Practical Life: Collage

A collage is defined as an artistic composition made up from a collection of various materials glued on a surface. So, taking different things and sticking them together. At St. Andrew’s Montessori we love using collage not only a means of artistic expression but as a way of inspiring creativity and engaging the natural curiosity of our children at school.

Collage is a versatile activity that can be applied almost anywhere; in the tutorial below, the children collage a small box but paper, canvas, or any surface (maybe you have an old piece of furniture at home) work just as well. Have a look at this example by My Montessori Works:

All you need is: a surface on which to stick materials, scissors (although paper can also be ripped), glue, a paintbrush and collage materials (paper – newspapers, magazines, wrapping paper etc.) and any other sensorial materials that will add texture to the project (sequins, leaves, wool, bits of fluff – almost anything that will stick, will work).

Children might like to work according to a theme – if the topic at school is all about the ocean, they might like to create a collage to represent this particular learning area. A collage to celebrate a particular season is also something we like to do; encouraging children to collect things from outside to add to their creation. Other times we simply let the children run with whatever is inspiring them in the moment.

A great way to expand the idea of collage is to talk about artists who have used collage in their art; Georges Braque, Man Ray, Hannah Höch, Henri Matisse – there are many others, too. Why not take a trip to an art gallery to explore collage in art? There is so much scope for learning.

If you’d like further information about this tutorial, feel free to contact us at info@standrewsmontessori.com. We’re happy to answer any questions.

Photo by Thomas Renaud on Unsplash