Chinese New Year lanterns

This week brings in The Year of the Goat during the Chinese New Year celebration, and my 2nd graders enjoyed learning about the traditions involved, like the home organization, banner hanging, family time, and of course the parade! We looked at many pictures of lantern-lined streets, beautifully glowing with the light from the red papers while the dragon comes forward, scaring away any bad luck with its crashing drums and popping fireworks - quite a display!

We joined in the celebration by creating our own lanterns and symbols of good luck in the New Year. After a guided drawing of the folded paper cylinder, students learned to change values when adding the red color to create the look of a 3-D form, aka "shading". As we worked, each of us shared how we hoped our lantern would bring us good luck in the new year. Gung Hay Fat Choi! Photo above from http://all-free-download.com/free-vector/vector-misc/year_of_the_goat_silhouette_with_flower_pattern_2015_312413.html