This year I wanted the kids to create a gift for their parents that was meaningful and affordable. So we made coasters (pictures below)! It was super-fun and easy, and I have gotten GREAT feedback from parents. All you need is:
- a box of plain white tiles (I got a box of 100 tiles for $13 at Home Depot)
- a bottle of Mod Podge (you can get it at any craft store like Hobby Lobby, but I just asked our art teacher and she happened to have plenty to spare)
- a bottle of spray sealant (again, craft stores like Hobby Lobby have it)
- small felt pads with adhesive on the back
- medium-sized paint brushes for applying the Mod Podge (again, I borrowed these from the art teacher)
- ribbon or yarn
- colored pencils
- newspaper to lay underneath the projects while applying/drying Mod Podge and sealant
- blank paper (or you can click HERE for the template we used)
Plan of Action: We happened to be studying main idea/details that week, so I had the kids pick a theme (or “main idea”) for their coasters that they could represent with “details” (the individual pictures/coasters). My kids each created a set of four coasters – but I have a small class and there were plenty of tiles for them to each do four, so you might choose to have your kids do a set of two coasters if your class size is larger.
- Create Images We did a class brainstorm of possible themes (holiday, family, pets, happiness, the four seasons, geometric designs, etc). Then they chose a theme for their coasters. The only rule was that their four pictures had to represent the theme they chose. Kids with more than one household split them up evenly (two to one household, two to the other). In my opinion, the holiday theme was great because it was seasonally appropriate. Some kids chose to do only Christmas or Hanukkah images, while other kids did four separate holidays throughout the year. After they chose their theme, they used colored pencil (best for sealant purposes) to illustrate four separate scenes (again, you can do this on small blank pieces of paper, or click on the the template above).
- Adhere Images to Tiles Once they illustrated, they cut out their images and attached them to the tile. They did this by using the paint brush to apply a layer of Mod Podge to each tile. Then they laid each image onto a tile and let it dry. Once it was dry, they applied one more layer of Mod Podge over the image and let it dry. (Be careful of bubbles under the paper. Kids can use their fingers to push the bubbles out.)
- Seal Tiles so They’re Waterproof Once the tiles were dry, I had to haul the tiles home to apply two layers of acrylic sealant in my garage. Don’t do this at school, as the fumes are strong. Be sure to lay a piece of newspaper under the tiles and give at least 15 minutes of dry time between coats. Note: While the tiles were dry enough to return to school the morning after I sprayed them, it takes several days for them to be dry enough that they don’t feel “tacky” anymore.
- Add Felt Pads Once the acrylic sealant was dry, I took them back to school and passed out small felt pads to each kid to attach to the bottom of their tiles to create a barrier from the tile and whatever surface it’s going to be used on (four per tile).
- Finalize with Ribbon Finally, the kids tied a ribbon (or yarn, in our case) around the coaster set and added a homemade card. See pics below.
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| Holiday Theme |
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| Family Theme |
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| The Four Seasons Theme |
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| Final Coaster Sets Waiting for Ribbons |
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| Final Gift for Parents |
