The Year of the Ox: A Chinese New Year with a difference

Welsh schools celebrate the Spring Festival digitally using a range of original resources produced by Cardiff Confucius Institute tutors.

This year, Lunar New Year fell on February 12 and schools around Wales welcomed in the Year of the Ox in a slightly different way to usual. As well as streaming online classes for the Seren Network and MFL Mentoring, to celebrate the Spring Festival tutors at Cardiff Confucius Institute put together a range of pre-recorded videos and activities for pupils to use. These versatile activities could be done in a classroom, virtual classroom, at home with families or as independent learning at home.

The variety of resources included specially recorded videos featuring our tutors, PDF worksheets to download and presentations to watch. Children were able to:

• Discover the origins and legend of Chinese New Year, including making an Ox using the traditional art of paper-folding.
• Learn about special Spring Festival food and traditions such as  letting off fireworks and firecrackers.
• Listen to the folk tale ‘Ma Liang and the Magic Paintbrush’ and tell it to others in Mandarin.
• Master the ancient craft of paper-cutting.
• Make Chinese lanterns.
• Learn about the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac.
• Sing along with the Happy New Year song.

Pupils and teachers could also download suggestions of other online New Year’s resources, including ‘Lucky Lunar’ New Year foods, the Lion Dance and DIY decorations.

If you would like to use these resources with your pupils, with your families or by yourself, then visit this page. The activities have been designed for children but are great for anyone interested in Mandarin and Chinese culture!