Recipe for Mona de Pascua - Easter

Cooking recipes - How to Mona de pascua recipe?

Mona de Pascua is a typical recipe for Holy Week and Easter in many Spanish regions, such as Valencia, Catalonia, Murcia, Aragon and the Balearic Islands. It is usually a tradition that the godfather gives the mona to his godchild on Easter Sunday and that several families get together on Easter Monday to eat the mona together.

How to make homemade Mona de Pascua

Ingredients:

• 500 g flour
• 1 sachet of dry baker's yeast (12 g) or 25 g of fresh yeast (if you can't find yeast, you can substitute it with 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda and the juice of ½ lemon)
• 1/4 litre of warm milk
• 100 g melted butter
• 80 g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch of salt

To "paint" the dough

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon of milk

For the decoration

• Coloured anisettes, chocolate balls, sultanas, cherries for decoration, sliced almonds...
• Boiled eggs painted with food colouring or chocolate eggs.

Steps for making mona de pascua:

1. Put the flour in a bowl. Add the dry yeast and mix well with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients: the butter (previously melted in the microwave), the milk, the sugar, the egg and a pinch of salt.
2. If you do not have yeast: mix the flour, butter, sugar, milk, egg and a pinch of salt. Once the mixture is homogeneous, add the juice of half a lemon and a spoonful of bicarbonate and again stir well to mix everything together.
3. Knead it and shape the dough into a round shape with your hands, leaving a dough like the one in the image.
4. Cover the bowl with a cloth and put it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes at a maximum temperature of 50 degrees, leaving the oven door ajar with a wooden spoon, until we see that the dough has risen, that is, that it has visibly increased in volume. It can also be heated in the microwave by covering the bowl with a damp cloth at 80-90 watts for about 8 minutes.
5. While the dough is rising, cover a baking tray with baking paper. Once the dough has risen, divide it into 4 or 5 parts depending on the number of "monas" you want to make and the size. Here we have to let our imagination run wild to shape the dough into the figures we want: A rabbit, a turtle, a nest, a plait, but you can make as many as you can think of, decorating with coloured balls, painted boiled eggs, slivered almonds, sugar...
6. Put them in the oven for another 10 minutes at a maximum temperature of 50 degrees, so that the dough continues to rise. Once we have our figures ready, we mix an egg yolk with a spoonful of milk and paint the monkeys with this mixture, so that they brown in the oven. We add any decoration we can think of to finish our figures, for example, we use sultanas for the eyes, a cherry for the nose, coloured balls, chocolate balls and sliced almonds to decorate.
7. With our figures ready and decorated, we put them in the oven preheated to 200º for about 25-30 minutes, until we see that they are ready and have taken a suitable colour.
8. Take them out of the oven, leave them to cool, add the painted or chocolate eggs as decoration and our Easter cakes are ready to eat. Aren't they "cute"?
9. To eat them, we can spread them with butter, jam, a bit of cheese... Accompanied by a hot chocolate, we have a great breakfast or snack for Easter, or for any occasion.

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Recipe for pestiños with honey or sugar

Cooking recipes - How to pestiños?

Have you ever tasted pestiños? This Andalusian sweet, traditional at Easter and other important festivities, dates back to the 16th century, although its origin is probably much older.

Pestiños are usually eaten at Christmas or Easter. In Spain it is traditional to eat them along with other Easter sweets, such as torrijas, leche frita, the traditional Mona de Pascua, and other culinary delights.

