Preparing for Celebrating the Mexican Days of the Dead

When I was teaching elementary art, about this time every year I would begin to prepare for my school's annual Days of the Dead celebration since the holiday is on November 1st and 2nd. It would take us the entire month of October to rehearse and get ready for our schoolwide procession/presentation. 

On September 20, I posted an article on this blog about the true meaning of this family-centered holiday and links to PowerPoints and English and Spanish scripts for our procession/presentation. In addition to our performance, every grade level did a different project during this time for the Days of the Dead. Usually I would borrow our school's life size skeleton model and keep it in my room for the month. Many of my lessons included a scientific approach to the skeleton along with the traditions of the celebration. I just came across a number of images from my lessons while looking at photographs and thought I would share them here.

Skeletons made from white paper straws and posed and dressed

Monarch butterflies appear in Mexico around the time of the Days of the Dead.

This strip paper skeleton mobiles can be dressed in many ways.

Oil pastel with black ink

Paper collage

Oil pastel on brown butcher paper

Strip paper sculptures

Days of the Dead bread made for us by a teacher