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HERVE GIRAUD: Kradji: A Child Of Cambodia (Children of the World (Blackbirch Press).)
Franklin Huffman: Cambodian System of Writing and Beginning Reader (Yale Language Series)
David Smyth: Colloquial Cambodian: A Complete Language Course (Colloquial Series)
Loung Ung: Lucky Child : A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind
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Mongkol sent us this lovely New Year's card. We'd like to wish everyone a happy New Year! We hope to attend the celebration in Cranston, RI over the weekend and take photos and videos. Meanwhile, enjoy this Cambodian New Year's video from last year and some more information about Khmer New Year's here.
Today we drove up to Lowell Community Charter Public School where there was a New Year's party. We arrived late, but just in time for the traditional games. Harry and Sara feel asleep in the car, so they were sleepy when all the other kids were running around playing drop the scarf. (For those in the US, it is like duck duck goose)
Then there was lots of popular dancing. The kids wouldn't dance, but I couldn't resist. I handed Walter the camera and here it is ... No time to show him how to use the camera, so not the best photo.
The party took place in the school's gym which had wonderful oil paintings of Cambodia hanging on the walls (for example, this one). There was also a khmer-style scuplture. Everyone was posing in front of it for photos. And so did Harry. Sara was busy dancing with some local children. I made a video.
After the party, we went to the local market. My husband has been busy researching special dishes to cook for tommorrow's luncheon after Temple and needed some special ingredients. Across the street from the Market is Bopha's Dress Shop. I went in looking for a Khmer skirt and blouse to wear tommorow and found one! We're all ready for tommorrow!
There's a listing over at the famcam site. We'll be in Lowell on Saturday and Cranston, RI on Sunday.
Here's the RI info:
Linda Snelling
and Julie Springwater would like to host the 8th Annual Cambodian New
Year celebration potluck at their home on Sunday April 16, 2006. This
will commence at approximately 2 PM, or immediately following events at
the Plainfield Pike Temple.
All FamCam
families and friends are welcome
Please RSVP
for the potluck to Linda and Julie at chezseaview@cox.net
The Wat on
Plainfield Pike is at 2870 Plainfield Pike, Cranston, RI. 401 942-2084.
If you do, please let me know where to find them. I'm collecting them for a school activity that I need to do in Harry and Sara's classroom.
Happy New Year in Khmer!
We're getting ready to celebrate Cambodian New Year's this weekend!
In Lowell, MA, there is a month-long Cambodian Expressions Film and Arts Festival. On Saturday, there will be a Khmer New Year Celebration at the Lowell Community Charter School that we will attend and then eat dinner at our favoriate Cambodian Restaurant. (It is my husband's birthday too and that's where he wanted to celebrate!)
On Sunday, there is a service at a Wat in Cranston, RI that we will attend and bring an offering for the monk. There will be dance performance by young people (other Cambodian adoptees we know who live in Connecticut) and who are lucky enough to live near Somaly Hay.
I am preparing to go into both Harry and Sara's classrooms to do some New Year's activities. Last year, I used this lesson plan and will revise it. With Spring break, won't be able to get into the classroom until the end of the month - but I always enjoy doing it.
Andrew Page who is the photographer for the Angkor Dance Troupe in Lowell is offering some greeting cards and prints of Cambodian dance and culture. There are also some 2006 New Year's cards. Portion of the proceeds helps support the Angkor Dance Troupe's documentation and website gallery fund.
I know it will be past New Year's, but will be doing a classroom activity for both Sara and Harry about Cambodian New Year's. I expect to be in Harry's class on April 28th. Is there anyone in Cambodia who would like to talk to his class via skype or Yahoo IM Talk?
That week is also National Dance Week, so will also include an activity around dance. Lots to think about and do in the next few weeks.
Today I visited both Harry's and Sara's schools and did a lesson on the Lunar/Chinese New Year which ends this weekend.
Sara's school does not have an Internet-connected computer, so the activities were focused on movement, reading a book about it, circle time, doing related crafts, and singing a song. The kids were age four and five year olds. I was impressed that they were able to sit still for the ten-minute circle time where we talked about Chinese New Year.
I told them the story about the Animal Zodiac race and I asked why you did Rat won? One kid answered, "Because he exercised!" I interpersed circle talk with some hands-on tasks - like they got to fold the buddhist prayer money and put it inside the red envelope and touch the firecrackers.
They made "Year of the Dog" New Year's cards and good luck scrolls. I used photoshop and word to create templates and "stickers" on address labels for them to use.
