Things You'll Need:
- Large red and gold construction paper sheets
- Pretend horns, firecrackers and large red/gold construction paper banners and gold chocolate candy coins
- Chinese lanterns of all shapes and sizes, especially fish
- Roll of white art paper
- Paints, colored pens, pencils, markers, staples
- Scissors or craft knife
- Craft glue or hot glue gun
- Patterns of animals or dragon heads from books
- Material to stuff patterns with
- Long dowel rods
- Overhead projector, PA system, CD or tape player with Chinese music
- Costumes for clowns, musicians and dancers
- White paper cone cups strong string
- Toilet paper or paper towel, wrapping paper empty rolls
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Step 1
When preparing students for the Chinese New Year study we began by creating parts of the celebration. Lanterns, dragon head and tail, banners and firecrackers, horns and lions' heads all made by the students.
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Step 2
On the first day we copied large fish onto the white paper rolls by using an overhead projector with white paper taped on the wall and a book with the picture in it. Then tracing the picture to the white paper and cutting out the shape. Colors, paint, markers and trims were all used to decorate the fish lantern. Two fish shapes made one lantern. Stuffed with paper towels, tissue, newspaper etc. the fish were glued together to form one lantern shape on three sides and then a rod was inserted at the bottom of the shape and side and rod glued into place. Next, we attached strong string to several top and bottom spots to help manipulate the fish down the street.
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Step 3
Firecrackers were made next by using the empty paper towel or tissue rolls and cutting into all different sizes. Painting the tube red and letting it dry. When dry gluing the white cone cup on the top. This can be painted gold if you wish. Painting gold stripes on the red tube for good luck.
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Step 4
The Dragon was last to create. First we traced dragon head designs by use of the overhead on the white paper and cut them out. Painted with all bright colors and with red and gold too. Then we drew a long tail in a snake S shape and added our own individual designs and colors to fill in the white tail shape. We then put two dragon heads together and stuffed them before gluing in several rods and glued completely closed to form one head. Then we added strong string all along the tail top and bottom at three inch intervals for strength and for the children to hold as it maneuvered throughout the parade. Dancers with lion's heads (made the same way) and clowns and musicians formed the rest of the entourage. Paper towel tubes made great horns. The use old Halloween costumes and masks for the rest of the children gave everyone a part. Chinese music played in the background over the school PA system and everyone cheered. Party foods of Chinese cakes, sweetened fruit and gold chocolate coins in red construction pockets completed the celebration. Banners hung in the classroom in red and gold with the words wealth, wisdom, power, good fortune, and good luck for decorations. The children loved it and we learned a lot about the Chinese New Year.
