On Monday, February 28, Atkins Elementary's second and third grade students celebrated Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday with activities. For a midmorning snack, the students were treated to a King’s Cake. A King’s Cake is a special cake made in many bakeries in New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. Inside the King’s Cake, a tiny plastic baby figurine is hidden. The person who finds the baby in their piece of cake is “king/queen” for the day and buys the next year’s cake. Atkins students tore apart their piece of the “mock” King’s Cake in anticipation of finding the baby figurine and then enjoyed eating the cake.
In the afternoon, the students participated in several rotations that surrounded the Mardi Gras theme. The rotations consisted of Mardi Gras history, dancing, mask making, jester hats, colorful noodle necklaces, and Mardi Gras fortune tellers/selfies. Students spent 15 minutes in each rotation learning and creating.
At the end of all the rotations, students dressed up in their hats, masks, and necklaces and paraded down the kindergarten and first grade hallways. As they walked, the students handed out gold coins to the kindergarteners and first graders. New learning and fun were had by all
the second and third grade students!
