How Oregon Homeschoolers Celebrated Fat Tuesday 2009

Coos Bay, Oregon -- Fat Tuesday isn't usually thought of a holiday that is fun for kids, but my homeschooling group and I decided to have a Fat Tuesday celebration that could be fun for families. We wanted to have a fun day, and teach our kids more about New Orleans in the process.

We came up with a number of activities. The first thing we started off with was a mask making station. The kids and parents all had fun designing masks that were creative and unique. There was a large collection of feathers and beads, so everyone got to make a mask that was unique to them. We also had a costume party, and had everyone dress up in fun and crazy clothes. Obviously since this was a family friendly event the costumes were a little different then traditional Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday costumes, but there were fun for us.

We served food that was all traditional Cajun and Creole food what many people think of as Mardi Gras food. We served chicken and shrimp jambalaya, and crab cakes. We had all the kids help out and we made a traditional chicken and andouille gumbo. The kids loved getting the chance to help cook and see what went into the process of making a gumbo. We also made several non alcoholic versions of popular Fat Tuesday Drinks. We served a non alcoholic version of a hurricane with grenadine syrup, grapefruit juice, and pineapple juice. The kids all loved getting to try new food, and special drinks.

We also kept the Fat Tuesday theme going with Cajun music, and Mardi Gras decorations. The whole place felt fun and festive. The best part about our Fat Tuesday celebration was that while we had a fun party our kids were learning. We explained how in New Orleans Mardi Gras is celebrated with parades and costumes. We also taught them about the traditional Cajun holiday called Courir du Mardi Gras, where people would ride on hoses wearing masks searching for ingredients for a communal gumbo that would be made.

Having a family friendly Fat Tuesday event was fun. It showed that just because people think of Mardi Gras as a grownup holiday there is still important things that kids can learn from it. I know my family and I had a great time celebrating a fun holiday. I know a lot of people at our celebration learned that there is a lot more to Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras then drinking and flashing.