We have bean studying ancient Rome, and I always like to have my students do some form of art from the period we are studying in history. I've always wanted to make a tile mosaic, but they are rather expensive, and it's hard to find free or cheap tiles in decent colors. Then I discovered bean mosaics.
After making some easy basic designs, I printed off some clip art outlines or sillhouettes of leaves, flowers, bears, and coffee cups. I gave the students pieces of wood I got for free from a cabinet shop's scrap bin (because the larger ones make the cardboard bend when the glue dries). They cut out the designs, made an outline of the pattern on their piece of wood, painted the background the same color as the beans they planned to put on top of it, and then happily glued beans all over the design. The results are much better if the beans are lined up, especially on the edges.
It made a bit of a mess, but the results were lovely, and the students swept up all the beans that arrived on the floor. I've really bean happy with this art project. The lovely pieces below were made by the Abiding Peace Virtual Christian School art students.
