Want to give your child the gift of a new language? Little Mandarins takes a different approach to help kids learn and grow. Discover what makes the school stand out from the rest at one of its upcoming holiday camps, and enter to WIN a week-long camp at Little Mandarins!
Want to give your child the gift of a new language? Little Mandarins takes a different approach to help kids learn and grow. Discover what makes the school stand out from the rest at one of its upcoming holiday camps, and enter to WIN a week-long camp at Little Mandarins!
The gift of language
“Learning a new language is so integral to learning about life,” says Irene Oen, Managing Director at Little Mandarins. It is widely agreed amongst the scientific community that multilingualism improves cognitive development in many ways, but if you’re lucky enough to be bilingual or multilingual, you’ll already know that working to gain a new language opens up a whole world of possibilities. Communicating with and understanding people from other countries and cultures, feeling confident in new settings and appreciating the world on a new level is just the start. “Once you have the ability to communicate effectively, social barriers tend to melt away,” adds Irene.
It’s a gift that our children are never too young to appreciate.
A unique balance of East and West
Set in a beautifully restored black-and-white property in Loewen Gardens, and surrounded by nature where children can explore, Little Mandarins is a welcoming place for kids to learn. It’s also fun: bright flowers planted by the children greet you at the entrance; decorations made by the kids adorn the walls and hang from ceilings. It’s instantly clear the school is a well-considered departure from traditional methods. By creating the right balance of a fun environment and a structured curriculum that blends learning disciplines of East and West, children are motivated to learn more with each session, and feel empowered with each success.
Play, grow, make, share and care
These are the five pillars that make up the school’s curriculum. “We don’t see ourselves as just a language centre; it’s very important that we reinforce the development of the child,” says Irene. Each lesson is developed to integrate life experiences: for example, this term, students are learning Mandarin following the theme of caring for others. The children are being taught about pets, animals and about responsibility and empathy by introducing the SPCA and its mission to care for abandoned pets. As students reach learning goals, they earn a ‘bone’; for each bone collected by the kids, Little Mandarins has pledged to make a donation to the SPCA. The posters with growing collections of bones in each classroom are testament to how well this wonderful approach is working.
Little Mandarins maintains a strong culture of positive reinforcement to help kids enjoy coming to learn a new language. In fact, a common expression amongst teachers here is that they teach ‘Mandarin without tears’! “Our teachers are passionate and appreciate that their role is to be the coach for the students in their learning journey,” says Irene. Their responsibilities are to cultivate the student’s love of the language as they build their confidence in speaking the language.”
Courses with Little Mandarins
Little Mandarins runs programs for tots to teens (and parents, too!) that cover listening and comprehension skills, basic vocabulary of common words and speaking skills. Learn more about the different programs offered at Little Mandarins here.
Holiday Camps with Little Mandarins
Want to try out the Little Mandarins experience? Enroll your little linguist in one of the upcoming holiday camps for kids! Children four to nine years old are immersed in Mandarin through fun and stimulating activities built around different themes. Sessions last for 3 hours in October and November; and 4.5 hours in December, and are packed with games, outdoor activities and fun, group-based lessons – the team at Little Mandarins calls them week-long play dates! Check in at Little Mandarins for further details on their holiday camps!
The Little Scientist
Science is fun! In this fun-filled week, campers will get to conduct experiments daily, discovering the wonder of Science in Mandarin!
Dates:
October 12 – October 16, 2015
November 23 – November 27, 2015
December 14 – December 18, 2015
Way to Go: Water, Land, Air and Space
Campers will be learning about the different means of transportation over water, land, air and space in this play-filled Mandarin-taught adventure!
Dates:
October 19 – October 23, 2015
November 30 – December 4, 2015
December 21 – December 24, 2015
The Little Eco Warrior
Campers will explore the phenomenon of Mother Earth and learn how to care for our beautiful world!
Dates:
October 26 – October 30, 2015
December 7 – December 11, 2015
December 28 – December 31, 2015
WIN a holiday camp for your child!
WIN a one-week Little Mandarins Holiday Camp experience, valued at $320! The lucky winner may choose from the October camps or November camps listed above. For your chance to win, simply register your details below. Competition closes 16 October; winners will be chosen at random, and announced by COB that day. See here for HoneyKids’ competition terms and conditions:
Thank you to everyone who entered this competition! This competition is now closed.
Little Mandarins, Blk 71 Loewen Rd #01-03
www.little-mandarins.com
This post is sponsored by Little Mandarins.