Copacabana Inspired Mosaic:

Copacabana is a neighbourhood in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, known for its beach and its promenade, a pavement landscape influenced by the Portuguese Pavement style, using black and white tiles to form a large wave. To read about the artist check here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Burle_Marx.

Check here for more information: https://tossoffbowlines.com/2012/10/15/rio-history-in-the-sidewalks/

Photo: T. Georgii

Step 2: Have your child cut out the picture of the rainforest animal and glue it to green paper.

Step 3: Help your child cut out green leaves (we drew ours with green marker first and then cut them out together) and then glue them around the animal so that the animal looks like it is peering out of the rainforest.

Step 4: Let’s dry and then display or glue into your Family Theme Day Scrapbook.

To see highlights from the 2013 Carnival check this out:

Step 1: Lightly draw a wave pattern on your cardboard.

Step 2: Cut out pieces of foam in black and white. We found it easier to cut as we glued.

Step 3: Glue them onto cardboard in a wave pattern. A black wave and then a white wave.

Step 3: Let dry and then display!

Rainforests of Brazil...

Peering Into the Rainforest:

Black paper, cut out green leaves, add painting or drawing of animal that your child found while reading.

Step 1: have your child flip through books about rainforest animals and pick his/her favourite animal. Then have your child draw a picture of that animal and colour it (use crayons, markers, pencil crayons…whatever your child wants). Of if your child doesn’t like drawing find some clip art or a colouring page on line and print that out.

Brazil has one of the richest bird diversities in the world with a total of around

1,901 species!

CRAFTS

Photo: T. Georgii

Celebrate in Brazil...

Brazil

Carnival

Carnaval do Brazil

Brazil has many different holidays and celebrations. Perhaps the most well known is Carnival.

The following two crafts are based on that.

The Brazilian Carnival marks the beginning of Lent, which is the 40 days before Easter. The one is Rio de Janeiro is the biggest Carnival celebration in the world. It is a celebration that lasts 5 days. Huge colourful parades are lead by samba schools with vibrant costumes, music and dancing!

Check here to see the national bird of Brazil in the wild and hear its beautiful song:

Copacabana Beach

Carnival – Scene from the movie Rio

Here are the steps to make the tissue paper flowers....

Carnival Craft Stick Dancers:

Materials: Fat Craft Sticks, white glue, googly eyes, black permanent marker, colourful paper or scrapbook paper, craft feathers, sequins.

Step 1: Cut out the paper to create little costumes for the craft sticks. Let your child help in the design and help to pick out the colour scheme.

Step 2: Have your child glue the costume onto the wooden sticks using white glue. Glue embellishments like feathers and sequins as well.

Step 3: Have your child glue the white googly eyes and then draw a smile.

Step 4: Let the sticks dry and then your child can play with them as little Carnival puppets!

Cupcake Liner Birds:

For this craft we chose the national bird and another beautiful bird of Brazil, the Golden Parakeet, but feel free to make a parrot using different colours, whatever inspires your child!

Materials: Cupcake liners in various colours but you could always colour white ones with crayons (as we had to do for the brown on the thrush) to match your birds, glue stick, googly eyes, varied coloured paper, markers for embellishments.
Step 1: Get your liners ready by picking the colours and cutting the correct pieces. The basic shape of each bird for this craft is half a cupcake liner for the body and half for a wing. We also cut out the circle of the liners to be the heads. We used small cupcake liners for the thrush and large ones for the parakeet. For the longer tail pieces we cut half pieces in half again. We used half of a half for the red on the thrush as well.

Step 2: Arrange your shapes to create a bird and then glue onto coloured paper with a glue stick.

Step 3: Add a googly eye or draw in an eye or two.

Step 4: Add any embellishments your child desires with marker. My sons drew feet and a branch for the thrush.

Photo: T. Georgii

MANY PLACES TO SEE IN BRAZIL....

Photo: T. Georgii

The National Flower:

The National Flower of Brazil is the Ipé-amarelo or Tecoma Chrysostricha. This is a tree which blossoms into gorgeous yellow flowers usually between September and October .
Materials: Yellow tissue paper, Brown paper or marker, Blue paper or white paper, (optional) green paper, glue stick, white glue, waxed paper, a pencil with an eraser at the end.

Step 1: Cut out squares of yellow tissue paper together.

Step 2: Draw a basic tree from the brown paper or draw a tree on white paper.

Step 3: (Optional) cut out a strip of green paper to represent land.

Step 4: With a glue stick, glue the optional green paper to the blue paper (if using). Then glue the tree on top of that (if using brown paper and not drawing the tree).

Step 5: Pour some white glue onto a sheet of waxed paper or in a paper bowl or plate.

Step 6: Show your child how to gently wrap the eraser end of the pencil with a piece of tissue paper and then dip into the white glue while pinching the paper to the pencil. Transfer the pencil over to the picture of the tree and dab onto the tree. Voila you have 3-D yellow flowers reminiscent of the glorious blooms of the Ipé-amarelo/Tecoma Chrysostricha.

There are so many fun crafts to make when you are learning about a different country. Pick your favourite ones to make for your Brazil Theme Day!

Here’s a link to more Brazilian birds and sounds!

Animals of Brazil

Brazil is home to 60% of the Amazon Rainforest, which accounts for approximately one-tenth of all species in the world! Brazil is considered to have the greatest biodiversity of any country on the planet.

Materials need for this craft: black and white craft foam (gives this craft a more textures look but you could also use black and white paper), a piece of cardboard or paper to work on.

Birds of Brazil

The National Bird of Brazil is the Sabiá-laranjeira/ the Rufous-bellied Thrush.

Feather Crown Hat:

Materials: Colored construction paper, craft feathers, sequins, coloured paper for embellishments, glue stick and white glue, stapler and/or clear tape.

Step 1: Cut out a strip of green paper and roll it to fit your child’s head. Pinch to keep the shape and remove from his/her head and then staple together. You could also tape it together.

Step 2: Now let your child decorate it with colourful shapes, feathers and sequence. Feathers may need tape to hold. We used white glue for the sequence.

Step 3: Let it dry and then your child can wear it and celebrate Carnival!

Here’s a little slide show I found on You Tube with a lovely song that highlights the beauty of this tree and flower!