Today was a very exciting day in our classroom...Mardi Gras is finally here! We have been studying the Southeast region of the United States throughout the month of February and spent a day learning about the cultures and traditions in New Orleans, Louisiana. Naturally, the annual Mardi Gras celebration took up a large chunk of that lesson. Since then, we have been counting down the days until Fat Tuesday so that we could celebrate.
Students and teachers started the school day very excited for what was coming. Many students chose to wear purple, green, or gold to school as they are the traditional colors of Mardi Gras. We spent the morning listening to a special mix of songs Mrs. Gedeon had and Miss B brought in Mardi Gras beads for each of the students to wear. The kids pulled out the Mardi Gras mask they made the week before during our New Orleans trip and wore them, too. After lunch, we went through a couple of slides featuring facts, pictures, and clips of Mardi Gras traditions including Paczki making here in West Michigan bakeries. Miss B surprised the students with a box of paczkis so they could each try one of a dozen different flavors before heading to gym class.
Overall, we had a wonderful Mardi Gras celebration! Here are some other fun facts we learned about New Orleans:
Students and teachers started the school day very excited for what was coming. Many students chose to wear purple, green, or gold to school as they are the traditional colors of Mardi Gras. We spent the morning listening to a special mix of songs Mrs. Gedeon had and Miss B brought in Mardi Gras beads for each of the students to wear. The kids pulled out the Mardi Gras mask they made the week before during our New Orleans trip and wore them, too. After lunch, we went through a couple of slides featuring facts, pictures, and clips of Mardi Gras traditions including Paczki making here in West Michigan bakeries. Miss B surprised the students with a box of paczkis so they could each try one of a dozen different flavors before heading to gym class.
Overall, we had a wonderful Mardi Gras celebration! Here are some other fun facts we learned about New Orleans:
- The French were the first Europeans to settle in New Orleans.
- New Orleans is often in danger of hurricanes.
- New Orleans is known for having a lot of Cajun food.
- New Orleans is the birthplace of Dixieland Jazz music.
- Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday.
- The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are purple, gold, and green.
- A King Cake is a special Mardi Gras tradition. Comment below if you can remember what is hidden inside!