In this blog post, I want to share with you some teaching highlights of this past weekend’s Day of the Dead art and cooking classes that I taught to students in my community.
I will show you what I planned, as well as tell you all about my brand new Dia de Los Muertos Display Board & Unit Study that was a hit with my students and made teaching about this festive holiday an absolute breeze.
In this class (filled with mainly 8-12-year-olds) we did two art projects, one cooking project, and sampled some yummy Mexican treats.
Before class, I set up an ofrenda (altar) at the front of the class, and put up my Dia de Los Muertos Display Board for all my students to see.
When you download this display board, you will receive a 27-page Day of the Dead unit study that includes everything you need to make the Festive Papel Picado you see hanging on the wall behind the ofrenda.
This Display Board & Unit Study contains so many other engaging activities such as this – worth a look!
For our first art project, we made these beautiful Nichos (Mexican shadow boxes).
After using my Dia de Los Muertos Display Board to explain all the aspects of Day of the Dead, my students learned the most important tradition of the holiday – preparing an ofrenda (altar) for a loved one that has passed. Ofrendas are decorated with items that represent the loved one, so in sticking with that theme, my students decorated their nichos with colors and embellishments that they felt represented themselves.
We hand-drew and colored the monarch butterflies in our frames as as this type of butterfly has great significance in the celebration of Day of the Dead.
For our second art project, we embossed tin skulls made from my all-time favorite Mexico craft supply, Aluminum tooling foil.
You can see that we also used this tin to embellish the tops of the Nichos above.
When it came time to take a break, I presented a platter filled with Mexican treats and unique flavors that my students might not ever have a chance to try. I sourced these items from our local Mexican grocery store.
In my Saturday class, I prepared a plate with papaya pieces sprinkled with Tajin, Nopalitos cactus bites sprinkled with salt, a bite of tamale, and a wedge of pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread).
We sampled these one by one and took the time to discuss flavors and opinions.
Students LOVE taste-testing foods from different cultures!
In my Sunday class, I handed out Mexican sweets, again sourced from our local Mexican grocery store.
(I created a really fun Mexican Market Hunt activity in my Dia de Los Muertos Display Board & Unit Study that will get you and your children or students out into the community embarking on a simple, yet impactful field trip!)
We also made Tres Leches Cake which is not typically eaten during Day of the Dead, but it’s so darn fun to make that I just couldn’t resist!
Students love poking holes in the cake with toothpicks and then pouring the tres leches (three milks) over the top of the cake. The cake is then cooled, and topped with homemade whipped cream.
Day of the Dead is one of my favorite holidays to teach about and I finally feel like I have all the information about the holiday in one visually appealing learning tool that I now know all my students enjoy.
If you want to teach about Day of the Dead, but don’t have time to do research and gather information about the holiday’s most important aspects, then you just might welcome my Dia de Los Muertos Display Board & Unit Study into your home or classroom!
To learn more about this comprehensive resource, be sure to visit my Etsy Shop, Countries on Board! I am adding country boards and recipe boards every week.
Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below!
