Chinese New Year!

This school year we have been studying ancient civilizations, starting with Egypt, going on to Greece, and then China.  We read about the building of the Great Wall, the Silk Route, and what life was like in Imperial China.  Chinese New Year coincided with the end of our unit, so what better way to finish off the lesson than to go out and enjoy some Chinese food to celebrate the new year?


First we made some lai see, which is a traditional New Year's gift that kids receive.  They are red envelopes with money inside to symbolize prosperity in the new year. 

Later, we went out to our favorite Chinese place (which is owned by the neighbors across the street from us) and enjoyed a great meal.  We ate it with chopsticks and shared common dishes.  Then at the end we gave the kids their lai see and did something that only grandparents do- let them get toys from one of those quarter machines at the front of the store.  They all got bouncy balls and plastic dice, which they were very happy about.  I brought the camera, but forgot to take a picture until the end.  At least I remembered ;-)

So... to give a traditional Chinese New Year greeting/salutation, "Gung hay fat choy!" (May you prosper)