Happy New Year!

Korean Paper Folding Art

Cold days in winter make it a perfect opportunity to do arts and crafts with children at home. Consider introducing them to Korean paper folding - you may know this art as Origami. Korean paper folding is a valued tradition that goes back long ago. We recently added these traditional Korean hanbok paper folding art sets.

Korean Lullaby CD now available

Due to customer requests, we now have a Korean Lullaby CD for sale! Perfect music for your baby while you try to soothe your baby to sleep. Click here to purchase.

Korean Children's Christmas Carols

Want to teach your children some Christmas songs in Korean? We have this CD available for $14.99. Click here to purchase. 

Make Your Own Korean Hanbok Ornament

Looking for Korean cultural ornaments to hang on your Christmas tree? You can make your own by using the Korean folk magnets. All you need is ribbon and strong craft glue (or crazy glue). The black magnet has enough gap for you to place a ribbon through it. To secure it, you can use glue to keep the ribbon in place. No need to worry about the ornament breaking since these Korean folk hanbok magnets are made of rubbery clay!

To purchase these Korean folk clay magnets, you can click here.

Hangul Poster Giveaway Contest Winner (Final Drawing)

Meet the Mundala family! Their story is below:

"Our journey to adoption started after our emotionally
draining fertility treatments came to an end. Additional
treatment options were available, but we did not feel they
were the right choice for us. Instead, on September 24th,
2007, we chose to pursue adoption.We both felt that this
was God’s purpose for us.

Adoption has brought our family so many blessings. Every
day we look into our son's eyes and are so thankful for
him and all the wonderful people who took such great care
of him before he was in our arms forever.  We couldn't
imagine life without him.  He has brought so much joy
to our family!"

Although National Adoption Month officially ended in
November, we hope that the personal stories shared by
the winners have helped in raising adoption awareness. To
see more beautiful families formed through adoption, you
can visit nationaladoptionmonth.blogspot.com.

December 2010 Baby of the Month Winner

This month's Baby of the Month Winner is 11 month old Memphis! What a handsome boy!

Free Shipping with $50 Purchase

Pororo Coloring Pages Downloads

Here are some free Pororo Coloring pages that you can download! Click here for the link to pororo.net!

New Pororo Category Added

To make your shopping experience easier, we have recently added a Pororo category on our website at www.littleseouls.com! Come check it out and see some of the new products we added! We have Pororo stuffed dolls, tables, bento/dosiraks, computers, and much more! Click here.

Newly Designed Little Seouls Party Website

We recently updated on Little Seouls Party website. Please come visit and check out our newly designed site at www.littleseoulsparty.com. You can find custom Korean inspired birthday invitations, thank you cards, banners, party favors, doljabi items, memory boards, and much more! Although our items are catered towards the Korean 1st birthday called a doljanchi, we can customize for any special occasion!

Sanrio Small Gift Show

Sanrio is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year! They hosted a Sanrio Small Gift Show in Santa Monica to commemorate the special occasion. Since we live nearby, we decided to go and see what it was all about!

I did not realize how crowded the show would be. I also did not realize that most of the participants would be adults and not children. Sanrio has a huge following among all age groups! Despite the crowds, my kids had fun playing miniature golf, riding the ferris wheel, playing booth games and visiting the art exhibit. The line to the gift store was over 2 1/2 hours long, so we were unable to view the adorable items for sale.

I hear the next Sanrio Small Gift Show will be in Miami. For more information, you can visit their site here.

This Week's Winner of the Hangul Poster Giveaway Contest

Congrats to the Stellakis Family!

Below is a photo of their family with
the judge on the day their son's
adoption was finalized.

Below is what they shared about their
adoptive journey:

We decided to adopt after our first son
was born, following a complicated
pregnancy.Our little Lukas Gang-seok arrived home to
us from Korea on October 21,2009. He is an
absolute love and we can't imagine not
having him in our lives! Of course, this
experience has changed our lives in many
ways...we have developed a real appreciation for the
Korean culture and are so grateful for the love and
care that Lukas received while still in Korea.

Welcome Home Giveaway Winner!

Congrats to the Lee Family!

Hear their personal adoption story below. Thank you for sharing! And congrats to your upcoming arrival of your son!

