Emily Sheng helps Claire Leggett, 15, and Nolle Dowing, 16, do calligraphy during a class on Chinese cultural education at the Explore & More Children's Museum. Students will be able to learn about calligraphy in the Orchard Park Recreation Department’s new Chinese culture and language class. Sheng is one of the instructors. Photos by Jim Smerecak. Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com Every culture is multifaceted, comprising language, traditions, cuisine and more. And the benefits from learning about another culture can be equally diverse — for children as well as adults.

The Orchard Park Recreation Department is now offering that opportunity to area students in kindergarten through fifth grade. A beginner-level class in Chinese culture began on Jan. 31 and will run once a week for eight weeks at several locations.

The class is taught by Orchard Park residents Julia Zhang and Emily Sheng, the founders of EZ Mandarin of Western New York, which offers Chinese language and culture programs in the area.

Chinese instructor Julia Zhang holds a dragon as she discusses the Year of the Dragon with Max Mu, 11, and Alex Rojas, 10, during a class on Chinese cultural education at the Explore & More Children's Museum. The Chinese zodiac will be one of the topics discussed in the Orchard Park Recreation Department’s new Chinese language and culture class. They approached the Recreation Department with the idea of offering the class. Both said they had seen very few examples and little understanding of Chinese culture in the area and thought it would be a valuable knowledge base to make available to Orchard Park.

“We had a lot of friends who saw a need for this type of class,” said Sheng. “We want to fill in the needs of the community.”

To that end, the pair designed a course that is meant to engage young students and teach them not only about the Chinese language, but the culture that surrounds it. Each of the eight classes has a theme and includes lessons on topics such as the Chinese New Year and the Chinese zodiac. The classes do not run in sequence but are rather self-contained lessons on a given topic. The instructors said this makes the class more convenient in case students are unable to make a particular session. Children who attend the class will learn about individual aspects of Chinese culture and simultaneously learn vocabulary to accompany them. Although the program is a class, the instructors say it will hardly feel like one. Pupils will have the opportunity to participate in activities and crafts that will relate to, and give hands-on understanding of, some of the cultural aspects of the class such as calligraphy. The pair said targeting a younger audience and keeping them interested is very important, because that is when it is easiest for individuals to absorb language and retain the information being taught. “We want to start at a young age,” said Sheng. “It is important to set up a foundation then.” Sheng and Zhang are also in the process of designing a course intended for toddlers through their own business, but they say it is possible, and valuable, to learn about a new culture at any age. Although the class is designed for a younger crowd, the two said parents who want to stay with their children and learn a little about the Chinese language and culture for themselves are welcomed and encouraged to do so. “This makes it easier for students to practice at home, so they do not forget things between classes,” said Sheng. The course is being offered from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. Wednesdays at South Davis Elementary, on Tuesdays at Ellicott Elementary and on Thursdays at Eggert Elementary. The program costs $80 for the eight sessions, and registration will continue to be open throughout the duration of the course.

For more information, visit EZ Mandarin of Western New York at www.ezmandarinwny.com or the Orchard Park Recreation Department at www.oprec.org.

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