This is a fun and easy craft project – chances are, you already have the materials!  This is also a great way to ‘upcycle’ certain foods when they are past their expiration, such as old pasta or rice.

Supplies needed:

~ Glue
~ Variety of ‘mosaic’ pieces: lentils, beans, pasta, rice, seeds, etc.
~ Something to glue it to: cardboard, paper, paper plates, etc.
~ Small paintbrush (optional, for spreading glue)

One way to approach this project is to let your children take whatever direction they choose.  You could make a picture, or a grid or rainbow of colors.

You can also create a design ahead of time, and lightly sketch the design out on paper as a guideline.

You can also sketch out shapes to fill in with materials.

Some of the educational aspects you can incorporate into this project include:
~ Sorting (shape, size, color)
~ Patterns
~ Textures
~ For older children, you can explore the history of mosaics

Another thing we have done with leftovers from this project are to make sensory bins. This could be a single item, such as pasta, or a mix of leftovers that can’t be sorted. You can hide toys in the rice / beans / pasta etc., or kids can just enjoy playing with it, scooping it, etc.