| Class | Note |
| Class 1 – 3/11/2023 | Student introduction. Fill out student questionnaire and build Lego minifigures. |
| Class 2 – 3/18/2023 | Learn about Eco-friendly and organic farming. Build Lego vegetable garden/farm. |
| Class 3 – 3/25/2023 | Learn about healthy eating. Lego grocery shopping/cooking show. |
| Class 4 – 4/29/2023 | Learn about lunar calendar and lunar festivals. Explain Hsi Fang Temple Main Prayer Hall Lego diorama. |
| Class 5 – 5/6/2023 | Learn about Spring Lantern Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Dragon Boat Festival. Make paper sticky rice dumplings and decorate paper dragon boats. |
| Class 6 – 5/13/2023 | Learn about Fo Guang Day, Mother’s Day, and Buddha’s Birthday. Make flower cards for mom/dad. |
Class 1 – Student Introduction
Alex, Andrew, Laura, Asya, Anais, and Claire.
Class 2 – Eco-friendly and Organic Farming
Fill in the color of the fruit.
Questions…
- Which are your favorite and why?
- Which are grown in the ground/on the ground/above ground/on trees?
- Which are Vegetables and which are Fruits? See Answers.
Fun Facts:
- Tomatoes are the most popular fruit in the world.
- Pumpkins and cucumber are also fruits.
- Potatoes were the first vegetable to be drown in outer space.
- Not all oranges are orange.
- Cranberries can bounce.
- Broccoli are actually flowers you eat.
- Durian is the smelliest fruit in the world.
Eco-Friendly Farming Concepts…
Ecological Friendly farming means farming that won’t harm the environment.
Organic foods are healthier for you and the environment because they avoid synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. They promote wealth waterways, soil, air, and wildlife.
Lego Farming
| Bees | Bees help pollinate the flowers and later lead to fruits. We are harvest their honey from hives as ingredients to make all kinds of other foods. |
| Butterflies | Butterflies are not only fun to watch, they also are pollinators like bees. They can travel long distances. |
| Ladybugs | Ladybugs are beneficial insects that eat other insects that harms the vegetables. |
| Composting | Composting is a mixture of ingredients used as plant food. It is prepared by decomposing plants, food waste, recycling organic materials, and manure. |
| Greenhouse | Use sun’s heat to maintain an ideal temperature and environment for plants to grow. |
| Trees | Not only does tree provide fruits, it also acts has an natural barrier for winds and prevents erosion. |
| Outdoor Dinning | Uses less energy than indoor. Provide natural shade. |
| Flowers | Not only does it make the garden more visual appealing, it also attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies. |
| Water Barrel | Recycle and reduce the use of water.. Collect water from kitchen or during raining season. |
Class 3 – Healthy Eating
Food Groups
| Grain | Bread, Cereal, Rice |
| Vegetables | Tomatoes, Broccoli, Carrots |
| Fruit | Apple, Strawberry, Pineapple, Grapes |
| Dairy | Milk, Cheese |
| Meat, Fish, Beans | Fish, Chicken, Nuts, Eggs |
Design Your Dish
Lego Grocery Shopping and Cooking Show
Example Dishes
| Spaghetti with Meatballs | Ground Pork, Spaghetti Noodles, Tomatoes, Onions, Bell Peppers. |
| Greek Salad | Lettuce, Cheese, Olives, Tomatoes, Cucumbers |
| Vegetable Hotpot | Tofu, Mushrooms, Corn, Bok Choy, Onion |
| Kung Pao Chicken with Rice | Rice, Chicken, Carrots, Onion, Bell Peppers, Peanuts, Hot Peppers |
| Chicken Noodle Soup | Chicken, Noodles, Onion, Carrots |
| Chicken Pot Pie | Chicken, Carrots, Peas, Celery, Flour |
| Chicken Alfredo | Chicken, Noodles, Cheese, Peas, Broccoli, Carrots, Mushrooms |
| Sushi Roll | Rice, Seaweed, Carrots, Eggs, Cucumber. |
| Veg Burger with Fries | Buns, Veg Patties, Lettuce, Pickles, Tomatoes, Potatoes. |
| Veg Kebabs | Mushrooms, Onion, Bell Peppers, Pineapples. |
Class 4 – Lunar Calendar and Festivals
Solar Calendar vs Lunar Calendar
A solar year — the time it takes Earth to orbit the sun — lasts around 365 days, while a lunar year, or 12 full cycles of the Moon, is roughly 354 days.
