Mandalas

Mandala and rangoli are patterned designs that are traditionally used during the celebration of Diwali, a Hindu holiday. They can be created outside a home or temple drawn with chalk and made using natural elements or sand.

The Crayola Website has rangoli and mandala coloring pages. My daughter has enjoyed coloring them. I have enjoyed the beauty of mandalas made with colorful natural elements such as flower petals, and I wanted to try creating one with my daughter. First, I tried to make one with clear contact paper, but my drawing skills are lacking, and most of the objects wouldn't adhere to the contact paper.

I decided to use the mandala on the Crayola website as a base. I suggest copying the designs onto card stock or other thick paper.  Miss E and I chose colorful food from her Indian grandmother's pantry - lentils and fennel. Lentils and grains come in various colors and create a beautiful effect when used in artwork. In addition, we gathered pink flower petals.








We found some of the shapes too small to work with, so I created bigger shapes with glue using the same basic design of the coloring page.  We covered one area at a time with different items and mirrored colors on each side of the design to create a pattern.














Miss E enjoyed creating her first mandala and wanted to continue working.  Here are her finished mandalas.
















Creating mandalas is a wonderful way to teach your children about another culture using art.  This activity supports fine motor skills and math concepts such as patterns and shapes.  Miss E enjoyed the sensory experience by touching, mixing, and smelling the materials.