April, 2007
Articles from prior issues of beijingkids can be found by checking out the archive links below for the month and year you are interested in.
Crafty Cooking
Three fun food projects for kids
Sometimes crayons just don’t cut it. If you’re looking for an entertaining and tasty way to while away a couple hours with the kids, give one of the following edible crafts a go. Simple, fun, and yummy, these projects can be done at the kitchen counter with things already in your pantry and will keep those little hands busy for hours.
Thumbprint Cookies by Rebecca Kanthor
Put your own unique mark on each of these tiny, vegan-friendly cookies, perfect for a doll’s tea party.
Ingredients (makes nine cookies)
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1tbsp white granulated sugar, plus more for coating
• 2tbsp margarine
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp water
• Your favorite kind of jam
 |
 |
| 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit/190 degrees Celsius. Mix together all ingredients except the jam, until all the flour is mixed into the dough. 2. Roll the dough between your hands to form nine small balls. Pour some sugar on a flat surface and roll the balls gently over it until coated. Place the balls on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving some space between them. |
|
 |
 |
| 3. Press your thumb into the middle of each ball to make a thumbprint. 4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, and then remove from oven. When the cookies are cool, fill each thumbprint with jam. |
|
April Adventures in Wonderland
A family hike is the perfect way to welcome spring
Sick of being trapped indoors? Couch potatoes, it’s time to get out for a taste of spring! In Beijing, the hiking season comes late and leaves early, so act fast to make the most of this not-too-hot, not-too-cool weather.
tbjkids spoke to the expert walkers that run Beijing Hikers and got some advice on hikes suitable for parents and kids. The following route is a good choice for a family outing:
The Ancient Cave Dwellings at Guyaju
The details:
This hike is in Yanqing County, a two-hour drive from the city. The walk itself should take about two to three hours, and should be doable with kids over 5 (the path is not suitable for strollers). The map here will get you to Guyaju Park, where the caves are located, and your entrance ticket to the park will provide you with a map of its grounds.
Guyaju Park
RMB 40, RMB 20 (kids). (6911 0333) 古崖居公园
Dongzhimen with the Kids
Movies, malls and a night stroll on Ghost Street
Mall Crawl
The newly opened, labyrinthine Ginza Mall offers enough attractions to keep the family entertained for ages. Your teens will salivate at the sight of genuine Quiksilver and Adidas brand clothing at Sport 100 on Basement Level 1, while cartoon fans will be desperate to search out every section of the Disney store, which is divided into several outlets dotted throughout the mall. Mom and Pop can sip lattes in one of the numerous restaurants or coffee shops, or browse over the designer jewelry available at every turn. Keep up your energy with a treat from one of the many patisseries. And don't forget your wallet!
Ginza Mall
(Some English spoken.) Daily 10am-10pm. 48 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Dongcheng District. 银座 Mall, 东城区东直门外大街48号
Green Instincts
When I think about the environment and kids, and the future of our planet, one particular story always comes to mind. It's the tale of the most surreal argument between a parent and child that I have yet to witness. It took place on a sweaty summer day in my old neighborhood in New York and it went something like this:
Buckle Up – Even in Beijing
Don’t let safety standards slide when driving in Beijing
The art of not wearing a seatbelt is so well-perfected in Beijing that many expats here eventually shrug off the dangers and pick up the bad habit of riding buckle-free. Leaving all common sense at the roadside, we sit in the passenger seat unfettered and fearless as our madcap taxi drivers weave between cars and swerve around jaywalkers at frightening speeds.
It’s one thing to take risks with yourself, however, and a whole different thing to take them with your kids. Then again, if you’ve ever tried to convince a taxi driver in Beijing to help you fit a car seat in the rear of a cab – assuming there are seatbelts installed back there in the first place – you’ve probably already come to the conclusion that car seats and Beijing taxis just don’t mix.
It's Our Earth
Kids speak up on environmental issues
Stone Han
Age 8, from Taiwan Province. In the 2nd grade at Shijia Hutong Elementary School.
Why is it important to take care of the earth?
Because we live on the earth.
Why do you care about the environment?
If the environment is bad, we will feel bad too. If the fields are dirty, our food will be dirty. If water is dirty, we can’t take showers and drink water. If nature isn’t protected, animals will become extinct. And we may become extinct too.
What do you do to protect the environment?
I put garbage around me in the trash can. And I don’t litter.
Going Green in Beijing
Easy earth-saving actions for families
We all know that everybody, including kids, has to do their part to protect the environment. But sometimes it’s hard to get started! To help you get your family on a greener path, tbjkids has compiled these practical eco tips for Beijing households with the help of Global Village of Beijing and Green Choice Beijing.
Cut down on energy consumption by turning off the lights. Kids can be reminded with simple signs around the house – to make things fun, get your kids to draw their own. If your family is studying Chinese, post bilingual signs.
An Essential Lesson
International students and schools do their part for the earth
After Claire Belilos watched An Inconvenient Truth (Al Gore’s documentary on global warming) in her 9th grade science class at the Western Academy of Beijing, she couldn’t wait to take action. Her response was the WAB Green Committee, the student group she created with the goal of discovering ways to reduce energy consumption and waste production at her school.
