Craft a Chinese New Year Dragon
Topics: Preschool, Chinese New Year, Social Studies, Arts and Crafts
Chinese New Year celebrations are a real treat for youngsters. There's so much excitement from parades, colorful costumes, food, and best of all, dragons! But these dragons aren't fire-breathing monsters; they symbolize good luck! Make your own with this easy craft activity. You'll recycle empty toilet paper rolls into a beautiful work of art, in addition to introducing your child to a different culture... and maybe even bring a little extra luck into your household!
What You Need:
- Newspaper
- 1 wooden dowel or Tinker Toy, at least 12" long
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Thin ribbons
- Masking tape
- 4+ cardboard tubes from empty toilet paper rolls
- Paint and paintbrushes
- String
- A hole punch
What to Do:
- Line your workspace with newspaper.
- Cut a dragon's head about the size of your palm out of the construction paper. Look in books or online for some ideas of what it should look like.
- Help your child paint on a face. You might want to sketch something out for her to fill in, but it's always fun to see what design she'll come up with on her own. Decorate it with as many bright colors as she likes, and set it aside to dry.
- Use tape to attach the dragon's face onto the top of the dowel. This will serve as a "spine" as well as a handle once you're done.
- Take out the cardboard tubes and paint them. Use different colors and patterns as you wish! Some ideas: you could paint scales, claws, feet, wings, etc. Set them upright and let them dry.
- Cut a piece of string about the same size as the dowel and tie one end around the top, just below the dragon's head. Knot it tightly!
- Punch a hole at the end of one tube. It doesn't matter which, but this one will be at the end of the dragon.
- Pull the rest of the string through all the tubes, and knot the string through the hole in the last tube. All the tubes should be able to move freely on the string except the last one.
- Tie a couple strands of ribbon to the hole in the last tube and the dragon will become a moving, colorful piece of art!
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