How to make homemade pestiños with honey or sugar

Ingredients Andalusian pestiños (fritters):

• 1 glass (250 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 glass (250 ml) of white wine
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 750 g flour
• Extra virgin olive oil for frying
• Sugar for coating

Steps for making pestiños:

1. Put the glass of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan with the cinnamon stick and the lemon peel.
2. Fry over a low heat to prevent the oil from burning.
3. Let the oil cool, remove the lemon peel and cinnamon stick and put the oil in a large bowl.
4. Add the glass of wine, the salt and a little flour and mix well.
5. We add the flour little by little, at the end we will have to continue kneading with our hands.
6. Knead for about five minutes until you obtain a very soft dough.
7. This dough is very easy to handle thanks to the oil, it does not stick at all.
8. Form small balls by hand, roll out very well with a rolling pin, it should be very thin.
9. Join two sides and press the two doughs together well, joining them again, this is very important as otherwise they will open when frying.
10. Fry in plenty of extra virgin olive oil until golden on both sides.
11. Remove and place on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.
12. Before they cool, coat them in sugar.

Andalusian pestiños with honey

Ingredients:

• 1/2 small glass of mild olive oil
• A dash of sweet wine
• A dash of sweet aniseed
• 1 tablespoon of aniseed
• 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds
• 250 g wheat flour
• 150 g honey
• Water
• Lemon or orange peel

Preparation:

1. Put the lemon or orange zest in the oil and remove it when the oil starts to bubble. Then add the aniseed seeds. Turn off the heat and allow the oil to cool completely. Mix the oil with the sweet wine, sweet aniseed, sesame seeds, a pinch of salt and flour. Add the flour little by little, at the end you will have to continue kneading with your hands.
2. Knead for about five minutes until the dough is very smooth.
3. The dough needs to rest for half an hour. Form small balls by hand, roll out very well with a rolling pin, it should be very thin.
4. Join two sides and press the two doughs together well, this is important so that they do not open when frying. Fry in plenty of hot oil and remove on absorbent paper to absorb the excess oil. Prepare a syrup in a casserole with 150 g of honey and three spoonfuls of water, and once it starts to boil, turn off the heat. Dip the pestiños in this syrup, one at a time, using a spoon, and place on a tray. Leave for about two hours to cool completely.

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Recipe for Torrijas Traditional, baked and vegan

Cooking recipes - How to Torrijas?

Today we suggest you prepare the classic homemade torrijas at home so that the whole family can enjoy this very Spanish sweet. Your children can help to coat them in sugar and cinnamon. We are also going to see other torrijas recipes and also the recipe without eggs or milk.

Ingredients Torrijas of milk:

• One loaf of bread from the previous day, cut into slices of about 1.5 cm
• 4 eggs
• 1 litre of milk
• 1 cup of sugar
• A piece of lemon peel and a piece of orange peel.
• A stick of cinnamon stick
• A teaspoon of cinnamon powder
• Oil for frying: 3/4 litre.

Steps for making torrijas of milk:

1. In a saucepan, heat the milk with half the sugar, the orange and lemon peel and the cinnamon stick, stirring with a spoon to dilute the sugar.
2. Before it comes to the boil, remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to blend.
3. Then dip the slices of bread in the milk for about ten or twelve seconds.
4. Remove and set aside on a plate.
5. Heat the oil for frying.
6. While the oil is heating, beat the eggs.
7. Dip the slices of bread in the egg.
8. When the oil is hot, fry the torrijas.
9. When they are golden brown on both sides, remove them on absorbent paper.
10. Put them in a bowl where you can leave them to bathe in the milk, to which you have added the cinnamon powder and dissolved the rest of the sugar.
11. Keep in the fridge and consume preferably within three days.

** Instead of sugar and cinnamon you can sprinkle the torrijas with honey diluted with water.

And if you don't want to fry the torrijas... ⇓

How to make torrijas in the oven:

1. Preheat the oven on grill function at 250º C, with the rack in the middle.
2. Line a baking dish with baking paper.
3. Carefully place the torrijas in the baking dish after dipping them in the egg.
4. Bake for about 4-5 minutes, carefully turn them over and continue baking for a further 4 minutes.
5. The baking time is approximate, keep an eye on the torrijas, when you see them golden brown you can remove them from the oven.

