Carnaval in Olinda!!

I went to a beautiful town called Olinda. It is next to the big city of Recife in the North East of Brazil.

Carnival was AMAZING!!!! People were playing lots of music in the streets. There were trumpets, drums, shakers, and people singing. The atmosphere was very happy and exciting!

People walk along the streets in a big parade. Many people were wearing costumes and masks. The musicians and dancers are in front and people in fancy dress follow behind them. There were some giant dolls there too in the parade.

My favourite group of musicians and dancers (called a "bloco" in Portuguese) was made up of children who live in difficult situations. Many of them don't have homes or have much money. Some live on the streets. The crowd was delighted when they started to play!!! They must have alot of determination, and must have practised very hard!!

Pre-Carnival

In February there is a big party called Carnaval. It lasts for five days. Everybody dresses up in special costumes and fancy dress. It is very exciting. There is lots of singing and dancing.

The children at Clarencio School were getting ready for Carnival. They had a pre-carnival party.

Have a look at the pictures. What can you see happening? What are the children making? What do you think they did for the pre-carnival celebrations?

mask making, decorations, cutting up paper to throw, face painting

Click on the video to see what happened!

The School and Staff

I have been exploring the school building!!! Did you know that the staffroom in Clarencio school is open to everyone! The teachers sit at the tables to do their work and often the children come and stand nearby to see what they are doing.

The children and teachers often give each other big hugs and sometimes kisses. The staff at Clarencio School are very friendly! Just like the children!

Lessons

I haven't been into many lessons whilst I have been in Clarencio School, but I did spend some time in Jardim 1. The children in this class are 4 years old (it is similar to reception class in the UK).

The children started off the day by saying good morning to their teacher and to the other children in the class. Then they said a short prayer.



Before getting ready to read and write, the children played with plasticine. Then they practiced recognising the letter A and finding the letter in different words. They coloured pictures of objects beginning with the letter A. The children also practiced counting up to 20.


Does this sound similar to classes in the UK?

Capoeira

Wow!! A Capoeira teacher came to school in the break time!!! It was BRILLIANT!

Have a look at the video below of some children playing Capoeira. Aren't they fantastic?!

Would you like to try? What do you know about Capoeira? Click here to find out more about sport in Brazil.

Your Questions Answered

Here is a question from one of the children in Bristol. Click on the question to find out the answer.

Have you seen any sports that are different from ours in the UK?

Playing Brazilian Games At School

The children at school showed me some of the games they like to play. We had a great time!!

The older children like to play Dodge Ball. Miss Bevan, Miss Goldsmith and I joined in - it was great fun!! Do you like to play Dodge Ball? Who do you play with? Where do you play?

They also showed us some other games from Brazil. One is called "Cobra Sega" which means "Blind Snake". One child is blindfolded and will try to catch the others. They have to creep around quietly to make sure they don't get caught!! 1. We have the same game in the UK do you know what its called? (answer at the bottom of this post)




Morto o Vivo. The name of this game means "dead or alive". One person is the person who calls out "morto" or "vivo". When the person calls out "morto" (dead) everyone crouches down. When they call out "vivo" (alive) everyone must stand up. If you get it wrong, you are out of the game. The winner is the last person left at the end of the game.
Would you like to try playing this game with some friends in English?

Gato e Rato
The name "Gato e Rato" means Cat and Mouse. Players sit in a circle. One person is the mouse. They walk around the outside of the circle, and suddenly they tap someone on the head. That person is the cat and they must chase the mouse all the way round the circle. If the cat catches the mouse or sits in their place, then the mouse must have another turn. If the mouse escapes, and can sit down, then person who was the cat has a turn at choosing someone in the circle. They become the mouse this time.
2. We have a very similar game in the UK. Do you know what it is called? (answer at the bottom of this post)



Corda (Rope)
This was my favourite game!! Everyone forms a circle and one person stands in the middle. The person in the middle twirls a rope around low to the ground. Everyone must jump over the rope.
Be careful because if the rope touches you, you are out!!
Have you played a game like before?




1. Blind Man's Bluff
2. Duck, Duck, Goose

Your Questions Answered

Does it snow in Brazil?

Brazil has the reputation of being a very hot country, but there are parts that have a cooler climate. Snow is rare but it can occur in the southern states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina on the mountains. The coldest cities in Brazil are : São Joaquim, Urubici and São José dos Ausentes.


Click here to find out more about the different regions of Brazil

Is this the answer you expected?

Why do you think the climate is different in different parts of the country?

What is the weather like in the UK? Is it the same accross the whole country? Why do you think there are different climates in different parts of the world?

Your Questions Answered

On my adventures I have come across some answers to your questions. Let's have a look to see what I found out:

Children in Bristol have asked me these questions:

What kind of clothes do the children wear at school?
The children in Clarencio School don't have to wear a uniform at the moment so they can wear their own clothes. The school does have a uniform; it is a white T-shirt with an orange trim and orange shorts.


What kind of clubs do they have after school?

Clarencio School doesn't have after school clubs. The school day is different. Children either come to school in the morning or in the afternoon.

Some children come to school in the morning from 7am - 11am, then everyone goes home for lunch. From 2pm - 5pm another group of children comes to school to learn.

The school does organise activities in the break times which are very interesting. Sometime a capoeira teacher will come to visit and the whole school will participate. Sometimes there are art activities. Sometimes the children will organise a "passeato". They prepare information about an interesting topic or a problem and they go into the community to tell everybody all about it.

The last passeato at Clarencio School was about a disease called dengue fever. The children prepared information to tell people about how to stay healthy and stop catching this illness.


Would you like to organise a passeato? What would you like to tell people about?

I wonder what other schools are like? Do you think all schools in Brazil will be exactly the same? Why?

Your Questions

Some children back in the UK have been sending me questions all about Brazil. Whilst I am off on my adventures I will try to find the answers to them. If you have any questions about Brazil, or any of the people or places we have visited, you can leave a comment on my blog, or you can email me at:

wonderfishtravels@googlemail.com

I will try my best to discover the answers!

Playing English Games

The children here are very friendly! Just like children in the UK! Today Miss Bevan, Miss Goldsmith and I showed them some games from the UK. We played What's the time Mr Wolf? and Please Mr Crocodile.



Look at these photos, do you think they enjoyed it?
What is the playground like? Why do you think it is a good idea to have sand on the ground? What other games could we show to the children at Clarecio School?

Quinto Ano

Today I visited the Quinto ano class. The children in this class are 10 years old. They had lots of questions to ask about the UK. Can you help me answer them? Leave a comment at the end of this post and I will tell them what you say. Anyone can comment. The more the merrier!!!!



Here are some of their questions
1. Is it beautiful in the UK?
2. What kind of work do at school?
3. Do you have a school bus?
4. Do you have football pitches? What do they look like?

Clarencio School

Today I visited different classes with Miss Bevan and Miss Goldsmith. Have a look at the school building. What can you see? What things can you see that are similar to schools in the UK?
Look at the windows. Why do you thing they are like this? Can you see something in the classroom that helps people keep cool?

My Friend Elizeu

I am staying with my friend Elizeu who works at the school.

At lunch time we go to his house. We eat a big lunch. I have been eating rice and beans with fish, chicken, beef or eggs. Elizeu's Mum makes juices with fresh fruits like mango, pineapple or papaya. Delicious!

Click here to find out more about food in Brazil


After lunch I had a sleep in a hammock- fantastic!








Do you like rice? What do you like to eat with it?