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Carp Streamer

Students will design and decorate a carp streamer while they learn about Children's Day - Kodomo no Hi - a national holiday in Japan.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Coffee Filter(s)
  • Heavy Paper
  • Ribbon
  • Spray Bottle

Steps

  • Step 1

    Talk about Kodomo no Hi, Japanese Children's Day, the national holiday celebrated in Japan on May 5. Display images of carp (koi) streamers (koinobori) which are flown to honor children in the household. Koi are known for their ability to swim upstream, so they represent courage, determination, and the hope that children will grow up healthy.

  • Step 2

    Talk about the history of Children's Day in Japan. It began in the 12th century and was originally considered a day for honoring boys, but both boys and girls have been celebrated since 1948. Discuss some of the other traditions associated with the day, such as eating sticky rice cakes filled with red bean jam and incorporating irises into bath water and pillowcases since these flowers are associated with warding off evil spirits.

  • Step 3

    To make a carp streamer have students sketch a carp onto a piece of heavy paper and cut it out. Next ask them to color several coffee filters with markers, then lay them flat and spritz them with water. The colors will run and create a watercolor effect that can be cut or torn into fish scales. Have them glue the pieces of colored filter paper onto the carp cut-out.

  • Step 4

    Use markers to draw additional features such as eyes and mouth. Then make two holes in the top, attach a ribbon, and hang near a window where it will catch the breeze.

Standards

SS: Culture: Create, learn, share, and adapt to culture.

SS: Culture: Through experience, observation, and reflection, identify elements of culture as well as similarities and differences among cultural groups across time and place.

SS: People, Places, and Environment: Understand various perspectives and examine changes in relationships between peoples, places, and environments.

Adaptations

Have students compose a Children's Day haiku - a form of poetry that originated in Japan and contains 17 syllables in a 5-7-5 pattern.

Encourage students to learn a few words or phrases in Japanese. If there is a native speaker in the school community, invite them to come teach some phrases and to talk about Japan.