Books to Get for Mother's Day--Families with Children From China

Serve the People by Jen Lin-Liu

For any mom who loves food! This book chronicles Lin-Liu's exploration of Chinese culinary traditions, which she went about in a unique way. After writing articles as a food critic for several years, she decided to go to a cooking school, and then intern at several restaurants.

She includes lots of interesting insights into the culture and the food, as well as including many recipes which look entirely doable. They would make some really nice mother-daughter projects, cooking authentic Chinese food.

Easy and Creative Ideas for Making Peeps Dioramas

Easy idea for a Peeps diorama--Peeps at the Art Museum

Here's a fun and easy idea for making a Peeps diorama with your kids--have Peeps at the art museum. You just need a few beads, some felt, a few fabric remnants, paper, markers--and of course, marshmallow Peeps. This How to Make a Peeps Diorama article has lots of tips that you wouldn't ordinarily think of when making a diorama.  I've had children use this same idea and make something like a karate school or dance class, too.

I've learned through hard experience lots of tips and tricks about making Peeps dioramas. This is a good site to read before making one of your own. How to Make a Peeps Diorama

Great tips for making a Peeps diorama

Easter is coming up. This site has some great practical tips. Did you know it's best to buy the Peeps earlier and let them dry a bit? See! All kinds of things you didn't know that will make it much easier to get that diorama done. Ho to Make a Peeps Diorama

Celebrate Chinese New Year by Carolyn Otto-- a good book to read to children for Lunar New Year. By National Geographic. Great photos, of course.

Here is a great book to read to children for Chinese New Year. It includes great photography by National Geographic staff and includes photos from celebrations all around the world. What I liked is that it has brief phrases you can read to the really young kids and more in-depth explanations you can read to the older children. You can find lots more book suggestions here.

Printable Greeting card template for Year of the Monkey

Printable template for Year of the Monkey greeting card Chinese New Year

Take a few simple shapes--heart, oval, circles--put them together, and you have this cute little monkey who fits into the year 2016 just fine. It's a 2016 Year of the Monkey greeting card, and the printable template is available here

A book to read to kids at Chinese New Year

Book to read to kids for Chinese New Year -- Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas

This is a great book that would be great to read to a group of kids for Chinese New Year. The artwork is fun and whimsical,and the echoes of of The Three Bears are nicely done. Click this link for a great list of books about Chinese New Year.

An easy lantern to make for Chinese New Year--Year of the Monkey

Here is a quick and easy craft project for Chinese New Year. Print out this cute monkey, have the kids color it and cut it out. Then teach them how to accordion-fold it, and they have a Year of the Monkey lantern.

Monkey King Shape Face. Printable template on site.

Make this little Monkey King face with a printable template from this site Kid Crafts for Year of the Monkey

Printable Year of the Monkey Greeting Card--Chinese New Year

This graphic is blank at the top for a reason: it's a template for a Year of the Monkey greeting card. You can either print it out the way it is--hand-colored--or, the site has templates for making the monkey and also the template to color. A quick, easy craft to do with kids for Chinese New Year.