Asian Culture Series: Asian Crafts and Activities

I’m excited to announce a quarterly series with Debbi Michiko Florence, author of the early chapter book series Jasmine Toguchi! We want to highlight Asian culture in a way that kids can relate to and that means … hands-on activities, food they can help prepare and eat, and a book list!

We have crafted a series of six topics, one per quarter for the next year and a half, that explore Asian culture in a fun way: Asian New Year, Asian Drumming, Pink Flamingo Day, Picnic & Scavenger Hunt, Snow Statues, and Sumo! We hope you will enjoy this series!

To kick off this series, we are also giving away two of Debbi Michiko Florence’s Jasmine Toguchi books. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.

Asian Culture Series: Asian Crafts and Activities

November 2017: Asian New Year

We will be exploring and celebrating Asian New Year. Did you know that Japanese New Year and Korean New Year are celebrated on January 1st, but Chinese New Year and Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, are celebrated based on the lunar calendar? More Chinese New Year books here.

Recipe: Microwave Mochi

Activity: Make Chinese Red Envelopes

Japanese New Year: Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen by Debbi Michiko Florence, illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic

Chinese New Year: The Nian Monster by Andrea Andrea Wang, illustrated by Alina Chau

Vietnamese New Year: Ten Mice for Tet by Pegi Deitz Shea and Cynthia Weill, illustrated by To Ngoc Trang

Korean New Year: New Clothes for New Year’s Day by Hyun-joo Bae

February 2018: Asian Drumming

We will be making some noise in February with Asian drumming, learning about Japanese Taiko and the Chinese Lion Dance which also has drummers.

Recipe: Almond Cookies
Activities: Make an oatmeal box drum, make a hachi-maki (Japanese headband)
Taiko Drumming: Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl by Debbi Michiko  Florence, illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic

Lion Dance: Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin

Lion Dance: Lion Dancer, Ernie Wan’s Chinese New Year by Madeline Slovenz Low and Kate Waters, photographs by Martha Cooper

May 2018: Pink Flamingo Day

Pink Flamingo Day is coming up on June 23rd which celebrates the work of Don Featherstone, the creator of the plastic lawn flamingo!

Recipe: Pink Cupcakes (with a flamingo face!)
Activity: Pink Flamingo Paper Bag Puppet, Daruma Wishing Doll with a paper plate
Pink Flamingos: Jasmine Toguchi, Flamingo Keeper by Debbi Michiko Florence, illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic

Daruma Doll: Yoko-Chan and the Daruma Doll: The Adventures of a Blind Japanese Girl Who Saves Her Village by Sunny Seki

August 2018: Picnic and Scavenger Hunt

It’s summer so let’s go outdoors. We will be celebrating by going on a nature scavenger hunt. Why not pack a picnic as well in a bento?

Recipe: Jasmine’s Brownies without Nuts (to pack for the picnic)
Activity: Nature Scavenger Hunt, Fold an Origami Doll
Scavenger Hunt: Jasmine Toguchi, Super Sleuth by Debbi Michiko Florence, illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic

Scavenger Hunt: Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Bento: Little Bento: 32 Irresistible Bento Box Lunches for Kids by Michele Olivier

November 2018: Snow Statues

It might not be snowing where you live, but let’s explore winter in Sapporo Japan where there’s a snow festival called Yukimatsuri. Let’s also take a look at ice sculptures in Boston, near where Debbi and I live.

Recipe: Tea Ceremony

Activity: Snow (or sand or dirt) Statues

Celebrating Snow: A Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Celebrating Snow: Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara

Winter Adventure: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighorn George

February 2019: Sumo

My first picture book, Sumo Joe, is coming out in a few months, so I thought I’d explore sumo though it can be enjoyed year-round since there are six big sumo tournaments every year that start in January and go through November.

Recipe: Sumo Rice Balls

Activity: Stomp Like a Sumo (Shiko Stomping), learn a few Japanese sumo words

Sumo: Sumo Joe by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Nat Iwata (coming Spring 2019)

Sumo: Sumo Boy by Hirotaka Nakagawa, illustrated by Yoshifumi Hasegawa

Sumo: Sumo by Thien Pham

Rice Balls: Simply Onigiri: Fun and Creative Recipes for Japanese Rice Balls by Sanae Inada

2 Book Jasmine Toguchi Book GIVEAWAY!

We are giving away Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen, and Jasmine Toguchi, Super Sleuth. Please fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter. We can only mail to U.S. addresses. This book set will go to one winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To examine any book more closely at Amazon, please click on image of book.

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p.s. Related posts:

Children’s Books for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

South Asian-American Picture Books of Joy

Can A Book Do Real Harm? Anti-Asian Racism in Joey Pigza series by Jack Gantos

Meet Asian Pacific American Hero Bruno Mars

Asian Culture and KidLit series: Nissin Foods Connection

Asian Culture and KidLit Series: Our connection to 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Asian Culture and KidLit series with Andrea Wang

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My books:

 Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World

• • • Junior Library Guild Gold selection
    • Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
    • Starred review from School Library Journal
    • Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
    • 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
    • Green Earth Book Award longlist
    • Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids

 Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me