Mandala is loosely translated from Sanskrit to mean, "circle." Creating mandalas with children is a great artistic project that can be used to explore creative expression and is said to promote a calming presence with the persons creating them. To make a mandala one begins in the center and works out in a circular pattern. One of the wonderful things about the process of creating mandalas with children is that there is a lot of vocabulary that can be brought into the experience. There are a variety of ways that these can be made with small children. In the past I have seen people use a sheet of black felt and small pieces of felt to make the mandala design in a temporary fashion. I have seen people use natural materials to create a mandala with shells and sticks and beads. I've also seen Maria at Casa Maria use see through items on the light table to create mandalas with her students. The thing that I really love about making mandalas with children is that while it's all about the process... The end products turn about beautifully.
Last Friday I was working in our 4-5 year old classroom and playing with some of the children at the art center. One of the children pulled out the stamps and were making pictures with them. I decided to try to create a mandala with the stamps. One of the children asked me how I made it and the lesson created its self!! I love when that happens!!
Here are some of the mandalas we made.
These were a lot of fun to make. I think that when you cut around the edge they sorta look like snowflakes and could be used with a winter theme in a classroom if you're sold on themes.
Dedicated to Hippie Teacher Jane
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