12/31/2009

2010 ENERGY YOGA

Every Wednesday evening from 6:30 until 8:00pm, you can take your child to yoga class at Shin-Hai Road Sec 1, no. 22, 1F.  Run by the Taiwan Yoga Assn.

Cost: 2000TWD for the course
Dates: Jan 13 through March 10
Tel: 02-23655615 (Mr Ding 丁先生)
Address: Shin-Hai Road Sec 1, no. 22, 1F (台北市中正區幸亥路1段22號1F)

2010 JAN FREE STORYTELLING @ WENSHAN CULTURE ED'N CENTER

Suitable for ages 3 to 5, free storytelling is running again at the Wenshan District Culture Education Center. 
Stories are usually in Chinese.
Time: Every Wednesday afternoon 2:30-3:30pm
Address: Jing-Wen Street No. 32, Wen-Shan District, Taipei (Behind MRT Jingmei Exit 1)
Tel: 02-2933-2199

2010 JAN - 123 TRIAL WOODWORKING CLASS

The children's woodwork workshop is offering trial classes.

Time: Jan 3rd and Jan 31, 10am and 1:30pm
Address: No. 39 Fu-Guo Road, Shilin District, Taipei City (台北市士林區福國路39號)
Cost: 250TWD
Tel: 02-2835-7526

2010 JAN CLOUDGATE FREE TRIAL CLASSES

From Jan 1st to Jan 31st, Cloudgate Dance Company is offering free trial classes for children aged 3 to 18.  Cloudgate is a highly-revered modern dance company, and has several studios around Taiwan.  Their music and movement classes are designed to encourage childrne to use their bodies to express themselves, and to develop imagination.

You can call their toll-free number 0800-088-633 or go online http://www.cgds.com.tw/ to arrange a free class.

2010 JAN 23,24 CHILDREN'S MUSICAL

Paper Windmill Performance Theater will present a musical for children, about a gifted magician father.  To get his work done, he works and works without stopping.  During his journey in the forest, he learns about Taiwan's aboriginals, and attends a caterpillar race.

From the pictures in the flier, it looks like a show full of color and movement.

Place:  Community Theater Hall (No 25 Bade Road Sec 3, Taipei City)
Times: Jan 23 2:30, 7:30; Jan 24 10:30am, 2:30pm
Cost: 300/500/700/3000  (through "Nian Dai")
Tel: Paper Windmill Ass'n 02-2392-6170

Dec19-Jan17 2010 - Fantasy Garden Exhibits

2010 will see Taipei hosting an International Flower Show.  Whilst personally I am not too impressed with how they have destroyed the Taipei Art Museum Park or started building permanent fixtures for the exhibits*, the event might bring some color to the city, and their first event at Da-An Park is supposed to be very nice.

Events at Da-An Park:
Jan 2: Some kind of music event from 2:30 until 4:30pm, at the music stage
Jan 3: Flower song from 4pm until 5pm, at the children's performance stage
Jan 9: Modern dance from 3pm until 4pm, at the music stage
Jan 10: Impressionist performance from 3pm until 4pm, at the dance stage
Jan 17: Flower song from 3pm until 4pm, at the children's performance stage

Da-An Park Address: Between Hsin-Yi Road Sec 2, Jien-Guo South Road, He-Ping East Road Sec 1, and Hsin-Sheng South Road.

Transport:  Lots of buses; MRT Muzha Line to Da-An Station and walk 10 minutes; drive and park in the underground carpark for 30TWD/hr


The Taipei Water Park also has a flower garden that is open from Dec 19 until Jan 17.  Entry is free.  This is the park at Gong-guan, Shui-Yuan Road.

*Christchurch, New Zealand also host a huge annual flower show.  It boast elaborate exhibits and a lot of different shows, classes, etc.  The whole thing is temporary, and the parks it is held at come out unscathed when everything is removed.  I just don't see why Taipei has to go and destroy some perfectly good parks to put up these fixtures, especially in this day and age when we are supposed to care about the environment and lessen waste.

Official site:  http://www.2010taipeiexpo.tw/welcome/welcome.html

12/21/2009

Christmas Events around Taipei

This is a link to an English-language page listing some activities going on in Taipei area through to New Year.

