Blog

This year marks an eventful year at the Aaron School as new holidays have been incorporated into the school calendar and will now be observed. One holiday that was celebrated was Lunar New Year, which holds extra importance in the Asian community. It is celebrated in countries such as China, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and more. To learn about world cultures and take part in practicing customs, the Redwood Room 4th grade students celebrated their first Lunar New Year in class!

To celebrate the year of the pig, the Redwood Room read their zodiacs and explored the common characteristics, interests, strengths and weaknesses associated with each zodiac. Most Redwood students are born in the year of the rat and were even able to identify the zodiacs of their teachers and parents! The class learned about the traditions and customs such wearing red, lighting fire crackers, and watching lion dances. The students viewed a video of former president Barack Obama wishing viewers a happy new year and had snacks such as watermelon seeds, rice crackers, tangerines, and green tea.

The celebration of Lunar New Year is a part of the Redwood Room’s thematic unit on world holidays. Previously, the students learned about holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Ramadan and their importance to their cultural communities. Students connected their personal experiences and knowledge of holidays with holidays celebrated in other communities. They drew comparisons between holidays and came up with the conclusion that various cultures may celebrate different events, but they are all festive times in which families gather together and time is spent keeping traditions alive.