Once the torrijas are baked, transfer them to a serving dish and sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. This would be the most traditional version, but we are going to tell you a trick that we are sure you will like so that your torrijas are very juicy, which is to substitute the sugar and cinnamon for a few spoonfuls of the infused milk from the beginning, sprinkling the torrijas lightly over the top. I assure you that you will love them.

• It is advisable to soak the torrijas while the milk is still hot, so that they hydrate better, but be careful because they can also break easily. Use a spatula to help you transfer them to the serving dish.
• You can prepare a syrup with 300 g of water and sugar to taste, let it boil until the sugar dissolves and you can flavour the syrup with a cinnamon stick while it boils. When you remove the torrijas from the oven, use a brush to dip them a little in the syrup. This step is important if you want them to be a little juicier, as they are a little drier than the traditional ones when they are baked and not fried.
• When you take them out you can also sprinkle them with a few spoonfuls of the infused milk mixture, you will see how delicious they are!
• Baked torrijas can be served with a nice bowl of hot chocolate or a cup of coffee.

Vegan torrijas without eggs and milk (easy baked recipe)

If someone in your family is vegan, or has an allergy or intolerance to eggs or milk, we also have a recipe especially for them. Check out the recipe for egg-free and dairy-free vegan torrijas.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of bread from the day before
• 1/2 litre almond milk or other vegetable milk
• peel of 2 lemons
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon egg substitute
• 1/2 glass of water
• 150 g fructose
• Ground cinnamon
• Butter (to grease the baking tin)

How to make egg-free and dairy-free torrijas suitable for vegans

1. Grease a baking tray with butter.
2. Cut the bread into slices of about 1-2 cm.
3. Heat the almond milk, together with 50 g fructose, 1 cinnamon stick and the peel of 1 lemon, avoiding the white inner part because it is bitter.
4. When the almond milk is hot, soak the slices of bread (they should not be excessively soaked, so that they do not fall apart).
5. Put the egg substitute in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of water or vegetable milk, and dip the slices of bread in the mixture. If you prefer, they can also be coated in chickpea flour diluted in water.
6. Place the bread on the reserved tray and bake in a preheated oven at 170ºC for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
7. While they are in the oven, prepare a syrup as follows:
8. Heat a cup of water in a saucepan, together with 100 g of fructose, 1 cinnamon stick and the other lemon peel.
9. Cook until the syrup is formed.
10. When the torrijas have browned in the oven, take them out and pour the syrup bath over them.
11. Leave to soak well and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

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Carnival Poems - Poemas carnaval en inglés

Carnival Poems - Recursos Educativos en Inglés - Poems in English

Carnival nursery rhymes - Poesías en inglés

Long live the Carnival confetti by Gianni Rodari

Long live the Carnival confetti,
paper bombs that don’t hurt!
Van on the streets in gay company
the warriors of happiness:
they shoot laughter in the face
harp,
they take prisoners
with colorful streamers.
No nurses needed
because the wounded heal
with a candy.
Lead the assault, at a tarantella pace,
the general in chief Pulcinella.
The battle ended, all to bed.
On the pillow
stands out like a medal
a Carnival coriander.

Carnival Time by Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis

Now is the season of Carnival.
Who's for the sunlit course?
Who's for the beat of galloping feet
And the day and the way of the horse?
Who joins the dance, tho' Lady Chance
Pleasure or pain may yield,
Who comes to the call of Carnival?
'Seven to four the field!'

This is the week of the Carnival
And the sign of a brighter dawn
In men's affairs. Who sheds old cares
Where gay frocks fleck the lawn?
Who would forget old days of fret?
Who comes to the call of mirth
And the conquering steeds? ... They're off! Who leads?
And the hoof beats spurn the earth.

Then, Hi! for the height of Carnival,
Gayer than all gone past:
And the nameless fears of the deadening years
Forsake men's minds at last.
Bright jackets flash beneath the sun
As the roar of the crowd begins,
And lifts and swells at a great home run:
'Who leads? Who lasts? Who wins?'

