Guā guā guā guā guā

On our walk to school, in the kitchen, in the car... I hear my daughter, and even my 2 year old, quacking in Mandarin. They are singing Chǒu xiǎo yā, a song the children learned a while back in class. Everyone knows how effective (and fun) it is to learn language through songs. But, getting to the point where you can sing all the words to a song in a foreign language takes quite a bit of repetition for most people, probably more than what the children can get just singing the song in class. So, I found the videos below to help my daughter learn all the words to Chǒu xiǎo yā. The first clip is the version the children should recognize from class. The second is an amusing clip, perhaps from a tv show, where a young man performs some silly gestures and dance moves to a jazzed-up version of the song. If you play the song often enough and maybe even try to sing it yourself, chances are your Mandarin learner will eventually learn all the words. Don't worry so much about your child mastering the meaning of all the words in the song; instead let your learner focus on the sounds and rhythm of the language in the song.
 

丑小鸭 chou xiao ya
The Ugly Duckling
呱呱呱呱呱
guā guā guā guā guā
Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack
丑小鸭，丑小鸭
chǒu xiǎo yā , chǒu xiǎo yā
Ugly little duckling, ugly little duckling
腿儿短短脚掌大
tuǐ ér duǎnduǎn jiǎo zhǎng dà
Legs are short and feet are big.
长长脖子扁嘴巴
chángcháng bózi Biǎn zuǐbā
(With) Long long neck and a flat mouth
走起路来摇摇摇
Zǒu qǐ lù lái yáo yáo yáo
When he is walking, he is always wobbling and swaying
爱到河边去玩耍
ài dào hébiān qù wánshuǎ
He loves to go to the riverside and play
喉咙虽小声音大
hóulóng suī xiǎoshēng yīn dà
Although her throat is little, his voice is big
可是只会呱呱呱
kěshì zhǐ huì guā guā guā
However, he can only quack, quack, quack

Learning Mandarin is more colorful with Yánsè

The children have been learning about colors! If you want to give your Mandarin learner a fun review, watch the video clip below for a nice song presentation of the colors in Mandarin. You might also want to check out the other video clip for a different take on colors. In that clip, the word for balloon is introduced and the colors are presented in a simple phrase with the word balloon. Since it is always best for language learners to see how words combine together in the structure of a language, I think this is a good exercise. To help your learner even further, ask him/ her about the colors of objects you see around you. If your child doesn't respond enthusiastically in Mandarin, you can help them get excited about colors by watching the color song together.

Shuǐguǒ!

What is your favorite type of fruit? Ask your Mandarin learner this question and they should be able to tell you the Chinese name of at least one fruit. The children studying in the Mandarin class featured in the short video clip below (not our class) were asked to say which of several fruits was their favorite. Listen to their answers with your child and look at the votes tallied at the end of the "shuǐguǒ election." Encourage your Mandarin learner to say, "Wǒ xǐhuan ....." and fill in the blank with watermelon, apples, or strawberries. 

Learn Pinyin with a song!

The students have been working on pinyin the past few weeks and learning the sounds of initials and finals. Here's a children's animated music video that teaches the sounds of Mandarin with their pinyin representation.

Gong Xi Gong Xi

It's early April, but is your little Mandarin learner still humming one of the songs from this year's DFES Lunar New Year celebration? If so, it's probably "Gong Xi," the catchy tune well-known to new-year revelers. For those of you unfamiliar with the expression, "Gongxi" means congratulations or good wishes and is accompanied by a hand gesture. Below is a YouTube video version of the song. See the links section for more links to other versions of the song Cilla and I enjoyed.

On every street and pathway,  

On everyone’s lips, 

The first thing we say is, 

"Good wishes, good wishes."

Good wishes, good wishes to you, yeah! 

Good wishes, good wishes to you!

Winter has come to an end, 

That is really good news, 

A warm spring breeze is 

Blowing to wake up the earth.

Good wishes, good wishes to you, yeah! 

Good wishes, good wishes to you!

The icy snow has melted,
See the plum tree blossom!

The long night is past,
I heard the cock crow.

Good wishes, good wishes to you, yeah! 

Good wishes, good wishes to you!

After so many difficulties,

Such bad tempers
So many children in their hearts,

Look forward to the news of Spring!

Good wishes, good wishes to you, yeah! 

Good wishes, good wishes to you!