The Working Committee for the Care of the Next Generation at SIP's Haide Community is offering local youngsters a series of public-benefit classes, hoping to help enrich their winter vacation that started in late January and will last till late this month.

One of the classes is offering the participating children chances to learn traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy skills and acquire a good knowledge of the close connections between the two art forms and related historical and cultural backgrounds.

The Scratch programming class is tailored for bigger kids. It includes a set of lessons to teach the kids to create their own games and animations with "Scratch", a block-based visual programming language and online community developed by the MIT Media Lab. The lessons can help them gain comprehensive knowledge on mathematics, art and technology.

The "Creative Art" class has attracted many children, too. In each session, a documentary video about Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama and her polka dot art is played to help the children better understand the art form before they start to make their own works using super light clay and painting tools. The children are also encouraged to tell their stories based on their works.