Robins and Ducklings have really enjoyed their recent learning based around the annual celebration of the Chinese lunar New Year. This year is the year of the snake. The children have learnt about a variety of traditions that the Chinese community celebrate during this festival. They have also learnt about some of the traditional stories that are retold and celebrated too. They have made some excellent connections between these traditional stories and the contemporary practices that you would witness celebrating this important time of year. Furthermore, the children have been engaged in a wide variety of exciting activities and learning opportunities. For example, they have enjoyed their own Dragon dancing and created some musical accompaniment to go with this; they have created some lovely artwork based around this important time of year and the Robins have also written some sentences in their writing books relating to this celebration. One of the key stories that we have read is about the Jade Emperor and the Great Race, an event that was organised so that the Jade Emperor could find a way to measure time. Animals raced across a river and the first twelve animals to complete the race had a year named after them in the Chinese zodiac. Ask your Robin or Duckling if they can remember the order of some of the animals. Amazingly, some of them have already recalled all twelve animals in the correct order that they finished the race in – astonishing! And perhaps the most enjoyable activity of all? Definitely tasting some traditional Chinese foods – yum yum!