This bean craft is budget-friendly and easy to set up, making it ideal for group activities, classrooms, or a simple weekend project at home.

Using sturdy paper plates as your base means no expensive supplies are required, and you can experiment freely with shapes and color combinations.

Once finished, these plates look like bright wall medallions or quirky table art.

You’ll be surprised how something as ordinary as beans and paint can transform into bold, cheerful displays.

Materials Needed

• 4-6 paper plates (9” size, heavy-duty works best)
• Mixed beans (about 2 cups total: black beans, kidney beans, navy beans)
• Acrylic paint set (red, yellow, blue, pink, black, white, or any colors you prefer)
• Paintbrushes - 1 fine tip and 1 medium flat brush
• Craft glue (4 oz bottle)
• Plastic cup of water for rinsing brushes
• Disposable palette or old plate

Step-by-step Guide

Step 1: Separate your beans into small piles. Paint them in your chosen colors and let them dry on parchment paper for 1-2 hours.

Painted beans add vibrancy and give you more design flexibility.

Step 2: Take a paper plate and lightly sketch a design, this could be geometric, abstract, or even a themed image like a flower or a rainbow.

Step 3: Apply glue to one section at a time. Press beans into place, following your sketch.

You should keep them close together for a neat mosaic look.

Step 4: Continue filling the sections with different colored beans until your design is complete. Let each plate dry flat for 4-6 hours to ensure the beans hold firmly.

Step 5: Display your finished mosaics by hanging them on the wall with double-sided tape or placing them on a shelf as cheerful accents.

Tips:

If working with kids, pre-paint the beans in advance so the focus can stay on designing and gluing.

You can also spray a thin coat of clear sealant on the plates for longer-lasting results.