Fun-A-Day!

fun & meaningful learning every day

  • About
    • Terms of Use
    • Printing Help
  • Privacy
  • Newsletter
  • Home
  • Early Learning
    • Preschool Arts and Crafts
    • Literacy
      • Letters & Words
    • Math
    • Music
    • Science
    • Sensory
  • Themes
    • Holidays & Seasons
      • Summer
      • Fall
  • Teacher Tips
  • Free Printables
  • Slime
  • Shop
Home / Early Learning / Preschool Arts and Crafts / Corn Mosaic Art Using Dyed Popcorn Kernels

Corn Mosaic Art Using Dyed Popcorn Kernels

Shared by Mary Catherine 10 Comments

Beautiful and colorful corn mosaic art is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving activities for preschoolers this fall.

collage of four different images of dyed corn made into mosaic art with the text corn mosaic art

I spent quite some time experimenting with the best way to dye corn kernels in 2013. Lots of blood, sweat, and tears went into perfecting that process.

Okay, well there really wasn’t any blood or sweat. And the tears only happened when I knocked a full container onto the floor. But seriously, lots of effort went into it because I really wanted to know how to dye corn.

The driving force behind that little science experiment was this idea for a colorful corn mosaic!  

I love using beans to create Thanksgiving art with my preschool kids, but I really wanted to try something different.  Thus the quest for colorful corn!

Table of Contents

  • Colorful Corn Mosaic
    • Corn Art Materials
    • Setting Up the Mosaic Corn Art
    • How to Create a Corn Art Mosaic with Glue
    • Using Contact Paper to Make Corn Mosaics
  • More Mosaic Art Ideas
  • Simplify Your Thanksgiving Planning

Colorful Corn Mosaic

At the end of my original corn dyeing spree, I had a variety of colors. The rich red and green corn from my most successful attempt, the blue and reddish-orange from my failed first attempts, and the basic yellow corn.

close up of colored popcorn kernels laid out in rows to make a mosaic

Related: Corn Painting Process Art

I didn’t want any of the corn to go to waste, so I made sure all of the colorful corn kernels were available to the children for this art project.

Over the years, we’ve dyed corn a rainbow of colors and created corn mosaic art so many times I’ve lost count!

Corn Art Materials

You don’t really need a lot of materials for this fall art project. Here’s what we used (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):

  • Colored popcorn kernels (click to learn how to dye corn)
  • Glue
  • Construction paper
  • Tray (can be sectioned)
  • Contact paper (optional)

That’s really about all you need! You can add in other colorful materials if you’d like to, but I like the simplicity of just using the dyed corn.

Setting Up the Mosaic Corn Art

Related: Fall Painting using Pumpkin Seeds

Place your colorful corn kernels out in a tray.

If you and the kids have already mixed the dyed corn up, that’s okay! Just place the corn in a bowl or a tray. The children won’t mind.

red, orange, yellow, green, and blue dyed popcorn kernels in a divided dish

Explain to the children that a mosaic is a piece of art created from small bits of materials.  

Since they’re using corn, the kids are creating a corn mosaic.

Ask the children to brainstorm how they want their corn art to look. If possible, show them some images of real mosaics.

Point out that some mosaics are patterns, while others are groupings of materials to create a larger image. They can create their mosaic however they’d like.

How to Create a Corn Art Mosaic with Glue

As I mentioned above, the children can really create how they see fit.

I’m a big fan of process art for kids, and this corn art definitely fits the bill. The whole point of this activity is to allow children to work with colorful corn to make their own mosaic. It doesn’t have to look a specific way.

Some of the children might create pictures with the corn. I’ve seen the kids make flowers, rainbows, butterflies, landscapes, and more.

a child's hands holding glue over their corn art mosaic

Related: Rainbow Corn Sensory Bin

Others might take a more free form approach with shapes and corn kernels scattered across the white paper.

No matter the outcome of the corn art, the kids definitely seem to enjoy the corn mosaic process.  It allows them to explore creativity, practice their fine motor skills, and just have fun together!

Each time we create with the popcorn kernels, I happily create my own piece of corn art alongside the children.  

colorful popcorn kernels being formed into a spiral by an adult hand

Related: Corn Activities and Crafts for Kids

Since we often make corn mosaics near Thanksgiving, it gives us the chance to talk about our plans for the upcoming holiday.  Creating and playing give way to such great conversations with preschool kiddos!

As I watch their masterpieces come to life, I get to hear all about what their grandparents are making for Thanksgiving dinner and what kind of desserts they’re looking forward to.

