Learn Mandarin

The Future

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Lucky Bamboo Crafts – The early years

Summer is coming to a close and I will not give in to a cooler season without a fight. I still scour the long-range forecast for days I can linger on the beach or at the lake. They glow like precious rare gems at this point. But what a summer it has been in all the best ways. Time with my grown daughter, family reunions, outdoor events, short getaways, lobster, and even a Neil Young concert. (I can still rock.)

My creative muses have expanded beyond Chinese crafts, and I have rolled up my sleeves with tubes of gouache and brush. Lighthouses! Let me back up. I permanently left my full-time employment several months ago for the virtue of personal freedom, flexible time in my days, and new horizons. I’m no spring chicken and there is so much to explore and savor while I still inhabit this earth. 

So, lately my creative outlet has been painting lighthouses and publishing and selling a small line of notecards and prints. I have always thought I could work for the Chamber of Commerce as I constantly ballyhoo all that is beautiful and unique about Maine. And lighthouses never, ever disappoint. 

But don’t get me wrong…. Chinese culture, history, and all things Asian still inform my life on every level. I am still active in CAFAM here in Maine. I’m also assisting my friend, Gary Libby with his soon-to-be-published book, Chinese in Maine – From Struggle to Success. He is a respected historian on the subject, and the story is fascinating and widely unknown. Until now.

And yes, I still make cultural crafts with kids and share my enthusiasm for Chinese history and culture as part of my array. And my book, Lucky Bamboo Book of Crafts is still widely available. But it won’t be forever. I am considering sunsetting it in 2026 and liquidating my inventory. Sigh. But it’s probably time, so please buy now through me, Amazon, or Nataraj Books, and share my website with friends, educators, community, and family.

Since you are reading this, thank you. As we launch into a new season and school year, I hope your days include some hope, even if that can be challenging right now. Our kids and grandkids need to always be able to find a north star for their curiosity, learning, kindness, and creativity. I try and provide a little piece of that with both my everyday actions and creative pursuits…. and there are infinite ways you can, as well. But for now, I will enjoy a little more beach and ice cream as summer breezes are already giving way to cool wafts.

Chinese Crafts for Summer Camps

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LBCblogJune16

Hello, Summer! We are enjoying the change of pace in Maine as the state swells with visitors looking for beaches, ice cream, lighthouses and relaxation. Many of your kids are also headed to summer camps in places like Maine, and camps are a great place to introduce Chinese crafts. (I think you knew where I was going with this!)

Day camps usually need quick make-and-takes while overnight camps often have a well-stocked art area where more involved projects can be done (many steps, or involving dry time in between). I’m excited to be leading a craft session this week at a local Chinese Dragon Camp through the Bangor Chinese School. It is a short timeframe since it’s a day camp with a rigorous Mandarin learning schedule, and we are making kites and chops which are both in Lucky Bamboo Book of Crafts. I have modified both projects to simplify the steps and cut the time considerably. The campers are grades 4-12 so I can have high expectations of their ability to follow the steps at a good clip.

Some of my other favorite Asian culture camp crafts are fans, floating dragon boats, shadow puppets (and stage), paper making and knot tying, depending on the age level. If you don’t have multicultural or heritage camps in your area, consider how culture-specific projects can be worked in with your usual ‘greatest hits’ for camps crafts.

One other mention this summer; two wonderful bloggers that are passionate about multicultural parenting have recently posted reviews of my book. Please check them out and share their lovely work at: www.hybridparenting.org and Oaxacaborn.com.

The camp atmosphere is wonderful for teaching kids about being world citizens. Music, cooking, dance and storytelling are just some of the other activities that can be rolled into an international theme. The best part is you have the great outdoors to be your art studio and you can gather materials from nature. Happy Camp Crafting!

Learning Chinese

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blogyoutube

Hello, friends! Before you assume this is yet another “think out loud” pledge to myself to learn Chinese (yawn), I promise you I am posting some useful information. There are so many good ways to take on the study of a new language, and you’ve read about my foray into learning Mandarin. I continue to be committed to daily lessons….. on YouTube. I’m so impressed with the huge variety of great teachers and language lists that can be accessed so easily. I have not drilled down much with getting subscriptions because I simply can’t decide on one site I want to follow sequentially. So I’m basically “skipping rocks” on the surface for now, just pulling up all sorts of videos. As I advance, this may get frustrating and if so, I’ll get more structured with one or two complete courses in earnest.

Some considerations for my lesson choices are attention level, daily mood, level of difficulty, cultural context, repetition technique, situational conversations, association with visual Pinyin, and time I have to spare at each sitting. Here are  just a few of my current favorites with a link to a sample of a video lesson from each:

Yuting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX3xCsoTbDs is a charming and funny instructor with an animated personality and cute video production techniques. Her “Top 25” style videos are great for picking up essentials.

Ben from Learn Chinese Now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raG_Ysu3b4A usually pairs with a female instructor, and their discussions that support the language learning are always helpful to fully explain the concepts. He has a pleasant, straightforward style.

Fiona from Mandarin Made Easy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bze1eKu5Aac is a lively and upbeat instructor who uses a variety of formats from solo and paired lessons (I especially like Gwilym) to “day in the life” visits and experiences around the world including her Taiwanese culture.

Mike from Learn Chinese with Mike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy8SHpbQ004 took some getting used to, with his “cool dude” laid-back style. But his lessons are done well with thoughtfully organized content, and as he writes on his whiteboard, you feel you are right in his garage(!) with him.

Yangyang with Yoyo Chinese https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxeLo3hVe0w is one of the most polished and comprehensive teachers. She barrels through an impressive series of lessons, but her presentation style doesn’t vary much, so I watch her channel when I’m just in the mood for nuts and bolts.

I’ve also been streaming podcasts when driving for long stretches. Although I haven’t explored much in this arena, one I like a lot is Dimsum Mandarin http://www.languagedomus.com/courses/view/2/dimsum-mandarin. Chung has a well-paced and articulate style and you can download free podcasts or subscribe.

Hopefully this will give you a head start on trying some new resources. I don’t think it’s one size fits all so you will find your own favorites as you explore the many great channels. Meanwhile, I’m going to keep at it with the hope that you can teach an old dog (or middle-aged mom?) new tricks. Kuàilè de chūntiān!