Ho! for the call of Carnival!
Way for the Sport of Kings!
And men, grown sane, turn once again
To all that high hope brings.
Who's for the Carnival? Who grows gay
Where galloping Fortune speeds
Around the turn to gallop our way
With the galloping, galloping steeds?

Carnival Nursery Rhyme by Gabriele d’Annunzio

Crazy old carnival
the mattress was sold
to buy bread, wine,
tarallucci and cotechino.
And eating out loud
the mountain of pancakes
he has grown a big belly
that looks like a balloon.
He drinks, drinks suddenly
his face turns red
then his belly bursts too
while still eating, eat.
Thus the Carnival dies
and they give him the funeral:
from the dust he was born
and returned to dust.

Carnival, Carnival by Jolanda Remain

Carnival, Carnival
it’s a pretty good party:
all happy, all happy
no more hassles and troubles!
All in happy masks
with flashy costumes
to forget every thought
of a future that is too black.
Let’s erase the sad faces:
it is urgent to be optimistic!
Here is what it takes:
Carnival, Carnival!

Carnival song

Pulcinella had a rooster;
all day he rode there,
with bridle and saddle.
Long live the Pulcinella cockerel!

Pulcinella had a cat;
all day he was jumping like crazy,
ringing a bell.
Long live Pulcinella’s kitten!

Carnival

Carnival has arrived,
bursts like a storm!
Sing, dance and improvise
amidst a shower of laughter!
With the masks in a storm
the whole world is celebrating!
It bursts like a storm
Carnival has arrived!

Harlequin’s dress by Gianni Rodari

To make a dress for Harlequin
put a Meneghino patch on it,
he put another Pulcinella,
a Gianduia, a Brighella.

Trousers, old louse,
put a tear on our knee,
and Stenterello, out of hand
a few stains of Tuscan wine.

Colombina who sewed it
made a tight dress like that.
Harlequin put it on anyway
but he was a little perplexed.

Balanzone then said,
Bolognese dottorone:
“I assure you and I swear to you
which will suit you next month
if you will observe my recipe:
one day fast and the other bill! “.

The Carnival of the Animals, with Verses by Ogden Nash

Introduction

Camille St. Saëns was wracked with pains
When people addressed him as “Saint Sains.”
He held the human race to blame
Because it could not pronounce his name.
So he turned with metronome and fife
To glorify other forms of life.
Be quiet, please, for here begins
His salute to feathers, furs, and fins.

Royal March of the Lion

The lion is the king of beasts
And husband of the lioness.
Gazelles and things on which he feasts
Address him as Your Highoness.
There are those who admire that roar of his
In the African jungles and veldts,
But I think, wherever a lion is,
I’d rather be somewhere else.

Hens and Roosters

The rooster is a roistering hoodlum,
His battle cry is cock-a-doodlum.
Hands in pockets, cap over eye,
He whistles at pullets passing by.

Wild Jackass

Have ever you harked to the jackass wild
Which scientists call the onager?
It sounds like the laugh of an idiot child
Or a hepcat on a harmoniger.
But do not sneer at the jackass wild,
There is method in his heehaw,
For with maidenly blush and accent mild,
The jenny-ass answers, shee-haw.

Tortoises

Come crown my brow with leaves of myrtle,
I know the tortoise is a turtle.
Come carve my name in stone immortal,
I know the turtoise is a tortle.
I know to my profound despair
I bet on one to beat a hare.
I also know I’m now a pauper
Because of its tortley, turtley, torpor.

The Elephant

Elephants are useful friends,
Equipped with handles at both ends.
They have a wrinkled moth-proof hide;
Their teeth are upside down, outside.
If you think the elephant preposterous,
You’ve probably never seen a rhinosterous.

Kangaroos

The kangaroo can jump incredible.
He has to jump because he’s edible.
I could not eat a kangaroo
But many fine Australians do.
Those with cookbooks as well as boomerangs
Prefer him in tasty kangaroo meringues.

