Celebrating Mardi Gras in the Classroom

A lot of Mardi Gras crafts and activities are great for younger kids, but they leave older kids out of the fun. This post from Teach Hub talks about the history of Mardi Gras and offers educational ideas that older kids can do.

Yes there’s still mask decorating and crafts made with beads of course, but it also has some ideas for learning and presentations (real world and virtual) that kids can do to share what they have learned.

My favorite idea is a bit of a STEM extension: have kids or pairs of kids make their own Mardi Gras parade floats. I’d made this an upcycling challenge where students have to use a shoebox and a bunch of random materials (including Mardi Gras beads, of course) to make their floats.

I’d love to hear your ideas for doing Mardi Gras in the classroom with older kids!

[Photo: Grafixar via morguefile.]

Last month I shared a collection of beach crafts that used items from the beach like seashells and sand. This month’s collection is all about beach animals and things you might see at the beach that don’t require beachy materials to make. In fact you’ve probably got what you need to make most of these beach crafts in your house already.

How about paper plates? With a paper plate you can make this cute watercolor seashell from The Educator’s Spin on It, or an adorable seagull like this one from Glued to My Crafts.

Add some white beans and you can make paper plate sand dollars like Crafts by Amanda. Or use a paper plate as a frame for a sweet beach scene like this crab and turtle one from Artsy Craftsy Mom, which includes a downloadable template and instructions to make it super easy.

Or grab a paper plate and some bubble wrap to make a jellyfish like this one from Happy Toddler Playtime. If you have paper bowls instead of plates, you can also make a jellyfish from one of those, like Natural Beach Living did.

Use your stash of craft sticks and googly eyes to make crabs, fish, sharks and more with this craft idea from The Keeper of the Cheerios.

I love this little crab made with a cardboard tube from Hunny I’m Home. With this same idea I’ll bet you could make lots of different creatures.

Grab some construction paper to make the loopy tentacles on this watercolor jellyfish from Craftsy Hacks. Or make a stained glass jellyfish like this one from Life Anchored.

Make easy puffy paint to make these fun fluffy starfish from I Heart Crafty Things, or use cupcake liners to make cute little crabs (also from I Heart Crafty Things).

Turn an old pool noodle into some super cute fish with this tutorial from Happy Toddler Playtime.

And if you’ve got some leftover yarn lying around, make pompoms and turn them into turtles like these from Craftsy Hacks. (And check out my post on different ways to make pompoms if you need a refresher!)

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