As January slowly winds down to its last few days, and most of our New Year’s resolutions begin to lose just a bit of their shimmer, I can’t help but get excited all over again when I think about what is coming next. Nope, it’s not Valentine’s Day, although I love that one, too. Maybe some of you are already familiar with the celebration I am thinking of. I’ll give you a hint: It goes by two names!
Have you guessed it yet? Here’s a couple clues! It’s beautiful colors and symbols have deep significance and meaning. It’s celebrations take place all around the world, but originated in China. OK, I am pretty sure you know what it is now! It’s Chinese New Year, also called the Lunar New Year!!
This special time is not just one single day, and it is a cultural holiday season worth learning about, to be sure! Whether your family is from China, or anywhere else around the globe (or a combination of places, like mine is!), whether you are Christian, Jewish, or any religion…you and your children will love learning about this special time filled with the love of family.
It is so important for children to learn about lots of different cultures and beliefs that may be different than their own. It is also wonderful to compare and contrast a belief system with your family’s own beliefs in order to identify areas of commonality. I grew up in a home where both Norwegian and British customs were very common. I knew nothing of most other cultures until I was in middle school, when I became fascinated by learning how other people in places I had never known lived; especially their customs, their beliefs, and their daily lives. That fascination never subsided. To this day, I love learning what I call “living history”…the people, the physical places, the lives that really exist/existed. When children’s eyes are opened to the beautiful world we live in, and the gorgeous rainbow of people in it, they can better appreciate God’s incredible creation; they can also better show love to ALL of His people, not just the ones in their small circles. 
The Chinese, or Lunar, New Year is a celebration of prosperity, family, respect, honor, cleanliness, and excitement for what is to come in the next year. Children, in particular, are honored during this holiday wth red envelopes filled with money. This is a great honor, and not taken lightly. Special food is prepared, special sayings are written on “Auspicious Scrolls,” homes are cleaned from top to bottom (out with the old air/dust/etc, in with a fresh new start)–this is one of my favorite parts! This concept of starting anew, afresh, with hope and goodwill…there’s something about it that makes my heart happy. One year, I even incorporated Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, into our lessons! It was awesome! However you explore this holiday, I encourage you to get the kids excited about learning something new and different. You will find their minds and hearts will open and become more understanding with each new venture.
Here are the ways I like to explore learning about Chinese New Year in our home:
- decorate our dining room table with red and gold, and also with treasure my grandparents brought back from their travels to China years ago
- make red envelopes as an art project
- buy red envelopes and fill them to give, once the kids understand the meaning
- get food from a real (traditional) Chinese restaurant (not fast food)
- write poems
- Make Asian Inspired Chicken Stir Fry (Keep Scrolling to the very bottom to see the recipe!)
- make lotus, koi, and citrus fruit greeting cards
- design dragons for the traditional “Dragon Parade”
- clean (deep clean!) areas of the house that maybe don’t get constant attention (kitchen drawers, closet floors, window coverings, under cabinets, behind the refrigerator, under beds, etc)
- focus on honoring each family member in a way that will be meaningful to that person (this helps kids take the focus off of themselves and try to think from another person’s perspective)
I have few resources I use to help with learning more about Chinese New Year. These has art projects in them, history, the Lunar Calendar, templates for photocopying, and great stories. I use them all together so that the experience is rich and meaningful to my students. My hope is that this fun holiday will add great joy to your season and to your family.
Mrs. Twine’s Bookshelf
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Asian Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 3 cans White Meat Chicken, drained or 1.5 lbs White Meat Chicken Cooked and Chunked
- 1 Package Mushrooms, sliced
- 1 Can Water Chestnuts, sliced
- 1-2 Diced Green Onions
- Chicken broth (about 8oz)
- 10-15 Sugar Snap Peas, chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 T Cornstarch
- 1 C Bean Sprouts
- 2 C White Rice
Instructions
- Cook rice separately (either on stove or in a rice cooker), and set aside.
- Sauté green onions
- Sauté mushrooms
- Sauté chopped sugar snap peas
- Open and drain canned chicken
- Open and drain water chestnuts
- Combine all above ingredients in large skillet, add chicken broth and bean sprouts, adjust heat to low
- Mix 1 T cornstarch with water (use whisk), then pour into skillet, stirring well. Sauce will thicken.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over the white rice.