Once the corn mosaic masterpieces are completed, be sure to proudly display them in the classroom!

Using Contact Paper to Make Corn Mosaics

Why not incorporate sticky paper to your corn mosaic project? It’s an alternative to glue, and it adds a different aspect to the corn art.

To do this, cut out pieces of contact paper for each child. Then set out a tray or bowl of colorful corn kernels.

The children can add the corn to the sticky paper in whatever patterns they prefer.

a tray of dyed popcorn kernels and a square colorful corn mosaic

Related: Awesome Art Ideas for Kids

Since they’re not gluing down the corn, these mosaics are more of a transient art activity. Be sure to take lots of pictures to document the children’s artwork.

This would also be a great collaborative art project for your students. Turn it into a giant corn mosaic sticky table by placing the contact paper, sticky side up, across a long table. The children can take work together to make pictures and patterns with the corn.

My students enjoy talking about their pictures — what they made, what color corn they used the most of, etc.  (Sometimes it’s like they’re in an art gallery, standing back and appreciating what their buddies have created.)

Have you ever made corn mosaic art with the kids? Leave me a comment below and tell me all about it!

More Mosaic Art Ideas

If you enjoyed our corn mosaic art, you might enjoy these mosaic ideas too:

Straw Mosaic Art from Picklebums

Pasta Mosaic Art from Buggy and Buddy

Styrofoam Mosaics from Happy Hooligans

Temporary Mosaic Art from Meri Cherry

Mosaic Magnets from Babble Dabble Do

Simplify Your Thanksgiving Planning

Save time planning with resources from Preschool Teacher 101. You’ll find a variety of preschool lesson plans, early math and STEM activities, and early literacy ideas. Bonus – they’re all done for you!

Click on the pictures below for some products you might like. Be sure to look into the membership options for even more savings.

Cover of preschool fall lesson plans pack.
Fall Lesson Plans
Thanksgiving lesson plans cover
Thanksgiving Lesson Plans
Preschool farm dramatic play cover
Farm Dramatic Play

Originally published November 2013.

close up on colorful dyed corn kernels in a mosaic pattern with the text Corn mosaics Thanksgiving Art

Filed Under: Preschool Arts and Crafts Tagged With: corn, Fall, Process Art, Thanksgiving

Previous article:
« Fall Slime Inspired by the Changing Leaves
Next article:
25+ Fall Math Activities for Preschoolers »

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. fredie Halvorsen says

    December 3, 2013 at 11:38 pm

    I cannot wait to try the dyeing and the mosaics with my kindergartners. Thank you also for your comments about using food as part of projects. I, too, use the items over and over so as not to waste anything. The texture and variety are so good for experiential play.

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      December 5, 2013 at 7:54 am

      Yay! Please be sure to let me know how it goes if you try it with your students! Better yet, feel free to post some pictures of their art on my Facebook wall. I LOVE seeing how other kids experience our activities!! I definitely use these materials over and over, too, and I’m always so careful to keep them sealed up! I’m glad my little disclaimer about food in sensory bins is being well-received (even by those who disagree). I never mean any disrespect by it. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Laurie says

    October 13, 2016 at 7:32 am

    This did not work for me. I’m not sure where I went wrong, but the blue and green did not dye at all. The red did a little bit– made kind of pink corn. Did you use a special food coloring?

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      October 13, 2016 at 4:36 pm

      Well that stinks! I’ve done this multiple times and it’s worked well each time (now that I have the process down). I used regular food coloring. The trick is to leave the corn soaking in the dye mixture for a while – did you read this tutorial about dyeing the corn?

      Reply
  3. Karen says

    August 19, 2017 at 12:15 am

    Looks fun! I want to try this!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      October 15, 2017 at 1:12 pm

      Let me know if you do! They’re such fun!

      Reply
  4. Maryam says

    September 25, 2018 at 5:05 pm

    I love this, oh! Thanks for sharing, I’ll try it with my kids, love u!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      September 27, 2018 at 2:04 pm

      Thanks so much, Maryam! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Dona says

    October 14, 2018 at 8:25 pm

    Can’t wait to try this with a class of Juniors and Seniors studying Childcare. They may soon be working in a center where they might share this idea!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      December 14, 2018 at 4:15 pm

      Thanks so much! Let me know what they thought of it!

      Reply
shop button

My name is Mary Catherine, and I love to share meaningful {and fun} learning activities for kiddos! Feel free to browse and stay awhile!

Past Fun!

Search the Fun!

Fun by Categories!

Copyright ©2023, Fun-A-Day!. All Rights Reserved. Custom design by Pixel Me Designs