Extension Activity Ideas - Riley and the Dancing Lion

These extension activity ideas for Riley and the Dancing Lion, by Canberra author Tania McCartney, will help toddlers and pre-schoolers get more out of their reading experience. This list was handed out at a First Friday Storytime reading of the book, along with colouring-in sheets. Come along to our next storytime if you're in Canberra!

    1.    Make a Chinese New Year lion dance costume using a brown paper bag. Cut out shapes for the lion's face from coloured cardboard (coloured manila folders are great for this), and use crepe paper to decorate. Aluminium foil is great for making a mirror decoration on the lion's head.
    2.    2010 is the Chinese year of the tiger. Make a collage picture of a tiger using orange paper and black crayon or marker on a white page.
    3.    Oranges and tangerines are traditionally displayed in bowls or on trays in homes during Chinese New Year celebrations. Tangerines represent good luck, while oranges represent wealth. That should be morning tea sorted...
    4.    Visit the wishing tree. There is an ancient banyan tree in Lam Tsuen in Hong Kong where people leave their wishes. With your child, write their wish on a piece of red paper. Tie the paper to an orange, and throw it up into your favourite tree. If the wish lands in the tree's branches and stays there, it is thought that the wish will come true.
    5.    Make spring rolls – easy and fun, and kids are more likely to eat food they've helped prepare! Lay a rice paper sheet flat in large bowl of hot water until it starts to soften. Then lay the rice paper sheet flat on the bench, top with lines of cooked vermicelli noodles, grated carrot, chopped shallots, chopped fresh mint and coriander, and chopped roasted peanuts. Lift the front of the rice paper and fold over the filling, lift the sides and tuck in, then roll. Serve fresh with a dipping sauce of ¼ cup mirin (Japanese rice wine), ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, and the juice of ½ a lemon. Or deep fry for 3-4 minutes per roll and serve with soy sauce for dipping. Beware of peanut allergies! You can use dried fried onion instead to add crunch without peanuts.
    6.    Make your own book. Get the kids to take photos using a digital camera, print out in black and white, then let them add their own drawings over the top with coloured crayons or markers. They can write some words (or tell a grown-up what words to write) about the pictures they've taken. Staple the pages together to make a book of their very own, and make sure the author signs it!
    7.    Hold a dance party in your lounge room. Try as many different dance styles as you can!