In February, we celebrated the Year of the Dragon for Lunar New Year. We recognized that many countries celebrate this holiday, so our educators set up activities that were an invitation into learning about different Asian cultures. We included a sensory bin filled with the different photos of the 12 Chinese zodiac animal signs, South Korean coins (our class chose South Korea as our country of the month to learn about), and Vietnamese lucky red envelopes. We also had a sensory bin filled with ‘noodles’ which were pieces of yarn, with chopsticks and oyster pails (also known as a paper pail, Chinese food box or Chinese takeout container). The children tested their chopstick skills as they worked their fine motor skills as well, scooping us the ‘noodles’ and placing them in the containers. Ariah tried many times and excitedly showed Ava her accomplishment when she got it.
Our class worked together to create a giant dragon that we hung in the center of our classroom. One of our educators sat down with the children and demonstrated how to create a paper chain link. Together, we made enough for the body of the dragon. We made his head out of a red plastic plate and a dragon face. This dragon hung in the front of our classroom all month, being placed so that it can be one of the first things you see when you enter the room. This serves as a reminder of our learning, engaging the environment as the third teacher.
Last year for Lunar New Year, we invited one of our students’ parents into our class to demonstrate how to make Chinese egg and tofu dumplings with us. We asked them again this year, and they accepted. Our class was very excited because we learned so much last year, and because the dumplings are delicious!
Working together with our Centre’s cook, Deb, they prepared the dumpling mixture and wraps, then brought them to our classroom. The children sat as an audience, patiently observing the dumpling demonstration. One by one, children volunteered to come up and try their turn in pinching the dumpling closed. Our cookDeb helped Ava’s parents boil the dumplings, and we got to eat our creations at lunchtime. Eating something you help create can provide a rewarding feeling and give an opportunity to try something you wouldn’t usually eat. It also made this learning experience a great opportunity for our class to explore cooking and enjoying other cultures food.
The parents even provided Lunar New Year goodie bags for each child, providing a sense of belonging for everyone. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful parent engagement in our classroom!
