Hip Wah for Elementary School Students

 

This program is designed for children entering the 1st through 5th grades. (However, because camp was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, for now, this group includes children entering the 6th grade.) There is one class at each grade level, and each class is named after the Chinese zodiac animal associated with the children’s birth year.

 

Each day, they stay with their core teacher to learn about Chinese culture and traditions through various activities. Each grade level has a different theme. The program incorporates the telling of Chinese history and folklore, often turning it into an arts and craft project. Projects may include lunar new year puppets, paper mache lion heads, and origami dragon boats. There are also Chinese cooking opportunities. Before they realize it, they have learned about Chinese traditions (e.g., holidays, events) and history (e.g., the Emperors, the Great Wall, early immigrants) through these many activities.

 

The curriculum also includes an art lesson led by the Brush Painting Instructor and a short Mandarin lesson led by the Language Instructor. There is a daily outdoor cultural activity such as martial arts or lion dancing led by a Martial Arts Instructor. In music, the younger children learn Chinese choral music, and children entering the 4th and 5th grades learn to play Chinese instrumental music on the erhu, moon guitar, flute, or the hammered dulcimer. On the Saturday after the last day of camp, there is a Music Festival featuring their performances.

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We have a high number of returning students, and the children often build a connection at Hip Wah that extends beyond their Hip Wah years.