El Día Del Decorado Muerto (Mexico)

After completing the Piñata (Part I and Part II), our next project was to make Sugar Skulls. These are typically a decoration for Dia De Los Muertos (The Day Of The Dead), but since we were learning about Mexico we decided that it was appropriate, and of course lots of fun, to make these decorations now. We started with skull shapes that I cut out of a piece of white poster board and a bunch of supplies, including glitter glue and markers.

Then I drew circles for the eyes, and marked out the teeth and noses. I was going to let the kids do that part, but they didn’t think they could handle it and asked me to. After that, we got started on the decorating.

The starting point.

Aiden getting started with markers.

Eliana starting on the eyes.

Important lesson #1

When doing a craft with a four year old, it is not wise to hand them glitter glue and expect them to use a certain level of moderation. In the mind of a four year glitter glue is so fabulous that less is definitely not more. 

Eliana's well glittered creation.

After Eliana was done, I think she was a bit disappointed that she had covered hers entirely. She looked at mine and asked me to make one for her. I explained that I was making my own and that hers was beautiful.  She asked if she could make another one and decided that this time, she would not use any glitter glue, only markers.

Important Lesson #2

After seeing how the glitter glue looks when applied in a nice thick layer as Eliana so adeptly demonstrated, I decided that I should use a cotton swab to apply mine, so that it would be in a thin sparkly layer.

Since Eliana made a second one, I figured I’d make another one as well. Aiden had lost interest and decided that he was done after making one.

Aiden's sugar skull complete.

Eliana's first and second. 

My two sugar skull creations.

JUST FOR FUN:
Some Dia De Los Muertos decorations that were loaned to us by Miss Celina, for our Mexican Celebration. 

(Translation: El Día Del Decorado Muerto- Day Of the Dead Decor)