The Most Mandarin of All?

My youngest son got to go to Language Stars* for the first time this week.  His older brother was sick and make-ups are difficult for us because of our schedule, so I took Will instead.

I knew he would love class before we walked in the door.   We've been working on Mandarin since he was about 6 months old, so hearing the language is nothing new to him.  In fact, I talk to Will in Chinese more than my other 2 children.  Perhaps it has something to do with him being a captive audience in his high chair during lunch time . . . But when I talk or sing to him in Mandarin,  his face just lights up.  He knows it's different and special somehow and he loves it.

So, needless to say, Will seemed to feel right at home in our parent and tot class at Language Stars.  Even though he's only 15 months old, I was still expecting that "what-in-the-world-are-they-saying-mom" look of confusion.  (Maybe I'll own that one:  I probably have that look at lot!) Yet, my son had no such response.  He plowed right on, playing with toys and being all shy with the teachers as if it was perfectly normal that everyone around him was speaking Mandarin (There were 2 teachers this week.  One is a new teacher in training.)  To me, it's just more evidence of how young children process language much differently than we do.  He didn't care if he understood every word or not.  It was as if he was saying, "As long as there are toys and fun activities, count me in, Mom!"

Will probably did recognize some words, though.  The theme was "bedtime routines." We had already learned some of the words from a video that we have.  We use them every night as we get ready for bed.  As the class practiced the vocabulary, Will was so excited to take a washcloth and pretend to give the teddy bear a bath.  (Perhaps he was just glad that, for once, he wasn't the one in the tub.)  Kid-friendly, age-appropriate activities like this kept him engaged the whole time.

The class pretended to give Teddy a bath

I think Will is going to be able to speak the most Mandarin of all.  Even though his only words so far are "Ma Ma," "uh oh!" and "deng" (light in Mandarin), he seems the most interested in the language and has received the earliest exposure.  It will be interesting to see if I'm right.  But whether I'm right or not, there is one thing I'm sure of:  All 3 of them will be able to speak more Mandarin than me!



* We get 50% off our tuition for blogging about our experiences at Language Stars.  I say "we," but I guess it's just me since my 4-year-old can't type yet!

It's Not Broadway, But It's Close Enough For Me

     I think I secretly want to be an actress.  Or, there's at least a little bit of an actress in there somewhere.  You definitely have to be one to be an early childhood educator, that's for sure.  I am reminded of that every day as I teach both my students and my own children.  You have to not only impart information, but entertain, dazzle, and somehow get them engaged enough to retain what they are learning.

     To entertain usually means props.  Children love props.  This week, my daughter was learning a little fall poem in Mandarin, so we made leaves.  Even her little brothers got into the act!  Nobody wants to miss out on something fun!   Learning that boring poem was easily made fascinating by the addition of a few hand-drawn, child-colored leaves.

     In our parents and tots class at Language Stars*, props are plentiful.  One of the props for this week was so cute and entertaining I just had to blog about it.  My son got excited when the chef puppet came out.  (Okay, I'll admit it.  I liked the puppet, too.)  What child (and child at heart) doesn't love puppets?

My son takes his cake from the entertaining chef puppet

     At the beginning of class every week, the little ones have to answer two simple questions:  What is your name?  and How old are you?  To help in the "how old are you" department, the teacher brings out a cake.  Each child gets the same number of pieces as his/her age.  My son is used to this routine by now, so when the cake came out, he was not interested in the least.  In fact, he turned away to look at something else.  That is, until the chef came out!

     All of a sudden, he was engaged and learning again, taking his 2 pieces of cake from the puppet.  And, more importantly, he remained engaged the entire time, watching as each child took pieces of cake from the chef.

     So I think I'll take a cue from our Language Stars teacher this week.  I am definitely going to purchase a new puppet.

Thanks for reading,
Teacher Tam

*As a parent blogger, I receive 50% off our Language Stars tuition.  This doesn't affect what I blog about in the slightest, though.  I really like the Language Stars classes!