The Aquarium

Some fish are minnows,
Some are whales.
People like dimples,
Fish like scales.
Some fish are slim,
And some are round.
They don’t get cold,
They don’t get drowned.
But every fish wife
Fears for her fish.
What we call mermaids
And they call merfish.

Mules

In the world of mules,
There are no rules.

The Cuckoo in the Depth of the Woods

Cuckoos lead bohemian lives,
They fail as husbands and as wives.
Therefore, they cynically disparage
Everybody else’s marriage.

The Birds

Puccini was Latin, and Wagner Teutonic,
And birds are incurably philharmonic.
Suburban yards and rural vistas
Are filled with avian Andrews Sisters.
The skylark sings a roundelay,
The crow sings “The Road to Mandalay.”
The nightingale sings a lullaby,
And the seagull sings a gullaby.
That’s what shepherds listened to in Arcadia
Before somebody invented the radia.

Pianists

Some claim that pianists are human,
And quote the case of Mr. Truman.
St. Saëns, upon the other hand,
Considered them a scurvy band.
Ape-like they are, he said, and simian,
Instead of normal men and wimian.

Fossils

At midnight in the museum hall,
The fossils gathered for a ball.
There were no drums or saxophones,
But just the clatter of their bones,
A rolling, rattling, carefree circus
Of mammoth polkas and mazurkas.
Pterodactyls and brontosauruses
Sang ghostly prehistoric choruses.
Amid the mastodonic wassail,
I caught the eye of one small fossil.
Cheer up, sad world, he said, and winked.
It’s kind of fun to be extinct.

The Swan

The swan can swim while sitting down.
For pure conceit he takes the crown.
He looks in the mirror over and over,
And claims to have never heard of Pavlova.

Finale

Now we reach the grand finale,
Animale, carnivale.
Noises new to sea and land
Issue from the skillful band.
All the strings contort their features,
Imitating crawly creatures.
All the brasses look like mumps
From blowing umpah umpah umps.
In outdoing Barnum and Bailey and Ringling,
St. Saëns has done a miraculous thingling.

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International Whale Day 🐳 How is this world day celebrated?

Every third Saturday in February, a giant of the oceans is honoured. World Whale Day is celebrated to raise awareness of the ecological value of these species to the planet.

Why is World Whale Day celebrated?

This day was created in 1980 in Maui, Hawaii, thanks to the initiative of Greg Kauffman, founder of the Pacific Whale Foundation. The aim was to raise awareness about the threat of extinction faced by humpback whales.

The whale: a central place in the ecosystem

When whales are predators, they eat fish and invertebrates. When they are prey, they are hunted by sharks and killer whales. In their carcass state they serve as food for detritus feeders.

They are like a pump that circulates fish and zooplankton, essential nutrients for the primary production of the ecosystem of the seas and oceans. They guarantee the health of marine environments in all parts of the world. Their decline or increase would upset this balance.

But, unfortunately, they are also hunted by humans. With varying degrees of permission.

The different causes of the decline of whales

Several factors have unfortunately contributed to the disappearance of the whale for several years.

First and foremost: whaling

Although whaling has been banned since 1982, it is still going strong, especially in Japan. This country uses scientific studies as a cover, whereas whales are actually hunted for their meat and processed into cosmetics.

But the Icelanders and Norwegians are not left behind, and some northern countries have only this hunt as a means of survival. For them, it is carried out in accordance with the quotas of the International Commission. The largest whaling fleet was also the Soviet Union (which disappeared a few years ago).

There are also collisions

Ships are getting bigger and more numerous, and the number of whales hit by shipping traffic is increasing by 3 to 4% per year.

Fewer food resources:

Krill, the whales' favourite resource, is a victim of industrial fishing and global warming. The areas where they are concentrated are decreasing from year to year.

