Chinese New Year of the Goat books for kids, children's literature from China

Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival celebrates the culture of the Orient. It begins Feb. 19 in 2015 and culminates with a Lantern Festival. What better way to explore Chinese culture in your classroom than with literature? Here is a list of children's books for pre-K to second graders from China. Some books are specifically Chinese stories and others are Japanese Buddhist stories. Chinese New Year encompasses traditional animals of the zodiac so many kids' books in this list are animal-themed. It's CNY Year of the Goat (or Sheep) in 2015.

2014 Chinese New Year of the Horse Crafts, Printables

Chinese New Year begins early in western calendar January 31, 2014. This year, we celebrate the Year of the Horse. It's also called the Spring Festival and concludes with a Lantern Festival. I'd love to visit China--all that festivity! The theme is Good Fortune and the expression is "Gong Hay Fat Choy!" wishes luck for the coming year.
Speaking of luck, I happened upon a cute site I thought I'd share with parents: Activity Village. It's one I've used a lot over my career writing about educational printables. But they seem to have improved site loads and content. There are crafts, games, puzzles, coloring sheets and worksheets for kids on CNY (Chinese New Year). There are recipes, game and party ideas. Read on.  2014 Chinese New Year of the Horse Crafts for Kids

Free Printable Star Charts, Constellation Maps for Literature Study

Astronomy is one of the most fascinating sciences to share with kids. Stars are only visible at night, but kids can enjoy star-gazing each night mostly anywhere and it costs nothing. Looking for free printable star charts and constellation patterns to teach kids about space science? Here's a galaxy of printables that are free for educators, homeschoolers and families to use. Ancients relied on the stars for every part of their lives. Medieval navigators, physcians and scientists used astrology to guide them in their endeavors. Link these to literature study on astrology, ancient history, medieval studies, Roman mythology and Greek Mythology. Free Night Sky Maps