Developing the Mandarin Habit

"It's more important for preschoolers to develop habits than to learn material."  

         --Teacher Ling from Language Stars

When I first heard Ling say this to one of the other parents a couple of weeks ago, it was like a light bulb went on in my head.  This was what I was trying to do!  I hadn't known how to put it into words, but I had realized that pushing my children to learn specific vocabulary each week didn't work very well.  Sure, I could decide that we were working on "colors" or "animals," but beyond that, there was a point at which they would stop being interested.  And here's why:

Children learn language differently than adults.  We all know this from the research.  So, in order to learn a second language, it has to be presented to them in a manner unlike what adults need.  For example, I love the Little Pim DVDs.  My children don't.  The videos show people performing actions or using objects while the name for the action or object is repeated.  What a great visual way to teach vocabulary--to adults.  I still play them in the car so they can hear the words from a native speaker.  But, unless I learn the word first (from the tapes or otherwise) and then use it daily with them, they CANNOT learn it!  Even after watching a DVD several times, when I ask them how to say a word or even point to an object that was presented in the video and ask in Chinese, "What is this?" they give me a blank stare.  

At first, this made my heart sink.  I had tried so hard.  I had invested time and money.  Then, I stepped back and realized that they had to learn Mandarin by someone using the word in everyday conversation. Sure, I can decide to work on "animals" or "colors," but it has to be presented as a game or I have to put related objects out to play with, or I have to ask about the color of a new or favorite toy.  While, as an adult learner, I would love to sit down and memorize all the colors at once, compare their names and repeat them until I learned them, my preschoolers simply cannot do this.  It's not the way they learn language.  

Here's where the "habits" come in.  The way Ling presented the concept to me was sheer genius.  The idea is simple:  Don't push vocabulary, push a schedule.  So that's what we do.  Projects that the kids bring home from LA are reviewed, shown to grandma and anyone else who might vaguely be interested, and posted on the fridge.  They remind the children of their last class and that there will be another one soon.  While they play, we listen to Chinese songs from Language Stars  or other CDs that we have.  We purchased some preschool games for the computer, so they can choose to play these during computer time.  We do coloring sheets, cut out the pictures and play games with them.  We watch Chinese DVDs in the car.  We play some games with the Little Pim cards and I'm starting to make some on my own (see the end of this post).  And, we read (or I attempt to read) at least 1 book in Chinese every night before going to bed.

Our favorite is Brown Bear, Brown Bear:

(If you purchase the book, there are 2 or 3 videos

of people reading it in Chinese on YouTube.)

Developing the habit of learning Mandarin is a lot easier and less stressful than pushing vocabulary.  This way, there's a lot less pressure on Mom to present material and more emphasis on simply using the words we have learned in daily conversations.  Getting into the routine of having Mandarin sprinkled throughout our daily lives is still a challenge, requiring forethought and effort on my part.  But, I have to say that hearing Ling say those words was like lifting a burden off of my shoulders.  I can just relax a bit now and try to enjoy learning Mandarin with my little ones.  Well, right after I look up a few more animal names . . .

Teacher Tam

If you are learning Mandarin with your child(ren) or

would like a fun activity for Chinese New Year (usually in February),

here's a new game I made.  Just click on the picture and visit 

my TPT store to get your FREE copy.

*I get 50% off tuition at Language Stars for blogging about our classes.  

The Princess and The Panda

One of the first words we learned in Chinese was "xiong mao," or panda.  We learned a little poem about a panda that my daughter recited for everyone who visited our house--or happened to walk into our aisle at the supermarket.   During that beginning stage, we were all very focused on acquiring the most basic of vocabulary, like colors and everyday objects.  

