2 Piece Plaster FeltingMold Tutorial/Pictorial by Sue McFadden

This is such a clever idea for having a felt doll turn out perfect every time.

Sue McFadden has created a wonderful tutorial/pictorial to show you how to make a 2 piece plaster mold. Follow her step-by-step tutorial and you too will know how this is created. I would think that you could use this method to make other types of felted items. I pictured a couple of Sue’s adorable dolls so you could get an idea of what amazing art she creates. Here’s what Sue had to say about her pictorial: “Finished Super Sculpey Sculpts – 3 sculpts of doll heads and torsos ready for plaster mold making! In this tutorial I will be demonstrating the 2 part mold for the smallest doll (9″ tall). This method using plastic containers works nicely for small dolls. Larger dolls will need to have a mold box built.” Get To Know The Artist/Crafter Series Interview – Sue McFadden of Sue McFadden Original Felt Dolls But sure to scroll down the page to read the interview.

Lots of Americans seem to think that May 5 is Mexican Independence Day, but that holiday actually falls on Sept. 16.

May 5 is the celebration of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexicans defeated the French in 1862. Independence Day marks the beginning of their fight for independence from Spain in 1810. That was the day of what’s known as El Grito de Dolores, or the cry of Dolores, for when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bells at his church in Dolores and declared that Mexico should be free from Spanish rule.

They would fight for their freedom until 1821 when they finally gained independence.

Fabulous Classroom has a little of the history and ideas for celebrating the holiday for all age groups. There’s also a link to a good video in that post about the real story of Mexican Independence Day.

Twinkl also has a good tops about the history and different activities, discussion ideas, crafts and foods that can be incorporated into lessons at school or used at home.

I also found a few pins that no longer link to a website but include good information on Mexican Independence Day, including some questions for students to answer based on the reading. You can find more printables and questions for kids from TX Homeschool Mama on Etsy (also available in Spanish).

You can find a lot more paid resources about Mexican Independence Day at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Mexican flag crafts are a fun option for celebrating Mexican Independence Day (though the current iteration of their flag has only been in use since 1968). Kids Activities Blog has a free Mexican flag printable and a few different ideas for decorating it including dot markers and torn tissue paper.

You can also find some great Mexican crafts at Red Ted Art. The post includes all sorts of Mexican inspired projects including Day of the Dead crafts, Frida Kahlo pinatas and upcycled musical instruments. I love the giant paper flowers they shared from Honestly WTF.

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