Classroom Happenings: Chinese New Year

Our third graders really go places! In their studies this year, they are “traveling” to all the continents, gaining knowledge about the world and exploring the customs, foods, and holidays that make every destination special. 

Building and engaging the community — including parents — is a vital part of Steward’s strategic plan, Compass 2028: Inspire the Future. A recent study on Asia included a parent presentation by Jenny Li (mother of Cathy Zhang ’34) and Mei LaRoach (mother of James ’35 and Maggie ’31) about the Chinese New Year. 

Traditions
On January 29 (the Lunar New Year), Ms. Li, Ms. LaRoach, and the third-grade students and teachers (Liz Houston, Andy Routzahn, and Emma Zehfuss ’17) gathered in the Bryan Innovation Lab for an exciting morning. Ms. Li began by showing the students where China is located on a world map and explaining that there are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. Each year, a different animal is designated to represent the Chinese New Year. 

“This year’s animal is a snake!” she told the students, who reacted with “oohs” and “ahhs.” She shared that the snake represents intelligence, mystery, and renewal. Ms. Li then described some of the traditions that ring in the Chinese New Year. Families deep-clean their homes (“to fill our homes with good wishes,” she explained), and decorate with yellow and red. “Yellow and red are lucky colors,” she noted. Special food is an important part of the festivities, as is staying up late. 

A Delicious Lesson
In the Bryan Lab kitchen, the third graders gathered around the giant stainless steel countertop to watch as Ms. LaRoach demonstrated how to make Chinese dumplings. 

“Give it a try yourself!” she said, encouraging our young cooks to fold wonton wrappers around a zesty cheese filling. As the third-graders’ culinary creations took shape, Ms. LaRoach dropped the wontons into a pot of simmering vegetable soup that she had prepared earlier. After a quick lesson on how to hold and use chopsticks, the students sampled the delicious wontons and sipped on the soup. 

Paper Art
One of the most fascinating aspects of the Chinese language is its elaborate “alphabet,” which is actually a graphic system of letters known as Hanzi. With Ms. Li and Ms. LaRoach’s help, our third graders learned how to write “Happy New Year” in Chinese on red and yellow bookmarks. The day before, the students had made paper lanterns and paper snakes in class, weaving red and yellow paper together, on which they’d written a New Year’s goal and a friendship goal. 

Parent Connections
To cap off the morning in the Bryan Lab, Ms. Li and Ms. LaRaoch taught the students a traditional Chinese dance. Students wiggled, smiled, and shimmied their way through the lesson.

“We are grateful to have the opportunity to welcome our community’s families,” said Mr. Routzahn. “When parents share their personal experiences, students see world cultures through hands-on activities, food, dance, art, and history, enriching their understanding and appreciation of diverse traditions.”