Year of the Rooster

Two very long dragons. Rooster noisemakers. Lots of red. It’s the Fillmore Lunar New Year parade!

Junior-K led the way in this festive parade. Each class made a spectacular dragonhead attached to a long body–a painted trail of fabric under which the Jr-K kids hid and walked. The Pre-K kids followed shaking rooster noisemakers they made.  

>> See Lunar New Year slideshow. 

Forsyth’s youngest students in the Fillmore Early Childhood Center have been studying the Lunar New Year: the legends and stories, the celebrations, and the food.

Pre-K heard the story of Nian, made rooster shakers [above], stomped on bubble wrap to simulate firecrackers, and hung red couplets outside their door. Pre-K kids also made dragon puppets; dragons symbolize strength and courage. They ate sticky rice with chopsticks. Reminder: 3- and 4-year olds–sounds fun! It should be noted that Pre-K is actively studying birds, so the year of the Rooster resonates with these kids. (Not likely to see a rooster at the bird feeder, even with their binoculars!)

Junior-K learned about the Zodiac race that determined which animals would be in the Zodiac. In addition to the imaginative dragonheads, they are making lanterns and learned how to write numbers in Chinese. A new year’s feast in the classroom will serve up longevity noodles, spring rolls, dumplings, sticky rice and oranges.

Happy New Year! Wishing you great happiness and prosperity.