Plastic: a permanent scourge

With 8 million plastic objects in the oceans, whales, like turtles and other fish, die of poisoning or suffocation.

Noise pollution

We don't necessarily think about it, but man has increased the noise of the seas and oceans tenfold in 20 years. Seismic surveys, sonar and underwater work are responsible for a terrible acoustic fog. This impairs their orientation and thus their search for food and reproduction.

Industrial and chemical pollution

Pollutants unfortunately accumulate in the blubber of cetaceans. This destroys their defences and their resistance to disease, not to mention their fertility.

At present, whales are in danger of extinction, due to the following factors:

1. Illegal fishing, for the commercialisation of their meat, blubber and oil.
   Sport hunting.
2. The destruction of their habitat, due to pollution by toxic materials (oil spills, chemical products and industrial waste).
3. Climate change alters sea water temperatures, affecting the whales' food sources.
4. The constant migration of whales to locate feeding habitats influences the reproductive rates of some species.
5. The reproductive period of whales is estimated to be between 7 and 14 years of age, making it difficult for the immediate continuity of the species.

Man, the biggest culprit

All these factors have mankind in common. On this International Day, and throughout the year if possible, we must therefore reflect on how to change human behaviour in the face of the concerns we create for the whale's environment.

Being an informed consumer by knowing the origin of what we eat, not wasting water, reducing pollutants at all levels, even at home, reducing waste, especially plastic, are everyday gestures that can help the marine ecosystem.

Without forgetting, and this day calls for it, the protection of marine organisms, the creation of marine protection zones, support for defence organisations, avoidance of aquatic amusement centres...

How is this world day celebrated?

The annual Maui Whale Festival, organised by the Pacific Whale Foundation, is held in Hawaii. It is a free event that includes parades with floats, children's events and costumed characters. Hawaiian and international stars take part, with music and lots of fun.

You can do your bit for the health of the oceans by not littering and by supporting whale foundations and organisations by volunteering, spreading the word about whales or supporting fundraising.

Share useful and interesting information about World Whale Day on social media. Use the hashtags #WorldWhaleDay #WhaleDay

Curious, surprising and interesting facts about whales:

• A whale's heart is the size of a car and can fit about 100 people in its mouth.
• The Blue Whale is considered the largest animal in the world. It is approximately 30 metres long and weighs about 180,000 kilos.
• It is estimated that whales have inhabited the planet for some 55 million years.
• According to studies, some whale species are attracted to music.
• They can adopt calves of other species as group members.
• It is estimated that baleen whales can live between 60 and 90 years.
• Researchers at the US National Marine Mammal Foundation claim that whales can spontaneously imitate human voices.

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Games and activities for children at carnival

Ideas for games, activities and entertainment for children at carnival

Here are some ideas for games and activities for children on the theme of carnival. Indeed, carnival is a festival for fun, laughter and everyone can dress up! This festival is now very popular in Europe and America. Carnival is an opportunity to have fun and dress up, and children love it, as you can imagine. But first let's go back to the origins of carnival.

The origins of carnival :

The etymology of the word carnival comes from the Italian "carne (meat) levare (remove)", which means in literal translation: "to remove the meat". This term refers to the period of Lent following Mardi Gras, during which Christians give up eating fatty foods... Thus, Carnival has its origins in antiquity and is traditionally associated with the Christian calendar and takes place between Epiphany (6 January) and Shrove Tuesday, which changes its date each year and takes place between 3 February and 9 March. Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas period and Shrove Tuesday is the eve of the beginning of the Lenten period.

This explains why it is customary at Carnival to eat more abundant food, as it will be forbidden the following day with the beginning of Lent, which will last for 40 days.

Thus, Carnival has its origins in Europe and has spread all over the world.

The principle of Carnival:

Carnival is a day of celebration where people dress up, play the role of someone else, wear masks and above all the basis of carnival is the reversal of roles! This last practice of role reversal can be found in many festivals as far back as antiquity! For example, during the festival of the Sacaea, in the 2nd century B.C., in ancient Babylon, slaves and their masters exchanged roles for 5 consecutive days!

