keep you occupied. Need a beach-side break? Kara Chin has found China's best sandy locales, including Sanya and nearby Crab Island. If traveling across the Middle Kingdom, our China excursions will have you prepped and ready to go with all the best tips from people who've done it before. Heading overseas? Get inspired with four great family holidays from around the world.  

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Spouses, children and other loved ones might find their trip to China a bit easier with the new class of residency permit for foreigners. The law that goes into effect June 1 will allow visiting relatives to reside in China for up to two years. 

This visa option also will allow foreigners multiple entries. 

Those wishing to apply for the permit must do so after arriving in China, and they should expect to receive “the same health checks required by other residence permit applications,” according to the Global Times. 

The law does not accommodate for employment permits, as these must be pursued through a separate application process.

Read the full Global Times article here.

After a spate of school killings and violent attacks across China, local authorities have clamped down on International Children's Day celebrations. Long lines at your local Pizza Hut are still expected, but there are noticeably less large scale activities than in previous years.

Check out these interesting articles from local newspapers:

Children's Day garden party to take no chances

After deadly attacks, security tightened at schools ahead of Int'l Children's Day

More security at schools for Children's Day

Beijing residents should think twice before purchasing a tricycle for their kids for Children’s Day. The Global Times reported that tests in Guangdong Province have shown that only 40 percent of the baby tricycles examined met all of the safety requirements. 

In Shanghai, 30 percent of the tricycles tested were not safe for toddlers due to poor handlebar design and faulty positioning of the pedals and handbrakes. 

Safety concerns with the Guandong tricycles included “excessive amounts of removable substances that toddlers can peel off and swallow, such as paint, which may cause chronic poisoning in young children.” 

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You’re not alone. Researchers have finished analyzing 1,540 hours of videotape of the daily lives of 32 U.S. families, and found plenty of resistant children and parents stressed to the max. Social scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles documented every waking moment of various Los Angeles households with the hope to find out more about the lives of “the dual-earner, multiple-child, middle-class” American family.

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Babies can tell the difference between good and bad before they can muster “mama,” according to a new study performed by Yale psychology professor, Paul Bloom. His findings indicate that young ones might have a wired sense of morality as early as six months after they’re born.

Researchers presented children between the ages of 6-and 10-months with a puppet show that displayed a struggling puppet being helped and then hindered. After the performance, babies could pick between the “nice” and the “mean” puppet, and an overwhelming amount picked the nice one.

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