The Joy of Color!

Black is dark. (Elijah)

Black is not here. (Karen)

Green. Green is happy. I play soccer in the green grass. (Yannick)

Green eyes, green grasses, green trees. (Tsion)

Blue makes me feel like I want to get some water (Pedrick)

Blue sky. (Alexa)

Blue water. (Kidus)

Blue potato. (Fatima)

Red feels hot. Blue feels cool. (Gabriel)

Red reminds me of an apple. (Christopher)

Red apple. Strawberries too. (Hermela)

Yellow reminds me of the sun (DaJorn)

Yellow is sunny and sunny is hot. (Avonte)

Yellow macaroni and cheese, yellow corn. (Demeir)

Yellow banana. (Jermaine)

White is the color of paper. (Charlie)

Snowball white. (Avonte)

White is the color of winter (Miriam)

White milk. (Milki)

White as soap (Evan)

Color:

You mix colors to change different colors. (Jonathan)

Color. Mix blue and red and that makes purple. (Joshua)

Colors. 

Colors remind me of a rainbow. (Chaniyah)

Blue change to yellow to make green. (Rando)

Roll red and yellow together to make orange (Elana)

Colors make me feel happy. (Angel)

Mixing colors is fun. (Sy-Anne)

During art studio this week, students continued to explore color while learning how to use a new medium, tempera paint. While students explored wonderful, transparent watercolor paint last week, they were not permitted to mix the colors together.  This week told an entirely different story!  We began by examining color through transparent cellophane.  Students excitedly hurried to the light table to further understand how light travels and then began to take different colors of cellophane and layer them to see what new colors emerged.  Later, students discovered a new magic trick: When two primary colors of clay are mixed together (while saying "abracadabra, kalamazoo, please turn these colors into something brand new!"), a brand new color is formed!  Finally, students used this knowledge and began blending colors with paint!  Red and blue make purple!  Blue is a very strong color, so we do not need a lot!  Yellow and red make orange!  To make sunflower orange, you have to use a lot more yellow than red!  Yellow and blue make green!  Spring green is created when more yellow is used than blue! 

As students blended paint together, they could record their data - What happens when one color mixes with another?  Students also began naming their colors (We created Raisin, Princess Bubblegum Pink, Stormy Purple and Ketchup Orange! - just to name a few!) We also had the chance to work on a large scale using our upper bodies at the easels!  It was certainly a brilliant, colorful week! 

After reading Hailstones and Halibut Bones, we had the idea to put our words together to create our own color poems.  The poem above is just a few of the lines we have!

Just a side note: We are well underway for Hispanic Heritage Month.  The students will be learning how to weave inside the art studio, however I would be thrilled if any parent would like to share a new craft or tradition featuring Hispanic Heritage.  You are always welcome inside the classroom! Please let me know if you are interested!  Also, we need cans and jars!! (Preferably small baby food jars with lids for mixing paint!) Please bring any in with your child if you are able to! Thanks!