As we continued learning little by little (me the least of all, I think),  phrases started to happen.  "Xiao  xin," or "be careful" was an important one in a house with a toddler.  This phrase has now become part of our everyday conversation.  It's the same with "zuo xia" (sit down) for the exact same reason.  That's not to say that we're not still acquiring basic vocabulary at a sometimes painfully, frustratingly slow, one-word-at-a-time pace, because we are (or, at least, I am).   But, at least we started sticking them together in sets, using them in meaningful ways during our regular activities.  

Then, it happened.  The breakthrough that I had been waiting for.  The sign that my daughter's Language Stars* classes, a couple hundred dollars worth of language materials, and my own inadequate yet persistent attempts to speak the language as much as possible were paying off:  A sentence.  About, of all things, a panda.  

It was after nap one day.  My little princess was still standing by the bed, sleepily hugging her xiong mao.  I looked at her and said (in Chinese), "Do you have a panda?"  I was stunned when she looked up at me and said, "I have a panda."  I had never heard her use the Mandarin word for "have" before, so I was completely shocked, impressed, and overjoyed--all at the same time.  Over the next few days, I told everyone I knew.  Of course, only those who already spoke another language or had once tried to do so seemed to nod with true understanding.  Everyone else said their own version of "that's nice,"  but they really didn't grasp the work and time commitment that proceeded that simple, four-word sentence in Mandarin.    

Obviously, we have years and years of Chinese to look forward to.  We are now working on basic sentences like, "I have a ______." and "Do you want to eat _________?" So, we have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but I know it will be worth it.  I will never be fluent, but one of my hopes for my children is that they will be.  And perhaps they'll teach their children the poem about a panda . . . 

Thanks for reading once again,

Teacher Tam

*I receive 50% off our tuition at Language Stars just for blogging about their great programs.  How "niu" (cool) is that?  

A Fun-Filled, Learning-Packed Hour at Language Stars

        My son and I just went to our Language Stars* class on Saturday. I say "our" class because I learn (and enjoy it) just as much as he does! One thing that has continued to impress me since our very first class is the well-planned and executed curriculum. The teacher manages to keep both parents and tots engaged and learning for, literally, the entire hour!
    
        There is a lot to learn every week. There's a song, some new object names, and other vocabulary, such as verbs. This week, we learned some animal names, sang a song about a spider, and focused on big and little.

        One of the first activities was simple but effective: The children each get a big stuffed animal, then each little stuffed animal comes out to look for its mommy. My son got the pig (ju with a high tone).  He thought it was really funny when the wrong animal came up to the pig to see if she was the mommy.  Each child got a different animal and the names were repeated at least 6 to 8 times.
      
        Of course, throughout class, the adults have to help the little ones ask questions like, "What is your name?"  We do it dutifully, even though most of us are no where close!  The teacher corrects us with patience, stressing the correct sounds.  She asks even the shyest of children (e.g. my son) to repeat the words after her, as well.
    
        Even snack time is utilized.  Each child is encouraged to say the name of the snack, ask for a plate and cup, and sing the "My Tummy/I'm Thirsty Song."  While the children eat, the teacher reads a relevant story.  The book is usually in English, but she speaks only in Mandarin, pointing out pictures for the little ones.

        While the children are seated, the teacher passes out a coloring sheet.  The purpose is 3-fold:  1) to practice color words, 2) to review the day's vocabulary, and 3) to hang it at home as a reminder of this week's class.  This week, ours was effective, but not fancy.  My daughter came home with a beautiful craft from the older class!  But, it has to be something easy for the little ones, so we colored big (da) and little (shou) chickens.

      
        We ended class with a song and sitting in the circle again.  Everyone sang the good-bye song (at least the parents tried to), and off we went.  In an hour, we had heard/learned at least 50-80 words, maybe more counting the songs and new vocabulary.  It was a very productive hour indeed.

Thanks for reading!
Any comments on your own second language learning experiences are greatly appreciated.

Teacher Tam




*I get 50% off tuition for blogging. What could be better than talking about something I really enjoy?

