PDA

View Full Version : Chinese New Year



mumofone
26-01-2016, 09:57 AM
Is anyone doing any activities to mark the Chinese New Year with their mindees?

mama2three
26-01-2016, 10:01 AM
I had planned to , but my mindees are so involved in bearhunt activities and play that we are extending it to half term. It has really captured their imagination and Im not going to change themes just for the sake of it.

AliceK
26-01-2016, 10:09 AM
We always have fun eating Chinese food with chopsticks. The children love it and so do I. Not sure yet what Monkey related things we will do though. The older ones have already had fun last week making fortune cookies, a bit early I know but they wanted to do it.

xx

mumofone
26-01-2016, 09:04 PM
We always have fun eating Chinese food with chopsticks. The children love it and so do I. Not sure yet what Monkey related things we will do though. The older ones have already had fun last week making fortune cookies, a bit early I know but they wanted to do it. xx

How did you make your fortune cookies AliceK? :-) x

mumofone
26-01-2016, 09:04 PM
I had planned to , but my mindees are so involved in bearhunt activities and play that we are extending it to half term. It has really captured their imagination and Im not going to change themes just for the sake of it.

Aw what bear hunt stuff have you been doing? X

natlou82
26-01-2016, 09:32 PM
I'm planning to, not sure exactly what yet but I'll definitely do themed food.

Kirstylob
27-01-2016, 05:27 PM
Mine are little, 16 &13 months, a 3 & 2 year old. We are going to be playing with noodles as they a bit too young to really appreciate anything to much. In the past i have found each child's Chinese animal and printed a picture along with their characteristics. And last year I got some Chinese newspaper for the children to look at and we cut out their initials from the paper.
I have got some chopsticks but we'll probably use giant tweezers. X

bunyip
27-01-2016, 06:22 PM
Is anyone doing any activities to mark the Chinese New Year with their mindees?

Absolutely, definitely, positively not.

Do I have to launch into my annual rant? :p

mumofone
27-01-2016, 07:27 PM
Absolutely, definitely, positively not. Do I have to launch into my annual rant? :p

Lol yes please because I've not heard it before! ;-)

bunyip
27-01-2016, 09:05 PM
Lol yes please because I've not heard it before! ;-)

OK, don't say I didn't warn you.................. (I'll try to do the cut-down rant. ;) )

I hate Chinese New Year for the Early Years with a passion. It is a sanitised piece of anti-historic pseudo-social tosh that has cluck-all to do with Chinese culture and achievements and brings out the lazy in everyone without ever mentioning the revolution once.

I've asked a whole heap of CMs, nursery/preschool people...................WHY are you doing it?

The answers are all too often bad ones:

we're expected to.
it ticks a box with Ofsted.
it's a sort of vague diversity thing (even if it's entirely inaccurate, counter-productive, and not the least bit relevant to any child at the setting.)
saw loads of cheap tat in the Bakermooncrocs catalogue
everyone else is doing it, etc.......



:angry: Drives me nuts. :angry:

Takes me back to the ancient Confucian wisdom of "if every other bu88er jumped off a cliff, would you be doing it too?"

Worst of all, I think it is patronising and potentially insulting to the population of China - though I do draw the line at committing the ultimate popular pc act of insult: I refuse to be offended on another individual's behalf.

I think my whole opinion of it is summed up by the conversation I had with a child (my granddaughter IIRC, though it might have been a mindee) coming out of preschool with yet another poxy dangley lantern. We chatted about what she'd learnt and it became clear that her perception of China and its extraordinarily diverse peoples amounted to 3000+ years of high culture and scientific progress being distilled into the firm belief that they all lived in houses with funny roofs, spent their entire lives making crappy tat out of red paper and subsisted entirely on fried food.

