The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is China’s Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on October 6 this year. It’s a time to celebrate the harvest by gathering with family and friends, enjoying and delicious fruits and snacks like moon cakes. It’s also a great time to admire the moon, which is at its fullest point of the year. It’s also an period to share stories and knowledge about the moon and space with children. 

Last Friday, EY and UNC jointly together to celebrate this traditional festival – Mid-Autumn Days. Girls dressed in flowing cheongsams and Hanfu (Chinese traditional attire), and boys in stylish Tang suits and Hanfu, entered the campus beaming with admiration and praise. “You look like a prince!” “Wow, your dress is so beautiful!” The campus was filled with joy. 

Shadow Play: Chang’e Flies to the Moon

Under soft, dim lighting, the children watched as ten suns appeared on a white screen, followed by Houyi and Chang’e, scene after scene. Their eyes widened with anticipation, they watched the shadow play meticulously prepared for them by their teachers. After the shadow play performance, the children also had a chance to experience shadow puppetry. They held different shadow puppets and moved their hands up and down and left and right, feeling that they could also create a play.  

Archery

For the older children, they have the opportunity to experience archery and shoot the sun like Hou Yi. At the beginning, they didn’t even know how to insert the arrow into the bowstring, but after the teacher’s guidance, many of them were able to shoot directly into the sun. Whoosh—bang! When their arrows hit the paper sun, cheers erupted. “I did it!” the children’s faces lit up with pride. 

Tossing Game

Our K and IC and Nido classes took turns playing “Toss the Arrow,” a classic game called Touhu. The children looked serious and carefully aimed at the mouth of the pot until they inserted the feather arrow into the pot.

Lantern Riddle Guessing

The teacher hung a riddle at the bottom of a lantern. If a child guessed the riddle correctly, they could take home their lantern. The teacher was very proud of the students’ responses. Every time the teacher finished explaining the riddle, most of the students could guess the answer immediately. 

Making Lanterns

The Casa class made flower and plants lanterns, which was no easy task. The children not only needed to master the precise positioning of the lampshade, but also learn how to assemble the lantern structure and install the light string. The children were delighted after completing their own lanterns. The IC class made a special colorful lantern using tissue paper and bottles.

Feel the changes in the moon phases 

The teachers also told the children a very interesting story about the moon – “The Mouse Who Ate the Moon”. Everyone imitated the little mouse and gnawed cookies into different shapes, just like the different phases of the moon. Isn’t it fun? 

Making mooncakes

Children gathered around a table, busy making mooncakes, a sweet aroma filled the classroom. Their nimble hands wrapped the filling into the dough and pressed it into the mold. “So delicious!” one child proudly exclaimed as he savored a mooncake he had made himself. 

Step 1

Step 2

Final

This is more than just an event; it was a tapestry of cultural love, teamwork, and the pure delight of childhood. We wish all families a bright, reuniting Mid-Autumn Festival and a joyful National Day ahead! 

---

每年的农历八月十五是中国的中秋节，今年的中秋节是10月6日。这是一个与好友和家人相聚的日了，享用美味水果和月饼等小吃的日子，并庆祝丰收。这也是赏月的好时间，因为农历八月十五是一年中月亮最圆的日子。我们也可以借此契机，与孩子们分享一些关于月球和太空的故事和知识。

上周五，幼儿园和早托中心共同庆祝了这个永恒的传统节日—中秋节。女孩们穿着飘逸的旗袍和汉服，男孩们穿着可爱帅气的唐装和汉服，满脸灿烂地走进校园，大家互相欣赏和赞叹。“你看起来像个王子！”“哇，你的裙子真漂亮！”学校里充满了欢乐的气氛。

皮影戏：嫦娥奔月

在柔和昏暗的灯光下，孩子们看着白色屏幕上出现十个太阳，随后是后羿和嫦娥，场景一幕接一幕地出现。他们睁大眼睛，目光充满期待地观看着老师们为他们精心准备的皮影戏。皮影戏表演结束后，孩子们也有机会体验皮影，他们拿着不同的皮影并上下左右移动自己的小手，体验自己也可以创作一出戏剧。 

射箭

对于年龄稍大的孩子，他们有机会体验射箭，像后羿一样射太阳。一开始，他们甚至不知道如何将箭插入弓弦上，但经过老师的指导，他们很多都能直接射中太阳。嗖——嗖！当他们的箭射中纸太阳时，欢呼声四起。“我做到了！”孩子们的脸上洋溢着自豪的光芒。 

投壶游戏

K班、K1班、IC班和Nido班的孩子轮流玩“投羽箭”，这是一种名为“投壶”的中国传统游戏。孩子们表情认真，小心翼翼地瞄准壶口，直到把羽剑投入壶中。 

猜灯谜 

老师在灯笼底部挂了一条谜语。如果小朋友猜对了谜语，就可以拿走自己猜对的灯笼。老师很骄傲学生们的反应。每次老师讲完谜语后，大部分学生都能立刻猜出答案。 

制作灯笼 

制作花草灯笼并非易事。孩子们不仅需要掌握灯罩的精确定位，还需要学习如何组装灯笼结构和安装灯串。完成自己的灯笼后，孩子们欣喜若狂。IC班用彩色纸和瓶子制作了一个特别的彩色灯笼。 

感受月相的变化 

老师们还给孩子们讲了一个非常有趣的关于月亮的故事《吃月亮的老鼠》。大家模仿小老鼠，把饼干啃成不同的形状，就像月亮的不同圆缺一样。是不是很有趣呢？

做月饼 

孩子们围坐在桌旁，忙着做月饼, 教室里弥漫着甜甜的香味。他们灵巧的小手把馅包进面团里，然后再把面团压进模具里，“真好吃！”一个孩子一边品尝着自己做的月饼，一边自豪地叫道。 

步骤一

步骤二

最后

这不仅仅是一场活动；它更是一幅充满文化关爱、团队合作和纯真童年快乐的画卷。我们祝愿所有家庭度过一个明亮、团圆的中秋节，并迎来一个快乐的国庆节！ 

Jill Wen
Head of UNC