Our Language Stars* Adventures: How We Got Here

Even though I only speak a little Spanish, I have always had a great interest in languages.  Since before my husband and I were married, I had envisioned our children learning to speak Chinese (my husband is Chinese).  Yet, neither of us speaks Chinese. So, as you can well imagine, this presents a problem!  It's what prompted me to begin my quest to teach our 3 children Mandarin.
I have to admit that I was very discouraged, at first.  When we visited one of the local non-profit schools and talked to a few parents, we were told that what we wanted was impossible unless someone in our home spoke the language.  My daughter was too young to attend their classes, anyway, so I went home disappointed and thoroughly discouraged.
Now, it's 2 years later and we are slowly but surely finding our way.  We enrolled my oldest daughter (now 3 1/2) in one of the several not-for-profit, Mandarin instruction schools in the Chicago area.  They hold classes on the weekends from fall to spring, just like most public schools.  We just started last February, so it didn't take long for May to come around and . . . poof! . . . no classes!  My daughter and I were just getting started, so I was left looking for a class to keep her learning during the summer.
Again, we visited schools, spent several hours searching the internet, and called EVERYONE!  While there were more than a couple to choose from, one program didn't seem appropriate for her age, another would have caused us to rearrange our entire schedule, and yet another had to cancel the preschool class due to lack of interest!  "Here I am being interested!" I wanted to yell but, after all, I realized it WAS my fault because I should have been preparing for this in April and not in June (Yes, I am a procrastinator).
Anyway, I kept seeing all these ads about Language Stars*.  And, frankly, I didn't even call them because it seemed a little expensive.  Then, they offered a 4 class deal on Family Finds.  Like I have said before, I'm a couponer, so I absolutely cannot resist a good deal.  I signed up my daughter and my son (2 1/2).   Not only did I get a good deal (4 classes for each of them, a Language Stars CD, their FunImmersion curriculum book, AND a t-shirt for each kid), but I found what I had been looking for all along:  A school that would help me teach my children to speak Mandarin.    
Now, while I do not speak Mandarin, I do have 3 things going for me:  1) perseverance, 2) I'm an early childhood teacher, and 3) I have always been interested in language learning, especially by young children.  So, to tell you the truth, I was hooked when I walked in the door at Language Stars.  They have got it DOWN!  Nothing impresses a teacher more than to be handed the full curriculum when she walks in the door!  And, not just any curriculum, but one that includes on-line links that pronounce it for you, allow you to copy coloring sheets and other practice materials, and give you every possible adult language learner crutch so that you can help your child.  We can now follow along at home, singing the songs before and after class (they are all online and/or on the CD), learning the words after I have the computer pronounce them for me yet again!

So, we're all enjoying our time at Language Stars.  My daughter goes to the "Kids Only" class.  I go to the "Parent and Tot" class with my son.  The teacher is not only top notch, but she is always prepared and attentive to each child.  NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) would be proud of how "developmentally appropriate" their classes are. (Click here to read their Position Statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice). The center is filled with bins, labeled and stuffed with teaching materials in preparation for each lesson topic.

 Sheets from the FunImmersion curriculum book are blown up and hung on the wall so students can see the words in Chinese characters and in Pinyin, the close-to-English pronunciation system (AND just so I can remember the words to the songs!).

 While my only complaint with LA is the price, there are discounts for siblings and for paying ahead-of-time that make it better, and you definitely get what you pay for.

Sometime this week, I plan to post a few Mandarin language links for materials that I have found useful. I also want to provide you with a list of Mandarin language resources in the Chicago area.  We plan to continue at Language Stars AND still attend the not-for-profit school on Sunday afternoons, so some of you might want to do the same.  I would love to receive some comments from other parents, language teachers, those who are bilingual, or other interested readers.  Any thoughts or advice for me?
Thanks for reading,
Teacher Tam :)


*I blog about my experience and get discounted tuition.  For a couponer like me, nothing could be better!