Creative Ideas for Parents and Educators #3

Teaching your children about art history while participating in a creative activity is as easy as opening up your pantry door. Even if you are low on craft supplies, you can teach your children about the art of mosaics using common kitchen products.

Before starting the actual activity teach your children about the word "mosaic". A mosaic according to dictionary.com is defined as "a picture or decoration made of small, usually colored pieces of stone, glass, etc." You may want to show the kids some pictures of mosaics downloaded from the internet to further define the technique and give them an idea of what a mosaic is if they don't already know.

Before the you're ready to begin the activity find out if the children have any ideas as to what could be used to create a mosaic. You can have them look through the pantry with you searching for small items to create with. If they are having difficulties you can show them items and ask if they think the items would be good for a mosaic, reminding them that the items need to be small. This activity is the perfect opportunity to review big and small with younger children.

After searching your pantry for items to use, set up the work area. Place the small pieces in bowls so that they are easily accessible to the children. Some suggestions for possible mosaic components are rice, a variety of dried beans, lentils, saved nut shells, cereal, peppercorns, etc. As always be sure the children are old enough to safely handle small items and supervise them closely.

Supply the kids with glue and various bases for applying their mosaic pieces to. Simpler mosaics that are just a design can be created on plastic lids to contain the items. More complex mosaic desgns that create a picture can be drawn out on paper first before applying the items with glue.

The important thing to keep the activity going is to inform the children that they can only apply one piece at a time. This not only gives them more control over the design but also increases fine motor development by utilizing the pincer grasp to pick up small items. Small children will want to sprinkle handfuls onto their surface and need to be reminded of how to complete the mosaic properly.

If the kids enjoy the activity you may consider creating a mosaic stepping-stone with them in the future using concrete or plaster and real tile pieces. Alternately you can cut construction paper into small squares and create a mosaic this way.

Once the kids get the hang of it, the possibilities for mosaic creation are endless!

To complete this "pantry mosaic" activity you will need:

Glue
Small items such as rice, beans, etc.
Paper, plastic lids or other base on which to create the mosaic

Optional:

Pictures of real mosaics
Pencils or crayons to create a layout