Author: echenvw

Culture, Holidays, Printables

Happy Chinese New Year!

echenvw

This year is especially exciting to me because it is the Year of the Rabbit– that’s my year! Yesterday, my husband was talking about an article he read on an app called “Dú Zhōngwén” which is a great app to read Chinese articles that are short and has varying levels of difficulty. Anyway, the article was able how the tradition of giving children red envelopes started.

Apparently, it started with a myth that there was a little demon that would come and touch the foreheads of children to harm them–make them sick with fever or a cold, or worse! But the parents of the children realized that if they put money under their pillow, then the demon would leave them alone. Later this story morphed into parents just giving children red envelopes with money inside for good luck. I laughed when I heard this story because I can imagine a little demon touching foreheads and causing havoc, but I can imagine the fear it would inspire in a lot of children’s heads at night.

So I decided to make a red envelope cut-out (minus the demons) for a fun way to practice giving red envelopes to each other. Maybe you can really slip in money!

Enjoy!

tch_chinese-new-year-red-evelopes-012123-1Download

For more great printables, visit this page below!

Printables
songs, Teaching

New Year, New Music Video: What Is Your Name?

echenvw

I created this song a long time ago, but after intense focus over winter break, I was able to record and film it. I think this is a great way for kids to learn to introduce themselves. As you can see in the video, my kids are taking it as seriously as they take everything in life. I hope you enjoy it!

For those of you learning from the book, this song goes great with Tiny Chinese Homeschool Vol. 2, Chapter 1.

Key phrases taught:
你叫什麼名字?/Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?/What is your name?
我叫_____./Wǒ jiào____./I’m called____.

Events, Products

Tiny Chinese Homeschool Vol. 2 Book Launch!

echenvw

It is finally here! I think I learned a lot from making the first book, so this second instructional installment is even better! More creative and colorful worksheets, more cut-outs, addition of short stories to review all the vocabulary–you’ll just have to see it for yourself.

If you need a sneak peak, the book launch is a perfect way to see the book, to ask questions, and to win a free copy. Here is how you can join:

Tiny Chinese Homeschool Vol. 2 Book Launch

I have 3 free copies I want to giveaway and it’s really easy to enter if you have Facebook. All you need to do is share our book giveaway post and write one Chinese-learning goal you have. If I can see that you shared and commented, I will add your name to the drawing! Here is the link to the giveaway post:

https://fb.watch/8M0NpmumGc/

Thank you!

I realize there was a lot of people that helped me with this book. I had my friend from Taiwan and her perfectly fluent kids do most of the audio. My cousin, who has a hidden talent for character voices, did the recordings for the short stories. My niece expressed continual excitement for the next volume. And complete strangers would offer encouragement and share their interest in future publications. Every bit of it was essential for me. Lately I’d like to share a huge accomplishment. Just a few days before the book launch, the book has achieved the #1 new release badge in Chinese Children’s Literature category on Amazon.

That’s something that I’ve only achieved on a couple of my other releases, and that happened after the launch, so this is a big deal to me. So thank you for your support and for teaching your children Chinese. I hope you feel it’s already worth it!

2021-10-26T19:00:00

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Tiny Chinese Homeschool Book Launch Countdown

See you at the book launch!

Products

Vol. 2 is Just Around the Corner!

echenvw

With the start of a new school year, I promised a new volume of Tiny Chinese Homeschool. And now the release is just a few weeks away! You’ve helped me with feedback on the cover and now I am happy to review a sneak peak of the final product:

This volume focuses on speaking Chinese in the community: at school, with your neighbors, while taking a walk, at the grocery store, and more! It uses the same methodology as Vol. 1: each chapter teaches 7-12 vocabulary words and 1-2 target phrases. But this volume is different because now there are more worksheets and games to reinforce learning in a fun way. Here is an example of some of the games:

Like the last volume, after every 3 chapters is a review chapter. Each review chapter contains a short test, and now introducing short stories! This is exciting because the short story uses words almost exclusively learned in the previous 3 chapters so it is simple to read. At the end of each story is a reading comprehension test. In short, it is a fun treat to reward the learner and showcase their improvement. Here is an example of one of the short stories:

Character practice is also included. This volume chooses two characters from the whole chapter to learn. Now, stroke order is taught. Here is an example of a character writing practice:

These are just a few key differences that you will notice in this volume. Like the previous volume, dialogues and corresponding audio are provided so you can hear the language in context. Each chapter glossary provides grammar tips and cultural insights. This is a great resource for those who want to learn Chinese but need small steps to do so.

Keep your eyes peeled because it is just around the corner. See you at the book release!

Products

Let’s Vote: A New Cover for Vol. 2

echenvw

Vol. 2 is set to be released this fall (September 2021). It is still centered on every day vocabulary within the family, but it takes the learner outside the home to their community. You will learn to introduce your classmates, to ask your neighbors where they are going, to order food, to buy groceries with a grocery list, to tell time, and more! So a new and exciting cover is in order–one that shows a child exploring their world.

I created a couple options for covers, and now I need your help! I’ve decided to publish the cover the receives the most votes. Look at the options below, and see which one gets you most interested in the book.

Option 1 shows my daughter laughing at some bugs in the air. It is very simple graphically. There are some drawings in the corner of some vocabulary they will learn in the book, but no explanation. Just a taste.

Option 2 shows my daughter and son together looking at bugs. I thought it might be better representation to show both a boy and girl on the cover. I also put more technical detail in the corner of the page.

So which option should be the official book cover? Time to vote! Comment on this post if you have an account, or visit Tiny Chinese Homeschool on Facebook or Instagram to see our post about the cover and comment on which cover works best for you.

Thank you so much for everyone who has helped support this endeavor. I can’t wait for you to have Tiny Chinese Homeschool Vol. 2 come September!