Ok i need a little help here i have found out it starts on the 7th feb but how long dose it go on for?

This site may be of help to you.

www.infoplease.com/spot/chinesenewyear1.html

Hi there everyone

Well it is my first time adding a post. It is a fantastic site and has given my some great ideas and info.

I am thinking about Chinese New year. Yes i know its only October but i need to get the ball rolling on my idea.

Does anyone know of a dance or performing arts group that will come to nursery and do the Chinese dancing dragon for the children to watch. I think it would be a wonderful experience for the children.

i work in a nursery in Cheshire. if anyone can help or give ideas then that would be great.

Thanks

Alison

We've never managed to have a live group in school (which would be fantastic!) but we have watched on the smartboard and then made our own dragon head with a long piece of red fabric behind. We arm ourselves with music an instruments and the children all get a chance to be the leader/dance/play instruments - it's really good fun :) but you do need a bit of space!

Thanks that sounds like lots of fun. I have just been on ebay and you can buy the costume from China, though the children will probably have more fun making thier own.

Thanks

Where did you hear that it's on 7th Feb?

As far as I know, the next one starts on 14th Feb (changes every year. Following a lunar calendar or something like that)

It lasts for 15 fun-filled days of family gatherings and feasting.

Regards
Mark
http://earlychildcare.wordpress.com/

You should probably be able to get baby lion/dragon dance heads in Chinatown closer to the day.

Also part of the tradition is fireworks, which I doubt are feasible for your setting, but children really love little "poppers".

They're basically a tiny bit of sawdust and gunpowder wrapped in a little paper, so that they're shaped like a flower (ie a ball with a stalk). When thrown they explode with a popping noise.

They come in little boxes with many inside, so I don't know if anyone would be interested in those. =-P

Make sure the kids don't try what I did though, which is unwrap many little poppers to gather the gunpowder and fill it up into a piece of tissue for a giant popper.

Regards
Mark
http://earlychildcare.wordpress.com/

I love exploring Chinese New Year with the children! We often do ordinal numbers in maths, making masks of the different animals, mark making looking at Chinese symbols, making lucky bags with chocolate coins in, dragon dancing to music... It's great fun!

A little tip from someone who has "done" Chinese New Year for many years - if you are going to make lucky envelopes and you want to fill them with chocolate coins remember to buy them at Christmas - they are extremely hard to get in February.

You are right Mark. It may seem confusing until you realise that the original person posted this topic back in 2007.

Whoops!!

At least she would have been pleasantly surprised had she traveled back to the future!

Regards
Mark
http://earlychildcare.wordpress.com/

Hm, in true Chinese tradition, the children should be taught how to gamble with those coins.

Regards
Mark
http://earlychildcare.wordpress.com/