Chinese Dragon and Lion Puppets

I love teaching about Chinese New Year.  My school has some ancient VCR tapes called Holidays for Children that we watch for lesson inspiration.  One is just on Chinese New Year.  It tells the origins of the holiday and how the holiday is celebrated.  This includes info on dragons and lion dance costumes.

I came up with a lesson this year that I have not done before.

Modeled after a Chinese lion head puppet that I have, this kindergarten and first grade lesson uses a stuffed paper bag for the head.  These are just the beginnings.  I'll post again after more are complete.

This is the piece that gave me the idea for this lesson.  It is a papier mache lion puppet.  There is a cloth in the back that you can drape over your arm so it looks like the lion costume.