Cantonese Sing, Sign & Storytime

Welcome to 2025 and our LATEST NEWS!

Summie, who was running the fortnightly sessions at Greenwich Centre Library is starting an amazing new career opportunity and so Nita and Steph will be hosting rhyme time. The group hopes to achieve a community-led model, whereby regular attendees can support and keep the group sustainable.

* DATES OF UPCOMING SESSIONS*
Greenwich Centre Library, SE10 (10am - 10:30am):
Wednesdays 15/1, 29/1, 12/2, 26/2, 12/3, 26/3

Danni, who runs the weekly rhyme time at Manor House Library and the monthly playgroup with AvoCuddle Playroom is putting both groups on hiatus. Time will be taken to review, revamp and relaunch the sessions. Thank you for your support so far. 🙏🏼 If you have any feedback or interest in attending, please PM to share your thoughts.

In the meantime, Lunar New Year is on Wednesday 29th January. Our friends have songs, stories and events for you to introduce to your little ones:

Locy Lee Learning
Rainbow Seeds Cantonese
小豆釘 Little Bean Theatre
LPC Cantonese UK

嘉芙姐姐音樂小教室 Ka Foo Musicland

Photo: is a snapshot from a beautiful calendar by bilingual ❤️

It's December already! 十二月 sap6 yi6 yut6

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:

* Greenwich Centre Library, SE10 (10am-10:30am):
Wednesdays 4th, 18th

* Manor House Library, SE13 (10:30-11am):
Fridays 6th, 13th, 20th

* AvoCuddle Playroom, SE10 (1:30pm-2:30pm):
Sunday 8th

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There are still spaces available for our Cantonese Christmas event at . Please PM to inquire.

PS. The song in the photo will be sung at Manor House Library this month.

Is Santa Chinese and does he speak Cantonese?

Oh yes, he does! And he's in Greenwich London on Sunday 8th December: 1:30pm-2:30pm!

Come meet him, sing, listen to a story with him, have a family photo and bubble disco with him. There will also be crafts and snacks for the little ones.

Make the festive season Cantonese and have a merry Cantonese Christmas!

This event is a collaboration between AvoCuddle Playroom and GREENWICH CANTO CREW (our monthly playgroup). Email or DM to book your spot.

The theme for our November monthly playgroup was Autumn Fruits. We were able to solidify and build upon the new vocabulary from our previous session.

Silk scarves were a fun prop for our song about Autumn leaves floating and falling down. As we read the book, What Fruit Am I? 我是什麼水果? by Jok Sing Jai , the children were encouraged to say the vocabulary from our song about fruits. The kids made some amazing prints of fruit using bubble wrap and paint (spot the baby hand print?). Lastly, stay and play at the beautiful and quaint Nonki store playarea, while parents indulged in a warm beverage + chitchat.

We tried out a new venue, Nonki in Hither Green. Please let me know if there is further interest for sessions in this location (or if you have suggestions for any other venues near you).

After a little break for school half term, our library sessions have resumed this first week of November.

We still have a few spots left at our monthly playgroup; held on Sunday 17th November, 1:30pm - 2:30pm at

The theme for this month's playgroup is a progression from last month's theme of Autumn and Fruits (see accompanying photos). You can expect singing, story, play and craft time. It's a great opportunity to meet other multilingual families.

£15 for one child family (1 child + 1-2 parents)
£25 for two child family (2 children + 1-2 parents)
£9 for babies under 9 months old + 1-2 parents.

Please DM to book your spot.

A kind reminder: no more sessions for the rest of October 2024. We are on school half-term break.

NOVEMBER DATES FOR YOUR DIARY.

* Manor House Library, SE13 (10:30-11am):
Fridays 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th

* Greenwich Centre Library, SE10 (10am-10:30am):
Wednesdays 6th, 20th

* AvoCuddle Playroom, SE10 (1:30pm-2:30pm):
Sunday 17th

Here is a photo of my two boys independently picking up and reading some Cantonese bilingual books I purposely left out for them to discover (while on our summer holiday!).

The books are by US-based Bitty Bao (I've also read the books and had them on display at our monthly Greenwich playgroup).

