Guest Posted January 9, 2005 Posted January 9, 2005 What is everyone doing to celebrate chinese new year?
Guest Posted January 9, 2005 Posted January 9, 2005 We will be telling the children the story of how the years got their names and they will make lion puppets from kitchen rolls ready for our lion dance later in the morning. One member of staff will make a stir fry and the children will be invited into our "Chinese restaurant". They get the chance to try eating with chopsticks. We get some great photos! Anita
Guest Posted January 9, 2005 Posted January 9, 2005 We haven't really decided yet but we will probably be trying some food with chopsticks, telling and acting out the story of the race and making a dragon for dressing up. Linda
Helen Posted January 10, 2005 Posted January 10, 2005 There is some great music for dancing and movement on the "Let's Go Zudio" book and CD. Lots of clashing cymbals, for an exciting dragon dance. Nice video clips too.
AnonyMouse_3139 Posted January 10, 2005 Posted January 10, 2005 There's a load of stuff for Chinese New Year and other 'holidays' on this site www.ActivityVillage.co.uk here.
Guest Posted January 10, 2005 Posted January 10, 2005 We make individual Dragon masks and have a tasteing morning. We tell the story of the years and each child makes a badge for their birth year (do check with parents some of ours have objected to making badges and having their child listen to the story) All our other children love the Chinese New Year and it certainly is one of my favourite themes. Gizzy
Guest Posted January 11, 2005 Posted January 11, 2005 We're based in central London so we're going to go to China town, have a look round. Buy some chinese food and come back and cook it to eat. Last year we made a huge Chinese dragon: take a hoop, cover with chicken wire, cut the eye hole out of the chicken wire, paper mache the chicken wire and hoop quite thickly then paint bright yellow and orange and attach yellow and orange tissuse paper to the back then use as a prop to dance with.
AnonyMouse_2846 Posted January 11, 2005 Posted January 11, 2005 we used a large lampshade to make our dragons head
AnonyMouse_3678 Posted January 11, 2005 Posted January 11, 2005 I use a website that lets you translate the children's names into Chinese and print them off. We're going to let the children paint over them using fine paint brushes. Not all of the names have an exact match, but most have one that is close. http://chineseculture.about.com/library/name/blname.htm
AnonyMouse_2127 Posted January 11, 2005 Posted January 11, 2005 Good idea Sunflower. Spent time looking at family names, I'll check to see if they have the Pre-school chdns names on the lists another time. Sue J
AnonyMouse_79 Posted January 11, 2005 Posted January 11, 2005 hi & welcome Sunflower. Thanks for making your first post. The name activity sounds good, wish I had a class to do it with!
Guest Posted January 11, 2005 Posted January 11, 2005 Hi Sunflower Welcome to the site and thanks for making a very useful first post! The website is great and I will probably use it for our children to see how their names look. Linda
AnonyMouse_2732 Posted January 12, 2005 Posted January 12, 2005 Hi there sunflower! Ditto Linda and Susan!! You'll love this site!! Sue
Guest Posted January 12, 2005 Posted January 12, 2005 Hi Making and decorating lanterns, red envelopes and dragons Tasting chinese food playing chinese music pictures of china - people, buildings, countryside etc letting the children look and touch chinese artifacts
Guest Posted January 12, 2005 Posted January 12, 2005 We'll be doing the story of how the years got their names and having a go at a dragon dance. We'll make masks depending on which year they were born. The children will make an 'ang pow' lucky red money envelope and we'll slip in a gold chocolate coin. The children will make a Chinese New Year card. Last year we really went to town and turned our cafe into a Chinese Restaurant - we decorated it with fans, a dragon etc and we were lucky enough to borrow a few Chinese style clothes. We decorated twigs with pink tissue paper to make lucky blossom. We're going to Asda to taste some Chinese food. Unfortunately with this being such a short half term, and Chinese New Year being during the last week we're not going to be able to do this this year Still I'm sure we'll enjoy it. Harricroft
Guest Posted January 12, 2005 Posted January 12, 2005 Anita and Harricroft, where can I find the stories about the naming of the years? I have been looking around but can't really find any. My class will be joining with nursery to have a chinese feast - we haven't decided yet whether we will be cooking it or ordering it in - we have done both in the past. we will also be making chinese lanterns and decorating a sheet for the children to use as a chinese dragon costume. then as the children go home they will each receive a money envelope containing a chocolate coin and ten pence for luck! Annette
Guest Posted January 12, 2005 Posted January 12, 2005 Hi Oli I sometimes make a trip up to China town to buy art materials for chinese painting. There is a shop called GUANGHWA 7 Newport Place Last year I bought a Lion Puppet and a few other items the staff are very helpful and I was given loads of goodies when I mentioned they were for the children. The children enjoy painting on rolls of paper with big brushes.
