We love the Halloween and Día de los Muertos season! When I saw Mommy Maestra's Design Your Own Calavera Activity Sheet, I knew we could combine the very famous Signature Skeleton project with a colorful skull. My boys loved it! Keep reading for my tutorial on how to create a signature calaca. And for more Day of the Dead goodness, be sure to check out MommyMaestra's Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead Lesson Plans and Activities.
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Signature Calaca Tutorial
Materials
What you need:
- 2 sheets of black construction paper
- 1 sheet of white construction paper (fold length-wise)
- scissors
- crayons or paint
- glue
- a friendly skull printable
Directions
In your best cursive, write your child's name on the white construction paper. Please make sure the folded crease is at the bottom of his or her name to help make the cutting easier.
The child should cut all around his signature...
...and he will end up with two sides for the skeleton!
Paste the signatures side by side on the black construction paper.
My boys wanted to decorate their calaveras their own way but still used the printable directions for ideas.
Cut around again...
...and paste to the top of the skeleton's body!
I was sure the boys would want the body of the skeleton to stay white, but perhaps because of all the reading we have been doing on the Day of the Dead, they were inspired to keep their signature skeletons nice and bright!
This project was easy enough (but fun!) for Diego who is six and challenging for Santi who is almost three. Diego helped Santi cut his skeleton's body but the pasting and coloring made him very happy to work independently. Combining projects from two cultures was a great idea to continue to teach them about both their favorite American customs and their Mexican heritage! Enjoy!
Other Day of the Dead Craft Tutorials
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Betty Galvan, is helping her readers "find the positive and seek the benefits" over at her blog, MyFriendBettySays.com.
She is the mother of three beautiful little boys and a teacher.