But if it "ticks a box" and the craft sh1t is easy to obtain, h3ll.......go for it. :p

(Here endeth the rant. :ohdear: )

bunyip
27-01-2016, 09:09 PM
Lol yes please because I've not heard it before! ;-)

I do think the moderators should've got in first and warned you.................that is never a good reason to get an old bunyip started. :D

Kiddleywinks
28-01-2016, 06:47 AM
I do think the moderators should've got in first and warned you.................that is never a good reason to get an old bunyip started. :D

Oh I don't know

I actually look forward to seeing a Bunyip rant lol

We should start a new thread, make it a weekly feature...

***###@@@ Bunyips Rant Of The Week @@@###***


:laughing

FussyElmo
28-01-2016, 07:06 AM
Oh I don't know

I actually look forward to seeing a Bunyip rant lol

We should start a new thread, make it a weekly feature...

***###@@@ Bunyips Rant Of The Week @@@###***

:laughing

You missed Citizen from the title😂😂😂

crumpet54
28-01-2016, 08:07 AM
OK, don't say I didn't warn you.................. (I'll try to do the cut-down rant. ;) )

I hate Chinese New Year for the Early Years with a passion. It is a sanitised piece of anti-historic pseudo-social tosh that has cluck-all to do with Chinese culture and achievements and brings out the lazy in everyone without ever mentioning the revolution once.

I've asked a whole heap of CMs, nursery/preschool people...................WHY are you doing it?

The answers are all too often bad ones:

we're expected to.
it ticks a box with Ofsted.
it's a sort of vague diversity thing (even if it's entirely inaccurate, counter-productive, and not the least bit relevant to any child at the setting.)
saw loads of cheap tat in the Bakermooncrocs catalogue
everyone else is doing it, etc.......


:angry: Drives me nuts. :angry:

Takes me back to the ancient Confucian wisdom of "if every other bu88er jumped off a cliff, would you be doing it too?"

Worst of all, I think it is patronising and potentially insulting to the population of China - though I do draw the line at committing the ultimate popular pc act of insult: I refuse to be offended on another individual's behalf.

I think my whole opinion of it is summed up by the conversation I had with a child (my granddaughter IIRC, though it might have been a mindee) coming out of preschool with yet another poxy dangley lantern. We chatted about what she'd learnt and it became clear that her perception of China and its extraordinarily diverse peoples amounted to 3000+ years of high culture and scientific progress being distilled into the firm belief that they all lived in houses with funny roofs, spent their entire lives making crappy tat out of red paper and subsisted entirely on fried food.

But if it "ticks a box" and the craft sh1t is easy to obtain, h3ll.......go for it. :p

(Here endeth the rant. :ohdear: )

Ha! Love this!

smurfette
28-01-2016, 12:49 PM
Oh I don't know I actually look forward to seeing a Bunyip rant lol We should start a new thread, make it a weekly feature... ***###@@@ Bunyips Rant Of The Week @@@###*** :laughing

Oh bunyip do.. We would love it!!

greenfaerie
28-01-2016, 02:11 PM
I actually do enjoy to read a well researched rant. :D Gave me some good things to mull over.

FloraDora
30-01-2016, 10:22 PM
I have just had confirmation that a family link will be able to Skype from Bejing during the festival - they are 8 hours ahead and we are hoping to do a red envelope family giving time with an evening meal - live.
Then we are having a similar lunch.
I understand the 'vague links ' and why we look at different celebrations around the world not being high priority for under 5's if their is no relevance , but I think it's important to grow up knowing about life elsewhere so dipping in and reading a book, looking at photos is a good way - drip feeding that people celebrate different things - not actually celebrating.
So I am looking forward to our skyping experience, the children in Bejing will be excited and that will make us feel happy. I am toying with putting some chocolate coins in my red envelopes ( purchased at a Chinese supermarket ) and we are going to make some decorations like we have seen in their home for our den for the day, not celebrating but just a pretend play situation of what we have just seen to stimulate conversation.
I think though as it is a live unknown situation I will have to be alert to thinking on my feet to the follow up!

