I am by no means endorsing this product.  This is just to let you know that there are produ
http://itunes.apple.com/app/art-of-chinese-characters/id504262446?mt=8

Description Learning Chinese characters has never been so interesting before! This App will help you to use the right way to learn Chinese characters.

People often have the impression that Chinese characters are extremely difficult to learn. In fact, if you choose the right way to learn, you will find that Chinese characters are not as difficult as you may have imagined. Chinese characters certainly qualify as one of the most beautiful, fascinating and logical writing systems in the world. This App will definitely lead you to discover the amazing Chinese characters and with great fun. Get it started now!

Three parts in Art of Chinese Characters:
。Find – find the connection part of Chinese characters from the painting.
。Learn – learn the meaning, pronunciation, phrases, stroke order and origin.
。Practice – quick review and try to match the Chinese characters to their English meaning.

Features:
- 15 unique paintings of Chinese characters.
- 89 Chinese characters and 163 phrases.
- Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese are available.
- Pinyin and English translation.
- Animation of Chinese characters origin.
- Stroke order demonstration and writing practice.
- True human voice pronunciation to each Chinese character and phrase.

I just created this jigsaw puzzle of a Chinese painting.  You need to have Java in your computer to play.  When you see the picture, go to the lower left to click on the "wheel" and click "scatter" to start.
http://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=370ecbfd403e

NYTimes Op-Ed Columnist Teaching Me About Teaching By CHARLES M. BLOW Published: May 4, 2012

Next week is National Teacher Appreciation Week, and, as far as I’m concerned, they don’t get nearly enough. On Tuesday, the United States Department of Education is hoping that people will take to Facebook and Twitter to thank a teacher who has made a difference in their lives. I want to contribute to that effort. Read More

Bilingual Brain is sharper.... Wall Street Journal

Can't go to Xi'an to see the terracotta soldiers?  Well, the next best thing is to see them in NYC.
Read today's NYTimes article.

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Chinese proverbs/sayings that involve numbers: link
含有一的數字成語
一帆風順一表人才一本正經一馬當先
一語道破一筆勾銷一目了然一蹴而就
一塵不染一面之交一覽無疑一無所知
一廂情願一元及第一了百了一刀見血
一言為定一葉知秋一事無成一竅不通
一飯千金一刀兩斷一網打盡一蹶不振
一丁不識一介不取一手遮天一孔之見
一見如故一文不值一文不名一無所長
一決雌雄一木難扶一毛不拔一丘之貉
一成不變一落千丈一針見血一股作氣
(see link above for complete list)

Hello, Kids,
How's your vacation so far?  I was enjoying the beautiful warm spring at home and found this wonderfully written article about...English grammar!  Read on.  It is very helpful.

Make-or-Break Verbs
By CONSTANCE HALE  NYTimes 4/16/2012
A sentence can offer a moment of quiet, it can crackle with energy or it can just lie there, listless and uninteresting.

What makes the difference? The verb.

Verbs kick-start sentences: Without them, words would simply cluster together in suspended animation. We often call them action words, but verbs also can carry sentiments (love, fear, lust, disgust), hint at cognition (realize, know, recognize), bend ideas together (falsify, prove, hypothesize), assert possession (own, have) and conjure existence itself (is, are).