Start with paper and a little curiosity
You will need a sheet of paper, coloured paper and a glue stick. Tear the coloured paper into large, irregular pieces. This is a paper activity to share with an adult; there is no need for glass, pottery or tools for breaking hard materials.
Hide a pattern in your picture
- Choose a simple outline. Draw a leaf, a window, a tail or an imaginary animal.
- Choose two or three colours. Decide on a secret rule: alternate the colours, make groups, or save one colour for a clue.
- Arrange before gluing. Move the pieces around. Leave a gap if you like: you do not have to cover the whole sheet.
- Invite another detective. Ask them to describe what they notice. Can they suggest where the next piece might go?
- Change one thing. Move a piece or turn the paper round. Does someone see a different picture?
Let the conversation lead
Try “What caught your eye?” or “What might fit in that space?” You can describe a different idea without deciding that one answer must be right. If two people see different pictures in the same mosaic, invent a title for each.
A clue from The Dragon’s Secret
In the third Zootectives adventure, Cleo and Gerald follow clues through an imagined mystery in Gaudí’s Barcelona. They need more than a colour match: another point of view might help. Explore three real spreads from the British English edition and decide what you notice first.
The story is fiction, and this activity is our own paper game. It can be enjoyed without reading or buying the book.
Try the free printable
The secret mosaic activity gives you space to make a picture and invent a colour pattern. No registration needed.
Download the English activity PDFExplore The Dragon’s Secret