In my quest to make mosaic a toddler friendly art and craft I have used lots of different materials that have no sharp edges (I made a long list of these materials here). I was really excited to discover these soft glass tiles recently which has launched our toddler / little children mosaic into new […] Read more...
Orange Peel Mosaics
My lovely friend, Freddie, suggested putting citrus fruit peel on top of a radiator to release the zingy smell and the end product, dried peel, gave me the idea for this children’s mosaic method. Smells great while you are making them too! You will need : Dried citrus peel. We used oranges, clementines, satsumas and […] Read more...
Mosaic picture frames for kids to make
This year I have been focusing on finding mosaic actvities for very young children to do – for fun and to learn some of the basics of mosaics (you are never too young…!). I have tagged them all under “pre-schoolers”, “children” and “craft” if you want to search the blog archive and the first 3 […] Read more...
Children’s Christmas Mosaics
Here’s a simple children’s activity for making some pretty decorations with a mosaic theme. I did this activity at an art and craft fair at the weekend and found that children from 3 upwards really enjoyed it and got absorbed in it. More mosaic activities for kids to make as presents coming up next week […] Read more...
Making mosaic suncatchers
This is a lovely toddler mosaic method we have tried out that has produced a beautiful suncatcher. Like the other mosaics in this series, it easy for little toddlers as well as slightly older children to do. You will need: a picture frame with glass (not perspex as it will flex and the nuggets may […] Read more...
Make seashell mosaics with easy clay ‘push’ method
This project involves replicating the idea of cement adhesive to push mosaic pieces (tesserae) into. Instead of using cement, we used air drying clay (‘das‘). You will need some air drying clay and ‘tesserae‘ of your choice. Isabella used shells and beads, but you can use a wide range of things – for a list […] Read more...
Pre-schooler mosaic stars finished!
Some of you have been following the ‘Mosaics with Children’ series I started a few weeks ago. There will be more to come in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, here’s a pic of the mosaic stars that I helped a bunch of toddlers make at their pre-school (which is a little Montessori […] Read more...
Top tips from mosaic school
Here are some of mine and Nathalie’s (fellow course member) top tips from the West Dean course (there are many more!): 1. Put PVA glue in fridge to make it gloopy enough for sticking on 3d surfaces 2. Tumble gin bottles (or other waste glass!) to make beautiful tumbled glass for mosaicing 3. Use a […] Read more...
Making mosaics with children – mosaic in a frame!
Activity Four A technique discovered by Isabella last week as she made a mosaic for her Godmother, Charlotte, to take with her back to Sri Lanka! Start with a blank picture frame. Remove the back so that you can see through the glass. Pour a thick-ish layer of PVA (white craft) glue into the frame […] Read more...
Mosaic making with children – shapes
One of the things about making mosaics is that you need definition to the pattern or edge of a picture you are making. This is normally done using the edge of different colour / texture tiles and the line created by grouting which gives mosaic its distinctive flow or ‘andamento‘ (the technical term!). It is […] Read more...