Tessellations are pretty difficult to do and can get complicated quickly. I recommend keeping it simple and don’t worry too much about it fitting together perfectly. This is a great project for preschoolers up. (This will mostly be about cutting and pasting for the preschoolers…but that is just as valuable.)

Materials:

Colored construction paper

Scissors

Glue

Directions:

1. Fold your paper in half and half again to make a small square.

2. Sketch out a simple design (shapes or animals work well.)

3. Cut the shapes out carefully.

4. Unfold the paper and trim up any uneven edges. Glue the paper to another (different color) paper.

5. Glue the cut-outs onto the page to complete the design. Embellish with a pen if you desire.

This can be a little time intensive and will most likely be best for artists over 7. Remember to keep you design fairly simple and uncluttered.

Materials:

Paper

Crayons

Something to etch with (I used a paper clip, the end of a paintbrush and the edge of a ruler.)

Directions:

1. Color a section (the size you want your picture to be) with one color or a pattern of several colors. Do not worry about getting too detailed, as only a bit of this will show through.

2. Color over the top (darkly) with a black (or other dark color).

3. Using the paper clip or end of paint brush, scrape away the black crayon to “draw” the picture.