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Lesson Plans


Re:day of the dead

[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]
Betty Bowen (bbowen.ok.us)
Tue, 17 Aug 1999 09:42:48 -0500

Making Skeletons - I just remembered!
You may all already know how to do this --
Family Fun magazine from about three or four years ago had great
instructions on making skeletons from milk jugs. It takes about nine jugs,
good scissors and a Hot glue gun - the low-temp glue gun won't work. They
are almost life-size, end up with a handle on the back so it can "walk", and
they rattle in the MOST wonderful way. I did a window for a local
coffeehouse of skeletons having a tea party using a couple of them and had
to leave a stack of instructions there because the patrons & passerby were
driving the staff crazy wanting to know how to make the silly things.

They are 3-D - not like flat cut-outs. Here are basic instructions:

Jug 1 - turn it upside down - this is the head - you can cut out a face if
you like.
Jug 2 - right side up - this is the rib cage - cut some openings between the
ribs. Leave the back pretty solid for support. The handle goes in the back.
Glue the mouths of the two jugs together to make the neck.
Jug 3 & 4 - cut just the neck off the jugs - the part with the screw-top
ribs and about and inch or two more (for gluing). hot glue the open
screw-top parts together. When cool, glue one to the flat bottom of the rib
cage. This makes the spine.
Jug 3 or 4 - cut off the bottom of the jug about 1/3 or 1/2 of the way up -
make it curvy like the bottom line of the pelvis. turn it bottom-of-jug-side
up. Glue to "spine" you made in step just above. This is the pelvis.
Jug 5 & 6 - cut off the handles, with a couple inches of the jug remaining
on both ends. Depending on the shape of the handle, glue to the top of the
rib cage. These are your "shoulders". Spend a little time with this step -
Some will go straight out, some will slope - this gives them personality!
Trim as necessary.
Jugs 7 - 9 or more -- You now have everything but the arms and legs. Cut
the hands out of the curving bottoms and sides of the jugs so they are 3D.
Cut arms and legbones out of the flat sides. Cut the feet out of the
bottom/side so they have "heels". (if you let the ends of the leg & arm
bones go slightly into the curving part of the carton, they look even better
! )
With a small hole punch and twist-ties, attach arms and legs.

Tell everybody that someone made it for you, otherwise you will have people
showing up at your house with a backseat full of milk jugs.

Betty