Mardi Gras Crafts

On Mardi Gras, hide your true identity behind these glittery party plate half-masks. This Mardi Gras craft is also easy for kids to make and is a way for them to show off their creativity.

What You'll Need:

Paper

Pencil

Shiny or colored plastic-coated paper party plates

Scissors

Glitter glue

Shiny stickers

Hole punch

Curling ribbon

Beads

Elastic thread

Needle

Wooden dowel

Paint

Paintbrushes

Use our pattern as a starting point for making your own mask. Draw your pattern, and lay it on the paper plate. Trace around the pattern, and cut it out.

Carefully cut out the eye holes. Use glitter glue to draw lines around the eye holes. Let glue dry.

Paste shiny stickers onto your mask.

Punch holes at the bottom corners of your mask, and thread strands of curling ribbon through the holes. String beads on the ends of the ribbons.

If you want to wear your mask, poke small holes on either side of the mask and thread a loop of elastic string long enough to stretch around your head.

If you'd like to hold the mask in front of your face, paint a wooden dowel. Glue it to the bottom corner of the mask.

Make lots of different masks, and switch identities all through Mardi Gras. Keep everyone guessing who you are.

Mardi Gras is a great holiday for making noise and celebrating, and noisemakers are the perfect way to join in the fun. Continue to the next page to learn how to create your own Mardi Gras clink-clank noisemaker in just a few simple steps.

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Sound off at Mardi Gras with an easy-to-make clink-clank noisemaker. People love to make noise during Mardi Gras, and this Mardi Gras craft will allow you to join in the fun.

What You'll Need:

Empty tissue box (the long, flat kind)

Pencil

Scissors

Heavy paper

Tape

Two jar lids

Glue

Paint

Paintbrushes

Gold, purple, and green glitter

Mark a line across the top and sides of the tissue box; the line should be across the shorter length of the box. Cut down the line on all three sides. Bend the box so the back sides touch.

Cut straps from heavy paper, and tape them down inside each half of the box so that they are slightly curved. The straps will hold your hand inside the noisemaker.

Glue the jar lids to the outside of each half.

Paint your clink-clank in the Mardi Gras colors of gold, purple, and green. When the paint is dry, draw designs with glue, and sprinkle glitter on top. Shake off the extra glitter, and let the glue dry.

Insert your fingers under the top strap and your thumb under the bottom strap to make some music.

Mardi Gras is a great holiday for sharing delicious treats with friends and family, and a Mardi Gras king cake is the most popular dish to share. On the next page, learn how to make your own Mardi Gras king cake.

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This is one Mardi Gras craft that you will love to create and then partake in tasting the finished product. This delicious Mardi Gras king cake has a baked-in surprise.

What You'll Need:

For the cake:

2 cups flour

1/4-cup sugar

1 package active dry yeast

1/2-cup milk

1/4-cup butter

3 eggs (at room temperature)

1/2-cup each mixed candied fruits and raisins

Foil-wrapped toy figure (a baby) that is heat-proof

Gold, purple, and green sugar sprinkles

Materials:

Measuring cup and spoons

Mixing bowls

Saucepan

Mixing spoon

Spoon

Electric mixer

Dish towel

10-inch tube pan

Have an adult help you make this traditional Mardi Gras treat.

Mix 3/4-cup flour with the sugar and yeast.

Pour the milk into a small saucepan, add the butter, and stir over low heat.

Slowly add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat with an electric mixer until well blended.

Add the eggs one by one; beat well after each egg.

Add 1/2-cup flour, and beat until a thick batter is formed.

Add the rest of the flour, and beat for two minutes.

Cover the mixture with a dish towel, and set it in a warm place for about one hour.

Have an adult preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a large spoon, fold candied fruits and raisins into the batter.

Pour the batter into a greased tube pan, and poke the foil-wrapped toy into the batter.

Traditionally, this toy is a baby that represents the Christ child. Whoever finds him will have good luck for the coming year. This person must host the next Mardi Gras party.

Bake your King Cake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool, and sprinkle it with gold, purple, and green sprinkles. The cake will serve 8 to 10 people.

Mardi Gras is a great holiday for creating, throwing, and catching beautifully decorated beads. On the next page, learn how to create your own Mardi Gras throw-me beads.

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Colorful beads are a tradition at Mardi Gras -- learn how to make your own throw-me beads. Throw-me beads are one of the most well-known Mardi Gras crafts for kids to make for festive holiday celebrations and parades. Make some bracelets and anklets to go with your necklaces, too.

What You'll Need:

Cardboard

Pencil

Ruler

Old color magazines or comics

Scissors

Stiff cord

Glue

Small paintbrush

Clear varnish or nail polish

Embroidery thread

Large embroidery needle

Make a cardboard template of a triangle that has two long sides that are five inches long and a shorter side that is one inch long.

Use the template to trace and cut triangles from old magazines or comics. Each triangle will be a bead.

To make a bead, take a triangle, wrong side up, and roll the wider end around a piece of cord. Work carefully and continue to roll, making sure the bead builds up evenly.

Keep rolling the paper tightly until the last two inches. Brush the wrong side of the two inches with glue, and roll it up.

Let the bead dry on the cord. When the glue is dry, give your beads a coat of clear varnish or nail polish to protect them and make them hard. Be sure the beads don't touch each other until they are dry.

When dry, thread the beads on embroidery thread to make necklaces, bracelets, and anklets.

The traditional Mardi Gras cry is, "Throw me something!"

Now you can throw your beads into the air during a parade or party.

For more fun activities and crafts for kids, see: