A serape is a long, blanket-like shawl worn over the shoulders, worn by men in the Mexican tradition. Often, a serape is made of wool and comes in bright colors. With a few simple materials, your child can fashion his very own serape for some Mexican festivities. Your child will put his imagination to good use as he designs his garment and learns a little bit about Mexican heritage in the process.
What You Need:
- Brown paper grocery bag
- Safety scissors
- Markers
- Ribbon
- Glue
- Pictures of serapes from books or the Internet
What You Do:
- To begin, show your child some pictures of serapes so he can familiarize himself with the colors and patterns that are often used.
- Now open a grocery bag and ask your child to cut out both side panels along the folds. This will enable your child’s arms to move freely, unencumbered by the serape.
- Next, turn the bag inside out so that the plain, unprinted side is showing.
- Close the bag so that it lays flat and cut out a large circle at the top. This will be the opening for your child’s head. Be sure not to cut too closely to the edges, so that when the bag is open and resting upon your child’s shoulders, there won’t be any risk of it tearing apart and breaking.
- Now for the fun part! Have your child decorate the bag, using the pictures you showed him of serapes as inspiration. It is a big project for younger kids, so you might offer to lend a helping hand with coloring. Don’t forget to color the other side, so that your child looks great coming and going!
- Once the bag is colored, it’s time to embellish the bottom with fringe! You can help your child cut strips of ribbon and glue them to the inside of the bag. Do both the front and back and allow the glue to dry.
Your child has a colorful serape that he can wear around the house on Cinco de Mayo or any day of the year!
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