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My 9 year old daughter has decided that she is growing out of her hard pumpkin trick-or-treat bag, so I thought we could upcycle a cloth grocery bag for her treats this year. We were sent some Tulip Glow Paint to try out and are SO excited to show you how we made our skull bags for Day of the Dead: “calavera” bags!
These are the amazing Glow-in-the-Dark fabric paints that we used- they glow especially well under black lights. They aren’t only for fabric though: you can use them on metal, foam, glass, wood, etc.
In Mexico around the end of October, skulls and skeletons are EVERYWHERE! You walk through the markets and everyone is selling something with whimsical and colorful “calaveras y calacas” (decorated skulls). We decided on a treat bag because I have so many cloth grocery bags just waiting to be our canvas:).
The first thing we did was to draw the outline of the skull. The easy way to visualize this is to do the top half first, as an arch. Next just draw a “U” for the bottom part. The white glow-in-the-dark paint really, really glows well.
Now start to add in some details. The eyes are always large and round on Day of the Dead skulls, and the nose looks like an upside down heart. Most of the skeletons are pleasant and smiling in Mexico, so we drew a smile and some hatches for teeth.
The more colors and details, the better:). The unique part about the Tulip Fabric Paints is that the design won’t crack or peel even in the washing machine.
How cool does this look under the black light!?
Day of the Dead Activity Pack
Teach your students about the Day of the Dead with this incredible Day of the Dead Activity Pack! 60 pages of activities including a powerpoint presentation, a minibook, an informational text with questions, themed math activities, a skeleton craft, and tons of decorations! It also contains a book list, discussion questions with key concept definitions, and a cultural guide for teachers.
Check out the packet at our TPT Store!
You can find all of our Day of the Dead activities and crafts here!
Fun project! I bet the kids love to work with the glow in the dark paint!
love the look of this, and yes it’s a nice change from the usual trick or treat bag 🙂 I actually really like the one with the white background..very effective. will have to give this one a go!