We are a second time around adoptive family waiting for our second son to come home. Our daughter was also adopted from Korea (pictured with us and our biological son). Our son's name will be Jamin S. Lee. We decided to adopt after our son Jadon was born with medical issues (that did resolve over time with no adverse effects) but were told by our doctor that a second pregnancy would be very dangerous. My husband grew up in Daegu, Korea and I worked in Daegu for 4 years as an ESL teacher/professor. So, we went ahead and adopted our daughter Arianna from Korea three years ago. After meeting many Korean American
families who mostly adopted girls, we realized there was a need (if we were going to
adopt again) to adopt Korean boys. So, here we are waiting for our little Jamin to
come home! I would LOVE to win this because the bedspread I picked for our son's bed
actually has airplanes on it like the poster!

Daniel Henney talks about growing up as a Korean-American

Growing up Korean-American in Michigan
Daniel Henney

This Week's Winner of the Hangul Poster Giveaway Contest

Meet the Albano Family! Hear their story:

We decided to adopt when infertility was introduced
to us after already having one biological child.  I
am now SO THANKFUL that infertility was our ‘issue’ 
since our family now boasts our two beautiful,
wonderful, brilliant Korean-born daughters.
Adoption changed our lives so much that we now are
HUGE adoption advocates! We feel priviledged to be
a part of a larger adoptive family and especially
blessed to be a part of the Korean culture. We are
so thankful and blessed to be an adoptive family.
Our children: Christian, biological. Lily & Mimi,
Korean-born.


 

Konglish in the US and Korea

I am a second generation Korean American, who speaks basic Korean mixed with English when speaking "Korean." I say "Korean" because I think I'm speaking "Korean" until native Koreans or first generation Koreans smile at my use of "Konglish." What is Konglish? Konglish is the use of English words in a Korean language context. I notice my Konglish is most heard when speaking with my parents, since I talk "Korean" with no inhibition.

Here's an example:

"Umma (엄마), Chinese food muh goh sheepa (먹고 싶어) or Korean food?"

My mom, who immigrated to the US as a young adult, also uses a milder version of Konglish when speaking to our relatives in Korea. It's funny how she doesn't even realize that she uses English words in her Korean conversations!

I am not surprised that Konglish is also widely spoken in Korea. In Korea, however, English words are sometimes used out of context or made up words are used. For example, "fastaurant" is not a word in the US but Koreans may use it for fast food restaurant.

If you want to learn more about what is going on in Korean Konglish, read Rick Ruffin's article in Yonghap News by clicking http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/n_feature/2010/09/28/50/4901000000AEN20100928005000315F.HTML

If you want to test your use of Konglish, try speaking Korean to a person who knows no English, then you will realize how much you depend on the use of Konglish.

Photo credit - Yonhap News Agency

This Week's Winner of the Hangul Poster Giveaway Contest

Winner is the DeMaster Family!

Their story: "We decided to adopt because we knew there were so many children in the world waiting for families and that our family wasn't complete yet! We adopted from Korea because we were very impressed with how they care for orphans, with excellent foster families and wonderful medical care. Adopting Julia has changed our family for the better! After having two boys, it is fun to see how raising a girl is different. Julia is such a smart, adorable little girl and she brings us so much joy. Our family knows that blood doesn't make you a family, love does!" Each Friday this month, we will be selecting an adoptive family to highlight their family's adoption story. The selected family will also win a Hangul Poster. We hope by highlighting a family a week, we will help raise awareness and honor this special month devoted to Adoption.

Happy National Adoption Month Contests

To celebrate National Adoption Month, we would like to honor adoptive families by doing special giveaways! We will be doing 2 giveaways. The first one called "Welcome Home Giveaway" is open to those waiting to bring their child home and who has received their referral photo. The winner will receive a personalized Welcome Home Banner and 20 personalized announcement/arrival cards!

To enter the "Welcome Home Giveaway" Contest, please submit a (1) referral photo, (2) child and family's name, (3) brief statement about how you decided to adopt, (4) future bedroom photo/and or family photo (if available) and (5) why you want to win this. *Also, please let us know if it is okay to share photo and story for contest purposes. * Submit your entry to contest@littleseouls.com and make sure you subject your email as "Welcome Home Giveaway."
Winner will be announced on 11/19/10.

Our second contest is the "Korean Hangul Poster Giveaway" Contest. We will be randomly selecting 4 adoptive families (one each Friday for the month of November). In order to enter this weekly giveaway, please submit a (1) recent family photo, (2) brief statement about how you decided to adopt, (3) share how adoption / child has changed your family, and (4) child and family's name. *Please also let us know if it is okay to share your photo and story for contest purposes.* Submit your entry to contest@littleseouls.com and title it Korean Hangul Poster Giveaway. Only one entry is needed for the 4 weekly drawings. Winner announced each Friday!

