Collage Crafts

Use quilt shapes such as squares, triangles, and hexagons to piece together a quilt-patterned collage for this craft.

What You'll Need:

Step 1: Look for a magazine picture in colors that you like. Once you have selected a picture, cut it into several 2x2-inch squares.

Step 2: Cut some of the squares in half, diagonally, to form triangles.

Step 3: Piece your quilt collage together on a piece of construction paper. Once you have arranged the pieces in a pattern you like, glue them in place.

Personalizing your child's place at the dining table has never been so much fun. Learn how to create a durable and versatile personal place mat on the next page.

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This is a great collage craft because it doesn't matter if you get these personal place mats dirty -- they wipe clean with a damp sponge.

What You'll Need:

Step 1: Direct your child to use markers to draw a background, such as a beach, on the poster board.

Step 2: Cut out shapes or pictures from construction paper or old magazines. If you have a beach scene for your background, cut out boats and people.

Step 3: Glue the cutouts onto the poster board.

Step 4: Accompany your child to a copy center store to have the place mat laminated. Leave a 1/4-inch plastic border around the place mat.

Your child can also glue on a number of different things: whether it's subjects she wants to study, or even maps, sports facts, or poems. Another idea is to draw a maze on the place mat. Once laminated, use a grease pencil to play the game again and again.

Spicing up your child's playtime is as easy as looking in your kitchen cabinet. On the next page, discover the possibilities of an herb collage.

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Your kids will love to root through your spice cupboard to find the different colors, textures, and smells for their scented herb collage. Teach them how to make an herbal design on a piece of construction paper in this collage craft.

What You'll Need:

Step 1: Spread one area of the construction paper with a layer of glue.

Step 2: Cover it with spices such as parsley flakes, cinnamon, and chili powder.

Step 3: Let the glue dry, then shake off the excess spices.

Step 4: Add dots and lines of glue to the design, and sprinkle on more herbs and spices. Once the glue dries, shake off the excess herbs.

Experiment with other spices and herbs to add a variety of colors and fragrances to your pictures.

With seeds, you can create art that is good enough to eat. In the next section, we'll show you how to use fruits and vegetables to create a seed collage.

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The seed collage is a beautiful piece of artwork that uses recycled seeds from fruits and vegetables. Teach your kids about the beauty of fall with this collage craft.

What You'll Need:

Step 1: Gather seeds from melons, squash, pumpkins, and other fruit. Look for different colors.

Step 2: Wash the seeds. Spread the seeds out on a paper plate and place it in a sunny window. They should be dry in a few days. Once the seeds are dry, use them to create a collage.

Step 3: Apply lines of glue to a piece of construction paper. Sprinkle the seeds over the glue. Let the glue dry. Shake off the excess seeds.

Step 4: Continue gluing and adding seeds to your collage. Try sprinkling white pumpkin seeds with black watermelon seeds to create a contrasting design. You can also use markers to make part of the picture, and then add the seeds to fill it in.

Creating Easter decorations can give any child the warm fuzzies. Learn how to make fuzzy paint for Easter eggs in the next section.

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This is a great way for a child to channel his energy. Don't be too careful when tearing tissue paper to make this collage craft. The best fuzzy paint will come from making soft, fuzzy shapes that blend.

What You'll Need:

Step 1: Tear colored tissue paper into many pieces. Set the torn paper aside.

Step 2: Draw several egg shapes on a piece of drawing paper.

Step 3: Mix equal parts of water and craft glue together. "Paint" the mixture on each shape.

Step 4: Place torn tissue paper pieces on each shape over the glue. Coat the tissue paper with the diluted glue. Let it dry. The tissue paper creates a bright and fuzzy "paint" for your eggs.

Step 5: Cut the eggs from the paper, and hang them up for Easter decorations.

Boring paperwork is no match for a funny rock. Learn how to make an artful and entertaining paperweight in the next section.

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This collage craft results in a great paperweight. Help your kids design this funny rock that will make you roll with laughter every time you look at it.

What You'll Need:

Step 1: Find a very round and smooth rock.

Step 2: Have your child cut out his favorite cartoon characters from the newspaper. Apply an even coat of glue to the back of the comic strips.

Step 3: Place them on the rock. Cover it completely, overlapping the pictures.

Step 4: Once the glue has dried, paint over the whole rock with clear nail polish. The polish creates a clear shellac and seals the pictures.

Step 5: Set the rock on a sheet of waxed paper. Let the polish dry.

Ordinarily, flowers make the vase, but not in this case. Learn how to make extraordinary vases in the next section.

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This collage craft creates an extraordinary vase. It's easy enough that your child can make it herself.

What You'll Need:

Step 1: Clean out the dish detergent bottle thoroughly. Cut off the top of the bottle.

Step 2: Cut out lots of flower pictures from garden catalogs or from wrapping paper.

Step 3: Cover your work surface with newspaper. Dilute the glue with 2 teaspoons of water.

Step 4: Using a paintbrush, apply the glue to the back of the pictures. Cover the plastic bottle with the pictures. Clean the paintbrush thoroughly. Let the glue dry.

Step 5: To seal the pictures, coat the vase with water-based polyurethane.

Step 6: Arrange real, or silk flowers in the vase. Experiment with different combinations and color schemes. Put marbles in the bottom of the vase to anchor the stems.

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