Chinese New Year - Brooklyn Children's Museum

Activities to do with your students
Activity Extensions
Social Studies
• Find out how other cultures celebrate the New
Year. Have students read about Vietnamese,
Korean or other New Year celebration. Older
students may make comparisons on how they
are different from the Chinese celebration.
• Teach students basic sayings in Mandarin
Chinese: Happy New Year, Hello, Thank You, etc.
See: http://otal.umd.edu/chintut/greeting.html
• Have students read about and research China
or Chinese American immigration. Have
students research one of the Chinatowns in
NYC or research what cities in the U.S.A.
or in the world have Chinatowns. Follow by
taking a field trip to Chinatown.
Literacy
• Have students interview their parents or
guardians about their favorite New Year
celebration memory or about their parents’
New Year resolution.
• Have students write their own spring couplet
in English. As an art extension to this
activity: Have students create banners with
their couplets and decorate them with
symbols and images of Chinese New Year.
Hang them in the classroom for the remainder
of the unit. http://www.chinapage.com/
duilian/chunlian0.html, http://www.scils.
rutgers.edu/~kyfoo/chinese/spring_couplets.
html
• Have students bring lucky items in for show
and tell.
Science
• The Chinese use a calendar based on the
phases of the moon. A new moon is the
beginning of a month. A full moon is the middle
of a month. Known as the lunar calendar,
it is calculated by the time it takes the moon
to travel around the earth. (By comparison,
the Gregorian calendar, which is used in the
West, is based on the time it takes the earth
to circle the sun). Have the class observe
the phases of the moon (have them keep a
moon journal, with sketches of the moon,
or do research on the internet) to better
understand the lunar calendar. Traditionally,
Chinese New Year is a two-week festival
beginning with New Year on the new moon
and ending with the lantern festival on the
Full moon. Why do they think that is? See
Websites: http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lunar/
home.htm#moon, http://www.kidsastronomy.
com/astroskymap/lunar.htm
Math
• Based on their age, try to figure out
what animal year your sibling, parent, and
grandparent is using the zodiac chart.
Art
• Have students design a New Year decoration
or card featuring their favorite zodiac animal.
Other
Now that the unit is complete, your classroom
is clean and decorated and dancers practiced,
it’s time to celebrate Chinese New Year. Invite
another class to come celebrate the New Year
with you. Have noodles and other Chinese New
Year treats for everyone to try (see sample menu).
Have students give each visiting student a
Hong Bao and let everyone watch your class
perform the Lion Dance for good luck!
Chinese New Year | 32