If you've had enough snow and slush and are longing for warmer temperatures, here's a fun project to help banish the winter blahs. It's called a "Welcome Spring" collage and can be completed in an afternoon.

Express Yourself
What is a collage? The Oxford American Dictionary says that a collage is "an artistic composition made by fixing bits of paper, cloth, string and other objects to a surface." Designing a collage is a fun way to express imagination and creativity and is a great craft activity for ages 8 and up. You can also use the time to start planning a few spring things to do together, such as looking for the first bird nest of the season, chasing butterflies or going on picnics! With sunnier days just around the corner, what better way to welcome spring than by making a bright, colorful collage?

What You’ll Need
Making a collage with your grandchildren is a recipe for fun. And all it takes is a few simple ingredients to get started. They include:

• Old magazines, flower or seed catalogs, greeting cards
• Large square of heavy paper or cardboard to use as a background
• Squeeze bottle of white glue
• Sharp scissors
• Yarn, jute or ribbon for trimming the edges
• A good imagination!

Project Instructions
1. Get started: Using a pair of sharp scissors, carefully cut out your favorite pictures of flowers, butterflies, birds, outdoor scenes, mountains or whatever reminds you of spring. The more colorful the picture, the better. Be sure to collect enough pictures so that when you overlap them, you will have a large enough area to completely cover the background. You can make your collage as large or as small as you like. (Note: Remember to properly dispose of any waste paper or scraps.)

2. Design your layout: Lay the pictures on top of the background material. Don't worry if the edges don't match up, as you will need to overlap them anyway. Make sure all of the background is covered – you don't want any of it to show between the pictures. Let the outer edges of the design hang over the edges of the background. Once you have an arrangement you are happy with, carefully remove the pictures from the background and lay them in the same order on the tabletop.

3. Affix the pictures: Carefully smooth a thin layer of white glue over a section of the background surface. Don't use too much glue or the edges of your pictures might curl. Gently place a picture on the glued area, and smooth with your fingertips until the picture lies flat. When the first glued area is covered, repeat this step until you have fastened all your pictures on to the background. Glue down any loose edges.

4. Give it time: Let the collage sit undisturbed until the glue has dried. If you didn't use too much glue, the collage could be dry in a couple of hours. You can test its dryness by lightly touching the surface of one of the pictures. If it feels cool or damp, the glue isn't dry yet. To be on the safe side, you may want to let your creation sit overnight. Once the glue is completely dry, carefully trim the excess edges of the pictures from the sides of the collage.

5. Finishing up: You can make a pretty trimming for your collage by gluing colorful yarn, ribbon or jute twine around the edges. An easy hanger can be fashioned by gluing one end of a length of string or yarn to each top edge of the collage. Make sure the loop is big enough to allow it to be hung over a doorknob or drawer pull. The collage may also be hung from a tack or small nail in the wall.

You now have a lovely collage that will brighten the inside of your home as much as flowers and butterflies color the world outside. Welcome Spring!

Want to see more?

• Homemade Fun: Games to Make – Then Play – With Your Grandchild
• Making Tomorrow’s Memories Today: Commemorating Your Grandchild’s Birth With a Memory Box
• From Grandma With Love: A Legacy of Values
• Talk about it!