Color Exploration

Oh the colors! All the pretty colors. In our color exploration This week we explored all the colors we could make. This is so much better than having them create a color wheel, which I used to do every year. This adds an element of inquiry and exploration that is very gratifying.

One of the things I did was to limit the students for two colors at a time and white. This was extremely effective. So one day we did blue,yellow and white, and another we did blue, red and white.

It was so great when they would get excited about a color them made. The ocean green was a very popular color. It was even more impressive when the students were asking each other how they had made their colors and then trying to replicate that color. I was even able to squeeze in a mini-lesson on saturation!

The first time we explored color with tempera paint I really had to focus on getting the students to not use the paints like water colors. One of their objectives was that when they cleaned their brush they had to squeeze out the water with their fingers. They got really good at this, but I had to constantly model and reinforce this through the lesson.

The second time they got much better with cleaning the brushes, but I then I noticed some were struggling with just using the brush. I had to encourage them to apply more paint and let them know that it was okay to have the painting be textured instead of perfectly smooth. Also I had to model how to "stroke" as opposed to "smush" which is what some of them were inclined to do. I think "stroke" will be great vocabulary word for them. (I am so glad that I am reflecting on these observations so I can improve these lessons!)

Afterward I had the students place their paintings on the rug and they sat around to we could comment and talk about each others' art. We had to really work on prepositions and location words instead of saying "that one over there."

Their color explorations became so much more deliberate in the second round I can't wait to see what they do when we continue with yellow and red and then later with all of the colors.

I think it might be an interesting idea to stop them halfway through and have them reflect and verbalize what they have done and what they would like to do next. I feel a little conflicted. I don't want to tell the students what to create or paint, but is there anything wrong in this case of getting the students to work with a little more purpose?

Things to remember: Model and reinforce proper cleaning of brush, initial limitation of colors, encouragement to use more paint on paper.

Things to do: Continue with color exploration, work on "brushing" technique, and work on reflection and/or planning.