New Year's

Chinese New Year Tablescape Play

January 20, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Little learners will love to explore this Chinese New Year tablescape set up filled with Asian artifacts and red and gold loose parts.

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This Chinese New Year tablescape play invitation features Asian artifacts and decorations. Little learners will love exploring the unique items on the table, learning about Asian culture along the way.

Chinese New Year, also called the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is an important celebration held in late January or early February in China. Many other East Asian countries, as well as Chinese people around the world, celebrate the holiday too.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

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Chinese New Year Tablescape Supplies

A Chinese New Year tablescape filled with Asian artifacts and red and gold loose parts for little learners to explore.

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Here are the Asian-themed supplies featured in the tablescape:

wicker decorations and hat
gold serving bowl
chopsticks
red bowls
gold glitter cups
tiny cups with calligraphy
candy decorations
fish ornament
play food fish
gold garland “noodles”
game chip “play food”
tin ornament candies
coin purse
money envelopes
small tins
vase with artificial cherry blossom branch
gold coins
lion string puppet
fabric ornaments with tassels
plaque with Chinese calligraphy
red tablecloth

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Tablescape Play Invitation

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In setting up the dinner table play invitation, I use artifacts collected long ago, supplies available in stores around Chinese New Year, and red and gold loose parts.

Bowls and chopsticks are important pieces, as they are commonly found in Asian tableware. Fish is a traditional New Year’s dish and is equated with an increase in prosperity. The gold garland strips represent longevity noodles: long, uncut noodles that symbolize a long life. A coin purse and money envelopes are ready for coins to be added. And a lion string puppet is poised for the lion dance.

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More Chinese New Year Play Inspiration

This tablescape play invitation is bound to engage little learners. For more Chinese New Year play ideas or to host a vibrant party, view the blog post “How To Throw A Stellar Lunar New Year Party” by So Fort Worth It. The post showcases a host of decorating and activity ideas that can be adapted for little learners.

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Chinese New Year Chickpea Bin

January 16, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Chinese New Year begins is on February 1, 2022, and it will be the Year Of The Tiger. And so the feature creature in this year’s Chinese New Year chickpea bin is a tiger! The no-fuss bin is easy to put together and has a pop of blue in addition to the traditional red and gold hues.

The tiger is the third animal in the Chinese zodiac, and the 2022 big cat is a water tiger. Qualities associated with the water tiger are being sociable, easy-going, goal-oriented, hardworking, brave, smart, musical, artistic, and low maintenance.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Chinese New Year Chickpea Bin Supplies

This Chinese New Year chickpea-based sensory bin represents the year of the tiger.

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The chosen bin is a round white metal tray with a blue rim.

The base ingredient is dyed dried chickpeas. Aside from chickpeas, the items in the bin are:

tiger figurine
red bowl and chopsticks
tiny red cups
metal tin
gold garland strands
acrylic diamond gems
gold buttons and metal stars
calligraphy game pieces
gold play coins

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Year Of The Tiger Chickpea Bin

This chickpea-based sensory bin has a "Year Of The Tiger" Chinese New Year theme.

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The majority of chickpeas are dyed in varying amounts of red acrylic craft paint. Some are transformed into turquoise and blue. Instructions to easily dye these chunky legumes are in my post “Chinese New Year Sensory Play.”

The blue chickpeas are formed into a winding river running through the center of the bin, and the red-infused chickpeas are generously sprinkled around it.

The tiger is positioned on the river.

The rest of the loose parts are spread around the bin.

Little learners are bound to enjoy playing with the tiger. The flashy cat will stand out on the river but be camouflaged in the red-toned chickpeas.

The tiger is center stage in this "Year Of The Tiger" Chinese New sensory bin.

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To further their interest in this stunning animal, here are some facts to share with your little charges.

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Ten Tiger Facts

Tigers are big cats. Siberian tigers are the largest big cats in the world.
These solitary animals have red-orange or brown-orange coats with black stripes. Their underbellies are white or cream-colored.
Tigers are semiaquatic. Unlike domestic cats, they like water and can swim well. In hot, dry seasons they soak in water to cool off.
The long hind legs of tigers help them jump high and long.
These powerful animals have sharp claws and teeth, great smell, and excellent night vision.
Tigers are carnivorous and can travel hundreds of miles in search of food.
These nocturnal animals are top predators and keep the populations of prey under control.
Tigers are considered endangered. Globally, there are about 4000 tigers left in the wild, and a greater number in zoos.
In China, the Amur tiger, also called a Siberian tiger, lives in a few spots in the northeast.
The South China tiger is now extinct in the wild.

