Photo by Graham Cullen Isaiah Rosser, 12, demonstrates his proficiency with chopsticks during a Chinese language and culture camp at Crestwood Middle School. Campers made and sampled the noodles. Purchase this photo

Immersing students in the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Chinese food provides an enticing bridge to lessons about culture, history, language and geography, Susan Murphy said.

Murphy, curriculum specialist for world languages at Frederick County Public Schools, helped organize this year's three-week camp.

The 38 participants, mostly Frederick County middle school students, have had classes on making dumplings and rice balls.

They shopped for ingredients at Asian grocery stores and learned etiquette and cooking techniques at a local Chinese restaurant.

Last week, In-May Liu showed the students how three types of tea are used in China. She explained how to make tea, which regions drink which teas and the overall importance of tea in Chinese culture.

Xinwei Yang visited students Tuesday to demonstrate how Xi'an-style noodles are made.

Yang rolled off hunks of the flour-based noodle dough and shaped them into finger-sized clumps, which were coated with oil.

As a vegetable soup stock simmered on the counter of a Crestwood Middle School kitchen, excited students stretched the dough and then dropped the strands into a pot of boiling water.

Once cooked, the Xi'an-style noodles, loosely translated as pull-apart noodles, were added to the soup.

This type of dish is available everywhere in Xi'an, which is also home to the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses.

Supplemental camp activities have included calligraphy lessons, martial arts and pingpong.

Interactive lessons are another feature of the camp, Murphy said. Participants helped create a website and blog.

The federal government funded the program through a STARTALK grant, Murphy said. The grant was about $78,000 this year, up from about $53,000 last year.

More money will allow participating students to continue camp-related activities in the next school year, possibly an activity day or lessons through the class website and blog.

Liang-Yu Hwang, a local Montessori school teacher originally from Taiwan, has been a camp instructor for three years.

Hwang said most of her students have had little, if any, exposure to Mandarin Chinese.

Hearing native speakers is an essential part of the program, she said, as enunciation is key to communicating in Chinese.

Hwang uses games and songs to pique her students' interest.

Maggie More, 11, a Friends Meeting School student in her second summer at the camp, said she enjoyed this year's field trips.

"They go along with what we're learning," she said.

Cara Brainerd, 12, a Monocacy Middle School student, said she liked practicing calligraphy.

"It's a challenge, which is also a cool part."