Day 4 (China) of 2nd Session...

We explored China and Chinese New Year. We went on a treasure hunt and found Ancient Chinese coins. We are pretty sure it was Chang-E (who can only come to earth on a full moon) that brought us the coins for luck and prosperity. Then we put on the play "Nian, The Horrible Monster" which explains the Chinese tradition of wearing red and making lots of noise with fireworks. Then we saw a traditional Dragon Dance and made our own dragon puppets. We discussed the Three Gorges Dam and how there are good and not so good reasons for getting electricity from hydroelectric power plants. We also held our own Chinese New Year Festival where we played the games seven pieces and shuttlecock. We also tried pork potstickers and made our own music with bells, hand drums, a gourd flute and gong. We also talked about the Silk Road, how silk is made and painted on silk.