Playing With Color

Children are back to school, Fall activities have started up again, and the focus is once again on the ABCs and 1,2,3s. Take advantage of a few minutes of afternoon downtime to focus on colors with these charming books and fun activities.

BOOKS TO ENJOY:

Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh (Ages 0-3)

Three white mice find some jars of red, blue and yellow paint. The mice have fun playing with the paint and learning about colors.



My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss (Ages 0-4)
Colors and moods are paired together in this creative book by prolific children's author Dr. Seuss. A great springboard for talking about feelings.

Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni (Ages 3-8)
Little Blue and Little Yellow are best friends who hug each other so hard they turn green! What will they do when their parents don't recognize them?


ACTIVITIES TO COMPLETE:

Finger Paint: Place a dollop of blue, yellow and red paints on a paper plate. Give children a large piece of easel or butcher paper and encourage them to mix the three primary colors to create new colors. When the paint has dried, be sure to label each new color with its formula (i.e. red + yellow = orange).

Make A Mood Collage: Select a piece of colored construction paper to represent a favorite mood. Create a collage using images from magazines and other sources that you believe fit with your chosen mood. For example a collage of rainbows, beaches, birthday hats and dogs mounted on yellow construction paper might represent "happy." Be sure to label your collage.

Mix Frosting: Begin with a few small containers of white frosting. Carefully add drop of food coloring to the frosting, making sure to stir after each addition. Let children experiment with adding different colors, different quantities of food coloring, and mixing the jars of food coloring together. For extra fun, be sure to use your new frosting colors to decorate cookies, cupcakes or cake.