Check out the glory that is homemade king cake on this Fat Tuesday that features a full foot of snow on the ground! Earlier today, I was outside attempting to shovel the porch, then the steps from the porch to the driveway, then the godforsakenly long driveway from the garage down to the street. I've been shoveling it practically daily this month, it feels like, when there was, you know, an inch or less of snow on the ground, and it always takes me something like an hour and it sucks.
But whoa. Shoveling a foot of snow is a whole other beast! I was all, "OMG this is hard. This is totally why I've heard that people have heart attacks shoveling snow every winter. OMG AM I HAVING A HEART ATTACK?!?"
Just when I was about to, I don't know... just, like, sit down in the snow and give up, pretty much, a totally random neighbor that I have never seen before in my life literally rolled up my snow-covered driveway in his tractor with an honest-to-god SNOWPLOW attachment on the front and was all, "How about I get your driveway for you?"
Friends, I cannot even tell you how thrilling it was to finish shoveling my porch steps while watching this guy plow my whole driveway for me. Like, right before he showed up it had become clear to me that I was NEVER going to get this driveway shoveled, it just was not in the realm of my possibility, and then BOOM! Half an hour later and I'm tucked back inside the house all warm and comfy and with a skid-free driving surface.
Also, I just need you to know how embarrassing I am. The guy introduced himself, told me who his wife is, and I have just now realized that not only do I not remember his name (I remember his wife's name, though?), but I distinctly remember that I definitely, absolutely did not introduce myself in turn. Just... WTF, ME?!? Peopling with other people is so hard!
ANYWAY, now that I've gotten you to join me in cringing in embarrassment (I'm definitely going to be remembering this in 40 years when I have 2:00 am insomnia...), check out this super fun, super easy, and pretty quick unit study that I pulled together to do with Will yesterday and today. We can pretend like it's part of her AP Human Geography study, since it's a comparison/contrast of the traditions that surround the same religious holiday around the world, but it's also just really fun, and a chance to admire the spectacle of some beautiful performance art, and an excuse to listen to beautiful music, eat delicious food, and, if you're feeling wild, even dress up a little!
WORLD CARNIVAL BADGE ACTIVITIES
I found this fun Girl Scout badge to award Will after our carnival study. Depending on how strict your local uniform police are, it's appropriate for the front or back of a Girl Scout's uniform (it's going on the front of Will's uniform, because that's how we roll). Or it could just be a cute little patch for a kid's jacket or bookbag!
New Orleans, Louisiana, holds the largest Mardi Gras celebrations each year.
This year, even though the parades are cancelled, New Orleans is still doing a lot of fun activities. Check out their website here:
Watch videos of parades from prior years:
Definitely look at the Yardi Gras photos!
https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/news/parade-of-homes-2021-style
Here’s a really good article about house floats from NPR:
The king cake is a beloved Mardi Gras tradition. Read about it here:
Make sure you learn the following information:
When/where they were invented
What’s the secret inside them, and what it means
The traditional colors, and what they represent
Do an Instagram or Google Image search to find examples of king cakes.
Make a homemade king cake using one of these authentic recipes:
If you’ve got Spotify, here’s a playlist of festive New Orleans music:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, holds the largest Carnival celebrations each year.
Read this webpage to explore the various traditions of the Rio Carnival
Samba schools are about more than just dancing! Read about them here:
https://www.riocarnaval.org/rio-samba-school/rio-samba-schools
Search YouTube for streams of previous years’ parades entering the Sambadrome.
Read here to see what you should search for, such as the children’s parade and the winners’ parade:
Be aware: topless nudity is very common in the adult parades.
YouTube is also a good place to search for a beginner samba lesson. Can you figure out how to do a part of the dance?
If you’ve got Spotify, here’s playlist of festive Brazilian music:
Venice, Italy, holds one of the oldest Carnival celebrations each year.
Read more about its history here:
Masks are a very important tradition in the Venice Carnival. You can try making your own mask, or just read these tutorials to explore the process:
Here’s a bauta mask made from cardboard, aluminum foil, and papier mache:
Here’s a plague doctor mask made by sewing, although you could trace the pattern pieces onto cardboard and use tape, hot glue, and paint:
If you have Spotify, here’s a Putumayo playlist of Italian music:
Check out this website of other Carnival celebrations across the world:
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