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Bilingualbees
- Nov 15, 2019
- 1 min
Eat; Sleep; Football; Repeat.
Our children have started playing football matches in the local school league and as you can imagine it's now Eat, Sleep, Football, Repeat during game season. After match conversations have been liberally peppered with football terminology in Mandarin and English. Following some research we would like to share some of the common, general vocabulary that you can use when having a conversation about football in Mandarin. Firstly, let's start with the basics: Football: 足球 (zú qi
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Bilingualbees
- Oct 2, 2019
- 3 min
Learn languages in 3 simple steps
Learning languages can be easy as 1,2,3 if you break it down to simple steps.
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Bilingualbees
- Dec 30, 2018
- 1 min
The Humble Chopsticks 筷子
The Chinese are thought to have used chopsticks as early as 1200 B.C., firstly as a cooking utensil. It was not until A.D. 400 that people began eating with chopsticks as they found them efficient. It subsequently spread to other parts of Asia. Since then different cultures in Asia have adopted different styles of chopsticks. For example, in Japan, the chopsticks are traditionally made of bamboo or wood and are often lacquered whilst in Korea, the chopsticks are metal. Chines
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Bilingualbees
- Sep 12, 2018
- 1 min
Bribery? Guilty as charged
Our 7 year old son is obsessed with Nerf guns. He has been spending endless summer afternoons playing at Nerf gun wars with the other kids in the playground. As with any other child, there are never enough toys or nerf guns. He has been pleading and negotiating with me for a new Nerf gun that he really wants even though he already has three. I commented that if only he put in the same amount of dedication to his Chinese revision I might reconsider. He said that he is very dil
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Bilingualbees
- Aug 27, 2018
- 2 min
If at first you don't succeed, have realistic expectations
We have a house rule with our kids. Ever since they were of speaking age, we would not respond to them unless they spoke to us in Chinese. However, I do try my best to be less of a tiger mum in this approach. I consider my battle half won if they begin any conversations with me in Mandarin without me reminding them. I would encourage my children to try to speak as much as possible in Chinese and to use English where necessary for words I know that they have not learnt or ex
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Bilingualbees
- Jan 4, 2018
- 1 min
Learn Chinese Through Foods: What is your favourite Bubble Tea?
My son's favourite Bubble Tea is the classic Pearl Bubble Tea 珍珠奶茶 zhēn zhū nǎi chá. It is simply shaken milk tea with tapioca pearls. As a treat he is allowed to have one if he is able to order it in Mandarin Chinese. Watch this Youtube clip about how to buy Bubble Tea in Mandarin Chinese, including all those confusing questions about the sugar and ice content. Then when you are ready, challenge yourself and head to your nearest Bubble Tea shop (or if you are in the UK click
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Bilingualbees
- Oct 9, 2017
- 1 min
Embracing Technology
The single most important factor in learning a language is the amount of exposure that the child gets to it. This is not easy if you are bringing up your child to learn a language that is not your native tongue and not being in a country where it is not widely spoken. One avenue that has yielded results for us is internet. Now, I am not a fan of exposing children to tablets or phones but when used appropriately, technology is an amazing tool. As with all children, my son love
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Bilingualbees
- Jul 25, 2017
- 1 min
Learning languages should be fun!
The World of DAVE. We chose this as our first blog post for two reasons. Firstly, my 5 year old son could not stop laughing watching this and he could actually relate to it and secondly this video really represents what we are trying achieve at bilingualbees. We believe that language is the most direct connection to other cultures. If you are able to communicate in another language, it exposes us to and fosters an appreciation for the traditions, religions, arts, and history
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