We are visiting Asia this school year and stopping by China, India, and Thailand. Our first stop has been China and we have enjoyed our stay thus far. This is an in depth look at China using books, DVDs, and activities. We typically read books aloud, but they can be read independently too. This focus of this study is an immersion into Chinese culture with some history and science thrown in. The books, DVDs and activities are listed chronologically, but we haven’t always been able to do things in order due to availability of library books and DVDs.
 Read Spotlight on China |
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 Watch Discovery Atlas: China Revealed |
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 Read Yeh-Hsien a Chinese Cinderella |
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Color map of China http://www.abcteach.com/free/m/map_china_unlabeled.pdf
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 People Around the World |
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 Watch Families of China |
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 Read The Greatest Power |
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Cookie cake – map of China See here for examples of other cookie cakes we have done.
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Make Coolie hat http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/make_a_coolie_hat.htm
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 Watch China to the Max |
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Make flag from construction paper
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 Read Children Just Like Me |
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Make Chinese paper lanterns http://crafts.kaboose.com/lantern1.html
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Read Xinmin’s Story: A Family in China
 by Helene Tremblay |
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Listen to music from China
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Read Material World: A Global Family Portrait
 pg 56-63 |
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Read Food and Recipes of China
 by Theresa Beatty and complete one recipe |
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Tea Tasting – smell and taste 3 different types of tea and write a review
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 Once Upon a Full Moon |
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 Watch Wild China: Natural Wonders of the World’s Most Enigmatic Land |
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 The Emperor’s New Clothes: A Tale Set in China |
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Watch dancing from China
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 Watch Discover China: A Tale of Tofu |
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 Read Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes |
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 Watch China – The Panda Adventure (IMAX) |
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 Read The Story of Noodles |
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 Make Chinese Shuttlecock and play jianzi from Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes |
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 The Children of China: An Artist’s Journey |
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 Watch Confucianism – life of Confucius DVD Religions of the World: Our World Faiths Animated |
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Read Our Home is the Sea
 by Riki Levinson isbn 0-525-44406-8 |
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Visit local Chinatown
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 Older child read the Adventures of Marco Polo |
 Younger child read Marco Polo: Overland to China |
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Watch Explorers of the World Marco Polo DVD 23 minutes brief look at his life and work
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Read The Dragon’s Robe
 picture book |
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Practice eating with chopsticks
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 Watch GlobeRiders Silk Road Adventure |
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 Read Great Wall of China |
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Build great wall out of rice krispie treats and cookies with this as a model. http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/build-the-great-wall-lesson-plan/
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 Watch The Secret of the Magic Gourd |
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Visit Dim Sum restaurant
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Attend local Chinese New Year Celebration in February
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by Bobbie Kalman
DVD 102 minutes
by Dawn Casey
pg 196-200
DVD 30 minutes
by Demi – picture book, story about girl finding most valuable thing
by Sungwan So
DVD on Shanghai and Hong Kong 81 minutes
pg 48-49
– a long picture book
picture book
DVD 52 minutes. There is a pig slaughter at the end.
pg 19-21 and color picture of animal for the year born printed from here 
DVD
(picture book)
good map, art, and description of life around China
about 20 minutes
by Zelenyj
DVD – close to 4 hours
DVD in Mandarin
As part of this unit study we will try Chinese food and learn about Chinese culture. We also make a list of facts on China. I have a copy of a book called Chinese Cinderella which I’m planning to read to the children too. How do I teach them about Chinese sports? Thanks!! I love your blog.
We are studying China this week-thanks for these great ideas! I don’t have many of these books, but the topics are great and I will look for similar books at the library. I loved the idea of the YouTube videos of Chinese dances too! And also building the great wall of china from rice krispie treats! 🙂
I’d love to see pictures of your Rice Krispie Great Wall when you have it finished! Jericho sounds fun. Did you make the marshmallows fall down?
Thank you for posting this! My older daughter (5) has loved everything about China for two years. It was pure magic for us when her passion for China met my younger daughter’s passion for dinosaurs (she’s just about to turn 4 and wants to be a paleontologist when she grows up. She asked for a museum playset for her birthday–I haven’t found one yet) in a book called “Feathered Dinosaurs of China”. We are definitely doing the rice crispie Great Wall! We did Jericho with Nutella and giant marshmallows about a year ago and that was a huge hit. Love your blog!
wow! looks like a fun, and extensive, study of china!