Celebrate Mardi Gras in French Class

It’s always enjoyable to celebrate Mardi Gras in French class – I’ve done a variety of things over the years to celebrate it, and I’ll continue to look for new ways that fit whatever mood I happen to be in when the big day rolls around.  Of course, with distance learning it will look different.  Here are some of the ways I’ve celebrated in the past and how I plan to celebrate in the future.

Music and dancing – I like to celebrate Mardi Gras by playing a little bit of Cajun/Zydeco music for the students.  They aren’t always fans, but they don’t mind too much.  Beausoleil is a favorite.  Depending on the class, I’ve taught them to do the waltz and the Cajun two-step.  Some classes really, really don’t want to dance – oddly enough, I’ve had a couple of classes that were 80% boys and you are NOT going to get them to dance with a partner in that case.

Beads – Can you even imagine trying to celebrate Mardi Gras without beads? I bought a huge pack (60 dozen!) of cheap beads about 3 years ago and it would probably be enough to get me through this year as well, but since we won’t be back on campus by February 16…I guess there will be enough for next year!  I’ve done different things to allow students to “earn” beads – when they learn the dance, or if they tell me a funny joke or something interesting that they learned.

Crafts – I’ve done masks in the past but I don’t think I’ll do that again.  The glitter and feathers get everywhere.  My classroom was carpeted a few years ago and it’s just too much hassle to clean up.  But if you have a nice space and an understanding janitor, it’s a possibility.

Digital ways to celebrate Mardi Gras

Escape game – I do have a Mardi Gras digital escape game. As always, the kids have a love/hate relationship – they get frustrated when they can’t immediately find the key, but so excited when they do figure one out.  Since we’re going to be virtual in my district until February 22 at the very earliest – and hybrid after that – this is the option I will be going with this year.

Trivia game – If you’d rather do a question and answer type of game, my Mardi Gras game for Powerpoint/Google Slides/PDF can be played either individually or as a class on a Smartboard.  30 questions about the holiday, in English – get them right and win three sets of beads, then win the crown!

Digital fun stuff – I have an agenda background and digital stickers that I plan to use throughout the week of Mardi Gras, just to bring a little fun all week long.

Do you celebrate Mardi Gras in French classes with your students?  What are you doing?  I’d love to hear your comments.