2 . Communication Tips

Here are some suggestions about making your talk with your parents turn out for the best.

Be honest.

If you’re always honest, your parents will be likely to believe what you say. If you sometimes hide the truth, parents will have a harder time to believe what you tell them.    1    

Be brave and start talking.

It’s easy to say “Hi, Mum” or “Dad, can you pass the potatoes?”     2       Let’s face it. You will feel embarrassed (尴尬的)when talking about something personal, but your parents know you quite well. They were your age once, too! So don’t let a little embarrassment stop you. It’s OK to go ahead and share what’s on your mind.

    3    

If you have a disagreement, can you consider things from your parents’ points of view? If you can, telling your parents you understand their views and feelings helps them be willing to understand yours, too.

Try not to argue.

Using a friendly and respectful tone makes your parents more likely to listen to you and take what you say seriously.     4    

What if it doesn’t work? If you still can’t talk to your parents, seek other adults’ help.    5     Then follow all the tips above to make you communicate with that person well.

3 . Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in Chinese calendar. The festival typically involves family getting together to share mooncakes while watching the moon. Typical Chinese mooncakes are round in shape, and measure around 10 cm in diameter and 4-5 cm in thickness. Most mooncakes consist of a thin tender skin enveloping a sweet, dense filling.

    1    . It is a custom for housewives to prepare mooncakes at home when the festival is approaching. Now let's learn to make traditional Chinese mooncakes.

Above all, full preparations should be made, including materials such as dough (生面团), flour, water, sugar and vegetable oil, and fillings—lotus seed paste (莲子蓉) and eggs.

Mix together all the materials to get a dough.     2    

Next, separate the egg yolks from the whites and salt the steamed yolks. While the oven is preheating to 180 degrees Celsius, roll the lotus paste and the dough into small balls.     3    .

Then, shape up with each consisting of a dough wrapper, one ball of lotus paste, and one half of a salted egg yolk. Make a hole in a ball of lotus and put the yolk inside. Similarly, cover the lotus ball (with the yolk inside) with a wrapper.     4    . Then shape it with the mold (模具).

    5    . Take them out after 5 minutes and brush them with the egg wash. Put the mooncakes back until they become golden brown.

Remember to wait to eat the mooncakes for two days when they will be soft and also look shiny.

4 . In China, people in different areas have their own ways to celebrate the Spring Festival. Especially between Northern China and Southern China, there are many differences.    1    

One is about the food on the night before the Spring Festival. In Northern China, people usually eat dumplings during this time. For luck, people may put sugar in dumplings.    2    People in the south usually eat Niangao or Tangyuan on New Year’s Eve. Both foods are also considered to bring a better life. There are many causes. For example, Northern China grows lots of wheat (小麦) while Southern China grows lots of rice.    3    People in Northern China usually love food made by wheat.

    4    In Northern China, people often put up paper cuttings on windows to wish for happiness of the coming year. In many parts of the south, people no longer put up paper cuttings for the Spring Festival. Instead, they decorate their house with a kumquat (金橘) tree bearing fruit.

It’s true that Northern China and Southern China have differences in celebrating the Spring Festival.    5    After all, many Chinese are moving from one place to another. When reaching a new place, they also bring their customs there. So now many people in Northern China also eat Tangyuan.

5 . Sports day! These two words can inspire both joy and terror in the hearts of students everywhere. For many, sports day can be a great day of fun and the chance to bag a prize or two.     1    

Today, more and more schools have recognized the importance of exercise.     2     They hope that by making sports days less competitive, children of all abilities will be motivated to take part without fear of losing. Exercise and fitness is important for everyone, no matter how good at sport you are.     3    

However, some people feel that it’s important that sport has winners and that learning to lose is just as important as learning how to win.     4     Particularly, on a sports day which is your chance to really prove yourself!

There are lots of people who agree with the idea—parents in particular! According to a 2017 survey by Families Online, 82% of parents say they prefer “traditional” competitive sports days.     5     It’s also an opportunity for some children to show off their physical and sporting skills.

People have different ideas about whether it is the winning or the taking part that counts when it comes to school sports days. So, should School Sports Day be competitive or not? We want to know your ideas.

6 . Artistic activities like taking a painting class or visiting a gallery are becoming increasingly popular today.     1     However, scientific studies have shown that art plays a critical role in promoting health and well-being.

Art is found to be effective in relieving stress. This applies to both children and adults. Activities such as painting, drawing, and sculpting have been linked to lower stress and mental calmness. They take participants’ mind off busy daily work.     2    

Another great benefit of art is that it encourages both kids and adults in imagination and creative thinking. It helps develop and improve problem-solving skills.     3     That allows people to imagine different solutions to problems. This type of creative thinking allows the brain to perform complicated functions in ways that learning a new language does.

    4     It drives the brain to produce a hormone (激素) that makes people feel good about themselves, improves concentration, and increases motivation, providing a sense of accomplishment. After completing a creative project, people will feel happy and satisfied. This process of creating something unique can promote a sense of well-being and even slow down aging.

Sharing the creative process of making art is a great way to help students build their social awareness and interpersonal skills. This can remind schools to have students work with seniors in the community!     5     Creating visual arts helps in transforming lives of people with brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease by increasing connections, promoting cell growth and improving memory.

7 . Nowadays, in many places of the world, kids play soccer less than before.     1     Besides, many parents don’t know soccer’s real help to kids. Here are some reasons why kids should play the beautiful game.

Soccer is a team sport.

Teamwork is a life skill that kids need to learn. Being part of a team isn’t just about learning how to work together and share talents. It’s also about teaching kids how to face failure. It doesn’t end there, either. Being part of a team lets kids know how to take responsibility for their behavior.    2    

Soccer shapes motor skills (运动技能).

Nowadays, many kids prefer to stay in their rooms to have fun through TV, video games and smartphones.    3    It can cause them to lose out on valuable motor skills. By playing youth soccer, kids get a chance to develop their physical strength and motor skills.

    4    

Soccer can improve students’ concentration (专注) in the classroom. Besides, soccer is a fast-paced game, so kids can learn how to solve problems quickly. Plus, soccer is a sport which involves getting the ball from point A to point B. So kids’ visual-spatial (视觉空间) ability can be improved when they play the game, which can help them learn subjects like Physics.

Soccer improves the personal character.

The World Health Organization recommends kid get at least 60 minutes of exercises daily. This isn’t only for the physical benefits but also for the benefits to the personal character.     5     And these kids often have more self-confidence.