We are back for crafting every other Wednesday in 2024 on Good Day Acadiana with Alex Worstell. With National Popcorn Day falling on January 19 this year right in the middle of carnival season, I decided to roll two holidays into one! Using popcorn, we made two simple crafts, a Mardi Gras Tree, and a King Cake Paper Plate that are sure to keep your kid's busy for some at-home carnival fun.
These are great crafts to do if you want to celebrate carnival season with your kids in a special way. It lets them get creative and also uses their investigative abilities. You can tie this to a lesson on the carnival holiday and traditions in Acadiana, get them outside for a bit if the weather permits, and get their imaginations running at the same time. But, be ready mom and day because it is a bit messy!
Check out the post on our Facebook page from the show this week:
Mardi Gras Trees
Growing up in New Orleans, we always used the left over beads to decorate the trees in our neighborhood after having our own little parade around the block. To this day I love seeing the pictures on social media of the trees adorned with all the colorful beads during carnival time and it's what inspired my idea for the craft this week.
Supplies You'll Need:
- Poster board or hard cardstock paper
- Small tree branches
- Paint, brushes, and markers
- Glue, hot glue and maybe clear scotch tape
- Mardi Gras beads
- Popcorn
- Stickers, glitter, pom-poms, sequins, noodles, beans or other small decorative items
Step-by-Step Instructions
While your popcorn is in the microwave, (does anyone still make stovetop popcorn?) gather your supplies. Put your popcorn aside to cool and let's get started.
While your popcorn is cooling, take a walk with the kids around the neighborhood to find a few small twigs and sticks. You can make this walk take as long or as little as you like! Clean off your sticks and get them ready to glue to your poster board or cardstock paper.
Have your child arrange the twigs in any shape they like forming a tree. It will be best to use hot glue to hold the sticks in place to the paper. I actually ran out of hot glue sticks while making my craft so I improvised! We used some clear scotch tape to help hold the twigs in place. Let your twigs dry and let's move on to the popcorn.
Now this is where it can get messy.... as I had paint on every finger while making this! Begin to paint your popcorn kernels the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold. Did you know there is a story behind the true meaning of the traditional colors of carnival in Louisiana and it dates back to the first Rex parade in New Orleans in 1872? This is where you can teach a little history lesson they will enjoy! Continue painting as many kernels as you like and put them aside to dry. Once they have dried, you can then begin to glue them to your tree.
After your popped kernels are in place on your tree, you can add some pieces and parts of Mardi Gras beads, or glitter, sequins, or other small items. After your items are secured and dried, add some more flair to your artwork by painting your tree branches, or painting around the tree, or just some solid colors to the image to your background.
You can even get the kids to dip their fingers in the paint and add their fingerprints for a keepsake!
 January 10, 2024 Image by Mia Barletto |
King Cake Paper Plate
If you love king cake, then this will be a fun craft for the kids to make as well.
Take a paper plate and trim out the middle of the plate. Let your child paint the remaining part of the plate the traditional Mardi Gras colors. While your plate drying, paint your popcorn kernels. Put them aside to dry.
Once all your parts are dry, begin to glue your kernels to the rim of the paper plate. Add as many or as few as you like. It's up to you! Your child can also add other items like cut up beads, glitter or stickers to their king cake paper plate.
 January 10, 2024 Image by Mia Barletto |
Join us next time on Good Day Acadiana on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, from 7:00 am to 9:00 am for more fun, inexpensive crafts. You can also catch the live stream of News 15 Today online. Or, catch up on our past crafting segments with Alex Worstell on News 15 KADN on their You Tube Channel.
Happy Crafting Acadiana! |
