Notes for Parents

Some years the Mid-Autumn Festival falls very early in the school year in the USA, and not all teachers are receptive to having someone come in and do anything special before their routines are set, especially at preschools. Bringing in a treat (as if it were someone's birthday) might be all that some can support, perhaps with a handout that the children can take home. If you really want to do something, contact the teacher as soon as possible - even before school starts. You may want to coordinate with any other parents of Asians in the class. If the classlist is not yet available, you may need to ask the teacher if there are other families who might want to be involved.

For the youngest saying, "the moon is full, (it's a harvest festival,) this is a lantern, have some new food" is almost enough. Leave a handout – at least for the teacher. Remember that what you leave may be copied and given to each child.

If you discuss time before electricity, and mention Harvest Festivals, Festival of Lights, that gives the teacher, school, other parents, lead-ins to talk about the days lengthening, looking at the sky, constellations, lunar phases, and other holidays. Many cultures have Festivals of Light, including Diwali (the Hindu Festival of Lights) and Chanukah. Thanksgiving is a Harvest Festival. Harvest Moon Festivals include Ch’usok (Korea) and the Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.

Additional Activities and Props:

Every class I have been in has really enjoyed seeing lunar calendars that showed the phases of the moon for each day of the year. A good size is one year on two 8.5 x 11 inch pages taped together. The pattern, and how it does not match the Gregorian calendar month showed up very well. Sometimes you see calendar as a poster. (email me at mus-mandarin@wubison.com if you need a lunar calendar, I can send a pdf file.)

You may want a simple timeline to show how some of the events compare to those they already know. Montessori teachers generally support this for younger students than other style teachers.

A flashlight and 2 balls can illustrate the phases of the moon. A 6 – 9 year old class can understand it and help act it out. I might not try this with a 3-6 year old class. Practice first. Have you or another adult hold the flashlight so it will be steady and can be adjusted as needed, since the children acting may not move exactly ‘right’. Do not let the earth-child get too dizzy. Being able to make the room *dark* really makes a difference; some classrooms have a lot of light coming in even with the blinds down. (Brownie Girl Scouts should be able to use this as an alternate requirement in the Earth and Sky Try-it or maybe for Space Explorer.)

It is nice to loan things to the class to use after you are gone. Suggestions include:

• A chop, chop ink, rice paper
  
  
• Chinese themed stamps, inkpad, paper (there are stamps for the moon character)
• Chinese clothing (a hat, vest with frog closures, etc.)
  
  
• (training chopsticks?), chopsticks and something to pick up. Larger objects like pompoms or cotton balls for the youngest, perhaps beads with Chinese characters on them for older children to try if they wanted to. Try the actual combination before taking it in. This is especially good at a Montessori-style school, but many teachers will use it.

The Mid-Autumn Moon by Li Qiao

A full moon hangs high in the chilly sky,
All say it's the same everywhere, round and bright.
But how can one be sure thousands of li away
Wind and perhaps rain may not be marring the night?

You can find more on poetry here. Childbook created a lesson plan for K - 4 in 2007.

Mooncakes

Mooncakes have a long history of their own. They started as honey cakes in the 3^rd century BC. Now there are many kinds, and their shapes and fillings are seemingly endless. However, there are two or three main types of mooncakes. The classic mooncake is made in a mold, contains egg, and has a golden or dark crust. (Some now call them Cantonese style.) Based on ancient literary works, they evolved into their current form between the 6^th and 11^th centuries. There is a character or design on the top. The inside can be a paste, fruit-cakey or even have meat in it. Perhaps lotus-seed paste was the original but now, due to cost, red bean paste seems to be more common. Shanghai-style mooncakes have a flaky crust (that can still be hard to bite) and usually fewer ingredients. Traditionally the yolk was duck, but now it may be chicken or duck. Vegan mooncakes, even vegan, peanut and nut-free mooncakes, are available. Most Shanghai-style mooncakes fit in this category. Mooncakes are often packed 4 or 8 to a box and each should fit in the palm of your hand. The ~4 inch diameter ones can be cut into 8 pieces for distribution at school. They are very rich and not everyone will like them.

If you want to make a moon-ish cookie, here is an egg-free and dairy-free cookie recipe that should satisfy any schools anti-allergy policies. It is similar to German “thumbprint” cookies. For something closer to the original that can be done in one afternoon, see Jennifer's adaptation.