They really enjoyed the "Gung Hay Fat Choy" song. Before I introduced the song, in the circle time we practiced saying Happy New Year in Chinese. (I told the kids that if they say that in Chinese restaurant to the waiter, it will make the waiter happy and they might even get a second fortune cookie.) I made up a game on the spot where I would point to someone and they would have to Gung Hay Fat Choy and then point to someone else unitl we went around the circle.
Then I played the song and had them raise their hand when they heard the phrase. Next we sang the song together - mostly the chorus. And for each verse, we made up hand movements to match the words. The song has a nice relaxing tune. If I were to do this lesson again, I'd put the song at the end before the snack and right after the circle I would do a more energetic movement activity. We didn't have a video in the classroom, so couldn't do the lion dance stuff I did in Harry's class.
The crafts were a big hit. With two crafts stations set up, and so many kids, I was so busy I didn't remember to take out my digital camera until the end.
At Harry's class, I spent circle time explaining Chinese New Year -- mostly as an inquiry lecture - asking them lots of questions and encouraging them to raise their hand and ask me questions. I also showed them examples. Each kid got a red envelope with Buddhist Prayer Money.
I told them that after circle we would use SKYPE internet phone to call Nick in Hong Kong. These six-year olds were amazed that we could do that with a computer and very impressed that I knew someone in Hong Kong. I explained to them that my computer was turned into a phone and showed on the globe where Hong Kong was. I told them Nick could answer the questions they had about the flickr photo set he put together.
The day before, I had worked with the school's IT Director to get access to their wireless network and get ports cleared so we could I jack in my laptop and get beyond the firewall. I was not able to get on with my laptop. While IT director went back to her office and grabbed her laptop loaded with SKYPE, Harry's teacher and I asked the kids to brainstorm a list of questions they wanted to ask Nick.
I wasn't sure whether Nick would be available -- after it all there is like a 12 hour time difference and that would make 2:00 a.m.. So, we left a message on his voice mail and the kids screamed all together "Gung Hay Fat Choy." Later that evening, Harry and I spoke with Nick via Skype and then Nick created a podcast of the answers.
Here's the list of questions from some pretty curious 6 year olds:
The kids watched a video of the lion dance. I showed them the photo of the Lion Dance in Cambodia. Then I had them color in the masks and then I taught them a very simplified lion dance gestures. Finally, they settled down for a snack!
Technorati Tags: chinesenewyear, skype
The photo above is from a blog entry about Lunar New Year by Samphors that Tharum pointed out to me during an IM chat when I asked about how Cambodian's celebrate it.
I'm asking because I'm getting ready for my annual Lunar New Year's Lesson in Harry's and Sara's school. Thanks to some blogging friends in Cambodia and other parts of Asia, I will be able to share some information about how it is celebrated in Cambodia as well as Hong Kong.
So, if you are reading this and are from Cambodia - if you could leave a comment and tell me about how you celebrate the New Year I would so grateful. I will share it with Harry and Sara.
In the meantime, here are some thoughts about what I might cover ...
Here's the lesson plan, approximately 1 hour:
1. Introduction to Chinese New Year
I've created a book with lots of photos and will do circle style on the rug - the interactive lecture. In Harry's class, there is a large computer and I can put the images in powerpoint:
Inquiry questions:
Stand up and sing song: Gung Hay Fat Choy
2. Activity Centers (divide into small groups, set up activity at each table and have them rotate)
Make a lion mask (color and deocrate cardboard cutouts or print these on cardstock)
Make a New Year's Card (bring red cards for them to use rubber stamps and print/cut out these to color and collage)
Practice Writing Good Luck in Chinese (Harry's class)
Make Good Luck Scrolls (Sara's Class) (Print on red paper, bring gold markers and gold string to hang)
Put the chinese new year digital jigsaw puzzles on CD to load onto classroom computer
(Other options: I've collected some great links to many other resources and activities and will need this in the future. Depending on the number of kids/teachers and parents, may need to do fewer centers.)
3. Lion Dance with Masks
Show Lion Dance Video Clip on computer - 1-2 minutes (others can be found here)
Adapt movements for 4-6 year olds
History of Lion Dance (in case the kids ask questions ...)
4. Read Story about Lion Dance
Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year's
5. Snack and Goodie Bags
Fortune Cookies, oranges, and the really cool goody bags I have to put together ....
P.S. Due to scheduling, we're doing all this towards the end of the two-week new year holiday ..