Poster will size 12 x 18.

Winner of Halloween Costume Contest

Congrats to 3 year old Bella for winning Little Seouls's Halloween Costume Contest! Her mom did a fabulous job making this costume and taking such a great photo! We hope you enjoy our $50 Gift Voucher to Little Seouls!

Thank you to everyone else who entered the contest! It was a tough decision this year! We enjoyed seeing everyone's costumes!

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Halloween Costume Ideas

Looking for last minute Halloween costume ideas? Check out our facebook page, Facebook Little Seouls - so many adorable kids in their costumes!

Winner announced tomorrow!

Korean Food Recipes for Kids

Looking for Korean food recipes for kids? Or want to join a Korean American community to talk about food and cooking as it relates to children? Check out the Facebook community of Korean Cooking for Kids. They have compiled recipes from various Food Bloggers and Cooks to make menu planning more easily accesible.

Here's their facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Korean-Cooking-for-Kids/118218451543090?ref=ts

Or if you can to http://www.koreancookingforkids.com.
The facebook page is updated most regularly so its best to go there.

Korean School for Kids

Here is a list of Korean schools and organizations that provide Korean classes for children. If you can't find one in your city or region, try contacting the National Association for Korean Schools at www.naks.org. You can also check with your local Korean church to see if they provide Saturday Korean School.


Southern CA
Korean Educational Center in LA
http://en.kecla.org/heritage.aspx

Korean Institute of Southern CA
www.kiscla.org

Orange County Korean Cultural Center
www.ockcc.org

San Diego Regional Council of Korean School Association of America
www.koreanschool-usa.org

Central CA
Bakersfield Regional Council of Korean School Association of America
www.koreanschool-usa.org

Northern CA
Korean Schools Association of Northern CA
www.koreanschoolca.org

Silicon Valley Korean School
www.svks.org

Michigan
Korean School of Ann Arbor
www.koreanschoolaa.org

Sae Jong School
Beverly Hills, Michigan
http://saejongschool.org

Arizona
Tucson Regional Council of Korean School Associaion of America
www.koreanschool-usa.org

Texas
Austin Korean School
www.austinkoreanschool.org

Greater Dallas Korean School
www.gdks.org/home

Colorado
Korean Academy of Colorado
http://loveakaoc.org

DC Metro Area
National Korean School Association of Washington DC Metro Area
www.waksusa.org

Maryland
New Hope Academy
www.newhopeacademy.org

Florida
www.floridakoreanschools.org

Hawaii
The Hawaii Association for Korean Schools
www.haks.biz/contact-us.php

New Mexico
New Mexico Regional Council of Korean School Association of America
www.koreanschool-usa.org/

Nevada
Las Vegas Area Council of Korean School Association of America
www.koreanschool-usa.org

Oregon
Korean Society of Oregon
www.koregon.org/eschool.html

Washington
United Korean School
Seattle and Bellevue)
www.usbks.org

Olympia Korean School
Olympia Presbyterian Church
360-456-1636

Midwest (IL, WI)
Korean School Association of Midwest USA
www.ksamusa.org/

Northeast
The National Association for Korean Schools Northeast Chapter
www.naksnec.org

New England
Korean School of New England
www.ksneusa.org

Hartford, CT
Korean Language and Cultural Education Institute
www.klcei.org

New York
Korean School of NY
www.koreanschoolny.com

Central New York Korean School
www.cnyks.org

Korean Heritage School for Adoptees
NY, NY
www.kohsa.com

Philadelphia, PA
Dasom Korean Academy
www.philadasom.org

Southeast
Southeast Regional Council
Duluthy, GA
www.naks-se.org

New Trend: DIY Clay Doljabi Sets

I've been noticing a new trend lately...doljabi sets made out of clay! I'm not very crafty but if you are, I'm sure you can make these. I would suggest Crayola Model Magic dough since they dry nice and firm. We would love to see someone's attempt at making them. Actually, the first 2 people to send us a photo of their work will receive our Little Seouls Korean alphabet poster! Just email us at info@littleseouls.com. Good luck!

