The Beginners children are the 3 year olds and the youngest children in our school.

They were exploring a unit called Expressing Ourselves through the Arts. At that particular time of the year the children were also very focused on dinosaurs and learning songs and performing puppet shows around their dinosaur interest.

The class teacher was eager for the children to experience creating a mosaic so it seemed appropriate to create a dinosaur mosaic.

We began by looking at some images of mosaics dating back to Byzantine times and symbolic mosaic patterns from northern Africa. We also walked around the school looking at mosaic work completed by other students. 

The maintenance department built the table frame while I discussed with the students what they wanted in their mosaic image.

They voted for a black/grey dinosaur with purplish scales on its back, frolicking over a hill on a sunny day.

It took some weeks to put the image together and grout it.

The children were very proud of their completed work and gained greater knowledge of the process and history of tiling and creating mosaics.

Kate Parton
Korowa Anglican Girls School
Suitable for level 1