Busy Hands: Chinese Good Luck Ornament

Chinese New Year is on February 19, and I thought we must commemorate this bright and colourful occasion with a craft of our own. This is the Year of the Sheep, and we've already shared our painted cotton sheep craft.

While looking for inspiration for a Chinese New Year themed craft, I learned so much about Chinese culture and it's many symbols. A few important things associated with this festival are lanterns, the Chinese dragon, fruits (especially mandarins) and cherry blossoms. I also got Little Dude involved by showing him photos of Chinese decorations and a video of the Chinese Dragon dance. Of course, he wanted to make the dragon soon after (we're working on that)!

I decided to make a Chinese Good Luck ornament, which you may have seen in souvenir shops or a Chinese festival. They come in many designs and shapes from simple, to complicated with lots of symbols (such as fishes, or bats) and calligraphy. But all of them have one thing in common, which is the Chinese character for good luck called 'fu'.

This is what a Good Luck Ornament generally looks like:

Ours is much simpler, and there's a toddler version too!

Here are the materials you need to make the Chinese Good Luck Ornament:

- Thick cardboard

- Red and yellow craft paper

- Coloured yarn (yellow, red, green, golden)

- Gold glitter glue

This is how you can make it:

1. Cut out a square (about 10 cm) from the red craft paper, and stick on to a thick cardboard of the same size.

2. Cut out two crescent shapes from red paper and decorate with gold glitter. Stick them on to the sides of the square as shown below.

3. Cut out the 'fu' symbol from the yellow paper (or gold foil paper, if you have it). This is what it looks like:

4. Cut small segments of the yarn. Use red and yellow (or gold). Fold them into loops and tape them on to the back. I made 12 double loops, but you can also make them single in only red.

5. Cut out longer segments of different coloured yarn to put at the base of the ornament like a tassel. Secure them with tape. I also added a red paper ring around them.

6. Add another yarn segment at the top for hanging. You can even braid it loosely with red and yellow like I did.

This version is more suitable for older kids, but we also made a toddler version of the ornament. I gave Little Dude another square with different shapes for him to stick on to it. He was happy to have made one of his own, and then I helped him make the yarn loops and tassel.

This craft is bound to be fun as a group activity or individually, and can also be modified to suit different ages. It's also a great way to explore and introduce the Chinese culture.

This post is part of the Chinese New Year series and giveaway on Multicultural Kid Blogs. Enter our giveaway to win one of these great prize packages, and don't forget to link up your own posts about Chinese New Year on our main page!
Giveaway begins Jan. 21 and goes through midnight ET on March 5, 2015. Enter below for a chance to win! Remember you can make a comment on the blog post of a different co-host each day for an additional entry.

First Prize Package

From Tuttle Publishing, All About China: Take the whole family on a whirlwind tour of Chinese history and culture with this delightfully illustrated book that is packed with stories, activities and games. Travel from the stone age through the dynasties to the present day with songs and crafts for kids that will teach them about Chinese language and the Chinese way of life.

Also from Tuttle Publishing, Long-Long's New Year, a beautifully illustrated picture book about a little Chinese boy named Long-Long, who accompanies his grandfather into the city to sell cabbages in order to buy food and decorations for the New Year. Selling cabbages is harder than Long-Long expects, and he encounters many adventures before he finds a way to help his grandfather, and earn New Year's treats for his mother and little cousin.

From A Little Mandarin, a CD featuring a collection of Chinese children’s classics – songs loved by families in China for generations – given new life with a contemporary sound and voice. The 15 tracks fuse rock, pop, dance, ska, and hip hop influences with playful lyrics to make it a unique and fun learning companion for all ages. Featured on Putumayo Kids Presents World Sing-Along.

Second Prize Package

US shipping only

From Tuttle Publishing, Celebrating the Chinese New Year, in which Little Mei's grandfather tells her the stories of Nian and the monster Xi for Chinese New Year.

Also from Tuttle Publishing, The Sheep Beauty, which brings to life the kindness and generosity of those born under the sign of the sheep in the Chinese zodiac.

Also from Tuttle Publishing, Chinese Zodiac Animals, a fun and informative way to learn about the ancient Chinese Zodiac, explaining the traits of each animal sign and what luck the future might hold for the person born under that sign.

From Tiny Tapping Toes, a monkey drum, plus a free pdf of a craft version. World Music children's performer DARIA has spent the last two decades performing in the USA and around the world, creating music to inspire all the world’s children and allowing children to become a part of the celebration and the fun of exploring world cultures.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


This post has been linked to: Let Kids Be Kids // Tuesday Tutorials //
Mini Creations // The Weekly Kids Co-Op