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JDaniel4s Mom

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Mardi Gras Masks and Learning Activities

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Mardi Gras Mask and Learning Activities

Mardi Gras is a festival filled with many symbols like a decorated mask and colorful beads. Both a mask and a necklace of beads can be fun learning tools as well as Mardi Gras party elements. We recently used them to do three different learning activities at my house.

Mardi Gras Activities

Mardi Gras Mask

Making Mardi Gras Masks

There are two different activities that we did with Mardi Gras masks. Both were fun and used a variety of learning skills. The first was to decorate cardboard masks with odds and ends from our craft closet. The second was to create a bar graph based on the colors we used to decorate the masks.

Cardboard Mardi Gras Mask

Let’s start with the foam mask. I pre-cut the cardboard masks from an old pizza box and put them out with a variety of materials to decorate with.

I dug out the following items:

  • Glitter glue
  • Stickers
  • Sticky backed jewels
  • Wiggly eyes
  • Beads
  • Buttons

I wish that I had found feathers, but we just haven’t used them to craft with in the past.

Mardi Gras Mask Building

We both had fun decorating the masks. Our creative juices really flowed. It is easy to decorate them when you know that there really isn’t a wrong way to do it. Mardi Gras masks are all unique and different.

Mardi Gras Bar Graph Activity

Graphing the Colors Used in the Mardi Gras Mask

I created a printable that displays a Mardi Grade Color and Graph Page at the top and a bar graph at the bottom. Children including JDaniel will be asked to decorate the circles on the mask using the colors red, blue, yellow, and green. They will also be asked to use each color at least three times. I really want to make sure that children don’t just use one color to fill in fall the circles. I also want to make sure that they have a couple of circles of each color to record on the graph.
When children have finished coloring the circles, they will be asked to count how many circles of each color they have. They will color the bars in the bar graph to match the color of that set of circles. I have uploaded a copy of the  Mardi Gras Color and Graph Page printable for you to use with your children.
 
Mardi Gras Beads Venn Diagram 
 Using Mardi Gras Beads as Venn Diagram
Two strands of Mardi Gras beads can be formed into a really cool Venn diagram. You can make the circles tall and narrow or short and wide. It will depend on the size of the object you have going to have your children sort.
We sorted button in our Mardi Gras bead Venn diagram. Before we started sorting, we decided what attributes we were going to focus on. Those attributes were written down on index cards and placed above each of the circles on the Venn.
The attributes we chose were blue and large. The buttons that were both blue and large went into the middle of the Venn where the circles overlapped. The blue buttons went on the right side of the Venn and the large buttons that weren’t blue went on the left.
I really love how portable this Venn diagram is. I think we may be taking the Mardi Gras beads out with us to sort on hikes or playground outings. It would be great to sort objects we have found along the way.
Mardi Gras Activities for Kids

 



Here is another Mardi  Gras post from this blog:

Muffin Tin Monday- Mardi Gras Mask Lunch
 

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Comments

  2. My daughter loves Mardi Gras masks! I’m actually really excited about this time of year in general. It makes me think spring is coming.
    And masks are such a great activity!

  5. This is a good way to get some hands-on learning in, and teach a bit about Mardis Gras too! Very nice. 🙂

  6. These are great activities for Mardi Gras. I like how you used beads to make a venn diagram. Thanks for sharing at the After School Link up.
    Kelly at LIttle Wonders’ Days

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