Covid-19 restrictions did not dampen the fun for children at NurtureStars Preschool as they celebrated the Lunar New Year of the Ox with class friends dressed in their best new year outfits.

Each of the six centres had their own programmes for the children, allowing them to soak in the festive atmosphere and appreciate the essence of Chinese culture.
Unlike in past years, parents were not invited to the centres to join their children for the celebrations that began on 11 February because of the Covid-19 precautionary measures.

Children at NurtureStars Tampines brought Mandarin oranges to school to exchange with their friends. Activities included learning to make Chinese dumplings. They also made lanterns using recycled materials.

At NurtureStars Mount Faber and Yishun, the children celebrated the New Ox Year with song and dance. They also exchanged oranges with their classmates and made Chinese dumplings together with their teachers.

The children at NurtureStars Punggol were connected on Zoom with their parents allowing them to join in the fun with the children. The children performed songs and dances and took part in other traditional activities. The parent were grateful that their children enjoyed spending time and celebrating online with them.

At NurtureStars Jurong, our teachers shared with the children the story of “Legend of Monster Nian”, which explains how it became a custom in China to paste red spring couplets at the doors, light candles, and set off firework to counter evil spirits during Chinese New Year. Every class had their song and dance performances, and the traditional exchange of oranges.

A special lion dance performance was put up by the K2 boys at NurtureStars Toa Payoh for their school friends besides other traditional New Year activities.

Overall, every NurtureStars child had a whale of a time playing games, exchanging oranges and sharing stories on their Chinese New Year homes visits.