Madagascar Awaits: Art, Music & Magic for Your Homeschool

The Around the World – Madagascar unit study inside the Art Makes Me Smart Membership is more than a geography lesson, it’s a full celebration of the arts. From painting lemurs with bold gouache strokes to tasting sweet Mofo Gasy bread, your family will experience Madagascar with all your senses. And because it’s completely open-and-go, you can jump right in without hours of planning.

Visual Arts: Two Hands-On Projects

This unit features two step-by-step art lessons with printable outlines, supply lists, and video tutorials so everyone—kids and adults—can feel confident creating.

• Lemur Painting – Capture Madagascar’s most iconic animal while learning fun techniques for texture and color.
  
• Vanilla Orchid Painting – Celebrate the Grace of the Flower Behind the Flavor

These projects aren’t just fun, they spark connection, curiosity, and memories that make learning stick.

Culinary Arts: Taste Madagascar

Food is art you can eat, and this Art Makes Me Smart unit brings Madagascar’s flavors right to your kitchen. Recipes include:

• Malagasy Cake – a sweet, spiced dessert with bananas and vanilla.
  
• Akoho Sy Sakamalao – fragrant chicken with ginger, garlic, and lemon.
  
• Mofo Gasy – traditional fried bread, crispy outside and fluffy inside.
  
• Lasary Legioma – a fresh tomato and scallion relish.
  

Cooking together is a wonderful way to connect as a family and experience another culture’s traditions.

Literary Arts: Book Lists for All Ages

We’ve gathered picture books like The Three Little Lemurs and Thank You, Baobab Tree! Plus middle-grade and young adult reads such as Madagascar: The Eighth Continent and Torina’s World: A Child’s Life in Madagascar.

You’ll also find links to free audiobooks so you can enjoy stories together during car rides or quiet time.

Performing Arts: Music & Dance

Experience Madagascar’s lively rhythms and graceful movements with a curated video list:

• Traditional dances in colorful costumes.
  
• Unique instruments like the valiha (bamboo zither) and kabosy (small guitar).
  
• The national anthem and contemporary performances that blend old and new sounds.
  

These videos give your kids a feel for the heartbeat of Madagascar’s culture.

Media Arts: Curated Video Learning

We’ve included hand-picked videos to deepen your study—fun facts for kids, nature documentaries, and clips about life on the island, including a peek into the work of a vanilla farmer.

Cultural Arts: Flag, Facts & Reflection

• Learn the meaning behind Madagascar’s red, white, and green flag and color your own.
  
• Explore fun facts and maps to understand the island’s geography and biodiversity.
  
• Use our discussion questions to reflect on what you’ve learned, making connections between art, history, and everyday life in Madagascar.

Why Families Love It

This unit blends visual, culinary, literary, performing, media, and cultural arts into one rich learning experience. You don’t have to figure out how to tie it all together, it’s already done for you.

Whether you spread it over a month or dive into a week-long immersion, Around the World – Madagascar makes learning vibrant, memorable, and deeply connected.

Remember, your life is your art… and art makes you smart!