Maza
30-01-2016, 11:22 PM
My best friend throughout school (and beyond) is Chinese and never once did any of our teachers mention Chinese New Year. The only other child from an ethnic minority in our class was a Muslim boy and not once did we ever learn about Eid, or any aspect of Islam or Chinese culture. What a shame! That's the 70s and 80s for you. I would be interested to know if any of you guys learnt about other cultures at primary school back in the day.

smurfette
31-01-2016, 09:38 AM
My best friend throughout school (and beyond) is Chinese and never once did any of our teachers mention Chinese New Year. The only other child from an ethnic minority in our class was a Muslim boy and not once did we ever learn about Eid, or any aspect of Islam or Chinese culture. What a shame! That's the 70s and 80s for you. I would be interested to know if any of you guys learnt about other cultures at primary school back in the day.

No we didn't , only child in our whole school who wasn't white was Pakistani and exotic but the opportunity was wasted ! Here in Ireland there is a move away from catholic lead schools which was all there was to what we call 'educate together ' where no religion is taught but all cultures are learned about and celebrated, so they celebrate Christmas but also eid, Chinese New Year etc .. Marvellous idea! Ireland is so multi cultural now and I think it truly is breaking down walls , and making the kids more open to other cultures and traditions. It has caught on so well that they are now starting to build secondary schools

I do agree with bunyip though, depending on mindees ages it's not something that really should be done unless you want to , mine are all under two and a half and I suspect wouldn't understand ., anyway luckily here we don't have to tick the boxes like you guys , thank goodness . I do think a lot of what you do is good and has given me great ideas to use here even though I don't have to but some of it just seems like jumping through the hoops and it frustrates me on your behalf ! Hope that makes sense

mumofone
19-01-2017, 10:47 PM
So Im sat here wondering what i can do for chinese new year with my (too young for it anyway!) mindees when i recalled talking about this with you lovely people before. I remember this thread like it was yesterday though! frightening, where did the year go?!!!

Maza
20-01-2017, 12:04 AM
Well, now that I am back working in schools, I am reminded of the fact that all children everywhere will probably be making some kind of dragon, possibly an envelope for money and some sort of craft around whatever animal it is this year. Just like Diwali, when most nursery and reception school kids will make a clay diva, year in year out. Having said that, at least schools are acknowledging festivals from other faiths - not like when I was a child.

What I rarely see (or hear) is traditional music being played. I have a 'tape' of Chinese music, still possibly tokenistic I know, but a bit different. The children do notice that we are listening to music that we don't normally listen to and respond favourably. We get ribbons and scarves out and have a dance. Now I will have to download something as I don't have anything on which to play my tapes! You could show some dragon dances on youtube if yours would be interested. I have also picked up several items over the years from visits to China town. I make an interest table with them and all the children - toddlers through to year 3s have been fascinated with them. I have some tea leaves in a beautifully decorated tin, some silk slippers and a little silk purse, wooden fans which they love to open and use on themselves and each other etc so it's quite sensory too. We have Chinese style utensils in our home corner and I always use cook 'something Chinese' with the children where possible.

All children love the story of the race. Some toddlers will be interested to see China on a map or globe - others won't be interested at all.

If you have a China town/community near you it would make a great trip out - a real feast for all the senses! Afterwards you could turn your role play area into a Chinese restaurant. One year this was so popular in my reception class that we kept it going for far longer than we anticipated and most of our Maths and Literacy learning took place in the 'restaurant' for weeks. Maybe coincidental but I had moved the role play 'corner' into the centre of the room and it was the focal point of the classroom and the first thing you saw when you entered the room. We also had to keep expanding it in size - just incorporating all the other tables into it.

Basically, don't think about having an end product, think about experiencing the festival as a child celebrating it would experience it.

Maza
20-01-2017, 02:43 PM
Sorry, it probably wasn't helpful waffling on about what I did in a school setting.

