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Home : 2001 : July : 7

China
By Virginia

Here are a few ideas for your unit on China. The Chinese invented the original calculator -- the abacus!! Give each child a pipe cleaner and some Fruit Loops or Cheerios and show them how to slide the cereal onto the pipe
cleaners. Fold over each end of the pipe cleaner so the cereal does not fall off and --- you have an abacus for a counting activity. (It would be great to find the Chinese words for counting one to five).
Also the giant panda bear is a national symbol of China. You could make pandas by using paper plates -- a large plate for the body and a small plate for the head. Add black construction

paper ears, paws, nose and eyes and you have a panda bear. You could also draw two circles onto white paper and have the children make the paws, ears, etc. with thumbprints. Those turn out really cute also.

Finally, the children could decorate some Chinese fans. Two types of fans can be made -- one by folding paper accordion style and another by cutting a large circle from tagboard and taping a chopstick to the back for the handle.

Here are a few books I'd suggest to go along with your unit:

LonPoPo: A Red Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young

Two of Everything: A Chinese Folktale, by Lily Toy Hong

Once There Were No Pandas by Margaret Greaves

Tiki Tiki Tembo by Arlene Mosel.