1-2-3 Come Make A Chinese Lantern With Me

I had an absolute blast visiting China from the comfort of my own home these  past few days.  Mother Nature is hurling winter at my window, while I, snug in warm PJ's, flit around the world in my desk chair.  Today I'm experiencing China's spectacular Lantern Festival. 

Because of my voracious appetite to learn new things, I LOVE doing research, and am extremely grateful to people who make the time to share their knowledge, creative gifts and photographs to help others.

Whenever I'm designing a new packet, I like to find out the "how" and "why" of what I'm doing.  As teachers, it's extremely important to have a wealth of trivia floating around in one's head that you can share with your students, making things more interesting and factual.

 Inevitably some child will ask: "Why are lanterns so popular in China?"  "Why is red one of their favorite colors?"  "How did the Lantern Festival start?" I wanted to know too, so I spent several hours Online going on an Asian Internet adventure to find out. 

After searching, reading, and carefully cross-checking where possible, I came up with all sorts of information about China's lanterns, as well as their Lantern Festival.  I found it all very fascinating and especially enjoyed the various folktales behind their traditions, which date back 1,000's of years!

I made a list of my favorite Chinese New Year YouTube videos, so your kiddos can experience a Lion Dance, a Dragon Dance, stilt walkers, zillions of floating lanterns drifting up into the sky, and other aspects of this fabulous celebration, that will make things real and exciting for them.  Click on the link for the 29-page  Chinese Paper Lantern Packet.

One of China's most popular lanterns is the riddle lantern; it's an integral part of their pageantry.  If you have the time, making this Chinese paper lantern is a quick, easy and fun craftivity that helps students practice their cutting skills.

Solving riddles is another simple way to add a bit of Chinese New Year flavor to your day. Here's how:

Paper lanterns are relatively inexpensive at party stores.  Purchase 2 or 3 and hang them from the ceiling.  Write the riddles on strips of yellow paper. 

Dangle some lengths of string or curling ribbon from the base of the lanterns and attach enough riddles for each student to have one.  As they walk through the door and see these swirling and twirling globes decorated with yellow strips of paper they will be all a-buzz.

 Wish them a "Gong Hey Fat Choy!"  (pronounced gung-she-fah-tie) Happy Chinese New Year, then give them time to exercise their brains via riddles. 

To make this easy for you, I made a list of over 90 riddles that I thought your students would enjoy.  Some are simple, some a bit more difficult; all are thought-provoking.   Read through the list and decide what is age-appropriate for your kiddos then use those on your riddle lantern(s).  Click on the link for the Chinese Paper Lantern Craftivity.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  Even though February is not quite over, it's time to start planning for March is Reading Month. I hope the work that I do, helps save you time, and alleviates a bit of stress from your life. 

I truly enjoy reading any comments about the materials I provide and how you've used them. Wishing you a wonderful day.

"A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor a man perfected without trials." - Chinese proverb