April 15 – April 21
The Weekly Guide for Families in Beijing See more at cityweekend.com.cn
For Babies
Rock-a-bye Baby
What: Forget shopping for mobiles! Those plastic thingamajigs are only good for a few months and haven no doubt sent their share of musty boxes. Instead, get in touch with you inner artiste by making your own disposable baby mobile. All you need is a hanger, string, pipe cleaners, paint, paper cups and scissors. Don’t have the tools? A stopover at Happy Land Arts and Crafts Center will fix that.
Cw Tip: Snip out a few of your favorite family photos to stick on the bottoms of the cups so that Baby will always have someone watching over him.
For Toddlers
“There is Fun to Be Done!”
What: After hearing a desperate cry for help emanating from a floating speck of dust, Horton, a loveably imaginative elephant, sets one giant foot on a heroic mission to save the tiny life he believes to be on it—to the shock and disbelief of friends. With the voice of Jim Carrey as Horton, it’ll be worth the 10 kuai spent on the DVD.
Title: Horton Hears a Who
Why: Having grown up with the rhythmically, creative genius Dr. Seuss, this one’s a definite must-see for tots AND parents.
For Kids
That’s a Stretch
What: Get your kids in the habit of staying fit with the creative yoga sequences at the Yoga Yard with Kid's Yoga. Divided into two age groups, kids will learn to appreciate and enjoy mindful movement and stillness, while developing their own strength, flexibility, balance and concentration. A great form of exercise without having to worry about tumbles and breaks—whew!
When: Every Wednesday starting April 16. Times vary according to age group.
Cost: RMB300 for the four-week course.
CW Tip: Once you’ve registered your child, head over to the Reception Desk to receive a free yoga class, redeemable at any time!
For Teens
Starstruck
What: Talk about friends in high places. For the next installment of its Distinguished Speaker Series, the Western Academy of Beijing has invited three of its parents, actor/director/producer Gu Changwei (Farewell My Concubine), actress Jiang Wenli (Farewell My Concubine) and Peter Loehr, producer and managing director of the Creative Artist’s Agency, to share their work as leading figures in the Chinese film industry. A far cry from your typical moms and dads.
When: Thursday, April 17 from 6-8pm
CW Tip: To ensure a spot in this cinematic event, RSVP with Echo Cai of Community Relations at ecai@wab.edu.
Family Fun?
Hot off the Grill
What: Bring the family and a hearty appetite to The Roadhouse Grill for a night of festivities in the first of the venue’s brand-new family friendly series. Filled with the sounds of samba, bossa nova and musica popular Brasileira by the Brazil Project, and mouth-watering plates of rainbow trout and striploin hot off the grill, it’s bound to a popular event. Best reserve in advance!
When: Starts Friday, April 19 at 6pm
Cost: Adults: RMB360; Children 4-12 years: RMB180; Children 3 and under eat free!
Family Matters
 Kristen Billings FAMILY MATTERS Expat family life and raising kids in China |
Well, well, well, here I go again, stirring up controversy but I'm going to blog about the importance of vaccinating your pets in Beijing. Yes, I realize I just wrote about questioning the safety and necessity of vaccinating your children and now I'm trying to encourage immunizing your beloved pets. Contradiction? Possibly and I must admit that there is a grassroots movement in the US and Canada that questions and discourages pet vaccinations for the same reasons I mentioned in the child vax blog/article-heavy metals, neuro-toxins, increasing rates of disease in pets, etc, but I'm not going to go into that here...
Read more on Kristen Billings' blog »
