This submit is sponsored by Curio
Once I was youthful, I went to Chinese language college. I spent 8 years of Friday nights throughout my elementary and center college years attempting to learn to converse, learn, and write in Cantonese. My mother and father not often spoke Cantonese at dwelling and Cantonese books and sources weren’t available so I by no means actually retained what I used to be taught at school. I want Curio had been obtainable to my mother and father to assist me be taught Chinese language once I was younger.
About Curio Bilingual Books Containers
Curio believes good tales matter. Their subscription e book membership for little bilingual children focuses on inspiring curiosity, empathy, and tradition by way of nice tales from around the globe.
Curio packing containers function customized content material in Spanish, Conventional Chinese language, or Simplified Chinese language for youths aged 0-10+. Each quarter, subscribers obtain a package deal that’s tailor-made to the age of their youngster. The field comprises 3-4 award-winning image books, studying guides, and YouTube audio read-alongs.
Hera Li, Founder and CEO of Curio, discovered fulfilling screen-free international language immersion was laborious to search out. Books have been too easy and barely went past “The canine barked on the cat.” She based Curio to bridge the hole. Curio places award-winning kids’s literature from world publishers within the arms of households in the US who need their children to be taught Chinese language or Spanish.
Curio packing containers embrace lovely languages, tales, and customs that come from your personal heritage and people round you. Curio helps children be taught Chinese language and Spanish by working with a workforce of bilingual educators who meticulously curate and create customized content material that’s good in your youngster. This leads to a lovely assortment of customized studying supplies tailor-made to your youngster’s pursuits to foster bilingualism.
How Curio Books and Assets Assist Youngsters Study Chinese language
To get a way of how Curio helps children be taught Chinese language, Hera despatched me a custom-made field that includes books in Simplified and Conventional Chinese language for youths ages 4-6 and 7-10. I like how customized the field felt earlier than I even opened it.
The intense yellow speech bubble sticker affixed to the surface featured Chinese language characters and my title. This could be a delight for any youngster who would immediately know the field was for them!
Inside I discovered a cheery yellow card with details about the corporate, darling graphics, and a customized word from Hera.
My field contained three completely different books. I had requested to see examples of their Simplified and Conventional Chinese language books and accompanying studying guides. Be aware: Subscribers select from both Simplified Chinese language, Conventional Chinese language, or Spanish in addition to an age group that matches their youngster.
The studying guides function a thumbnail picture of every e book’s cowl which is useful for figuring out which information goes with every e book.
The e book I obtained for ages 4-6 featured a lion holding a rabbit by the ears. The studying information didn’t have the title of the e book in English below the Chinese language characters however the Curio web site advised me the e book was referred to as Lion vs. Rabbit.
Although my very restricted Chinese language prevented me from studying the title and characters contained in the e book, the overview on the best facet of the studying information supplied a beautiful abstract.
From the overview, I discovered the e book was a few lion and rabbit and a problem issued by the King of the Jungle to the little rabbit. The overview contained themes discovered within the e book comparable to bullying, how brains might be necessary than brawn, and the significance of at all times working collectively. Having a abstract of the e book is useful to have interaction your youngster in conversations about what they’re studying to encourage their bilingualism, even if you happen to’re speaking concerning the e book in English.
The follow-up questions on the right-hand facet of the studying information function comprehension questions. Not solely do they include the questions, however in addition they embody the solutions for non-reading Chinese language caregivers. The number of questions are nicely suited to the 4-6 age group.
Some follow-up questions are simpler, others are more durable. This permits households to decide on which of them are most age applicable. An instance of a better query for youthful ages includes discovering actual life examples of objects which can be huge just like the lion or small just like the rabbit. An older youngster can be higher in a position to reply the geography query that includes mentioning the origins of the animals who competed towards the lion on a map.
The higher proper nook of the studying information comprises a glossary with 6 vocabulary phrases. I recognize that the written Chinese language characters are accompanied by a phonetic pronunciation and the written phrase in English.
Whereas not advised by Curio, I feel an amazing exercise for any youngster studying Chinese language can be to go looking by way of the e book and rely to see what number of instances they will discover every of the phrases from the glossary within the textual content. Youngsters ages 4-6 might select a phrase, open the e book, and seek for the character as they re-read the e book to bolster vocabulary. As kids turn out to be extra conversant in the textual content, they’ll be capable to pick characters extra shortly. This can be a signal of rising understanding and fluency.
The lion rabbit e book additionally got here with a studying information in Chinese language whereas Little Neighbor, the Conventional Chinese language e book I obtained for ages 7-10, didn’t. Maybe this was only a mistake as a result of Little Neighbor got here with two copies of the studying information in English. Fortuitously, Curio makes sources obtainable for all of the books of their packing containers by way of the Studying Assets Library on their web site.
The Studying Assets Library additionally options audio read-alongs for every of the books that come within the packing containers.
Little Neighbor’s studying information additionally featured an summary of the e book, 6 vocabulary phrases within the glossary, and 4 follow-up questions.
I recognize how the Little Neighbor questions centered on being useful, inclusive, and serving to others really feel higher. These are elementary mushy expertise which can be necessary to constructing character training in children of all ages.
There are additionally enjoyable extras like stickers and coloring pages that includes the Curio cat, rabbit, unicorn, and bear discovered on different branded objects within the field. Moreover being enjoyable, the coloring pages are an effective way for younger children to apply superb motor expertise. Tracing hey in Spanish or the Chinese language characters reinforces rising writing expertise, particularly for ages 4-6.
The stickers I obtained included constructive sayings in Spanish and English with every of the 4 Curio animals. I like that households whose children obtain the Chinese language field additionally get supplies in Spanish to foster data of different languages and encourage world citizenship from a younger age.
Curio Abstract & Subscription Data
Simply launched in Might, Curio is a welcome addition to the myriad subscription packing containers that exist for youths. The considerate curation of books and sources are excellent for households who’re encouraging their kids to be taught Chinese language or Spanish however might not converse the language fluently themselves. The beautiful image books encourage a love of studying in a distinct language. Studying guides encourages caregivers to have conversations with their children about what they’re studying to encourage a love of studying in a distinct language.
The free audio read-alongs on Curio’s YouTube channel are useful for youths to observe together with as they learn and assist kids with pronunciation.
Curio has 3 completely different age-appropriate subscription packing containers obtainable to assist children be taught Chinese language or Spanish:
- Bud Field for ages 0-3 focuses on phonics and construct recognition of syllables, phrases, and sounds
- Sprout Field for ages 4-6 function chronological tales with poetic and extra complicated ideas
- Bloom Field for ages 7-10 embody imaginative tales with thought scary classes
The subscription worth of $54.95/field is nicely price it for the high-quality books which can be troublesome to search out elsewhere and the academic supporting sources that encourage bilingualism. Get 20% off of your first field whenever you join their e mail record on their web site.
Curio packing containers might be bought from their web site in your youngster or as a present. Containers ship each 90 days and subscriptions might be cancelled and adjusted at any time.
Big because of Curio for sending me a field of various books in Conventional and Simplified Chinese language to facilitate this sponsored submit.
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