Welcome to another Wacky Workshops project – Chinese New Year crafts.

Chinese New Year is the most important of the many holidays and celebrations celebrated by the Chinese. The celebration goes on for days and days and can last longer than a month.

The date changes every year as the Chinese calendar is based on the lunar year.

The calendar follows a 12-year cycle and each year is named after an animal.

This year we are in the year of the Monkey.

The fun starts on February 8. It is a time for feasting, family, celebration and, of course, fireworks.

Red is considered a very lucky colour on Chinese New Year.

This week’s projects include a fun puzzle, an easy lantern and a drum even tiny tots can make.

LET’S GET STARTED

CHINESE NEW YEAR DRUM

This one is easy enough for toddlers to do.

SUPPLIES

• Old CDs (or you could use tin lids, like the kind from cookie containers)
• Paint (I used black spray paint but you could be more traditional and use red)
• Dowelling – about 20 -23 cm long
• String – about 30 cm long
• Beads
• Tape
• Sparkles, glitter, glue (optional)

METHOD

• Paint the CD in the colour of your choice
• Tie a knot on one end of the string
• Add a bead and tie another knot right near it – to keep the bead in place.
• Tie another knot towards the other end of the string and add another bead.
• Then, tie another knot to keep the bead in place.
• Tie the middle of the string around the dowelling, about a third of the way down.
• Use tape to stick the dowelling the back of the CD.
• Decorate with sparkles and glitter if you choose.

The way it works is to roll the dowelling between both hands so the beads hit the CD and make a noise.

CHINESE NEW YEAR LANTERN

This one is ridiculously easy but great fun for the kids. It’s a good way to practice scissor use and fine motor skills.

SUPPLIES

• Paper (I used A4 red paper)
• Scissors
• Paper strips or ribbon
• String for the top.
• Sparkles, glitter, glue (optional but fun)
• Sticky tape or stapler

METHOD

• Fold the paper in half – short ends together.
• Cut parallel lines from the fold towards the ends – being sure not to reach the end.
• Open the paper and put the long ends together to form a cylinder.
• Tape (or staple) top and bottom.
• Decorate with sparkles.
• Add paper strips or ribbon to the bottom.
• Add the string to the top for hanging.

CHINESE NEW YEAR TANGRAM PUZZLE

This is an ancient Chinese puzzle also known as the ‘seven pieces of cleverness’ because the idea is to use the seven pieces of paper to create pictures.

SUPPLIES

• Paper – it needs to be square.
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors

METHOD

• Fold the square paper in half, then in half again and repeat until you have 16 squares within your original paper square. This will give you the grid to draw your puzzle pieces.
• Draw your lines as per the picture.
• Cut out the seven pieces.
• Now have fun putting them together into different figures.

Here are some examples.

How many figures can you make?

Hop on board Wacky Airlines to discover more fun Chinese craft ideas.

Happy crafting and have a gleeful week, Tamuria.