Multi-Cultural

Chinese New Year Celebration

The projects in this section may be done over a period of several days and should be supplemented with stories, songs, and field trips related to the theme. The trip to a grocery store specializing in Asian foods was a popular favorite with our group. (Shop for cooking projects!) Invite parents to contribute ideas, objects for display, or whatever they can offer.

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Materials

Make the dragon, fans, tassels, twirl drums (see Music), egg foo yung (see Cooking), and save everything except the egg foo yung for the parade.
DRAGON: Reinforce the two inner sides of the dragon with cardboard. Use heavy cotton tape or webbing to make straps connecting the two sides of the dragon together. The children who are in the dragon can wear the webbing over their shoulders as harnesses to hold up the dragon. A sheer cloth over the heads of the children in the dragon adds greatly to the effect.

Procedures

Three or four children can be inside the dragon. The rest of the kids carry tassels, twirl drums, or fans as they march. If possible, record appropriate music on a portable cassette tape recorder to accompany the parade. Invite parents, neighbors, friends, and other classes to witness the parade. In two or three places along the parade route, tape down 3 foot long sheets of plastic bubble packing materials. As the children in the parade march over the bubbles and pop them, and sound will simulate fire crackers. (Have the kids practice beforehand so they won’t be startled.) When the parade is over, invite spectators and participants in for refreshments.Three or four children can be inside the dragon. The rest of the kids carry tassels, twirl drums, or fans as they march. If possible, record appropriate music on a portable cassette tape recorder to accompany the parade.



Invite parents, neighbors, friends and other classes to witness the parade. In two or three places along the parade route, tape down 3-foot long sheets of plastic bubble packing materials. As the children in the parade march over the bubbles and pop them, the sound will simulate fire crackers. (Have the kids practice beforehand so they won’t be startled.) When the parade is over, invite spectators and participants in for refreshments.



The Useful Dragon of Sam Ling Toy is a delightful and fanciful story of a dragon who finally finds a useful role in life leading a Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco. By Glen Dines, MacMillan and Sons, 1956.



Another good book to introduce to the children before celebrating New Years is Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes, selected and edited by Robert Wyndham. The illustrations by Ed Young are delightful. The World Publishing Co., Cleveland and New York, 1968.