Radial Mosaics

I did this project with first and second grade following a weaving unit in which we practiced linear patterns (top to bottom, side to side).

I never thought I would be one to do macaroni crafts, but these turned out as a perfect material for mosaics! I had many varieties of beans, seeds and pasta stashed away and this was the perfect opportunity to use them.

As a class, we looked at examples of radial patterns– patterns that go around in a circle. All of the examples were from places in the Middle East- the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya being two I knew many of them had visited. We then looked at examples of mosaics from further afield in Ephesus and Kapadokya.

I decided to use these CD inserts I had, which have a perfect circle template for placing little seeds. The goal was to completely fill the circle, covering the background in the creation of a radial pattern. I love how, when placed altogether, the individual pieces are unified through the use of natural colours.