I have always wanted to do the traditional sugar skulls during out Dias DE Los Muertos unit. But fear of mice, ants, messes- just fear in general stopped me from moving forward. That is, until I became one with Plaster of Paris...
I had a parent make 90 molds this year for parent hours. They just sat on my window still this year because the curriculum was packed with no room to budge. So one of my 8th graders who always finishes early, tested out an idea I had to carve the plaster into the shape of a skull and design it similar to the sugar skull examples.
The result? AWESOME! He even made the carving into a candle holder! The design follows the same elements of color, symmetry and balance as the traditional sugar skulls. Also, he was able to use all the carving tools (a class set) I had invested in the year before. We will definitely do this project instead of the remembrance masks we did this year.
I love trying new things!!!
