Back to the Imaginarium
Ages 6–8Adventure
Chinese Theme Dinner
A culture that is already familiar — the perfect first voyage.
Our first dinner for ages 6–8 is a Chinese Theme Dinner. For a first experience, choose a culture that is already familiar and easy to plan — most taste buds are accustomed to the cuisine and research resources are abundant, so this first voyage should run smoothly. Activities are planned for each day to keep young ones happily occupied while you cook.
Take breaks when needed according to the attention span of your children and your own. When this endeavor becomes a chore, the positive aspects of learning are lost. The point is to bond and learn surprising things from, and with, your family.
Gather Your Supplies
The Provisions
Props
- Paper for placemats with each family member's Chinese zodiac sign
- Paraphernalia related to the year's zodiac animal
- Chinese lanterns — construction paper, scissors, glue or staples
- A Chuen-hop "tray of togetherness" — a flat tray or one with eight compartments
Recipes & Food
- Egg rolls (baked, take-out, or hand-rolled)
- Chicken with Chinese vegetables
- Moon cake
- Chinese pizza
- Fortune cookies (homemade or from your favorite restaurant)
Language & Music
- hao — "good / okay"
- ni hao — "hello"
- shi de — "yes"
- wo xihuan xuexi zhongwen — "I like to learn Chinese"
- Traditional Chinese music playing softly
- A collection of Chinese verses to discuss together
Peripherals
- Tangrams — a collection of Chinese puzzles
- The World of Suzie Wong (for a movie night finale)
- Task worksheet to post on the fridge
Your Week of Wonder
The Five-Day Itinerary
1
Monday
Set the Stage
- Come to the table with your Task Worksheet. Go over the theme dinner idea, plan a strategy, and select who will do each task. Keep the worksheet posted on the fridge.
2
Tuesday
Take-Out & Crafts
- Don't make dinner tonight — order Chinese take-out and work on your crafts for Friday. When you pick up the food, grab extra fortune cookies and chopsticks for the final meal.
- Prepare your Chinese zodiac placemats. Have each family member research their sign and decorate based on their animal.
- Cut out similar-sized squares, circles, rectangles and triangles to make a Tangram set.
3
Wednesday
Zodiac Craft & Tangrams
- Begin your zodiac-animal craft — decorate cups as animal hats, or choose an idea from Pinterest.
- During dinner, take turns building Tangram pictures with the shapes you cut and guess what each one is.
- Practice saying a few Chinese words to use during your final dinner.
4
Thursday
Lanterns, Poetry & Togetherness
- Assemble your Chinese lanterns.
- Practice writing a few of your Chinese words.
- Decide what will fill your Chuen-hop tray of togetherness — water chestnuts, tangerines, coconut and fresh fruits are a good start.
- Print Chinese poetry to read together during the final dinner.
5
Friday
Your Final Theme Dinner
- From the moment you enter the kitchen, you are in your theme. Go over everything you've learned, use as many Chinese words as you can, play Chinese music, and discuss what your verses mean. Let the kids get their hands dirty in the kitchen — one day they'll be cooking for you.
- The menu: egg rolls, chicken with Chinese vegetables, moon cake, Chinese pizza, and fortune cookies.
- Use your zodiac placemats, hang your lanterns, place or wear your zodiac props, and read Chinese poems.
- Cooking help (with supervision): place items on Chinese pizza, wash and chop vegetables, prepare the Chuen-hop tray, lay out the tray of togetherness.
- After dinner, put on The World of Suzie Wong and enjoy your Chuen-hop tray in place of popcorn.
