Year of the Snake Programming Ideas

The 2013 Lunar New Year begins on Feb. 10, and this year is the Year of the Snake.  For a library program, you can include both books and activities on the traditions of Lunar New Year, Chinese Culture, and snakes.  Here are some ideas:  

Crafts: I think paper lanterns are the easiest craft – even a preschooler can do this.  Here are instructions: http://www.jellyfishjelly.com/?p=766  

For older kids, make these lanterns using eight red envelopes: http://www.squidoo.com/Chinese-New-Year-DIY-Lantern  

You can also make snakes our of clay, or snakes made from paper chains: http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mpaper-chain-snake.htm  

Make a snake from a paper plate: http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mspiralsnake.htm  

Games:   Chopsticks Game:  This is a relay race, where the child transfers something from one bowl, across the room, to another bowl, holding the object with chopsticks.  The object can be a marshmallow, feather, piece of candy, etc. Here are the instructions: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/the_chopsticks_game.htm  

Tiu-u (Fishing): This is very similar to dominoes; plus, you make the dominoes out of popsicle sticks. See the instructions here: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/tiu-u.htm  

Books:  

Chin, Oliver. The Year of the Snake.  

Compestine, Ying. The Runaway Wok.  

Lin, Grace. Bringing in the New Year.  

Schaefer, Carole L. Dragon Dancing.  

Yen, Clara. Why Rat Comes First.  

Yu, Li-Qiong. A New Year’s Reunion.  

Storytime:  

Snakes: http://www.bayviews.org/storytime/stsnakes.html  

China: http://www.bayviews.org/storytime/stchina.html    

Science Activities:   For your science area, focus on snakes.  You may be able to “borrow” a snake from a local pet store or nature center. Other snake science activities can include a computer set to the Natural Geographic for Kids site: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/ .  

Refreshments:   Simple Mandarin oranges or Clementines are great.  Almond cookies are also traditional; Fortune Cookies are not (they originated in the U.S.).  

Useful Websites:   Enchanted Learning crafts: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/chinesenewyear/   Activity Village: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/chinese_new_year_crafts.htm   DLTK: http://dltk-holidays.com/china/index.htm