Bean Art II

One of the advantages of crafting with dried beans is that it is a cheap hobby. Dried beans come in so many different sizes, shapes and colors, don't cost an arm and a leg and can be stored for a long time.

The beans can be glued on to paper or a wooden background, but I found a fun and safe way online for children to live out their imagination with dried beans: dough. The dough is used to push the beans in and can be put out in the sun or just be air dried. A coat of Polyurethane will protect the work of art for a long time.

This dough is easily made with ingredients we probably all have in our kitchen:
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup salt
1/3 cup water

Mix it all together until you have a smooth ball of dough and mold it in to the shape you would like function as the foundation. This in itself is already fun and can make for some very creative backgrounds. Simply push the beans in the dough and let it dry. Before drying, punch a few holes in the corners of the dough; that makes it easier to hang later.

The best part of this activity and creativity is that you can do it anytime and are not dependant on the weather: the last amounts to a hill of beans!