In Rome, at the winter solstice, in honour of Saturn, the Saturnalia festival took place, where slaves and masters also exchanged roles for a few days!

Carnival was initially rejected by the Church before it was finally integrated into the Christian festivals.

This festival has its origins in Europe and is now international. There are now very famous carnivals such as the one in Rio or Venice!

So people dress up, play a role, reverse roles: children become adults, the rich become the poor... Masks are used to keep the secret of the person behind it! Behind their mask and disguise, all participants are equal!

Organise a police investigation to celebrate Carnival:

To discover carnival, and in particular the Venice carnival, why not organise a great detective investigation for the children?

Carnival games and activities for children:

Making pancakes:

If you don't have the opportunity to go out for the carnival, then you can organise a pancake party at home. Or make them for a snack! Children love pancakes. It's unusual and easy to make! Pancakes are eaten at carnival time because, as explained above, we allow ourselves to eat more fatty foods before the beginning of Lent. You can also make waffles, popcorn... Today, everything is allowed!

Dress up:

This is the time to bring out the whole range of disguises your child has at home! For Mardi Gras, we dress up and even wear make-up! If you don't have a costume, then we improvise by getting out old clothes and adapting them to the children... And this is how an old dress can become a real princess dress!

Making masks:

This is an opportunity to do a fun craft activity. Take this opportunity to make some nice carnival masks. You can draw them yourself or print them out directly from the internet. The children can colour them in... To make them thicker and more durable, transfer the mask you have printed onto cardboard...

Musical chairs:

Simply replace the chairs with the masks (those you have made for example)... Place the masks in a circle on the floor... Put one less mask than the number of children. Start the music. The children will turn around the masks. Then when the music stops, the children must quickly get a mask and put it on their face. The child without a mask is eliminated and so on until there is only one child left!

Carnival quiz:

Prepare a quiz with a carnival theme. Adapt the questions to the age of the children... With all that has been said before about the history of carnival, it will be easy to work out the questions. The child who finds the right answer gets a point. For the youngest children, adapt this into a quiz. Suggest 3 answers among which is the right one ...

The intruder game:

The intruder game is an observation game... The children will move around and observe each other in the room... The adult will choose a child in his head and will then start to describe him aloud, starting with a general description and going on to the more detailed one... The children will have to find out who the intruder is!

It is easy to adapt it to the carnival theme... Because the children can play it in costume and with a mask and the descriptions will be on the different costumes!

Drawing is winning:

Organise a 'draw is win' on the theme of carnival! Prepare a list of words on this theme in advance. The children should take turns to pick a paper and only draw it.

List of words on the theme of carnival: Harlequin, costume, pancakes, sweets, Venice, mask, clown, confetti, music, make-up...

Take advantage of the carnival to do many activities and original games with your child! It's a festive time, conducive to discovery and learning.

Organise a snack workshop

For carnival, it is customary to have a good snack, with delicious cakes and a big glass of milk. Instead of buying ready-made biscuits, why not organise a cooking workshop with your children?

To get the little ones, between 2 and 4 years old, involved in this culinary activity, you can stick to the classics and make a chocolate cake, pancakes or waffles. The dough is easy to make.

For older children, you can be original and cook chocolate to cover the pancakes, fancy lollipops or fruit brochettes. The aim is to offer healthy and tasty food to children, but also to share a convivial moment during the preparation and tasting of the snack.

The texture game

After the snack, you can organise the texture game, which will be a lot of fun for your children. For this activity, take some trays or containers in which you place items with different textures. Use whatever is hidden in your cupboards: rice, flour, sugar, lentils, semolina, etc.

The idea? Encourage children to discover the world with their hands! They will have to dip their little finger into each container and guess what they are touching. In addition to being fun, this game awakens the sense of touch, while teaching them to differentiate textures.

