In the Year of the Rat, kids in Lee’s Summit learned about rich cultural traditions
The Year of the Rat is just a few weeks old, which gave the Lee’s Summit Library an opportunity to celebrate Chinese New Year. The program attracted kids from ages 2 to 14.
“A lot of them are home-schooled, so I think sometimes their parents will have touched on it a little, but it’s probably something they don’t know much about,” said Jodanna Bitner, an early-literacy associate for the library.
One key point of the program is that the Chinese New Year celebrations are part of a larger group of festivities happening in many Asian countries celebrating the Lunar New Year.
The kids were also surprised when Mikayla McLean, a youth services associate who ran the program with Bitner, unveiled a map of countries where lots of people celebrate the holiday, including Canada, France and the United States. All are places with significant Asian populations.
One of the bigger celebrations in the Kansas City area happens annually at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Bitner told the kids about how when she studied abroad in Denmark, she found herself in the midst of a Fourth of July celebration. Much as how people have their own way of celebrating the Lunar New Year in different countries, the Rebild Festival gives its own twist to celebrating American independence.
One child gasped when McLean told the group that the Chinese New Year celebration lasts 15 days, including cleaning and preparation, family gatherings and traditional entertainment like the lion dance.
Paper lanterns were on the craft list for the day, and the kids worked with red paper to create their own masterpieces. Red symbolizes luck and good fortune in Chinese culture.
Another piece of Chinese culture the library gave the kids a taste of was calligraphy. Using paint brushes and watercolors, they did their best to re-create how someone would do more elaborate calligraphy.
Ten-year-old Lauren Logan said she liked “all the motions” you get to make while doing the brush strokes for the Chinese characters.
“I think the calligraphy was especially interesting,” said Carolyn Conner of Kansas City, who brought her four children to the program. “It’s part of our home school curriculum — it was our cultural experience for today. This one was perfect. It was simple enough and interactive.”
Damien Logan, 14, said he came to the program because he’s currently learning to speak Chinese.
When it came to discussing the wide use of fireworks, McLean asked the kids how many fireworks they thought people used in the celebrations. One suggested 100, and when McLean hinted the number was higher, 6-year-old Elliana Ward suggested it was “infinity.”
The kids also learned their individual Chinese zodiac signs, based on their birth years.
“We’re just really excited to present this to the kids and really excited to get to show them and let them experience a part of a culture they may not know much about,” Bitner said.
“I think it’s really amazing to learn about different cultures. Hopefully, this will inspire them to go to Chinese New Year’s festivals around here next year and get to experience what it’s like in person.”