Bitty Bao are trying to get their books to the UK market and distributors are asking for proof of demand. I've been asked to help circulate a form that will provide data to prove there is demand for Chinese bilingual books and toys in the UK.

Please fill in the form (link in below) to show your interest; make these books and toys accessible to us and save us from astronomical shipping fees.

Thank you. 🙏🏻

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdABdgVLeq-pjs0n2ilnZgRUsunJwoZyaP-hXWWmw837gLLSg/viewform?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYs24AtmsjffTpX_dx0j9UjsWuCMJo1Dj9xvzRtBnjh3uk8NXaoTMa49jU_aem_Vi0FRjaOTx12w12b7fKUSA

Autumn (秋天 chau1 tin1) is evidently upon us!

Find out what the season entails as we read this storybook at our upcoming monthly Cantonese playgroup - held this Sunday 13th October, 1:30pm-2:30pm at AvoCuddle Playroom

We will have singing, story, play and craft time. Come meet other multilingual families - as we all journey together on exposing our children to Cantonese language and culture.

£15 for one child family (1 child + 1 or 2 parents)
£25 for two children family (2 siblings + 1 or 2 parents)
£9 for babies under 6 months old

DM to book your spot.

(Note: if you attended our July session - you may recognise the same characters in the book!)

HAPPY MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL! 中秋節快樂！

We started our celebrations early at our previous GREENWICH CANTO CREW playgroup session (Sunday 8th September). It was a full house!

In addition to our usual repertoire of songs + toy playtime:
* we sang a song about the festival, composed by 嘉芙姐姐, while practicing the Makaton sign language for 'moon' 🌝
* we read the Cantonese version of The Legend of Chang'e - book by Bitty Bao
* we had two craft options: making paper moon cakes (also by Bitty Bao - it was a huge hit at the playgroup!) and/or a paper lantern with AvoCuddle Playroom
* we had a bow and arrow activity where children can shoot the suns (related to our storybook)
* we shared real mooncake! Yum!

A huge THANK YOU to Bitty Bao for creating Cantonese versions of their bilingual books, which in the UK, can be bought through Blackwell's Bookshop . I also had on display, two other books from their range - related to the festival, for families to view.

If you would like to join our next monthly playgroup. It is on Sunday 13th October. Please DM to book your spot.
£15 for 1 child + parent/carers
£25 for 2 siblings + parents/carers
£9 for babies under 6 months.

*THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT SCHEDULE CHANGES* - Sept 2024.

As time has gone by, we have evolved to offer different sessions, hosted by different people in different locations. I appreciate it might not have been so clear before and so I wanted to make a post to help with that.

Let me know if I have missed any details that would help you make an informed decision of which session you and your little one would like to attend.

With us coming out of the summer holidays, I have also included the date of the next upcoming session for each location.

Come join us this Sunday 8th September as our monthly Cantonese playgroup observes an early Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. (The actual date is 17th September 2024).

We'll have one song, one storybook and a craft dedicated to the cultural event. (Plus the usual daily songs and toys to play with). We may even have some mooncakes!

It is a gentle, more intimate approach to the festivities with your little one. Come celebrate together!

* Sunday 8th September
* £15 for one child + parents
* £25 for two siblings + parents
* 1:30pm-2:30pm at AvoCuddle Playroom - inside The Star of Greenwich, SE10.

DM to book your spot.

What's happening in September?!

* Friday 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th @ MANOR HOUSE LIBRARY, SE13. 10:30am | donation-based. Hosted by Danni.L.

* Sunday 8th @ AVOCUDDLE PLAYROOM, SE10. 1:30pm-2:30pm | £15/£25. Greenwich Canto Grew Playgroup: the theme for this month is Mid-Autumn Festival. Hosted by Danni.L and Sandra. DM to book a spot.

* Wednesday 11th and 25th @ GREENWICH CENTRE LIBRARY, SE10. 10am | free. Hosted by Summie. No sign language.

Photo: from GREENWICH CANTO CREW playgroup - August 2024 session. The theme was summer holidays and transport.