Children for Non-Native

Group course
The Group course is running and open for registration now.
   Group 1. non - native students Age 4 - 6 (Learn listening and speaking through stories and games)
Group 2. non -native students Age 7 - 9 - 12 (Mainly listening and speaking, simply reading and writing)
Group 3. native students (Learning culture, reading and discussing)
Time: Mon. Wed. Thur. 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Tue. and Fri. 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. / 3:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sunday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Please choose your right time to join us.
The courses times vary by semester, please call or email to inquire.
Call: (647) 335-8848
Email: chineseculture.center@gmail.com

The Price
a. Private
$50 /hour each in-person
b. Group (Small group: 3 - 6 people)
$45/hr each for 2 people ;
     $40/hr each for 3 people over;
     Pre-K $35/hr each.
   (second child of the same family have more discount)
C. March Break & Summer Camp(small group: 4-6 people)
$60 / half day, $85/ day,
d. Special group (Big group: 8 -12 people)
   $25 / hr each
Please complete the payment one week before the courses start

Book a Trial Lesson: You can bookthe first lesson without having to pay first. You try a lesson and see if it is the right fit for your children. If you are pleased and would like to sign up, that counts as your first class.
Here's the link the calendar to book an appointment.
http://www.mandarinsauga.com/book-free-demo-class.html

After school group class at school:
We offer after school group classes at schools. Mandarin club for children from grade 1to grade 8 on weekday afternoon from 3:45pm to 5:00 pm
If you wish to know the class schedule at your school, or ask your school to host the program, please contact us for details.
Tel:(647) 335-8848
Email: chineseculture.center@gmail.com

★★★★★
My daughter, Layla, is 6 years old. We don't speak any Mandarin at home, so all she has learnt is at the center. Layla enjoys the lessons. She has learnt a lot in the last 8 months. Everyone at the center is very friendly. Julie is a very professional teacher. She uses games, cards, videos and CDs to keep Layla interested. Every week, Julie give me Layla's progress report. She really knows how to teach and handle kids! --- Zubair (Layla's Dad)
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★★★★★
My sons really enjoy their weekly lesson with Julie. Even they are just doing 1 hour a week, their Chinese have improved greatly. In just 6 months, both of them have learned much more Chinese than one year of learning at the old weekend Chinese school (3 hours a week run by the school board). We appreciate the semi-private class which gives each child more focus. The teacher (Julie) is able to offer each child individualized help based on their needs. Julie's patience toward the boys is greatly appreciated. ---Linda W.
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★★★★★
My girls really love their class and look forward to seeing their teacher. The girls are also really enjoying Mandarin...in their last school they started to lose interested and now they are enjoying it again. Thank you! The girls like that they have workbooks and that they are visually appealing. I like how there is review of the lessons each week, but would also love to see some tests so that we can see where they are struggling and go from there. ---Tammie H.

Learn Mandarin for non-native speakers

Why learn Mandarin and what is important for non-native Chinese speaking kids?
Mandarin is the most widely-spoken language in the world. There are about 10 billion people speak Mandarin. With China's economic rise, Mandarin Chinese has become more popular in American schools for the last ten years. Maybe not every kid should learn Mandarin, but if you are considering having your children learn a second or third language, why not choose Mandarin?

Is Mandarin hard to learn?
Mandarin is not as hard you may think. Yes, it is a completely different writing system and each word has different intonations, but it is actually very simple in terms of the grammar and counting system. The Chinese characters, like Latin languages, also have "roots" (radicals). Once you know the system, it is very easy to remember new characters. There are many benefits of learning Chinese, but I will focus on what is important for non-Chinese kids to learn Mandarin.

Learn the characters, its origin and meaning
Once a child learns and masters the pinyin system, the kid should start learning Chinese Characters immediately. Children need to be able to recognize characters, learn the right stroke orders, and know how the characters are formed and what each character means. Children should start with image-like characters and then move on the combination characters. Understanding the meaning help students to learn the words easily and eventually learn the Chinese mentality.

Learn the culture/ story
Students should hear and study Chinese stories for kids from the very beginning of their lessons. It is the best way for the kid to understand the Chinese culture. This will apply to any language learning. Students in many other countries are learning English, but not many students who speak fluent English understand the American culture. You may not have an engaging conversation with a native speaker if you don't know their stories, their TV shows and pop stars. Especially for young learners, learning the culture is probably more important than learning the language.

