Celebrating the Mexican Days of the Dead/Los Dias De Los Muertos

At my elementary school we are now in full planning mode for our annual Days of the Dead Celebration which will take place this year on October 28. We'll present a program for our entire school during the day and at night for the PTA, complete with Mariachi band. This program gives our bilingual classes a place to shine.

If you are interested in learning more about this often-misunderstood celebration, there is plenty of background information on my school website. The Days of the Dead are one of the most important celebrations of the year in Mexico, a time when people honor the memory of loved ones who have died.

Our life-size school skeleton spends the month of October in my room, as each grade level does a different lesson that correlates a scientific view of the skeleton with the traditions of the Days of the Dead.

My third graders this year are doing a lesson by Linda Lea Evans that is published on a ClipCard in the November 2010 SchoolArts. Here are two examples by Macy and Gabe, oil pastel on brown butcher paper. If you take our survey online, you can get a free digital subscription to SchoolArts and see the ClipCard as well as the entire magazine!