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Enchanted Learnings Mardi Gras Crafts

Mardi Gras is a day of carnival, when people dress up, have parades, dance, eat, drink, and stay up late. Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" in French. The name "Fat Tuesday" comes from the ancient custom of parading a fattened ox through the streets of Paris, France, at the beginning of the celebration, which precedes Lent. Lent is the 40-day period preceding Easter; it is a period of Christian religious observance when people temporarily give up something they enjoy. Mardi Gras (also known as Shrove Tuesday) is celebrated by some people as a last party before Lent.

Mardi Gras is celebrated in many places around the world, including: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (where it is called Carnaval); Nice, France; and others. The traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras colors are purple, green and gold.

Masks to Make:

MAGNIFICENT MASKS Print out and decorate many masks: lion, cat, dog, pig, koala, and robot.

GROUNDHOG MASK A groundhog mask made from a paper plate.

RABBIT MASK A cute bunny mask made from two paper plates.

Jack-O'-Lantern Mask A simple jack-o'-lantern mask you can make from a paper plate.

Beaded Necklaces:

SWEET NECKLACE Make an edible necklace using licorice laces and cereal.

MACARONI NECKLACE Make a simple beaded necklace using dried macaroni.

Hats to Make:

BIG HAT Make an incredibly huge hat from a large brown paper grocery bag. This is a nice, simple craft that works well at children's parties.

BLACK CAT HAT A black cat hat made from construction paper.

DINOSAUR HATS Make papier-mâché dinosaur hats using balloons, newspaper, flour-water paste, and paint.

FLOWER CROWN An easy-to-make Spring hat.

Have a Parade:

SHOEBOX FLOAT Make a miniature Mardi Gras float from a shoebox and small doodads. Make a few and you can put on your own parade.

RAINBOW STREAMER Make a handheld rainbow that you can use while putting on your own parade or while dancing.

PAPER PLATE MARACAS Make noise makers called maracas from a paper plate.

Mardi Gras Printables:

Mardi Gras Words Mini Book A Printable Writing Book A tiny, printable book about simple words related to Mardi Gras -- for early readers and writers. The book has 2 pages to print and makes 8 pages for the student to cut out, color, and write in. The words are: mask, beads, float, king, queen, costume, and "Can you think of another Mardi Gras word?

Mardi Gras Spelling Word Questions Use the list of Mardi Gras related words to answer simple questions. Words: parade, float, threw, beads, gold, mask, costume, Tuesday, Louisiana, cake. Or go to the answers.

Mardi Gras Alphabet Code Use the alphabet code to find the Mardi Gras message. Answer: "Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" in French."

Mardi Gras: Printable Read-and-Answer Worksheet A printable worksheet on Mardi Gras, with a short text, a world map to label, and questions to answer. Or go to the answers.

Other Mask Pages:

Draw and Compare Masks Draw two masks and then answer simple questions comparing them, for example, "Which mask is scarier?"

Greenlandic Inuit Mask: Coloring Page A coloring page based on a wooden mask made by the Inuit people of Greenland. Or paint it online.

Guro People Coloring Page: Wooden Mask (early 1900s) A coloring page based on a wooden mask made by the Guro people of Western Africa. Or paint it online.

Ivory Coast Wooden Mask Coloring Page (20th century) A coloring page based on a wooden mask made on the Ivory Coast of Africa. Or paint it online.