Everyone on the dance floor

Carnival is a festive event, so it's a good opportunity to put on a little show. Does your child play a musical instrument? Now is the time to show you how well they're doing. You can also play music and ask your child to follow the rhythm. He will develop his musical ear...

For a successful Carnival, don't hesitate to determine a theme that will appeal to children and that will be a common thread for the various activities and events: superheroes, princes and princesses, historical characters, animals... Ask the children what they prefer!

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When should I know if my child should consult a psychologist?

Family difficulties, school problems, or growth delays, the reasons for consulting child psychologists are increasingly numerous and diverse. But what can we expect from these consultations, and when should they take place? These are some of the questions parents may ask themselves.

Why should my child consult a psychologist?

It is impossible to list here all the reasons why parents consider consulting a psychologist for their child. The general idea is rather to be attentive and to know how to spot any symptom or abnormal and worrying behaviour in a child.

The first signs of suffering in children and adolescents can be harmless (sleep disorders, irritability, etc.) but also very worrying (eating disorders, sadness, isolation, etc.). In reality, as soon as the child encounters a difficulty that he or she cannot resolve alone or with your help, you must be vigilant.

To help you understand what the reasons for consultation may be, here are the most common ones, according to age:

• For children under 3 years of age, it is most often a question of developmental delays and sleep disorders (nightmares, insomnia, etc.);
• With the start of school, some have difficulty separating from their parents or have great difficulty concentrating and/or socialising. Potty training problems may also appear;
• Then in the first and second grades, certain problems, such as learning difficulties, dyslexia or hyperactivity, become apparent. Some children also start to suffer from somatic complaints (headaches, stomach aches, eczema, etc.) to hide deeper suffering;
• From the beginning of secondary school, other worries appear: mockery and exclusion by other children, difficulties in doing homework, poor adaptation to a school for "grown-ups", problems linked to adolescence (anorexia, bulimia, drug addiction, etc.);
• Finally, the arrival at secondary school sometimes causes difficulties in choosing an orientation, opposition with the parents or worries related to sexuality.

It is difficult for parents to judge whether or not their child needs psychological help. If you have any doubts, do not hesitate to ask for advice from the people who are involved with your child on a daily basis (nursery assistants, teachers, etc.).

When should my child see a psychologist?

Most often, parents consider consulting a psychologist when one or more members of the family cannot cope with the situation. The stage of the first symptoms is long past and the suffering is well established. It is therefore quite difficult to assess, quantify and advise a specific period for starting consultations. If you have any doubts, you can talk to your child's paediatrician or general practitioner for advice and possibly specialist contacts.

And above all, follow your instincts! Your child's first psychologist is you. At the first sign of a change in behaviour, the best thing to do is to communicate with your child. Ask them questions about their life at school, their feelings and sentiments. Try to open up a dialogue to help them unburden themselves and confide in you. This is the first real step towards helping them to get better.

And if, despite all your efforts and all your attempts to communicate, the situation remains blocked and his behaviour is different from what you are used to, do not hesitate to consult a specialist.

What happens during a consultation with a psychologist for a child?

Before the first session, the role of the parents is to explain and reassure the child about the course of the appointment. Tell them that they will be meeting a person who is used to working with children and that they will have to draw, play and talk with this person. The fact that the consultation will be less dramatic will allow him to envisage it calmly and to put all the chances on his side for a rapid outcome.

The duration of the follow-up varies greatly depending on the child and the problem to be treated. For some children, the word will be released after one session, while others will take more than a year to confide in us. But one thing is certain, the younger the child, the shorter the therapy.

At the same time, the role of the parents is crucial. Even if you are not present at the appointments, the therapist will need to be able to rely on your motivation and to make sure that he/she has your agreement to interfere in your family life by questioning the child and to be able to give you some constructive advice.

For therapy to be successful, the whole family must be involved and motivated.

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