Racing Dragon Boat Puppets

crayola supplies

household supplies

Why

Hold an ancient Chinese competition in your own living room with colorful Dragon Boat stick puppets.

Steps

  1. 1. Dragon boat races are a popular sport in Asian countries and around the world. Find out about these beautiful boats and the rowers who propel them through the water. Then make several of these puppets to hold your own dragon boat races.
  2. 2. Outline a large dragon boat on card stock with Crayola Crayons. Add features of a fierce dragon such as a pointy tail, bulging eyeballs, wide toothy mouth, and fiery nostrils.
  3. 3. Cut out the boat with Crayola Scissors. Trace the cutout on card stock to make more boats, or cut out other boats with different designs.
  4. 4. Decorate each dragon boat with crayons. Use the traditional colors of red, white, black, blue, and yellow or your favorite colors. Attach curled ribbon to the dragon’s nostrils with Crayola School Glue for smoke. Crimp foil and attach craft feathers for exciting adornments. Add shiny highlights with Crayola Glitter Glue. Air-dry the glue.
  5. 5. Decorate a craft stick for each boat puppet. Glue sticks to the backs of your boat. Air-dry the glue.
  6. 6. Play some traditional Chinese drum music. Let the races begin!

When & Where

"I stretched a piece of blue fabric across a doorframe. This became our river for dragon boat races and a parade."
- XiXi K., mother of 5-, 7- and 8-year-olds.

"We watched videos of these races to get some cool ideas for boat designs. I found zongzi (rice dumplings) that are traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival at our local Asian food store, so we sampled them as well."
- Rashida D., scout leader.

Interesting Info

The Dragon Boat Festival originally honored the Dragon God who controlled the rivers and rainfall. It is held after the transplanting of the young rice plants and before the rains begin.

Safety Guidelines

Glitter Glue— WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD—Small parts. Not for children under 3 years. Not for use on skin.

Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.

String-Like Materials—Includes string, raffia, lacing, yarn, ribbon, and other similar material. Children 3 years and younger should not be given any string-like material that is longer than 12 inches. Close adult supervision is essential whenever children use string-like material. When crafts are to be worn around the necks of children 8 years and younger, attach the ends of the “string-like material” with clear adhesive tape, which allows easy release of the bond if the craft becomes entangled or caught on equipment. For children older than 8 years, the ends of the “string-like material” may be tied and knotted.

Wood—By its nature, wood is rough and may contain splinters or sharp points

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