Fake Korean Rice Cake DIY

For those of you who don't live near Korean bakeries but want to display a Korean rice cake for your party table, you can try a fake DIY one. This faux rice cake can be a perfect addition for your dol table or for a special occasion like your parent's 60th (hwan-gap) birthday.

Materials and directions:

- Round circular strip of thick cardboard (0r get cardboard and cut according to shape)
- Crayola model magic dough or something similar (white and brown color as shown)
-Brush to make the texture marks of a rice cake.
-Print out of Hangul letters
(for dol, you can use the print out below).
-Form and shape as shown



Great DIY ideas like this can be found on www.korean1stbirthday.com, a resource guide and forum for those planning a Korean party.

Halloween Costume Child of the Month Contest

Please send a photo of your child to contest@littleseouls.com to enter our Halloween Costume Contest for November. Entries are due on Oct. 30, 2010. Winner announced on Oct. 31, 2010. When sending a photo, please send us your child's name, age, and consent to use photo for contest purposes.

Since it is fun seeing kids in costumes, we may share your photos on our Little Seouls facebook page. Please note that by submitting your entry, you are agreeing that we may post your child's photo on facebook and our blog for contest purposes.


Thank you! This contest is open to children up to 12 years of age. Please no scary costumes as this a family friendly site. Prize will be $50 Gift Certificate to Little Seouls!
*This contest will be part of our November Baby of the Month Contest.

October Baby of the Month

Our winner for October Baby of the Month Contest is 3 year old Maura!

Diaper Poop Alarm Device

Here is an interesting product made in Korea to detect poop in diapers. An alarm and light goes off once it detects urine and feces. I can see this being useful in a daycare setting when many babies are being cared for at once. But I personally think a mother's smell is good enough..

Happy Chuseok week!

Here's a great description of Chuseok and how it is celebrated in Korea. Click here.

This is a great week to get deals at Korean markets as many are having Chuseok sales on meat and fruit!

YouTube Video of Girl doing Korean "Macarena" Dance

Here's the popular YouTube video of a cute little girl promoting Samsung’s Smartphone Galaxy S for the U.S.market. She is doing the infamous ‘gok-ji-jeom’ dance which became a craze in Korea after celeb Kim Soo ro introduced it. This dance routine became so popular in Korea that it was used by the Korean cheering squad during the 2006 World Cup. The video has gotten close to 3 million hits!

Source: Korean Herald

Calling all Taekwondo Kids!

Here's a Taekwondo Essay contest that you can enter! It is sponsored by the Korean Embassy Cultural Center.

Korean Festivals and Parades for Chuseok

Here is a list of events being held to celebrate the Korean harvest holiday, Chuseok (추석):

LA Korean Festival
Sept. 30 - Oct. 3, 2010
Seoul International Park
www.lakoreanfestival.com

KORUS Festival (Virginia)
Sept. 17 - Sept. 19, 2010
6-9pm
Annandale KMART Parking Lot

Chuseok Festival in NY (Korean Produce Association)
Oct. 9-10, 2010
Randall Island Park
12 - 10pm www.kpany.org

Korean Festival in Houston
October 23, 2010
11-6pm
1500 McKinney
Houston, TX 77010
Koreanfestivalhouston.com

Bernardsville NJ Chuseok Festival
Oct. 3, 11:30 -3:45pm
First Presbyterian Church of Bernardsville
321 Mine Brook Rd. Rt. 202 s. Bernardsville 07920

30th Annual Korea Day Parade and Festival NYC
Broadway and 32nd Street
Oct. 2, 2010
*Please let us know if you know of any others!

Korean dol: New Doljabi Boards now available at littleseoulsparty.com

We just added some new doljabi designs! All of them can be customized!

Jack's 100th Day Party

Need ideas for your child's Paegil party, otherwise known as the Korean 100th day birthday celebration? Check out this amazing party inspired by the Taeguk Korean symbol. All DIY items and decor by Jack's Mommy! More information can be found on her blog. Click here.


What is "Paegil"? One hundred days after a baby is born, Koreans have a small feast to celebrate the baby's survival and health. The feast is much smaller than the Dol party. Rice cakes, red bean cakes and other traditional Korean food is usually provided.

September Baby of the Month

Congrats to Baby Leah Ann!

Another Kid's Cafe in Korea...Dibo Kids Cafe

Dibo is another popular character in Korea...like Pororo. Now they have a Dibo Kids Cafe in Korea. Check it out! Looks like a lot of fun!