It’s the ‘year of the snake’ and children celebrated Lunar New Year by acting out the story of the Great Race. Children told us about their experience of going to the Lunar New Year Parade. One child brought in his puppet of the snake. Children took part in processions in the garden, playing instruments, waving ribbons, wearing red fabrics and dragon heads that they had made. They also made lanterns to welcome in the new year and did mark-making inspired by Chinese calligraphy. Children really had fun in the role-play areas cooking rice, noodles and a range of delicious sauces.

“I saw a dragon on stage and then he went into the waterfall and then he jumped down and he went to sleep, woke up and then started to dance.”
“My uncle bought me a little drum.”
“The animals, they are racing.”
“The rat was first. The rat wins the race. He pushed the cat in the water.”
“The dragon flied.”
“Dragons fly and then they land.”
“They blow fire.”
“We’re painting a dragon, a baby dragon.”
“We made dragons and we were dragons and we were dancing.”
“We played drums and tambourines and shakers.”
“Horse, 7! Goat, 8!”
“All the animals, tiger, dragon, a dog. Where’s the cat?”