Mythology: Asian
Ah, the mysterious ways of Asia! There is
so much that can be covered that I really had a hard time narrowing down
the field. I thought about doing a bit on Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism,
etc. But I wasn’t sure how much info to delve into. I finally decided
that there are some very exciting “Critters” that we gain from the Asian
beliefs. And that’s where I started. We’ll cover Dragons, Monkey King,
the Qilin, The Chinese Zodiak, and Ancestor Worship.
To read what actually happened during our lesson check out this post here: COMING SOON!
Give a Hand for Dragons It is wonderful when you find a project that is just exactly what you are looking for! With no need to alter it or re-create it! And for our Dragon project, I have found just that! We will be doing a handprint dragon craft.
Directions: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/handprint_dragon.htm
Print out: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/handprint_dragon_template.pdf
The .pdf has the head, tail and feet to cut out along with your hand prints. (actually there is only 1 foot, you will need to cut out at least one more) The feet have 4 claws, so this is obviously a Korean Dragon. HOW DO I KNOW THIS??? Easily–there is a tale that concerns the claws of dragons you can read it here:http://www.blackdrago.com/easterndragons.htm Under the “Differences between Dragons.”
I made a .pdf of this tale for the back of the handprint dragon project page. http://www.mediafire.com/?8i8w9uj00y11j8a
There is one TINY change that I am making to the directions for my class–instead of white circles for eyes, I will provide google eyes! So much funner! When I made MY project for my example folder, my handprints made my dragon just a tad bit too big for my page==so it wouldn’t fit in my page protector–not what I was planning, so for mine, I used brads for the eyes and had ONLY one that went through the back of the mounting page–so the head can turn in for storage. Just another option!
Ancestor Worship Ancestor Worship is important throughout Asia. This mini-book will give a good explanation of what Ancestor worship is, explain about the Tablets and give a place for each child to record a SMALL portion of their own family tree–up to the grandparents.
Trifold: http://www.mediafire.com/?i40ynedn2jf20fc
Qilin The Qilin ranks number 2 in the Chinese Mythological Creatures Hierarchy. The Kirin, The Japanese Version of the Qilin, ranks number 1 in the Japanese list. Is there any wonder why I added this “Critter” to our study? For this project you have a little opportunity to make a choice. I have planned a silhouette cut out of the Qilin. After mounting the cut out off to the side, I have a mini-book that tells about the Qilin to mount on the page. YOUR CHOICE is which version of the Qilin that you want to mount. There is a black and white outline, a colored version, and a black silhouette.
Project file: http://www.mediafire.com/?wlj840iha2rl1gs
ORIGINAL clip art and info site: http://mythologicalbeastiesandco.blogspot.com/2010/06/qilin.html
Monkey King Ok, I KNOW that the Monkey King isn’t quite up there with the God’s and other diety’s. In fact he is merely from a story in the Mid 16th Century. HOWEVER, he has become a big part of Chinese culture as a revered superhero. He is often thought of as a trickster and often helps those in need===when they least expect it. It’s a fun stop along our journey throughout asia.
Mini-book: http://www.mediafire.com/?ti1k2if6ldfqklc
Chinese Zodiac The Chinese Zodiac is based on the Lunar Year, while Western Astrology is based on the Solar Year, so the two do not exactly coincide. The Zodiac Animals form the underlying basis of this ancient system, but bear in mind that there is much more to it than appears from the simple Animal Characters. (Quote: http://www.astrologycom.com/chinesezodiac.html)
Mini-book: http://www.mediafire.com/?2llpywd74m058g5
Resources: http://chinesezodiac.org.uk/ and http://www.astrologycom.com/chinesezodiac.html
Another option would be from Enchanted Learning. They have a great spinner, but it wasn’t what I wanted. You do have to be a member to get the full printable. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordwheels/themes/chinesezodiac/
To read what actually happened during our lesson check out this post here: COMING SOON!
Give a Hand for Dragons It is wonderful when you find a project that is just exactly what you are looking for! With no need to alter it or re-create it! And for our Dragon project, I have found just that! We will be doing a handprint dragon craft.
Directions: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/handprint_dragon.htm
Print out: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/handprint_dragon_template.pdf
The .pdf has the head, tail and feet to cut out along with your hand prints. (actually there is only 1 foot, you will need to cut out at least one more) The feet have 4 claws, so this is obviously a Korean Dragon. HOW DO I KNOW THIS??? Easily–there is a tale that concerns the claws of dragons you can read it here:http://www.blackdrago.com/easterndragons.htm Under the “Differences between Dragons.”
I made a .pdf of this tale for the back of the handprint dragon project page. http://www.mediafire.com/?8i8w9uj00y11j8a
There is one TINY change that I am making to the directions for my class–instead of white circles for eyes, I will provide google eyes! So much funner! When I made MY project for my example folder, my handprints made my dragon just a tad bit too big for my page==so it wouldn’t fit in my page protector–not what I was planning, so for mine, I used brads for the eyes and had ONLY one that went through the back of the mounting page–so the head can turn in for storage. Just another option!
Ancestor Worship Ancestor Worship is important throughout Asia. This mini-book will give a good explanation of what Ancestor worship is, explain about the Tablets and give a place for each child to record a SMALL portion of their own family tree–up to the grandparents.
Trifold: http://www.mediafire.com/?i40ynedn2jf20fc
Qilin The Qilin ranks number 2 in the Chinese Mythological Creatures Hierarchy. The Kirin, The Japanese Version of the Qilin, ranks number 1 in the Japanese list. Is there any wonder why I added this “Critter” to our study? For this project you have a little opportunity to make a choice. I have planned a silhouette cut out of the Qilin. After mounting the cut out off to the side, I have a mini-book that tells about the Qilin to mount on the page. YOUR CHOICE is which version of the Qilin that you want to mount. There is a black and white outline, a colored version, and a black silhouette.
Project file: http://www.mediafire.com/?wlj840iha2rl1gs
ORIGINAL clip art and info site: http://mythologicalbeastiesandco.blogspot.com/2010/06/qilin.html
Monkey King Ok, I KNOW that the Monkey King isn’t quite up there with the God’s and other diety’s. In fact he is merely from a story in the Mid 16th Century. HOWEVER, he has become a big part of Chinese culture as a revered superhero. He is often thought of as a trickster and often helps those in need===when they least expect it. It’s a fun stop along our journey throughout asia.
Mini-book: http://www.mediafire.com/?ti1k2if6ldfqklc
Chinese Zodiac The Chinese Zodiac is based on the Lunar Year, while Western Astrology is based on the Solar Year, so the two do not exactly coincide. The Zodiac Animals form the underlying basis of this ancient system, but bear in mind that there is much more to it than appears from the simple Animal Characters. (Quote: http://www.astrologycom.com/chinesezodiac.html)
Mini-book: http://www.mediafire.com/?2llpywd74m058g5
Resources: http://chinesezodiac.org.uk/ and http://www.astrologycom.com/chinesezodiac.html
Another option would be from Enchanted Learning. They have a great spinner, but it wasn’t what I wanted. You do have to be a member to get the full printable. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordwheels/themes/chinesezodiac/
