What is there for my child to do?

Taiwan Parenting
1

OK…first post to Forumosa, so please take it easy on me…

I have been working in Taipei for the last few months, on a contract that will end in March 04. My wife and daughter have come over from the UK visit me for the Christmas/New Year period, and my 4yo daughter is exceptionally bored…there is only so much shopping and playing in hotel room she can stand!

Does anyone have any recommendations for an activity group my wife and daughter could attend, or temporary kindergarten my daughter could go to? We live in the Xinyi district of Taipei.

Thanks!

2

See if there are any places that offer dancing, art, or music classes in your area. Most neighborhoods have schools where one can study most anything.

3

Have you tried the Community Services Center? http://www.community.com.tw/

4

Playspace! Playspace!

It’s a lovely, clean indoor playground not far from where you are staying. Address is: Hsin Yi Rd. Sec. 4, Lane 265, Alley 20, #22. www.playspace.com.tw

Also, if you haven’t already, buy a copy of Taipei Living from Eslite bookstore - it lists some good child-friendly places in Taipei, including the Transportation Museum, and parks.

There is a Wednesday morning and Friday afternoon playgroup for parents and children. Most of the kids are around 2 or 3, but there are a couple of older kids. I can add your email to the list if you pm it to me.

5

If you’re in the Xinyi District, there’s Playspace, an indoor play area that’s perfect for rainy days like today.

Here’s the website
www.playspace.com.tw

You’re also welcome to join our playgroup which meets Wed mornings from about 10 to noon. It’s a really nice mix of people. There’s a spin off group that meets Friday afternoons 3 to 5ish.

Try the Family Forum at www.parentpages.net/phpbb2/index.php I know there are parents who visit the forum who live in that area.

There’s a larger playgroup in Tienmu sponsored by the Community Services Center.

The only thing is that most kids your daughter’s age are in preschool/kindergarten here.

There are lots of parks to enjoy. The garden at the National Palace Museum is beautiful, with giant coy, swans, and ducks to feed. Our Wed group may meet there next week if the weather is nice.

Peace Park by the NTU Hospital has a nice playground. There’s also the Transportation Museum (the museum itself isn’t all that great) with carnival rides out back. Who doesn’t like bumper cars and mini motorbikes?

She might also like the “Small World” Childrens’ library in B2 of the Taipei Municipal Library, 125 Jian guo Nan Lu Sec. 2.

Sunday late afternoons at Da’An Park, there’s a group of drummers that meets (no regular time really). We bring a ball and a picnic blanket, then wander over to the drummers before we head home.

I think Playspace also offers art classes for kids your daughter’s age but I haven’t looked into that yet. I’ve heard there are some really fun places to take the kids outside the city, but we don’t leave Taipei very much yet.

6

Your daughter can play with my 4 year old almost any day of the week if she likes. I live in Neihu. It’s about 20 minutes from Xinyi district.

I have a large house with a backyard, and large indoor play area where the kids can run around.

My place is also very close to either Bihu or Dahu lakes and the parks in this area- either my wife, or myself are about to feed, entertain, and teach a few things.

You can PM me. My daughter also has other playmates come around on a regular basis.

7

The kid’s four years old. She should be past all that “playing” stuff by now. Just give her some extra math homework. That should keep her busy. DOn’t forget, Christmas isn’t a holiday.

8

sharp!

9

Math? You forget Sandman, this is Taiwan. She should be in the factory knitting rugs with the other children.

10

Hey guys, remember that “Tom Dragon playground” thread a while back, where the guy’s son disappeared and was found in the parking area.

If you take her, watch her like a hawk.

11

A few options we found:

Near to Taipei, there is water slide place that would be good for older kids; it’s about an hour from Taipei, in Taoyuan county, near Tamsui I think. Anyone know the name? Unfortunately, it is starting to get a bit cold for this type of activity …

In Taipei, at the Core Pacific mall (Near Civil Boulevard) there is an entire floor devoted to kids’ shops. It’s really quite amazing. You don’t have to buy anything, but it’s fun to just browse around. A couple of the shops have displays that younger kids can play with … our daughter saw her first doll house there and loved playing with that for about a half hour. They also have a bunch of good restaurants on the top floor. The Japanese yoshiniku place might be interesting for a 4 yo, you have to take off your shoes, and they bring a stone grill to your table to cook stuff.