The blog follower who kindly gave me this link visited the Christmas Alley at Shr Pai and said, there is nothing there anymore, so don't waste your time going to that one.  If you can, it is probably best to try to find a telephone number for places listed in this page, and check things are really as they are written!

http://mag.udn.com/mag/newsstand/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=221322

12/17/2009

Photographs with Santa - Taipei

I heard through the Facebook grapevine that the Forumosa Regent Hotel is hosting Santa, and that he will let you get a picture of your children with him for a fee of $100 per picture.

Address: Grand Forumosa Regent, 1st floor, 41 Chung Shan N.Rd, Section 2, Taipei (02)2523-8000


Hours: Mon-Sun 12:00-5pm. Mon-Thur 6:30-10pm. Fri-Sun 6-10pm.  Until Dec. 30, 2009


Hsinyi Area's Mitsukoshi A4 building has also put up a snow ball with Santa in it for a photo shoot.

12/16/2009

Forumosa.com - How to Join the Women's Forum

This post is a bit of an experiment in getting information "out there", so if there are men who follow this blog, please don't feel alienated!

First of all, let me say http://www.forumosa.com/ is a great place to get information about practically anything Taiwan-related.  There are a number of people on the forum who carry a fountain of knowledge about Taiwan, and if you can take the hard time you might get when you post there, it can be a great place to have an online discussion with other expats in Taiwan.

It's not well-known that http://www.forumosa.com/ also has a Women's Forum, which is only open to women.  It is a place where you women can comfortably discuss issues or ask questions specifically related to women, with women.  I recently attended a get-together of members of the Women's Forum, and it was really refreshing to be with a diverse mix of just women, especially here in Taiwan where it can be hard to find women in situations similar or even different to yours to share fun times with.

For instructions on how to sign up to the Women's Forum on Forumosa, follow this link:
http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=83625

12/12/2009

Taipei City Playgroup

This is an informal, casual playgroup that meets every Wednesday morning at various locations around Taipei City, as well as holding events (Easter,Christmas, and two charity rummage sales) throughout the year.

There are over 150 members on the list.  The events can have between 50 and 100 members and their families attending.  Turnout for Wednesday playgroup is anywhere from a couple of children to 15 or 20.

There are no fees, no obligations, and no restrictions on who can attend.  It is an English-language playgroup which was set up by parents wanting to give their mixed-heritage children a regular place to use English and to meet children like themselves in Taiwan, but the group has grown to include adults and children from all over the world and all kinds of family situations.

If you would like to attend don't feel shy about it!  Parents who attend are friendly and willing to share a lot of information about parenting in Taiwan, even they might seem busy with their children or chatting with others when you first arrive. 

Sign up for email notifications from the playgroup: cityplaygroup-subscribe@parentpages.net
Check out this and other playgroups in Taiwan at parentpages:  http://www.parentpages.net/ - at the bottom of the forum list.

National Taiwan Arts Education Center

Situated in the Botanical Gardens on Nan-Hai Road, the center boasts a number of facilities open to the public, and aimed at promoting arts activities.  We recently discovered the Outdoor Gallery and Nan Hai Arts and Cultural Square, as well as the library, which is a delightful little place to take the kids.

If you enter the center from the main entrance on Nan-Hai Road, the gallery and performance hall will be on your right.  At the time of writing, they have a small exhibit showcases children's paintings that got special commendations in the World Children Art Exhibit.  Walk past this building and head for the building past the small pond.  You walk up the stairs and see three buildings. 

On the right is a small library.  This is a small, intimate library with books and magazines for adults in the front, and a wonderful little reading room for children in the back.  The English books have been donated by US libraries, schools, and individuals.  There is also an audio-vidual room where you can watch DVDs with your children.  They have story-telling events in English on Wednesdays 4:30-5pm, and in Chinese on Thursdays at the same time.

The building at the back is an art gallery for children.  It is being set up to show another exhibition, and should have been ready on Dec 8th.  Then, on the left is another resource room, more suitable for adults interested in art.

Opening hours:
Closed Mondays.  Tues-Sun 9am-5pm
Address: No. 47, Nan-Hai Road, Taipei, ROC
Website:  http://www.arte.gov.tw/
Tel: (02)23110574

Transport: MRT to CKS Memorial Hall Ext no. or 2, or Xiaonanmen Exit 3; or bus along Roosevelt Rd to Nanmen Market