Chinese New Year

[Maza]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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