If you are travelling to the east coast (for instance, on the way to Taroko Gorge), while passing through Ilan County stop at the Luodong Water Park. It’s a public facility next to the river with water sculptures, pools, etc. It’s starting to get a little chilly now, but once the weather warms up again it is a great for kids under 12 to splash around. There is a shallow area of the park with little waterfalls, streams, pools, etc. that our 22 month old really loved.

12

Hi, here are a few ideas for you to enjoy with your daughter:

Inside places

The Children’s Art Museum: It’s small, but they have fantastic hands-on exhibits and also classes (yes, for 4 year-olds)
Tienmu West Rd, lane 50, #20, B1 www.artart.com.tw

The Miniature Museum:
Pretty incredible miniatures of all kinds of things, historical scenes, fairytales, room interiors from different ages. Imagine several rooms of the most incredible dollshouses you’ve ever seen.
Jian Kuo Nth Rd, Sec. 1, #96, B1

Taipei Public Library: I think someone else mentioned this. It’s a really great resource. There’s a whole floor of English kids book and it’s a very nice environment. Then have videos and I think music, too. The English kids section is B2 of the library. The libriary is Jian Kuo Sth Rd, between Xinyi and Hoping Rd, on the east side of Jian Kuo (Jian Guo?)

Sogo department store: has a big clock out the front that kids like. It has lots of dolls that appear on the clock face every hour on the hour (starts just about five minutes before)

Eslite bookstore on TunHua (between Chung Hsiao and Jen Ai). You can read the books there and next to the kids store (B1?) there are toy stores set up so kids can play with the displays.

Children’s Eslite bookstore in Gong Guan has chairs set up so you can read the books in the store.

Outside places

Taipei Zoo: It’s easy to get to and cheap. They’re doing renovations so you won’t be able to see all the animals (like the lions), but there’s still days and days of things to see. Just take the brown line MRT to the last stop. They have lots of indoor exhibits, too.

Da-an park: There’s a big playground at the north end of the park on Xinyi Rd.

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall: There’s another big park outside, though no playground. There is a lake with a little bridge AND a shop that sells ice-cream with big fiberglass cows outside (pretty thrilling for most 4 year olds) Inside you can see soldiers and they change guard on the hour, they start 10 mins before the hour. Lots of kites on the weekends.

CKS Memorial Park: Has a nice pond to feed the fish, except they might be doing renovations to it right now, but room to run around anyway.

Children’s Recreation Center:
Chung Shan Nth Rd, Sec, 3, #66 (across from the Fine Arts Museum)
It’s cheap and huge and lots to do. There’s really nice grounds around the place, with historical exhibits, a fish pond, a kind of fountain/maze area, a section of ancient Chinese games, lots of play/running around areas, pavillions for lunch, sculptures you can play on, and a “cave” with the monkey king inside, also an IMAX theater and science section, but I’ve never made it in there. There’s even a section with lots of fairground-style rides. It’s a great place and she probably won’t want to leave.

Museum of Transportation: There’s an indoor section, but the outdoor section has lots of rides, too. It’s on Ting Chou Rd, near the corner of Shi Da Rd.

Guang Do Bird Sanctuary: It’s a bit further out, but they have guides who will train the binoculars on a bird for you to look at, but a lot of the attraction is the outside grounds so you need a nice day for it. On the Tamshui MRT line (red line) north of Taipei, Guang Do station (the MRT has more info on this)

The Botanical Gardens: Nice grounds and has a nice lilypond. All the guide books have this address.

I work at a kindergarten in town near the Xinyi district and these are places we go to for our outings. I’m sure your daughter would be welcome to join our class for the remaining months of the semester if you think you would be interested in that.

13

My Grade 2 students love the Chioldren’s Transport Museum.

Two of them recently went to the Guandu Bird Park and really enjoyed it.

The Movie Studio place near the National Pal;ace Museum is good fun.

Brian

14

Hi everyone

I’m new in Taipei, working at the British Council. My family are due to come out from UK and join me in January, including my 2 year old daughter Sophie. She’s a bright, sociable kid and I’m eager to find out if there are any playgroups or other preschool activities she could take part in with other children. Obviously they would need to be safe and well-run, and English speaking if possible (Sophie’s just starting to talk and I don’t want to confuse her!). I live in Yong Chi Road in Sung Shan district. Grateful for any ideas. Thanks.

Richard