Chinese New Year celebrated by children at Rustington school

Reception pupils at Rustington Primary School, in North Lane, celebrated the Chinese New Year on Friday with a range of cultural activities fitting of a celebration.

Helped by an army of parent helpers, the youngsters were given an introduction to the traditions of the world’s most populous country.

They tasted Chinese food and made crafts, including lanterns and dragon puppets, as they marked the day, which is celebrated throughout the world by countries with large Chinese populations.

The children, aged four and five, also learned how to paint dragons and write numbers in Chinese.

There were also plenty of Asian delicacies to taste and smell.

Popular Chinese dishes like prawn crackers and egg-fried rice went down well with the children.

However, the pupils were less impressed by the bamboo they were given to try, said teacher Kathy Hicks.

She said: “The event has become a real highlight of the calendar.

“The day ended with a parade through the school lead by four-year-olds Hamnish Priest and Kaiden Dancocks under the head of the dragon.”