Mosaic Madness - Mosaic workshops for schools and communities - Bristol, UK

A school mosaic project is fully inclusive, enhances the local environment and can be linked in with the national Curiculum.

For more info see: Benefits and why a mosaic

You may wish to mark an event or anniversary, celebrate a new building or facilities, or just bring people together to create something beautiful!

I and the other members of staff have been inspired to do our own mosaics. We know want to pass these skills on to parents and children.

Feed back from the Art Co-ordinator at St John's Primary School

Examples: murals, paving slabs, planters, benches, columns, human sundials & Crucifix/Cross. Link to project ideas and portfolio

Click here for a full list of all the schools and community groups I have worked in.

Working with all ages and abilities:

From a child's view a mosaic is just a big jigsaw puzzle and so suitable for any age and I believe each child should have a worthwhile go.

Running the project:

The Design Workshop:
For a wall mural and Column the school comes up with a theme and then creates sketches ready for the design day which usually consists of myself, a member of staff and 6 children taking the sketches and developing them into the final design.

For a Floor mural and Sundial the children come up with their own individual designs to be created on a slab.

Once the project is completed I encourage the school to have these designs framed.

The Mosaic Workshop

This varies in each school but as an example for a whole school project I work with Year3 down to Reception and then Year4 to year6 in turn.

During playtimes and lunchtime children can usually pop over to see how the mosaics are getting on or at the end of the day bring the person who picks them up.

For more info see: Running a project

Designs:

Some of the most popular ones:

School name and logo. Seems to be the most popular creates a positive first impression and an obvious sense of pride

Children, using a range of different skin tone tiles it is easy to add a multicultural element.

Learning, based on each of the school subjects being depicted by an image, such a computer for ICT, etc.

Outside and play, usually the schools playground and green areas

Nature including, animals, birds, flowers, trees, weather, etc. this is endless

Healthy Eating, using the idea of "from field to fork", and depicting the 5 food groups.

Religious themes, such as a faith tree, a creation mural, etc

Cross or Crucifix, using a design created by a child

Community and World, looking at the local community and further afield.

Stories, such as from a children book.

Memorials pieces to children or staff

Celebrations & Anniversaries, generally this is for a new building or 10th,50th,100th of the school.

Or anything else you can think of.

Picture frames

These are kits consisting of a wooden picture frame (suitable for a standard 6x4' photo) which is mosaiced using foam tiles, PVA glue and a pair of scissors. A kit for one frame is £1 only!!!!!!

Staff training:

I ask for each school to allocate me a TA (or parent) to help in the running of he project as well as to teach them the basics of mosaics for future projects.

Staff workshops:

I can also run a staff workshop either within say a Inset day or with in the school holidays.