“If WAB can set an example by being as environmentally friendly as possible, other international schools will realize they can do the same,”Belilos says. “If schools are setting a good example, students attending the schools will learn what to do at home and teach other students around them.”
You Rate It-Shengtangxuan
Martijn Hildebrand, stay-at-home dad and law student, and daughter, Sarah Hildebrand, age 19 months, both from Holland.
It’s a nice shop, but the real old toys are not really suitable for playing with since they are made from wood and stuff – they’re better as showpieces. Sarah loved the little instruments and the stuffed animals, but you can buy them everywhere. The owner, Mr. Tang, is really sweet. And Sarah loved it because there was so much to see.
The Grosses
Our Family Favorites
The Gross family landed in Beijing nine months ago as a foursome, but added a fifth to their party just three months later. These days, mom Jennifer, dad Ulrich and kids Lisa-Marie (4), Mia Sophie (2) and Ole Leander (6 months) live in Shunyi. Before Beijing, home was the small city of Brunswick, in Germany. Here are some of the Gross family’s Beijing favorites.
Weekend restaurant
Mrs. Shanen’s Bagels is good for a weekend lunch or picking up some cake for coffee time in the afternoon.
Quiet weekend fun
The BookMark. Lisa and Mia read books here and borrow some for home while Ulrich and I have a cup of coffee (or two) and share the marvelous carrot cake.
I Want to Be an Animator
Ben Radcliffe talks about making Shrek come to life
Ben Radcliffe is a coloring and lighting artist for the animated film industry. He’s worked for Walt Disney Feature Animation and for Dreamworks Animation, and you can see his handiwork in Shrek 2, The Polar Express, Veggie Tales, Chicken Little and the upcoming Meet The Robinsons. Right now, Ben’s taking a year off from work to travel in China, Vietnam, and Israel. He likes taking photos, movies and spicy Thai food. He hates video games.
Richard Jones on Computers and Cambodia
On Computers and Cambodia
What brought you into teaching Information and Communication Technology (ICT)?
I’m originally from the UK, but lived in Portugal for 17 years, where I worked as an earth scientist in the oil business. The industry took one of its periodic downturns, so I had to find something else to do. The international school my two children went to couldn’t find a computer teacher to come out from the UK. They asked me if I would be interested in filling the position. So, I got into teaching more or less by accident. I never dreamed I would ever become a teacher.
How does the ICT that you teach compare with what you were taught as a student?
There weren’t such things as personal computers in the ‘60s. At university we learned how to program computers using punch cards. There weren’t any screens in those days. If you wanted to run a program, you put it in by punch card and if you wanted to see the output you got a printout.
Cupid Comes to China
Spicing up conversation and (potentially) love lives
Perhaps strangely, one of the things I have never worried about as a single mother is any deterrent effect that my daughter’s existence might have on establishing a new relationship. On the contrary, I’ve always reasoned that Elsa works as a sort of two-way screening device, preventing me from going for some of the more unsuitable types I was too susceptible to in the past, and preventing said unsuitables from getting overly interested in the first place.
That said, I am aware that one shouldn’t parade one’s life history about too zealously. Better to get to know each other a little first before bringing up baby; I usually try to wait at least 30 whole minutes. But I find Elsa is so embedded in my thoughts that this is nearly impossible. I have joined the ranks of mothers and fathers everywhere who find their children endlessly – and to outsiders, mystifyingly – fascinating. The poor guy I’m talking to is lucky if the conversational volley makes it past the return serve without me brightly chirping: “That reminds me. Today Elsa said ‘WET HAIR.’ Isn’t that amazing?” or something equally stimulating.
Two Sick Kids, Just One Dad
When do you call for Mom?
I had a host of ideas for my first Beijing Baba column, and most of them would have been quite good. I’m certain of that. Really, I am. But nailing any of them down proved virtually impossible once I was forced to turn into Doctor Dad and my brain shut down with the pressure. The deadline for this story, you see, coincided with a brutal week when my wife’s business took her to Taiwan, and my two sons both fell ill and had to stay home from school and be looked after, one of them for days on end.
6-year-old Eli had a fever but not much else and I knew he’d be better soon, so that was a little tiring but not really scary. 9-year-old Jacob’s situation was a different story, however. His stomach was as turbulent as the North Atlantic and he required constant nursing, which was exhausting, frustrating, maddening and occasionally quite frightening. He was going to the bathroom three times an hour and was so weak he could barely manage to watch a movie.
Destination: Ko Samui
In search of luxury, family-style
The Travelers: Canadians Lise and Paul Lepa, owners of Pearls Only, their 5-and-a-half-year-old daughter Alexandra (Alex), and grandparents George and Helena Lepa.
The Destination: Ko Samui, Thailand.
The Plan: Fifteen days of luxury and lounging at a house on the beach with housekeeping and a cook.
The Reality: When the planned lodgings failed to deliver on their Internet promise of fully-catered comfort, the Lepas switched their focus to fun day trips and island explorations.s For the last five days of their vacation, the family picked up and moved to improved accommodations, where, thanks to a private pool and excellent spa treatments, they finally found their Zen.
