It’s so interesting that the official language in Brazil is Portuguese and not Spanish! I used to teach preschool in a city with many Brazilian immigrants, so we teachers picked up Portuguese phrases and would occasionally get Brazilian snacks like pao de queijo and coxinha (it took me quite awhile to find this recipe because it is not pronounced the way it is spelled!)
Navigate this page: Missions, Booklists, Ecosystems, Cooking, Composer Study, Folk Dance/Music, Art Project, Physical Education, Games, Movie, Videos
Free Printables
- Crayola.com’s Free printable of Brazil’s Flag and Map
- Seterra.com’s Free printable map of South America
- Seterra.com’s Free online geography games for South America
Missions Spotlight
- “Window on the World“: Yanomami, people group of the Amazon Rainforest
- Wycliffe Bible Translators has activities and resources for kids
- Video of Christ Redeemer Statue lit up in tribute to healthcare workers and countries suffering from Covid-19.
- Prayercast.com/Brazil: Prayer Points, Country Summary, Quick Facts
**parents should preview the prayercast.com video for sensitive topics that may not be age appropriate.
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My Top Booklists
The following are my favorite books for different age groups and categories:
- Preschool/Kindergarten: Along the Tapajós
- Early Elementary: The Quest for Z
- Late Elementary/Middle: Journey to the River Sea
Ecosystems of Brazil
Our favorite book about the rainforest was The Great Kapok Tree and our favorite science book was Amazon Adventure: How Tiny Fish Are Saving the World’s Largest Rainforest.
- PANTANAL, a region of tropical wetlands and flooded wetlands (also listed under Bolivia and Paraguay)
- “Wetlands inside out,” by James Bow (mentions the Pantanal)
- On Amazon Prime: “Wildest: Latin America, Season 1, Episode 4, Pantanal: Brazil’s Wild Heart”
- THE PAMPAS (also listed under Argentina and Uruguay)
- “Grassland ecosystems,” by Tammy Gagne (mentions the Pampas)
- “Grasslands inside out,” by James Bow (mentions the Pampas)
- On Amazon Prime: “Wildest: Latin America,” Season 1, Episode 1, One Jungle, Many Worlds
Cooking Brazilian Food with kids
The kids and I watched some fun cooking videos by Hilah Cooking and made these dishes together. (There are more recipe links and pictures in Recipes by Country: Brazil.)
- Coxinha (Brazilian Chicken Croquettes)
- Brigadeiros (Chocolate fudge balls)
- Pao de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)
Folk Dance and Music of Brazil
- The national folk dance of Brazil is the samba. My kids were such good sports to follow along this video of a samba tutorial.
- Kaia Kids: The Music of Brazil
- Virtual program by Strathmore Concert Hall on Facebook: “Discover the Rhythms of Brazil with Lucas Ashby“
- Brazil Music and Images
- Putumayo folk music CDs to check out:
Art Project
We decided to try some basketweaving by Amazonian tribes using long grass. Okay, not a basket, just a flat weave. It was so difficult! A few days later while playing outside, the kids “borrowed” the long leaves of our iris plants and wove placemats out of those! Much, much easier. If you’re going to bring them inside, make sure you shake the bugs off first!
Wycliffe.org has a craft for a Brazilian Headdress that would be perfect if you are discussing the festival of Carnaval.
Physical Education
Yes, Futbol (soccer), Samba, but also… CAPOEIRA, Brazil’s martial art! Watch this story of Capoeria and see how long your kids last trying out this video of a free Capoeira class.
We also read Capoeira: Game! Dance! Martial Art!
Game
Brazilian Draughts, or Brazilian Checkers, is similar to regular checkers. Here are the rules at boardgamegeek.com.
Geography YouTube Videos
- Portuguese Alphabet for kids
- Mobile library in Brazil
- YouTube Video: “Virtual Field Trip-Amazon Rainforest“
- Mickey Mouse Cartoon Rio’s Carnaval
- Woody Woodpecker Adventures in Brazil
- Mouk cartoon, Brazil episode “Edmundo’s Smile“
- Mouk cartoon, Brazil episode “Bossa Nova and Samba“
- Mouk cartoon, Amazon River Mouk: Pink Dolphin
- Geography Now! Brazil (a fun resource geared towards adults and older kids; I recommend that parents pre-watch before showing to younger kids)
