This summer, make the Olympics a cultural celebration; spend an afternoon working on a colorful and fun craft that puts the spotlight on one of Brazil’s most iconic events—Carnival. We’ve gathered the supplies to make a Brazilian headdress, which your budding Samba school tykes can wear during the opening ceremonies on August 5. Scroll down for the entire tutorial and remember—bigger and brighter is always better!
What You’ll Need
Costume Masks – we used these
Feathers – we used these
Gemstones – we used these
Paint – any tempera or acrylic with work
Glitter Glue – we used this in red
Hot Glue Gun or Elmer’s Glue
Spray Glitter (optional)
Paint the Mask
Get your kids set up with the materials and let them paint away. If they want to add designs with paint, be sure to wait until each coat is dry before beginning another
Decorate the Mask
Step One
Using either a hot glue gun (parental supervision is required) or Elmer’s glue, let your crafters embellish their headdresses with colorful jewels. During Carnival, Samba schools try to outshine each other with dazzling displays, so encourage your kids to add as much as they want!
Step Two
If you have glitter glue, this is the time to use it, either around the gemstones or as the glue for the gemstones—it’s up to your kids and their imaginations!
Step Three
Adding feathers can be tricky. Parents should help (or supervise older kids) with the hot glue gun. If you don’t have one, use tape to fasten the feathers to the back of the mask. Go with one color or make a colorful display with as many different feathers as possible. Afterwards, spray the feathers with spray glitter if you have it on hand.
Wear the Mask
After everything dries, it’s time to shake a tail feather.
Try it as a mask.
Then, try it as a headdress!
Have you ever made a Carnival-inspired craft? Share with us in a Comment below.
Images and copy by Gabby Cullen
Project inspired by Globescouts
