Chinese School .... The mission begins.

Week one of Chinese School successfully completed. Despite protesting she didn't want to go all summer, Jo-San has suddenly become very interested in learning Chinese. Long may this continue.

The first lesson revolved around the Mid Autumn Festival and involved watching a video and making a lantern. All very festive and I was very proud to hear that she participated well and she was able to tell me what the video was about. Thinking she was watching the video and interpreting the story visually I thought this IS a good start, until I later found out the video was actually in English..... oh well at least she now knows there is a drum beating rabbit on the moon.

Another plus point, going to Chinese school Jo-San was very pleased to have a desk and chair where she could sit and lay out her pencil case and listen to the teacher..... even though she didn't have a clue what she was saying, she said it was nice to have her own 'place'. 

Creative writing

I wonder where my daughter gets her imagination from. She loves role play and her latest obsession is getting her writing pad and recording everything! I say ‘record’ but it’s really a jumble of letters but those letters take on a different meaning everyday.

Yesterday she was delegating work to the imaginary house cleaners, if only they were real! Today she was taking notes of mummy’s symptoms and writing a prescription for Winnie the Pooh to dispense.

Most days those scribbles become a bedtime story. Princess and the Pea and her trip to Sainsburys! And Sleeping Beauty whose fridge is empty..... Hmmm anyone else see a common theme??!

Very occasionally she will pretend she is reading and writing Chinese but her vocabulary is nowhere near her levels of English ..... I say ‘pretend’ because not only can she not read and write Chinese she is virtually unable to speak it too. I blame myself entirely as I always ‘forget’ to speak to her in Cantonese and now she is fully conversant in English it is even more difficult.

Is it too late to start now? And with the local Chinese school unwilling to accept her until she has passed her 5th birthday I fear that we may have missed an opportunity! ....