Learn to speak
Languages are most useful when you speak it, so young learners should practice a lot through mini-dialogues and min-dramas. This is also the fastest way to remember the correct sentence structure and develop correct grammar sense.

Book Sample Class

Skype Class

One on One Class

After School Program

Summer Camp

My Chinese Learning Experience

Q. Please introduce yourselves.
Amelia: Hi. My name is Amelia Benke and I am 8 years old.
Wellington: Hello! My name is Wellington Benke and I am 10 years old.

Q. How long have you been learning Mandarin?
Wellington: We have been learning Mandarin for 2 years now.

Q. What do you enjoy the most about the language?
Amelia: I like Chinese because it is fun and I get to learn new things. I think it sounds cool. Maybe when I am older, I can even teach other kids Chinese!

Wellington: I like learning Chinese because it is so interesting. I love writing the characters. They can look tricky but they’re not so complicated if you divide them into parts and do them part by part.

Q. What influenced your decision to study Mandarin?
Amelia: The reason my brother and I decided to learn Chinese is because we thought it would be cool to learn. The characters look interesting, and are sometimes hard to write.

Q. Where do your lessons take place?
Wellington: We take lessons from the Golden Key Cultural Centre, a school in Mississauga, Ontario that helps people learn Mandarin. We have never actually been to the Golden Key because we live very far away, in British Columbia. So we do our lessons on Skype through video chat. We enjoy taking lessons because we can do them from home.

Q. What is your favourite part about the lessons?
Amelia: I like how I can learn Chinese from a great teacher from my own home. I like the stories and videos during our lessons

Wellington: My favourite part is that while I’m doing my lessons, I can see my teacher, Joanna and she can see me, even though we are far away from each other. She makes the lessons fun by playing games like making me touch my ear or nose when she says the Chinese word for it. She also lets me watch Chinese videos that help me understand new words.

Q. Do you find the language hard or easy to learn?
Wellington: Even though Mandarin is a hard language to learn, we are finding it very fun and interesting. It is easy to learn Mandarin when the lessons involve lively conversations and stories.

Q. Overall, what do you love learning the most?
Amelia: I enjoy seeing maps of places in China, and learning about the different places. Someday, I want to go to China and see a panda bear!

Wellington: I like learning about Chinese culture and about the country. I hope someday I can go to China and say, “I’ll have some noodles!” in Chinese. Noodles are my favourite Chinese food. I hope you can go to China too!

Mandarin Program for Bilingual Children & Young Children

Small class size

Fun textbook material

Increase vocabulary

Learn the right stroke order

Little Kids (Age 4 to 6)
If your kid doesn't speak Mandarin at home and would like her/him to be bilingual in the future, you have come to the right place! We teach young kids to learn Mandarin with fun and easiness.

Many parents want to make sure their child is learning enough characters and writing. However, learning a language is not just about how much words you can write, but it is about if you can use them to communicate your thoughts clearly. That's why we focus on communication rather than just writing mechanisms.

We teach children through story-telling, interactive Chinese games and songs.

Bigger Kids (Age 7 to 12)
If you are a regular goer to School Board Chinese School and have already built a certain number of vocabulary, you might want to have the ability to put them together into sentences and articles. We can help you write stories and understand more Chinese culture.

If you never been to a Chinese class before, you are also welcome to learn from start. We have a selective range of textbooks and classes for you to complete your goal.

The School Board Chinese School vs. Private Chinese School
“政府、教育局中文学校 vs. 私立中文学校”
We often have parents ask us which is better? We say it really depends on your need and expectations. The school board organized Chinese school is a great place is designed for culture reservations, and it is good for kids with Chinese background to learn. However, there are a few drawbacks you need to consider:

1. 班额 Class size
A regular class contains 20 students with only 1 teacher. Our Mandarin teacher, Julie used to teach at the school board. She says that it is really hard for her to pay attention to every kid. Our class size are small and for bigger class, we have teaching assistants.

2. 教材 Textbook material
A lot parents don't realize this, but the textbook used by the school board is actually a little too hard for kids who were born in North America, and too easy for kids who already studied in China. Finding the right textbook is the challenge for every Mandarin teacher. We use a textbook series called Yes!Chinese. It is designed for young kids with little Chinese background. It is interactive and easy to learn.