Kindergarten Color Studies

Because color and groups of color are so important in art, we start kindergarten art with the color families. Older kids revisit these families often!

Rainbow Colors: We started this year with "Rainbow Turtles." This project helped us learn rainbow order which gives us the context for all of the following color families! (The warm colors are the first part of the rainbow the cool colors are the last one.  Once students know their primary colors they can figure out how to make the secondary colors because the secondaries are sandwiched in between the primaries!)

Warm Colors: The "Warm Sun" projects helps kids to visualize which colors are the warm colors. We also talk about that if we were able to "magically" go into the painting the temperature (created by the colors) looks like it would feel warm in the picture.

Cool Colors: The "Cool Landscape" project gives us the opportunity to link cool colors with the cool temperature of mountains, grass and water.

Neutral Colors: "Neutral Night Owls" focuses on the colors that are missing from the rainbow: Brown, grey, white and black!

Primary Colors: The "Primary Popsicles" project is the project were we start talking about what colors

Secondary Colors: "Mouse Paint" is a great story for color mixing! I use this story to focus on the the secondary colors!

Kandinsky Instruments

Wassily Kandinsky was the inspiration for these colorful 4th grade paintings!  In order to learn about Kandinsky we read "The Noisy Paint Box." Wow, this is an awesome book that really gave the kids a better idea of who Kandinsky was.

The kids learned that he was an artist with synesthesia. A condition in the brain where color and sound are connected.  Kandinsky could hear color as music, and see color when listening to music. He is also considered to be the father of abstract art.  We combined the theme of music with an abstract background full of shapes and colors.

First we practiced drawing the instruments on the back of our paper.  Then we turned the instruments into a composition of 3-4 instruments with at least one pair overlapping. 

After drawing final compositions onto the front of their papers, students did a serious study of the color wheel... complete with pre and post test.  In addition to mixing their own colors, students were also asked to connect color mixing with math and fractions!

Here is a sample of the way we approached color mixing with math:

Color mixing is a practical application for fractions.  If you don't use the right proportions of each color you just don't get the exact color that you want!  For instance, when making green, if you use too much blue (a dark, powerful color) it's very hard to add enough yellow (a light, weak color) to create green.  The kids were asked to remember to use two double scoops of the lightest color (4/5) and one tiny dab of the darkest color (1/5).  We used these measurements as guidelines.  The kids also learned the difference between indigo and violet (indigo is mostly blue while violet is closer to red on the color wheel.  When you combine them you get purple).  

Each student mixed their own colors on a color wheel worksheet (painters palette):

Students used popsicle sticks (our makeshift serving spoons) to scoop the primary colors out of the paint trays and onto their mixing worksheets. Then they used their brushes to do all the mixing on the sheet.  This was the first project that I have used this method for, and I loved being able to have ALL the kids in charge of making ALL of their own colors!  Whenever they ran out of a secondary color they had to problem solve to match the original color again! I think this helped the kids learn the color wheel very well. 

We started with only primary colors...

Then the kids added their secondary color mixtures.  The kids tried not to have shapes of a like color touching.  This created even more problems to solve!

This was a project with so many layers of learning and problem solving! It is definitely one I will use in the coming years!

We wrote a simplified version of the learning goals listed below on the back of our art for parents to see what we're learning!

Learning Goals: I can...

- Tell about Kandinsky

- Create and abstract background using regular and irregular shapes

- Create a composition with at least one set of overlapping instruments

- Name the primary and secondary colors

- Use fractions to communicate how to mix primary colors to make secondary colors

- Explain the difference between indigo and violet

- Use good craftsmanship when painting smooth edges and outlines

- Create contrast (as opposed to camouflage) by using different colors in shapes that share a side

Mouse Paint

Kindergarteners read the story "Mouse Paint" which is a fun kids book about color mixing! You can check it out here:

First we sponge painted our backgrounds mixing the 3 primary colors (red, yellow, blue) to make the secondary colors (orange, green and purple).  We learned a little rhyme to help us remember these two color families.

Next, we cut circles from squares and ovals from rectangles to create our mice.  We learned that cutting the corners off these shapes is the best way to get the biggest circles and ovals possible!

When gluing one of our goals is to use "just a dot, not a lot!" I found some old paint brushes in the cabinet that we won't be using (they are too thin or in some cases scraggly) and each child glued one on so that their mouse could paint the background! 

Learning goals: I can...

- Sponge paint by hopping the sponge

- Mix primary colors to make secondary colors

- Name the primary and secondary colors

- Glue using just a dot

- Cut corners (not sides) off squares and rectangles to create circles and ovals

Mouse Paint

“Mouse Paint” is a great book about color mixing for kids.  Kindergarteners read this book and then mixed their own secondary colors using the primary colors.  We used these secondary paintings the next time to create secondary colored mice.  As a final touch we added primary colors in the background.  

Here are a few rhymes we use to help us remember the primary and secondary colors.

“The primary colors are red, yellow, blue.”  (with a fast clap for each color)

“The secondary colors just take longer to do. They are orange, green and purple... the secondary crew.”

Learning goals: I can...

• Mix primary colors to make secondary colors
• Cut shapes to create a collage

Color Zebras

This project focused fourth graders on the color wheel.  They practiced mixing to make their own zebra colors.  I use a special paint tray liner that shows kids how to setup their paint tray so that it is organized and easy to repeatedly do their own mixing.  Another fun and educational Pinterest idea!

Here are some other color mixing procedures/concepts that I teach all of my classes:
- Use the crust: Take paint from the very edge of the puddle when using it for mixing so that you don't contaminate the color in the middle with a dirty brush.
- Use the ratio 2:1: Two parts of the light color (ie yellow) and one part dark (ie blue) will get you a pretty good secondary mix (green).
- Wrestlers: To illustrate the importance of the above ratio I explain it with a wrestler analogy.  Dark paint is like a heavy weight wrestler. You need two light weights to have an even match.  If you use too much dark paint it overpowers the light paint and it is way too hard to get the color back to what you want.  It is always smart to use just a dab of the dark and slowly add more if you want.  
- Color Equations: On the board, we apply the above ratio concept.  On review days, I leave out parts of the equations and ask students to solve them!
2Y + 1R = 3O
2Y + 1B = 3G
2R + 1B = 3V
(Bonus: 2B + 1R = 3P)

Learning Goals: I can...
- Use primary colors to make secondary colors
- Use color mixing procedures
- Paint carefully
- Balance colors
- Use an alternating pattern

Fruit Still-Life Collage

Second graders worked on learning a variety of concepts during this still-life project.

Learning Goals: The learner will...
- use primary colors to make secondary colors
- create a collage
- explain concepts such as, still-life, collage, and overlap
- use chalk to show highlights

The fist day of this project was spent creating special collage paper.  We reviewed ROY G. BIV and color order.  We also talked about primary and secondary colors.  Each table mixed to make their own secondary colors and then painted them on paper.

Next we cut and glued our fruit to create a collage still-life of a fruit basket. The final touches involved using chalk to add highlights which made our fruit look more 3D!