Dressed for the Weather Mandarin Language Game

We're starting a new unit on weather, which could be a really boring topic to a kid...But we're having lots of fun with it, and I can't wait to share what we've been up to.    Last week,  I introduced 4 new weather-related vocab and related hand motions--we use hand motions as a memory tool.

After going over the new vocab and hand motions, we ran outside to practice (listening comprehension) the weather words with a twist on a dress-up relay race, which I call "Dressed for the Weather."  Here's how to play this game at your house.

What you will need: * index cards with weather vocab written on it. Click here to download.

* basket/laundry basket filled with weather-related apparel (umbrellas, sunglasses, flip flops, snow boots, hats, scarves, etc...).

Directions:  1. Fill a large box/laundry basket with clothing items for each type of weather listed on the index cards (umbrellas, sunglasses, flip flops, snow boots, hats, scarves, etc..). Think creatively--the sillier the choice, the more giggles when the game is played!
2. Place the basket at one end of the room/yard. Players line up opposite the basket (you choose the distance). 
3. Read one of the weather vocab cards in Mandarin. If your kids don't recall the English meaning of the vocab, show them the related hand motion. 
4. Players race to the basket and get "dressed for the weather."  If you have a few players and lots of clothing, you can specify that each child must put on 2-3 items. 
5. Once they are dressed, players race back to the starting point, and announce "Hǎole!" (好了), which means "I'm done!"
6. First one back--dressed appropriately for that weather condition--wins that round. 

Notes:

• This game can be played with 2 + people. If you have a group, divide into teams. 
• Play as many rounds as you like.
• Offer incentives for the winners of each round such as letting the winner choose the next weather card.
• Get silly! Combine two different weather conditions. such as cold and rainy (see photo), hot and snowy. This elicited lots of giggles and silly dress-up combinations--which they loved.

What types of activities do you use to reinforce new vocabulary?
 

Practice Your Chinese Characters! Beach Edition

One of our favorite beach activities is writing in the sand. Names, secret messages, long squiggly lines--there's something just plain fun about a long blank canvas of wet beach sand that resets itself with each crashing wave. 

On a recent beach outing, Monkey #1 and I practiced writing Chinese characters (family names) in the sand. She practiced her Chinese name, 露希 Lùxī--literally "dewdrop, hope", and I practiced her brother's, Cháolì--"tide, encouragement," and sister's, Àilín--"love, heavy rain."  

Monkey #2 would have joined in the fun, but he was too busy throwing his body into the crashing waves--it was a good wave-jumping day. 
Can writing in the sand really be that fun? It was. We had to rush to finish the two characters that made up each name before the waves washed them away, leaving us giggling (because we could never seem to finish them in time) and staring at a wet, blank canvas ready for more sand writing. 

What I love about this activity:

1.  The act of writing Chinese characters in the sand is tactile. You feel each stroke as you carve it in the sand. This repetitive carving process helped the characters "stick" in my memory.
2.  As you write these large characters, you focus on each component of the character.  As I wrote Monkey #3's Chinese name (above, right), I found myself speaking the parts of the characters: hand, roof, friend; rain and forest. This helped me really learn how to write her name (something I should know as her momma=)  

     

3.  It is a challenge! Monkey #1 and I raced against the waves--trying to carve full names before the waves washed them away--and lost almost every time. 

Variations: 

Play with a friend and race the waves. See who can first carve their full name or another set of characters (legibly) before the waves wash them away. 

Which materials work the best? We tried sticks, beach grass, and gnarled roots.

Take photos of the sand characters--turn them into memories to hang in your home. I'm working on this (on the right) because I'm obsessed with beach photography. 

Instead of writing in the sand, form your character with found items from the beach. Monkey #1 used bits of seaweed, beach grass and stones to form the first character of her name.

What Mandarin learning activities are you doing this summer? 

How to Learn Mandarin Outdoors with Sidewalk Chalk

Welcome to Monkeys & Mooncakes! So glad you're here.   Spring is in full bloom at our house (lilacs, birds singing, ahhh...) and when the sun is shining, I move Chinese lessons outside. Our blacktop driveway becomes our blackboard, a giant canvas for creative learning.
It's a super simple idea but the change of pace is refreshing after weeks inside and the girls love drawing with sidewalk chalk. 

This past month I've been teaching a unit on basic directions: walk forward, walk backwards, turn right, turn left, etc... I designed a couple of simple outside exercises to help the girls review these phrases.
First, I drew a giant matching game on the top half of our driveway: match the directions in Mandarin (including both pinyin and the characters they know) to their English translation. Each of the girls were assigned a color (so they could work independently), and they read their matches out loud (in Mandarin) when they finished. 

On the bottom half of our driveway, I drew a large city map, adding my own goofy street names in Mandarin (e.g. "bad bunny street," "long snake street," "good pig street"). 
I asked the girls to help design some buildings and landmarks on empty street corners, and they filled in a Lego shop, airport, flower store, and ice cream shop.    

Then, the girls took turns navigating one other to a specific destination by giving directions to the robot. They called this "The Robot Game." 

When the robot arrived at its intended destination, the operator announced 你到了! (Nǐ dàole "You've arrived") The robot would then notice where she was standing, and answer the question, "你在哪里?" (Nǐ zài nǎlǐ "Where are you?")

What I loved about this activity:

• It got us all outside and being outdoors is relaxing!
• It required the girls to move around and interact with each other--actively participate in learning.
• Sidewalk chalk leads to all sorts of unanticipated creativity--Look at the surprise the girls left me and my friend!

How do you bring Mandarin learning outdoors?