Vita Italiana! Are you Italian or know someone who is? Earn this month’s patch through culinary experiments, language practice and hands on activities.

PROGRAM GRADE LEVEL REQUIREMENTS:

• Daisies: __9__ Activities – __3__ from each category • Brownies: __4__ Activities – _12___ from each category • Juniors: _4___ Activities – __12__ from each category • Cadettes, Seniors, & Ambassadors: __5__ Activities – __15__ from each category

DISCOVER FOOD 1. Italy has many different regions. Find a map and locate how many different regions there are. Pick your favorite Italian food and find out what region it is from. 2. Host an Italian night with your family or scout troop and serve traditional dishes such as ravioli and tiramisu. 3. Learn how to make homemade pasta and try making 2 different types. 4. What is your favorite type of dessert? Instead of ice cream, Italians have gelato. Find a recipe and try making some at home. 5. Create your own recipe for stuffed ravioli. How did it taste? Share it with other Girl Scouts and encourage them to make it. 6. Take this list challenge and see how many Italian foods you have eaten. http://www.listchallenges.com/mamma-mia-italian-food

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7. Pick a month and plan an Italian dish for each night. How many were you able to come up with? 8. Write a skit and try to incorporate as many Italian foods into it as you can. 9. Most family meals on weekends in an Italian household are eaten in the early afternoon and last for hours. Typically they have six to eight courses. Can you figure out what they are?

CONNECT WITH CULTURE 1. What language do they speak in Italy? Let’s learn some new words! Find out how you say hello, goodbye, please and thank you. What other words can you learn? 2. There are three public holidays celebrated in Italy in December. What are they? Do you celebrate them in your house? Share with two other people what you can do to celebrate these holidays. 3. Italians prepare for Lent by indulging in lots of sweet treats and throwing a lively party. The most popular Italian destination for Carnival is Venice for the lavish costumes and masks worn before the celebration. Dates vary each year, depending on what date Easter falls on. Look up examples of carnival masks and make your own out of paper mache. 4. A lot of songs you may already know were written by Italian musicians. Find out which of these artists come from an Italian background.

• Frank Sinatra • Katy Perry • Madonna • Lady Gaga • Alicia Keys • The Jonas Brothers • Adele • Ed Sheeran

5. Make a map of Italy using dry pasta. 6. Find out what type of money is used in Italy. How is it different from the American dollar? Print out copies and practice your math skills.

TAKE ACTION ON ART! 1. Many famous artists are Italian. Do you know who painted the Sistine Chapel? Find pictures of the chapel and try to paint a copy of your own. 2. The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous pieces of art in the world. It was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1503. It was rumored to be a portrait of his friend’s wife. Find a friend and draw a portrait of them.

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3. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were named after four Italian artists. Can you find out what their names are? Share some pizza like the turtles and reflect on art pieces completed by the real artists, not the turtles. 4. Sculpture is a popular medium for Italian artists. Many pieces are over ten feet tall and weigh more than 12,000 pounds! After looking at some examples, try your own hand and make a sculpture out of clay or a similar material. 5. Make your own version of the leaning tower of Pisa. 6. Make an Italian flag SWAP and share with other Girl Scouts.

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