For every two-hour class, we have a 15-minute snack time. However, it’s not simply about having some food or drinking a cup of juice. Instead, it is an essential learning experience for everyone. It’s natural, productive and fun.

The following is a snapshot of what usually happens during the snack time. Three or four kids sit around a small table, and the teacher asks one of the kids to “拿盘子。 (Bring the plates.)” Then the teacher points to the snack bags “谁的包？ (Whose snack bag is that?)” Children always answer:”我的包/某某的包。 (My bag. / Someone else’s bag.)” When the teacher distributes snacks, she asks questions such as: “吃饼干。谁的饼干？ (Eat biscuits. Whose biscuit is this?)” “吃葡萄。一个，两个，三个，四个。 (Have some grapes. One, two, three, four.)” This is what we call as “situation-based learning.” Since the interactions are based on real situation, children grasp the meaning of sentences and words naturally without explanation in English. With consistent repetitions by the teacher, our children will finally be able to produce all these words and sentences by themselves.

They may notice that they are learning, or they may not, but at Chinese with Meggie, we strive to make every minute of our class time a wonderful and enjoyable language learning experience.

-Chinese with Meggie Language School, Austin, Texas