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Chinese New Year is coming very soon. This year we are going to celebrate the Fire Rooster. None in our family has this zodiac, but our happiness to welcome the Chinese New Year is not less. Many Chinese people believe that when your Chinese zodiac is celebrated in the year, you should have a lucky year. That is an old belief.

We usually celebrate the Chinese New Year in a big family. Here is our Chinese New Year celebration last year with our big family:
Chinese New Year – Culture, Tradition, and Character Education For Our Children

Chinese New Year is a very old Chinese traditional holiday that is still celebrated today by the Chinese, both those who are speakers or native and non speakers or descendants. Even, it has been a global celebration since the globalization that we cannot avoid. There are some Chinese New Year display in the malls in many countries. As a country with the most population, China has great influence to the world's economic, especially trading and industry. Therefore, knowing more about the Chinese people through the Chinese New Year tradition will be very interesting. We can know the common natural characteristics of Chinese as well.

Chinese New Year Activity Ideas

Here are some Chinese New Year activities and resources that we can use to introduce the Chinese New Year:

Introducing the Dragon as the mythical creature

1. Watching The Mulan Movies from The Walt Disney
2. How to Train Your Dragon Movies will show that dragon is not only a Chinese mythical creature.
3. Reading some Dragon stories. Here are some of them:

   Chinese Fables: The Dragon Slayer and Other Timeless Tales of WisdomLegend of the Chinese Dragon (English and Mandarin Chinese Edition)The Water Dragon: A Chinese Legend – English and Chinese bilingual textThe Pet Dragon: A Story about Adventure, Friendship, and Chinese Characters

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Introducing the Chinese Zodiacs

1. Reading series: Tales from The Chinese Zodiacs
2. The Race for the Chinese Zodiac will give simple information about the animals chosen to be the Chinese zodiacs
3. This very short story telling movie is great to introducing the race as well:
   

Introducing the Chinese New Year Traditions

1. Visiting the China town
   Observing and doing some research on Chinese around the Chinese New Year will usually make the Chinese New Year study more alive. You might check if there is any China Town around the place where you live to know more about the Chinese tradition, especially in the Chinese New Year.
2. Visiting the Chinese temple
   The Chinese New Year atmosphere is usually felt in the Chinese temple. We usually can see the temples well decorated. You might also find some unique Chinese New Year food during the celebration.
3. Here are some books to help:
   • Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year LTF: A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap Book (Lift-the-Flap, Puffin)
   • Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Chinese New Year: With Fireworks, Dragons, and Lanterns
   • Chelsea's Chinese New Year (Cloverleaf Books – Holidays and Special Days)
   • Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year (Reading Rainbow Books)
   • Bringing In the New Year (Read to a Child!)
   • Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes will be great for Grade 3-8

By Joan Holub Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year LTF: A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap Book (Lift-the-Flap, Puffin) (Ltf) [Paperback]Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Chinese New Year: With Fireworks, Dragons, and Lanterns by Carolyn Otto (2009-01-13)Chelsea's Chinese New Year (Cloverleaf Books – Holidays and Special Days)Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year (Reading Rainbow Books)Bringing In the New Year (Read to a Child!)Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes

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Practice some Chinese Traditions in The Chinese New Year

1. Eating the Chinese New Year cake is a long tradition.
2. Watching the Lion Dance and the Dragon Dance.
3. Eat some Chinese food like fish, sweets, oranges, preserved Chinese snacks.
4. Visiting some Chinese families and watch how they give the red envelopes, congratulate each others, and have some ceremonies. Some Chinese families still do traditional worship in the temple.
5. It is great to have some Chinese New Year feast in the Chinese restaurants.
6. Don't forget to introduce the Chinese food and how to eat using the chopsticks before you have some Chinese feast.
7. Practice singing Chinese New Year songs and dances.
   Here is a link to listen to the common Chinese New Year song with lyrics
8. Learn and practice how to say congratulation and wishes in the Chinese New Year.
   Here is a great video about it:
   
9. Do some Chinese New Year arts, such as making the Chinese lantern, fan, dragon from the yogurt bottles, Chinese masks, etc.
   Here are some books that might help:

   Chinese New Year Crafts (Fun Holiday Crafts Kids Can Do!)Paper Crafts for Chinese New Year (Paper Craft Fun for Holidays)Make a Chinese New Year Dragon (Time for Kids Nonfiction Readers: Level 1.7) by Conni Medina (2011-10-01)Chinese New Year [With Web Access] (Celebrating American Holidays: Arts & Crafts)

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If you would like to give more exploration about the Chinese New Year, I made this notebooking page templates and activities that you might want to check out:

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