Dia de los Muertos is a traditional holiday celebrated in my country of origin, Mexico. It’s a tradition dating back to the Aztecs later adapted by the Spanish conquistadores and the Catholic religion. I had never really taken a part in the celebration of this holiday (other than the traditions of Halloween) because it wasn’t a big holiday in my home growing up. As an adult, I now have dear loved ones who have departed too soon and I am more involved in the festivities because it’s my way of celebrating their lives.
The idea was brought up in our local home school co-op to participate in the IMAS Dia De Los Muertos Festival and my heart was immediately drawn to this project. Our kids will be working on celebrating the life of Dr. Seuss (Author: Theodor Seuss Geisel.) My boys have been working on the traditional decorations to help decorate our display: Papel picado, paper flowers, sugar skulls, and an item to celebrate Dr. Seuss and his work.
Our “altar” will feature the work of Dr. Seuss and the homeschooling families will each provide something to highlight this work. My boys have chosen to highlight the book “The Lorax.” I was so happy when they picked this book about saving trees! The hippie in me had a heart bursting with joy! Haha… So it is up to us to put together something that represents this book. We are now working on making some Truffela trees and hoping that they hold up for the display! (Pinterest is huge lifesaver for this non-crafty-momma!) We have less than a week to pull it all together and we are excited to see this altar come alive!
The boys have been learning about the Dia De Los Muertos holiday this week as we work on our project and it really has put into perspective how much homeschooling was changed our lives. I don’t think I would have been able to feed their minds as well with them attending public school 8-9 hrs a day + homework + activities… Being home has allowed us to take our time with things and to really dig deep into our culture. It’s wonderful and I’m so thankful for this time with my kiddos. My 10-year-old even told me he thinks I’m a “great teacher” this week. Just when I sit here wondering if I’m doing a good job, he blurts out those little words that filled me with the confidence I needed to keep going. Since it’s our first year doing this together, I have tons of moments of doubt! I’m sure it’s normal for first-timers like me. 😉
Here’s a couple of tutorials we used to work on our project. Maybe you and your little ones would like to make some of these decorations someday to celebrate or even just for fun!
Truffela Trees (This particular site didn’t offer the tutorial but we just went with the visual.)
Now here are some pictures of our hard work!
(Truffela Trees)
(Ten Apples Up On Top craft by another family.)
(The Cat in the Hat by a fellow homeschooling family.)
(Adorable circus tent by a fellow homeschooling family.)
(Adorable felt Green Eggs and Ham by a fellow homeschooling family.)
(My sister & nephew’s representation of Oh The Places You’ll Go!)
(Truffela display.)
(My guy, hard at work!)
~Norm
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