Fun Time At That's Mandarin With My Kids

I was looking for a camp or school where both my kids and myself could do classes and found That's Mandarin online. I love attending classes in Shanghai—you get to experience the culture and are forced to practice a bit as you explore. It’s been a great experience for all of us and I would highly recommend going to the school!

The school is located in an amazing, quaint, very convenient neighborhood. There are so many big hotels in walking distance and lots of food and shopping options. The neighborhood is also very safe and my kids (ages 12-15) would walk to school by themselves as they sometimes started later than I did.

My kids were skeptical about going but they really enjoyed the 2 weeks at the camp! The teachers were great and the kids they met were interesting and fun! The students were from all over the world and some lived in Shanghai too. My kids enjoyed the field trips and it was fun for them to do an activity with all the kids in the camp on the activity morning. The afternoon class time in their smaller ability-based group were good too. The balance of activity/ formal learning was perfect for them. After 2 weeks they were happy to have made some new friends and are a bit sad to leave.

I went in at a beginner level and learned so much in 2 weeks! The small group size of 5 people is perfect, and I’ve had some private lessons as well. The teachers have all been great and the content is very practical. The online resources (Smart Lingo) made available to us is a great complement to our classroom learning. It is something I will use after I leave Shanghai to continue to review and study Mandarin. It is nice taking classes in China so you can be exposed and hear people talk in Mandarin all the time. Even after 2 weeks I hear a few words that I’ve learned when I am in the elevator, in a restaurant, in a store or walking in the street.

That’s Mandarin has been a really fun and great learning experience for me and my family and I would love to attend again!

Christine
Hong Kong, SAR China