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Related:

Year Of The Pig Sensory Bin (Chinese New Year 2019)

Year Of The Rat Noodle Bin (Chinese New Year 2020)

Year Of The Ox Sensory Tray (Chinese New Year 2021)

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New Year’s Eve Sensory Tray

December 31, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This New Year’s Eve sensory tray is full of party vibes. It is an inviting loose parts tray to offer at a New Year’s Eve event, or on the first day of class in January. The dinner-themed play invitation is currently ready for my preschoolers to explore when they are back at school next week. I’m excited to see how they use it!

The featured tray is called a “tuff tray”, or “active world tray.” In our country (Canada) they are available to order online at:

Scholar’s Choice

Education Station

My active world tuff tray is a recent addition to my stock of early learning resources, and I love using it.

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Supplies To Collect

New Year's Eve sensory play tray with a party theme.

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To recreate this tray, pick a set of disposable paper New Year’s party plates. Use the colors in the plates to guide the color scheme for the loose parts in the active world tray. My plates are gold, silver, black and white, with metallic touches. I use gold and silver metallic accessories for the tray.

Loose parts to include:

round placemat
disposable cups and cutlery
gift boxes
serving bowls and spoons
tongs
star-shaped containers
strips of bead garland
buttons
play coins
small bells
large ornament bells
present ornaments
balls cut from garland
tiny trophies

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The New Year’s Eve Sensory Tray

Gather loose parts that you have available. Arrange them as a dinner invitation.

New Year's Eve tuff tray filled with dinner-themed loose parts little learners will love to party with.

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Serving containers in a variety of sizes and shapes add appeal and provide options for manipulating loose parts.

Bells are a welcome addition to any sensory activity. There are large bell ornaments and small jingling bells in the tray, offering a musical component.

The featured gift boxes are clear and contain tiny trophies and ornaments. Little learners can explore them and change up the contents. Gold or silver gift boxes would work wonderfully too.

New Year's Eve sensory tray featuring dinnerware, gift boxes, and metallic loose parts.

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New Year’s All Gold Sensory Activity

December 30, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

An inviting New Year's all gold sensory bowl filled with shiny items little learners will love to explore.

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This New Year’s all gold sensory activity is filled with … you guessed it…all gold loose parts! It’s one I’ve been wanting to put together for a while and finally did. Whether the loose parts are organized in a bin or tray, this activity is one your little learners will love to take part in.

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Gold And New Year’s

Glittery, metallic gold is a popular color for New Year’s celebrations. And it usually plays a big part in Christmas festivities too.

Gold is considered a symbol of wealth. But in addition to monetary wealth, the rich color also represents a wealth of experience, knowledge, and love. And who doesn’t wish for all these things, especially at the beginning of a new year?

Follow me on Pinterest for more New Year’s ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

New Year's all gold sensory bin loose parts tray for little learners to explore.

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Gather the following supplies in metallic gold:

tiny trophies
small present and drum decorations
play coins
assorted buttons
miniature ornaments
bows
jingle bells
strands cut from beaded necklaces
tongs
spoons
cups

It’s easy to find these items during the holiday season. And I’m sure you will be able to think of even more things to add.

New Year's all gold sensory activity loose parts tray.

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“All Gold” Sensory Bin

A large clear plastic salad bowl makes a good bin for this sensory setup. But a plastic square or rectangular container works fine too.

A rich New Year's all gold sensory activity featuring shiny metallic loose parts for little learners to explore.

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No base ingredient is needed for this eye-appealing activity. Just throw a mix of metallic gold loose parts in your container of choice. Then set it out on a table with golden cups, tongs, and spoons for your little learners to explore.

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All Gold Sensory Tray

If you only have a small supply of golden items, why not use a serving tray. Your little charges will be happy to dive in and investigate the shiny “treasures” in the tray.

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New Year's metallic gold sensory bin loose parts tray.

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