Thinking Global in the USA #1: 8 Chinese Dragon Boat Races

Dragon Boat Races, Photo by Krenda

Dragon boat races, an ancient Chinese sport, began over 2,000 years ago.  Today it's an international sport.  Your kids can learn about a unique sport and culture at one event by taking them to a Chinese Dragon Boat race.  Before the race, get out the globe and talk about different type of boat races around the world including swan boat racing in Thailand and snake boat racing in India.  In the US, Dragon Boat races often provide free admission, so take all your family & friends!

Watching a race provides a feast for the eyes and ears with 40 foot boats, 20 paddlers per boat, and a drummer leading the pace and sychronizing the strokes.  The dragon head and tail attach just for the races.  The steersmans located in the back of the boat added fun and humor by wearing fancy and/or funny hats at the Evansville, IN race our family attended.  Dragon boats may be relatively rare, but all the paddling could inspire your family to try canoeing.
You don't need a passport to watch a race.  Races are held across the US in Spring, Summer, and Fall.  Here's 8 other Dragon Boat Races in the US:

1.  Dragon Boat Festival - Tempe, AZ, March - watch the lake light up at night when nearly 50 boats create the fantasy of lights boat parade
 http://azdba.com/Festival/

2.  Long Beach Dragon Boat Spring Race - Long Beach, CA - Marine Stadium also hosts martial arts and acrobat performances

3.  Charleston Dragon Boat Festival - Charleston, SC; May - celebrates cancer survivors and raised an impressive $150,000 for cancer survivors

4.  Portland Rose Festival Boat Race - Portland, OR, June - parade held same weekend

5.  Boston Dragon Boat Festival - Boston, Massachusetts, June - North America's longest running Dragon Boat festival, now hosting 60 teams and craft workshops including orgami and mask making.

6.  Colorado Dragon Boat Festival - Denver, CO, July- arrive early for the welcoming event "Awakening the Dragon Ceremony" including Buddhist monk chants and a 75 foot dragon

7.  Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival - Queens, New York, Aug. - a large race with 170 teams, opening day parade, dancing, music, and food

8.  San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival - San Francisco, CA, Sept. - events on Treasure Island include taiko druming, Tahitian dancing, and acrobat show

Art & Sculpture #2: 7 Ice Sculpture Festivals in the US

Ice Sculpture Festival, Photo by Krenda

When you grow up in Northern Wisconsin, you have a choice to complain about the bitter cold or embrace the winter scene's beauty.  I remember as a child enjoying a winter festival in Feb. which included horse drawn carriage rides and cherries jubilee.  What caught my eye and attention were the ice sculptures, impressive pieces of art suddenly appearing on the square.

Exposure early in my life intrigued me to learn more about this art.  I continued to be captivated by ice sculptures.  I intently watched contests on cruise ships, amazed by such skill with a powerful chainsaw.  I even drove up to the largest and oldest ice festival in the United States, the Plymouth Ice Festival, in January.  We took our kids to the local ice festival in the "city of sculptures" - Hamilton, OH.  Another winter, we took them to an ice festival in Kentucky which included the artists demonstrating how to create the art from a block to the finished product, while listening to live music - so cool!

Lesson Idea

Art:  Before attending a sculpture festival, teach children that art can be made with lots of different medium - even ice!  It's also a science project as you teach children about solids transforming to liquids.

1.  Fill half gallon cardboard milk carton with water and freeze overnight

2.  Remove ice from container and stand block up in a pan
3.  Sprinkle rock salt on top
4.  Squirt colored water with eye droppers, watch the color run through the cracks

Here's 7 Ice Sculpture Festivals you and your kids could attend:

1.  Plymouth Ice Festival - Plymouth, Michigan (MI) pictured above
          http://www.plymouthicefestival.org/
2.  Stowe Winter Carnival - Stowe, Vermont
3.  Fire and Ice Festival - Mount Holly, New Jersey (NJ)
4.  The Greenbrier Festival - White Sulphur Springs, WV
5.  The Green River Crystal Classic Winter Festival - Green River, WY
6.  Ithaca Ice Wars - Ithaca, New York (NY)
7.  Titanic's Ice Sculpture Competiton - Pigeon Forge, TN

If you are making a road trip to the festival in Pigeon Forge and need to rent a cabin, check out my other blogs
 http://www.lightningbuglodge.blogspot.com/
http://www.indigomoonlodge.blogspot.com/