Winter vacation is unusually long this year, and students are coming home with all sorts of interesting homework assignments, many very creative, and some with a special flavor of "home." In Taipei, some schools are promoting a "getting back to the roots" assignment for vacation time homework, requiring students to interview their grandparents and find out about their family histories. In central Taiwan, several elementary schools have decided to ask students to make up "creative family trees," and in both Taipei and Kaohsiung, elementary schools are bringing "housework" into the students homework, letting students roll up their sleeves and get some real hands-on elbow grease into their assignment.

Homework over vacation periods is getting more and more creative and lively. One middle school in Taipei is using "go see a movie" as a kind of assignment. Students can see a movie called "Peikuo Hsing Saojao," a film that examines the two sexes and sexual harassment issues, or they can choose to see an award-winning film called "Hes not Stupid, Hes my Father," which talks about women and legal issues.

Family and community are hot topics, too. All over Taiwan, middle schools and elementary schools are seeing a new "Taiwan Local Studies" trend, in which students go on trips and get to know the traditional side of Taiwan first-hand, and parents and grandparents can take part in the "homework" assignments.

A school in Tianmu, Taipei is cooperating with the Tsaoshan Literary History Association to encourage students to use posters, compositions, photography, and interviews with grandparents to record the natural and human history of Tianmu.

In Taichung, a number of elementary schools have separately come up with the idea of developing the concept of "family." Shuyi Elementary School, which features traditional Minnan-style architecture, is giving students the assignment of designing a creative family tree over winter break. Students have to process their own family history and then use a 2D or 3D means of expressing it. They can also choose to produce a film. The assignment is designed to help students get back to their roots.

Hsitun Elementary School is turning students into reporters, asking them to interview their parents about things that happened when they were young, including their own births. The exercise is designed to get parents and children talking about their own families, to promote communication.

Tajen Elementarys winter break assignment this year requires students to draw their New Years feast and the things it symbolizes, to open their minds up to the abstract and spiritual.

Fenghsi Elementary School in Kaohsiung County has chosen to add housework and sports to the assignments its students are taking home this year. Students must also complete a record of what theyve done and get comments about their performance from their parents. The school hopes to help kids to have an interesting and healthy winter break.