Make this calaca-inspired paper collage with your kids to celebrate the Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muertos.
This is a great project to sit down and do with your kids. I’ve shared this before, but the second my kids see me start crafting, they immediately want to join in on the fun. What kind of mean mom doesn’t let their child craft alongside them?
Yes, I know kids make a mess and you spend a lot of money on craft supplies and crafting is your “me time” but I’m here to tell you that you’ll miss out on some really great bonding time with your kids if you don’t include them. I’m not saying you have to craft with your kids every single time you craft, no.
I’m not that crazy.
But if you designate a small bin for supplies specifically for your kids and you tweak what you’re doing just for them, they’ll be able to join you in your creative pursuits. And they’ll love you for it. It’s a win-win!
RELATED: Frida Kahlo Calavera Paper Collage
Now, back to this craft. I received this book, Calavera Abecedario, a Day of the Dead Alphabet Book, as a gift and I absolutely love it. Maya picked out a page she really liked and we created a collage inspired by it.
This is what you’ll need:
Find a book that inspires you. We really love Calavera Abecedario by Jeanette Winter. Maya really liked “M” for mariachi, and was interested in whether or not there were “girl mariachis”.
RELATED: Calavera Block Prints
A collage is the process of cutting paper and assembling it to make something else. In this project, we cut paper to create our own female mariachi singer, complete with a guitar.
I’ve discovered that it’s more manageable for kids to draw the shapes with a pencil first, and then cut them out with scissors after. I encouraged Maya to sketch her guitar shape and then we flipped it over so you couldn’t see any pencil lines after we cut it out. It can be a challenge, but kids need to practice drawing in order to become better at it. The next step is cutting out shapes, gluing them down on paper and repeating the process until you make the design come to life.
While we were creating this collage, we talked about mariachis and the kind of music they make. I explained to her the tradition of mariachi music at family celebrations like weddings and quinceañeras and the growing number of female mariachi singers. We even listened to a few songs on Pandora, so she could get an idea of what the music sounded like.
RELATED: Dia de los Muertos Scrapbooking Paper Craft
This is one of those crafts you can go back to again and again–your favorite books provide all the inspiration you need. Enjoy!
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