Colors

Mixing colors.

Mix different colored substances. Teach them about combining colors to make a new color (e.g. red + yellow = orange). Pick one of the following demonstrations or two contrasting ones (one that works and one that doesn't or one with liquids and one with solids).

·      Light. Using flashlights and the tinted clear plastic cups shine colored light on a white wall. Overlap the circles of colored light to mix the colors. Shine colored light on kid's hands or any object to show how their color changes.

·      Sand. Pour colored sand in different clear cups. Pour two colors into a ziplock bag or into a jar, and let the child shake it to get the two colors mixed. Pour back onto a clear cup. What color is it now?

·      Playdough. Make a recipe of play-dough and divide into three equal parts. Color each part with a different color, red, blue and yellow. Give kids small balls of two colors and let them knead and mix to combine the colors.

·      Colored water. Put a little water in several clear plastic cups. Add food coloring to make colored water. Let the kids pour the cups from one to another and see how the color changes (dark to light makes for more dramatic changes).

Variation (or contrast): Make colored water. Pour a bit onto tinted plates. Did it change color? Pour the water back into its cup. Did it really change color?

·      Paper bunnies. Prepare several cups with colored water as above. Take several piece of paper towel and pretend they are bunnies (you can cut them out in the shape of bunnies if you have time!). Have the "bunnies" jump on the yellow water first. What color is it now? Now jump into the blue water. What color is it now?

·      Paint. Yup, tempera paint mixes too.

Variation: Mashed Paint. Spoon paint onto paper, or dribble from spoon. Put second sheet of paper on top. Use rolling pin to roll over top sheet. Separate papers to see what you've created.

·      Tissue paper. Set up by cutting many tiny squares of different colors of tissue paper. Mix them in a container. Did the colors combine to make a new color?

·      Ice cubes. Fill an ice cube tray with water and add a few drops of food coloring to each square and freeze to make several different colored cubes. Once they're frozen, put two cubes of different colors in a container. Watch them melt and mix. You may want to add hot water to speed up the process :).

Variation. Make many colored ice cubes. Fill a tall clear container with oil. Add an ice cube and watch as it melts. What is happening? Do the colors mix?

·      Clothes. Gather all of the kids' shoes (or coats or socks or hats). Talk about the colors. Put them together in a big container and mix. Did they combine to change color?

Rose colored glasses...er... plates.

Gather several objects of different colors. Talk about what color they are. Give each kid one or two of the color-tinted plates and ask them to look at the objects thru the plate. Did they change color? Is this like color-mixing?

Shades of Blue.

Set up by putting the same amount of white tempera paint on several containers. Add one measure of blue to one container, two to the next, 4 to the next, etc. Let the kids stir the mixes. Note that they are all "blue". Make a "Blue" mural using the different shades of blue mixed by the kids.

Variation: Mix two colors, not white. For example, show the kids all the shades of orange between yellow and red.

Color identification

Color Collages

Have the children make collages out of materials that are all one color, or make rainbows out of different color materials.

Over the Rainbow Hike

Take a walk outside and see how many different things you can find of each color. Keep track of what you find.

Color Shopping

Pick a color. Carry a basket (or plastic shopping cart) and go from room to room looking for things to put in the basket that is the color you picked. When you are finished unload the basket naming each item.

Color Recognition Game.

Choose a color and walk down the sidewalk of a semi busy street. As the cars pass, have the children point out which cars are the color you have pre-selected.

Rainbows

Experiment with Rainbow Water

Experiment with colors and water by putting drops of food coloring into the sink as it slowly fills with water (drain closed). Drop one or two drops close to (but to one side) of the stream of water. The color will stay "together" for a moment before getting caught in the current, then it will suddenly expand to fill the whole sink. Experiment with different color combinations: red + blue = purple, yellow+ blue=green, yellow+green=lime, yellow+red=orange, etc. Works best with a white sink.

Hand-print Rainbow

Paint the children's hands the colors of the rainbow and have them paint a class rainbow by pressing their hands on roll paper.

Starburst Paintings

Spread corn syrup on a piece of cardboard or a paper plate and let the children drip food coloring onto it. Very sticky!

Milk Explosions

Pour a small amount of milk into a shallow container and drop food coloring around the edges. Drop one drop of dish soap in the middle and see what happens! Extension: Pour a thin layer of white glue on a small paper plate and repeat the experiment for each child. Let it dry and you have a wonderful sun catcher.

Tissue Paper Rainbow

Draw a rainbow on the construction paper. Tear the tissue paper into lots of small pieces. Spread a little glue on the band of you rainbow. Press one color of tissue pieces onto the glue. Then cover the other bands of the rainbow with glue and tissue paper pieces.

Cooperation Game. Let the kids work together to create this rainbow on the floor. Ask the kids to look around the room, collect all the red objects in a pile. Repeat with the remaining 5 rainbow colors. Then let them arrange the objects on the floor in a rainbow shape. First have them put all the red objects in a big arch, then the yellow objects under them and so on, until the rainbow is completed.

Colorful Clouds     Fill a ziplock bag with shaving cream, and add just a drop or two of the food color. Seal the bags, removing most of the air. Allow the kids to squish it, creating their own colorful cloud. This is a great hands-on activity with no mess! Good for babies!

Colors and food

To do these, plan ahead and bring your own food!

Make and Eat Painted Toast

Put a spot of milk into a cup and add food coloring. Use a pastry brush for each color, give each child a slice of bread, let them paint one side of the bread, if the bread is too soggy, use a kitchen roll or paper towel to dab off the excess. Toast the bread. Let the child eat the painted toast.

Rainbow Pudding

Make vanilla pudding and divide it into three parts. Make one part red, one yellow, and one blue. Give children a color combination, and watch as new colors appear. Extension: With any extra pudding make finger paintings.

Rainbow Jell-O

Each day mix up a color of Jell-O, start with red. Pour small amount into a clear plastic cup. Allow to harden and then add orange. Follow this procedure with all the other colors, at the end of the week you will have your own rainbow.