PLATTEVILLE - On Saturday, June 23, from 8am-3:30pm, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Confucius Institute sponsored Exploring Chinese Culture 2012: Resources and Activities for educators throughout the state and nearby areas. The event was held in the Markee Pioneer Student Center. The focus of this one-day workshop was to give K12 teachers, librarians, parents, counselors and administrators the opportunity to make exciting, affordable hands-on Chinese classroom activities one can easily teach to children and students.

The Confucius Institute offered Chinese culture workshops to participants throughout the day to help them share Chinese culture and art in their schools and at home. Session topics included Chinese folk dance, knot-tying, paper-cutting, calligraphy and painting, the art of tea making, shadow puppets, feather hacky sack, bunny sachet, and fun Chinese games.

Participants had the option of earning one academic credit for attending the workshop. The credit option required students to develop ways to apply what they learned for use in their classrooms.

Many of the participants expressed positive comments about the day, including Barb Mason from Cassville, WI. who wrote, "I first want to thank you for the day on Saturday. I attended the workshops and really had a great time. I am anxious to learn more." Yu Hai from Milwaukee commented, "You should have such event bi-annually, because it provides teachers of Chinese an easier access to the authentic resources in Wisconsin."

David Van Buren, Dean of the Confucius Institute expressed, "Many expressed the desire to me that this be an annual event and that they find it extremely valuable and helpful in their teaching. I know that I very much enjoyed the individual workshops I attended."

The UW-Platteville Confucius Institute sponsored the event through a special grant provided by Hanban, the Confucius Institute Headquarters, in the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.

The Institute, which was established in 2008, offers many resources to the UW-Platteville campus and Southwest Wisconsin communities �C including opportunities to learn about and experience Chinese language and culture. It is part of an international network of over 725 Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms, which are also sponsored by Hanban. The Confucius Institute at UW-Platteville is the only one in Wisconsin and is dedicated to enhancing the understanding of the Chinese language and culture around the world.

For more information and to register for events, visit the Confucius Institute online at www.uwplatt.edu/confucius or call 888.281.9471 (toll free) to register over the phone. For program information contact the UW-Platteville Confucius Institute at (608) 342-1310 or confucius@uwplatt.edu.