As Brazil hosts the World Cup from the 12th
June, we have pulled together some Brazilian themed activities and ideas that
you could try out in your setting, alongside their top sport of football!
Brazil Fun
Facts
- Brazil received its name from the tree brazilwood, which is abundant in the country.
- Brazil was under the rule of Portugal from 1500 to 1822, which is why Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, not Spanish.
- Brazil is home to approximately 2500 airports; it is the third largest airplane manufacture in the world!
- The Amazon River runs through the majority of the country.
- Every time a child loses a tooth the mother throws the tooth outside for birds, and says a little rhyme. Birds will only take clean teeth, and then the child receives a prize. If the tooth is not taken, then it means it is too dirty, which gets the child to brush their teeth more often.
Brazilian
Foods
Brigadeiro: These are sweet chocolate
truffles that were created by the wife of Brigadeiro (Brigadier) Eduardo Gomes,
who was a Presidential candidate in Brazil in the 1940s. His wife would cook
the sweets and serve them during their fundraising events. The guests loved the
treat and soon enough people started asking: "Have you tried the
Brigadeiro's candy? Where is the Bridagier's candy?" And that is where the
name Brigadeiro comes from.
Ingredients:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, 2 tbsp. heavy cream, 2 (14
oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk, 3 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped,1
tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder,1 cup chocolate sprinkles
What to do:
- Bring butter, cream, and milk to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add chocolate and cocoa powder, and reduce heat to low; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is the consistency of dense, fudgy batter, about 16 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; let cool. Chill until set.
- Using a tablespoon, portion out fudge and roll into balls. Roll each ball in chocolate sprinkles until evenly coated. Chill until ready to serve.
Thanks to: http://streetsmartbrazil.com/blog/20100215/learn-how-cook-brigadeiros. They have a great video
of making brigadeiros that you can follow.
Cheese
bread or empanadas are also great Brazilian recipes to try. http://www.cynthiapresser.com/brazilian-recipes-south-american-cuisine/brazilian-appetizers/219-brazilian-cheese-bread-pao-de-queijo
Language
Obrigado/Obrigada - Thank you. A bit of politeness goes a long way! If you’re male you say ‘obrigado’ whereas
females say ‘obrigada’.
Fique tranquilo - If something doesn’t work out
someone will probably say ‘fique tranquilo’ which means don’t worry! If the bus takes off just as you arrive to
the bus stop, don't worry. Fique tranquilo, there'll be another one in ten
minutes!
É mesmo? - A reaction to an interesting new fact,
it’s like saying ‘really’.
Gringo/gringa
- What the Brazilians call foreigners, gringo for a male, gringa for a female. This
isn't an insult!
Games to play
Queimada
Queimada,
the Portuguese word for "burned," is a popular game similar to
dodgeball. To play, form two even teams and divide the players on each half of
the field. At each end of the field mark an area called the
"cemetery" and place one player from each side inside their team's
cemetery. The game begins when one of the players in the cemetery launches a
ball to the other side of the field. Members of the opposing team try to catch
the ball and throw it at a player on the side from which the ball was launched.
If a ball strikes a player, he is "dead" and must spend the remainder
of the game in the cemetery. The game finishes when all of the players on one
side are "dead."
Luta
de Galo
Luta
de galo is Portuguese for "fight of the roosters". Any number of
children can play. Split the children into pairs. Unlike other games, partners
are not teammates, but opponents. Have each child tuck a handkerchief or piece
of cloth into their belt or waistband, cross their right arm across their
chest, and hold up their left leg. Players must hop around one-legged and use
their free arm to snatch their opponent's handkerchief. Disqualification occurs
if a child puts their left leg on the ground or unfolds their right arm.
Cinco Marias
Cinco Marias can be played with two to four children.
All you need are five flat, smooth stones. Throw all five stones on the floor.
Pick up a stone, then toss it in the air, pick up another stone, and catch the
tossed stone before it lands. Repeat this process until you have all the
stones. In the next round, you must grab two stones at a time, and then three,
and then all four, so the difficulty increases as the game goes on.
Hit The Coin. This is another popular game among
Brazilian children that requires steady aim and concentration. To play, fix a
short bamboo stick or dowel (12 to 18 inches in length) into the ground so it
doesn't move. Draw a small circle about 5 inches in diameter around the stick
and place a small object (coin, bottle cap, toy soldier, etc.) on top of the
stick. Players then take turns trying to knock the small object off of the
stick by throwing coins at it. To win the player must knock the small object
completely out of the circle.
Crafts
and activities
Headresses
In the Amazon jungles of Brazil, native people
called Yanomami use bird feathers to make headdresses and armbands. Make your
own headdress and armband using supplies from a craft store. Buy a bag of
colourful feathers, or cut feather-shaped pieces out of coloured construction
paper. Draw lines on the paper to resemble the markings of a feather. Cut a
1-inch strip of cardboard to fit around your upper arm or your head. Glue or
staple the feathers to the strip and staple the band closed.
Pandeiro
The
pandeiro is a Brazilian tambourine. Make your own with two small, white paper
plates. Paint the bottoms of the plates in bright colours and designs. Decorate
with stickers, jewels and foam shapes. Face the insides of the plates together
and punch six to eight holes through the two thicknesses equidistant around the
edge. String small jingle bells on pipe cleaners and tie the plates closed by
putting the pipe cleaners through the holes. You are ready to shake the
pandeiro.
Maraca
The
word "maraca" is a Brazilian word meaning "percussion
instrument." Make your own maracas from two clean, recycled yoghurt cups.
Paint the cups, the lids and two ice cream sticks in bright colours and let
them dry. Fill the cups half-full with uncooked rice, popcorn kernels or beans.
Glue the lids to the cups with a glue gun. Make a slit in the lids and glue the
sticks inside the lids. When the glue is dry, the maracas are ready for shaking
and music making.
Further
information:
There
are some great printable resources at www.brazil.org.uk. These include a good map
and kids leaflets on different aspects of brazil.
http://www.brazil.org.uk/resources/documents/brazilmap.pdf
http://www.brazil.org.uk/resources/documents/brazilforkids.pdf
http://www.brazil.org.uk/brazilintheschool/primary.html
