Day of the Dead Skull Pendants

Who knew kids could get so excited about skulls?! 5th graders learned about the Mexican celebration Day of the Dead, Nov.1-2.  They sculpted these skulls from small pieces of clay and added eyes and details with old marker caps and clay tools, then used an old skinny paintbrush (long screws work too) to poke holes through the skulls.  The next class the students started by painting the clay white then using bright colors to decorate.  The last step was string and a coat Modge Podge to seal the designs.  The project was simple but the students had to show patience and a steady hand to work on the small surface.

Day of the Dead Collages

The day after Halloween is full of tired yet over sugared children.  So we had fun with Day of the Dead collages.  I found a great worksheet with skeleton pieces (on Pinterest of course). They fit on 12X18 paper and then the students chose accessories.  We started by reviewing the traditions of this Mexican holiday, November 1st & 2nd, and looking at examples of decoration and crafts.  The decorations are mostly skeletons but covered in colorful patterns.