Teaching
Children about China 
By
Jill Monroe
Children love learning about other cultures. China, as one of the
oldest civilizations, is particularly rich in tradition, and the
bits that are familiar to kids from their visits to Chinese
restaurants, etc., make them eager to learn more. As a resource, I
highly recommend the following book: Moonbeams, Dumplings &
Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities &
Recipes by Nina Simonds and Leslie Swartz. The stories and
activities (especially the Chinese version of hacky sack) are
excellent.
Paper Lanterns
Construction paper
Scissors
Ruler
Crayons/markers
Stapler/tape
Paper lanterns are pretty and easy, and children will love to make
them again and again. For the first time, I like to give the child
white construction paper and ask the child to color something that
is Chinese inspired. The Chinese culture often uses nature, so
blossoms, fish and animals are some things the children will usually
color.
1) Fold paper in half lengthwise with the drawing on the inside.
Turn paper so the long dimension is horizontal and the folded edge
is on the bottom.
2) Using a ruler, draw a horizontal line one inch below and parallel
to the top, making marks at every inch. Draw vertical lines from the
inch marks down to the folded edge.
3) Using safe scissors, cut along the vertical lines from the folded
edge upward, stopping at the horizontal line.
5) Unfold the paper and crease the folds in the opposite direction.
Turn paper so that the drawing is on the outside, pull the short
edges of the paper together and staple or tape into place.
6) You can use a strip of paper to make a handle for your lanterns,
then hang them from a string. Do not put a candle or light under
them, as they are very flammable.
Chinese Yo-Yos
Dowel rods
Wrapping paper
Exacto knife (adults only)
Hot glue (adults only)
Chinese yo-yos are fun to play with and to make. I usually go to the
dollar store and buy a roll of wrapping paper - since nature scenes
are popular in the Chinese culture, I usually try to find a roll
with flowers or fish, etc. Or you can unroll it and let the children
color their own picture.
Use an Exacto knife and cut a strip of paper 7 feet long and 4
inches wide. Hot glue one end of the paper to the dowel rod. Roll
the paper tightly around the dowel rod. Your child should know what
to do from there. With use, the end won't wrap as tight, so I will
trim the edge over time. This was a lot of fun.
Dragons
Box
Paper
Markers/paint
Crepe paper
The dragon plays a major role in Chinese culture, and it was one of
the things my children said they enjoyed making the most. We took a
box and covered it with white paper. HELPFUL HINT: Your local
newspaper will often sell newsprint rolls when they become too small
to complete a round of printing. This is a very inexpensive source
for large paper.
Have the children look at several pictures of dragons used in
parades to determine the design. For younger children, you might
want to already have the eyes and teeth made. Decorate the box with
various colors of crepe paper. For the main body, I used old plastic
tablecloths from past birthdays (I can never throw anything away,
and you never know when these come in handy).
Fortune Cookies
I can't teach without including food. Here is a simple recipe for
making fortune cookies:
1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1. Write fortunes on paper 3 inches long and 1/2 inch wide.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Grease a cookie sheet (I usually use butter).
4. Mix the egg white and vanilla until foamy (if it becomes stiff,
you've mixed too long).
5. Sift the flour, salt and sugar, and blend into the eggs and
vanilla. 6. Put teaspoonfuls of the batter about 4 inches apart on
the cookie sheet. Flatten batter, making sure they are even.
7. Bake the cookies for 5 minutes or until edges are golden.
8. Remove from oven, and very quickly place the fortune in the
center of the cookie. Fold in half, then fold in half again. You
have to do this quickly because once the cookie has cooled it will
break instead of fold.
For Your Older Child
Challenge older students to learn more about Chinese migration to
the United States. Or talk about the dangerous work that it took to
build the nearly 2,000 miles of the transcontinental railroad. More
than 12,000 Chinese workers were hired. Chinese-American Steven Chu
won a Nobel Prize for Physics on his work on cooling atoms. He now
teaches at Stanford, teaching new generations a love of physics.
Beloved cellist Yo-Yo Ma brings the love of music to people around
the world. Writer Amy Tan has had her work translated into more than
25 languages. The Joy Luck Club is an excellent read for
grownups. Tan has written two books for children as well: The Moon
Lady and The Chinese Siamese Cat. A champion of women's figure
skating, Michelle Kwan graces the ice with style.
Excellent
Books
I've tried
to pick a variety of books that can go with each of the crafts.
Lady of Ch'iao would be excellent for your older child.
Dragon Dance a Chinese New Year: A Chinese New Year Lift-The-Flap
Book by Joan Holub (pre-school)
Fortune Cookie Fortunes by Grace Lin (ages 4-8)
Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of the South, Southern China, A.D.
531 (The Royal Diaries) by Laurence Yep (ages 9-12)
Lanterns and Firecrackers: A Chinese New Year Story (Festival
Time) by Jonny Zucker (ages 4-8)
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Fish Soup
By Theresa Ragan
As most of you know, eating fish on a regular basis is good for you.
Fish soup is fast and easy, and it tastes delicious! My husband
considers this recipe more of a stew since it's pretty thick. Just
add more tomato sauce if you like a soupier texture. Fish soup works
well with my busy schedule because I can make double and triple
 batches
and then freeze it for later. The other great thing about this
recipe is that you can add any kind of fish you like. If you don't
like minced clams or shrimp, then leave that ingredient out and add
more crab and/or salmon. Fish is high in protein and relatively low
in fat. It's also a source of many vitamins and minerals. Eating
fish regularly-two to three times a week-may even reduce your risk
of heart disease. So eat up!
1 can shrimp (I really like shrimp, so I buy the small bag of tiny
frozen shrimp and use it all.)
1 can crab meat (It comes in a can that looks like tuna.)
1 piece white fresh fish (halibut is good!)
1 piece of salmon (not mandatory, but I always use it!)
1 teaspoon onion
1 teaspoon garlic
2 tablespoons 100 percent olive oil
1 tablespoon parsley
1/2 cup sherry wine (important ingredient!)
1 can minced clam
1 can tomato sauce (16-ounce or more if you like a thinner texture)
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
In a large stock pot, sauté onion in olive oil. Add all other
ingredients and cook
at medium to high for about ten minutes, stirring often as you add
the spices. Fish cooks fast, so after ten minutes set the burner to
low and cover. While that is simmering, make a salad and warm up
some French bread. In about ten minutes (total cooking time is 20
minutes), your fish soup/stew is ready to serve. Yummy!
My favorite salad is the prepackaged Caesar salad that comes with
the dressing, croutons, and Parmesan. Add craisins (dried
cranberries), pecan-pie flavored pecans, feta cheese (Mediterranean
style), avocado, and tomato. It's the best!
Serve a glass of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay or sparkling cider,
depending on whom you're dining with. Enjoy!
To read last
month's Stuff to Make article, click
here
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