Just popping back on here to say check out your local library. Most of ours are doing a story/craft session linked to Chinese New Year. They usually do something for most of the main festivals and while it may contradict everything I said earlier, they are sweet and worth going to. They can act as a starting point/way in, or just as stand alone activity and a nice trip out. x

bunyip
22-01-2017, 10:04 AM
I'm tempted to run a culinary field trip to the local noodle-and-MSG establishment, then kick back and wait for the complaints about unhealthy fast food from the horrified bourgeois-mummies. ;)

Maza
22-01-2017, 05:00 PM
I'm tempted to run a culinary field trip to the local noodle-and-MSG establishment, then kick back and wait for the complaints about unhealthy fast food from the horrified bourgeois-mummies. ;)

Haha, yes I dare say some parents would comment in a negative way. Having said that, I have seen children munching away on veg on our little field trips who wouldn't normally go near the steamed plain veg, or over boiled veg that they get offered elsewhere. Which is worse? I honestly don't know.

Dragonfly
22-01-2017, 05:00 PM
I don't think I'm going to do Chinese New Year this year. Exspecially after reading/ rereading some of bunyips posts.
My mindees too young to understand anything about it and the 9 year old is only interested in eating noodles.

Maza
22-01-2017, 06:40 PM
So basically mumofone, it's up to you to decide whether you do anything or not. It's not been relevant to any of my past mindees but it is a festival which calls out to me and so I always mark it. I mentioned earlier that one of my oldest friends is Chinese and I remember when her dad took us both to China town in Manchester. I hated it. I was a bit unnerved because we didn't go to the Westernised side of it and so everything was totally foreign (pardon the pun) to me - the smells, sights, sounds, tastes etc. Now I love it. Before then, all I had experienced was going to the local Chinese Chippy to buy...chips. My friend (and another friend's husband) have helped me to build up my bank of resources and as we have great facilities only a short bus or train ride away it would be a shame not to use them.

At the end of my mini topic I don't really mind if my children know anything about Chinese New Year or the culture (that can always come later) - but I do know that they will have had their senses stimulated by listening to a different style of music, looking at a different type of design on various objects, being gentle with crepe paper decorations, picking up some things which are as light as a feather and some things which are a lot heavier than they look etc. Stimulating the senses and curiosity is my fundamental goal with young children. Older children always ask questions or make comments about my resources - another skill I am always keen to develop - which in turn gives me the opportunity to introduce new vocabulary.

In short - decide 'why' you would mark a certain festival and if it is more than ticking an Ofsted box then go for it. We can't mark every single festival with the children, so pick out the ones which appeal to you for some reason. If you are enthusiastic about it you are likely to pass on your enthusiasm too. If no festivals/special days appeal to you then don't worry.

There are a few little videos on youtube too which show families celebrating new year. Your children may love them or not be interested at all.

lollipop kid
30-01-2017, 06:02 PM
Saw your rant Bunyip, and wondered if you'd appreciate the effort I made with my lot for Chinese New Year this year.

Basically, I found out it was the year of the Rooster. (In some places, they are doing the year of the chicken.)

I dug out a couple of storybooks that we have featuring large and small pandas (I have two cute panda toys - big and small, and we've been doing big and small, so I thought, why not?)

I bought Chinese food (because I love it) and told the children it was Chinese New Year of the Rooster, so we were all having Chinese food for lunch.

They looked blankly at me and said, can't we just have eggs instead?

So I made them poached egg on toast and they said it was the best Chinese New Year food ever.

(I had to laugh!)

Then we read a story called "Dora's eggs" and carried on doing large and small, but this time in the vein of mummy and baby animals, which is much more up their street. Oh and baby chickens.

Couldn't resist it and it did make me chuckle. Maybe this week we'll do something with Kellogg's Cornflakes? (Chocolate Crispy cakes anyone?)

All the best,

LK