Chinese New Year

Here are some websites that have lesson plans and activities for all grades having to do with Chinese New Year.

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/calendar-activities/chinese-year-starts-today-20424.html

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/chinese-new-year/teacher-resources/6603.html

Check them out!

Hi Folks,

Just a reminder that the Chinese and many other people celebrate the lunar new year. Vietnamese, Koreans, Japanese, Thai, and others mark the lunar new year. And, of course, significant minorities in the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia celebrate the lunar new year. This is one reason they all issue lunar new year stamps. Want to see this year's crop:

http://china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=1999

We also have a collection of last year's stamps at:
http://china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=1343

I hope everyone's year of the tiger is off to a great start.

Make a lantern for Chinese New Year.

Supplies:

* Colored paper (construction paper or gift wrapping)
* Scissors
* Glue, tape, or a stapler

Fold a rectangular piece of paper in half, making a long, thin rectangle.
Make a series of cuts (about a dozen or more) along the fold line. Don't cut all the way to the edge of the paper.
Unfold the paper. Glue or staple the short edges of the paper together.
Cut a strip of paper 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Glue or staple this strip of paper across one end of the lantern - this will be the handle of the lantern.
Optional: Make a lot of lanterns and string them along a length of yarn. Decorate your room!

Thank you for the websites, they have some really useful calendar activities. I especially like the link that has historical figures and events, notable people, and happenings in history. It is categorized by grade levels and can easily be used in any subject matter. Everyone should check it out!

This sounds like a fun activity. Do you have a picture of this lantern? Can you post it as an attachment? Thanks.

Yes, for the first time since 1900, Valentine's Day falls on the same day as the Chinese New Year. This event won't happen again until after 2030!

Another thought on Chinese New Year/Valentine' s Day. Are you guys watching the winter Olympics? Shen and Zhao of China (married couple) won a gold medal in the pair figure skating at the Vancouver Olympics on Valentine's Day! What a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine's Day and a New Year! Pang and Tong of China won the silver. They were absolutely fantastic! [Edit by="smarkey on Feb 21, 7:02:47 AM"][/Edit]

Enjoyed showing both my french and history classes the new 'year of the tiger stamps'. Though small, the French stamp was a nice way to highlight the relationship between France and Vietnam as well as their shared histories during french imperialism.

We have an adult Chinese school on campus here at PVHS on Sundays. I was coming in to do a little work and the adults were teaching the kids how to do the traditional New Years dances complete with live music and costumes. I watched for a minute and they grabbed me and had me jump in and join them!

We have an active group of Chinese parents at my school and every year they provide a great lunch for the staff to celebrate Chinese New Years. This year they outdid themselves, decorated the staff lounge, they all dress in beautiful Chinese dresses and treated us like royalty. They are so excited to have us taste not just the typical dishes but some of the more unusual ones they provide. But not as excited as the teachers are!

One of the nice things that happened for me, was that I found out one of my student's mom is a wonderful artist. She brought in three paintings of hers, one was of two tigers, (year of the tiger) but all were beautiful.

I taught my students how to make Chinese dumplings with the help of Marissa. It was a great experience.

Traditionally, people started to prepare for the Chinese New Year at least one month ahead of the time. Everybody is supposed to be back home to be with their parents on the Chinese New Year's Eve.