Guest Posted January 12, 2005 Posted January 12, 2005 Hi Anette I think we found the story of how the years got their name in a Scholastic book on Celebrations or festivals, but I'll see if I can find the book tomorrow and post the correct details. Anita
Guest Posted January 12, 2005 Posted January 12, 2005 Sunflower love the site for chinese names and printed off a few printer friendly then the printer symbol wouldn't appear - can you only print a few off at a time? Has this happened to you?
AnonyMouse_3678 Posted January 12, 2005 Posted January 12, 2005 Hi Mimi, I copied the names into Word so I could resize them. This should get round the problem of it only letting you print off a few.
Guest Posted January 13, 2005 Posted January 13, 2005 When exactly is chineese new year? Next week? That's what I thought? What's it the year of?
Guest Posted January 13, 2005 Posted January 13, 2005 The first day of the Chinese New Year is 9 February and it will be the year of the rooster. Anita
AnonyMouse_2127 Posted January 13, 2005 Posted January 13, 2005 Found a book with the story you were thinking of Anita. It's Autumn and Winter Festivals (Scholastic).Themes for Early Years. ISBN 0-590-53682-6 It has Harvest, Divali, Hanukkah, Christmas, Chinese New Year and a few other special days Sue J
Guest Posted January 16, 2005 Posted January 16, 2005 Thank goodness I decided to look at this thread...I was about to start my weekly plan for next week (although it is already done, just a case of typing up) and was going to be doing Chinese new year thinking it was next week. OOOPS, realised after checking, that I was looking at the date for the 2004 Chinese new year! I will have to jiggle things about a bit now (can only put it down to 'pregnancy brain'!!) Anyway, I was just going to add that everyone seems to celebrate in a similar way, but one thing I do that hasn't been mentioned is making fans. I get the children to draw designs on red paper and then fold and staple to make a simple fan. They look great around the border of any display on Chinese new year that you might do! I'd better go and sort my planning out now!!!!......
AnonyMouse_2732 Posted January 16, 2005 Posted January 16, 2005 Hey, Shelley, although it was a very long time ago, glad it wasn't just me!!! Love the fans around the display, too! Sue
Guest Posted January 17, 2005 Posted January 17, 2005 Last year we used a big long box, decorated like a dragon, with four holes for the children to stand in, they had great fun dancing around. We also did lots of activities with chopsticks, picking up noodles etc. The children also tried chinese writing using large feathers, which gave a quill effect. Peggy
AnonyMouse_3139 Posted January 17, 2005 Posted January 17, 2005 We also do the story of 'Nian'. He was a monster who lived up the mountain and every so often would come down to the village and eat people. A wise man told the villagers that Nian was scared of loud noises and did'nt like the colour red. The villagers painted their houses red and when Nian came into the village they made lots of noise banging drums and shouting. Nian ran off never to be seen again. Thats apparently why red is considered a lucky colour and why fireworks and bangers are used during new year.
AnonyMouse_3307 Posted January 17, 2005 Posted January 17, 2005 Ni hao everyone!! (It's not spelt like that I don't think but it's hello) I love Chinese New year!!! Attached some clip art you might like and a poster if you can print in colour. I really am going to miss not being in a class this year for this festival! So gung hey fat choy and enjoy
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