Crockery mosaic
You will need: a shallow lid such as a small biscuit tin; plaster of Paris; bowl and spoon; paper and pencil; pieces of broken patterned crockery
What to do:
- Mix the plaster of Paris with water to the consistency of double cream and pour it into the lid.
- Arrange the pieces of broken crockery in the plaster of Paris.
- Leave to set hard.
- Children can draw round the lid on a piece of paper and arrange the crockery pieces inside this shape, then transfer the pieces from the paper to the plaster of Paris, maintaining the same arrangement.
Recycled mosaic
You will need: any leftover glass, plastic or metal packaging - bottle tops, jar lids, milk cartons; plaster of Paris; bowl and spoon; paper and pencil; large tray or flat container
- Follow the instructions for crockery mosaic but make it on a larger scale to accommodate the larger items.
Tip: The technique can be adapted to create a mosaic on a wall in your outdoor area.
Paper mosaic
You will need: coloured papers; scissors; PVA glue; a clean paintbrush; card; pencil
What to do:
- Cut the paper into squares.
- Ask the children to draw a pencil pattern on the card. Explain that they are going to fill in the pattern with squares and that the design needs to be kept simple (geometric shapes and flowers work well).
- Once the pencil design is complete, brush over a section with PVA glue and stick on the paper squares.
- When all the pieces are stuck on, brush over the whole mosaic with PVA glue to create a glossy finish.
Tip: Art can lose momentum if the pencil design is too large and paper squares too small. Be ready to help out with the sticking, and fill up larger areas with bigger squares of paper.
Bean mosaic
Dried beans make beautiful mosaics, when pushed into a layer of Plasticene.
You will need: card; Plasticene; a selection of dried beans and pulses (red aduki and green mung beans, yellow split peas, black-eyed peas, orange lentils); PVA glue; paintbrush
What to do:
- Cut the card into a circle, square or rectangle.
- Flatten the Plasticene to make a pancake, about 1cm thick, and glue it on the card shape.
- Carefully trim the overlapping Plasticene with a knife and smooth the edges with your finger.
- Press the beans and pulses into the Plasticene to create a mosaic.
- Brush over the beans with a coat of PVA glue to make a shiny glaze.
- Tape a loop of ribbon to the back of the card so that the mosaic can be hung on the wall.
Crystals, glass nuggets and buttons
You will need: selection of crystals, pebbles, glass nuggets and buttons; heavyweight card; PVA glue; pencil
What to do:
- Brush lots of glue across the card (it will dry clear).
- Stick on the items, selecting ones that are as smooth as possible, to create a textured mosaic pattern.
Tip: If children have trouble getting their pieces to stick, try pressing them into a layer of Plasticene (see bean mosaic) or setting them in plaster of Paris (see crockery mosaic).
FURTHER INFORMATION
The correct term for mosaic tiles is 'tesserae'. If you would like to try working with genuine tesserae, visit www.ebay.co.uk and search in the crafts section for 'mosaic'. You should find a good selection of reasonably priced glass, marble and millefiori tesserae, in a wide range of colours and patterns.