Solar Calendar is based on the Sun. 1 solar year has 365 days.
Lunar Calendar is based on the Moon. 1 lunar month has 30 days. (29.5 days)
Moon Phases
A new moon occurs every 30 days. There will be a full moon on the 15th day of the lunar month.
Activity: What kind of moon do you expect to see during these lunar festivals…
| Festivals | Calendar | Note |
| Lunar New Year (春節新年) | 1st day of the 1st lunar month (1/22/2023) | Biggest and most popular lunar festival. Starts with New Year’s Eve and ends with Lantern Festival for 16 days. Red envelope with money. |
| Spring Lantern Festival (元宵節) | 15th day of the 1st lunar month (2/5/2023) | Moon at it’s roundest. Eat round sweet rice dumplings. |
| Buddha’s Birthday | 8th day of the 4th lunar month (5/26/2023) | Bathing of the baby buddha. |
| Dragon Boat Festival (端午節) | 5th day of the 5th lunar month (6/22/2023) | Dragon boat races. Eat sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. |
| Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節) | 15th day of the 8th lunar month (9/29/2323) | Moon at it’s roundest. Eat moon cakes. |
Hsi Fang Temple Main Prayer Hall Lego Diorama
- Main Shrine and the buddhas.
- Bathing of the baby buddha.
| Buddha | Description |
| Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva (right of Amitabha) | Represents the wisdom of Amitabha Buddha. |
| Amitabha Buddha (middle standing) | Main teacher of Western Pure Land. |
| Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin) (left of Amitabha) | She symbolizes great compassion. |
| Sakyamuni Buddha (seated Buddha) | The teacher and founder of Buddhism. |
| Wei Tuo Bodhisattva (smaller statue on far left of the Buddhas) | One of the eight divine warriors. Devout guardian of Buddhist monasteries. |
| Qie Lan Bodhisattva (smaller statue on the far right of the buddhas) | Lived as a great warrior during the era of the Three Kingdoms. Devout guardian of Buddhist monasteries. |
| Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (inside the room) | Medicine Buddha. Vowed to relieve all suffering beings in hell. |
Class 5 – Spring Lantern Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival
| Spring Lantern Festival | Mid-Autumn Festival | Dragon Boat Festival | |
| Full moon. | X | X | |
| Eat sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. | X | ||
| Eat round sweet mochi rice ball dessert. | X | ||
| Eat moon cakes. | X | ||
| Involves family reunion dinner. | X | ||
| Involves a famous Chinese poet who drowned in a river. | X | ||
| Involves an hero that used his bow and arrows to shoot down nine of the ten suns to save the people on this Earth. | X | ||
| Involves the Jade rabbit. | X |
Make paper sticky rice dumplings
Decorate paper dragon boats
Class 6 – Fo Guang Day, Buddha’s Birthday, and Mother’s Day
| 2023 Date | Day |
| May 14th (Second Sunday in May) | Mother’s Day |
| May 16th (from May16th 1967) | Fo Guang Day |
| May 26th (8th day of the 4th lunar month) | Buddha’s Birthday |
Mother’s Day
- Celebration honoring the mother of the family
- Gift of flowers is the most popular
Fo Guang Day
- Founding of Fo Guang Shan in May 16th 1967 in Taiwan
- 2023 will be the 56th Anniversary
Buddha’s Birthday
- Commemorate the birth of the Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism
- Bathing of Baby Buddha
Make flowers for Mom/Dad
Videos
News Articles
- 親子同樂森呼吸 與地球立契約 (Parents and children share the joy of breathing, and make a contract with the earth)
http://www.lnanews.com/news/150796 - 三好尋寶覓佛法 教育從心出發 (Sanhao Treasure Hunting and Dharma Education Starts from the Heart)
http://www.lnanews.com/news/150490 - 西方寺樂高藝術專題學習 啟發孩子自我認識與同體共生精神 (Western Temple LEGO Art Special Learning Inspires Children’s Self-awareness and Symbiosis Spirit)
http://www.lnanews.com/news/150236 - 西方寺三好兒童祝福禮 各族裔孩子成為佛弟子 (Three Good Children Blessing Ceremony in Xixi Temple Children of all ethnic groups become Buddhist disciples)
http://www.lnanews.com/news/149866