Color Explorations: Color Wheel, Color Mixing & More!

Our color explorations have continued. This time we used a wonderful DVD, Drawing for All: Volume 5: Exploring Colors by Tina Cintron , a great book of experiments, Color by Ellen Lawerence, and a fun musical CD, Color Wheel Cartwheel by Laura Freeman.

 

The DVD first begins with drawing a color wheel. Tina Cintron gives simple steps to make your own.You start with a circle (we traced ours) and then number the circle like a clock. Then you connect the numbers 12 and 6, 2 and 8, and 4 and 10. Then you start making the first wedge yellow, skip one and make it red and then skip one and make it blue. She explains these are the primary colors.

Next she adds the secondary colors. She does an excellent job explaining secondary as well as intermediate or tertiary colors.

Hazel and I each made one and then I made a second one to discuss the warm and cool colors only because we had previewed the DVD earlier and I knew it was coming up.

Hazel's Color Wheel

My Color Wheel

In the second color wheel, she discusses complementary colors and what makes them complementary and what it means. Then she goes into warm and cool colors. I did the writing on all the color wheels since Hazel is still learning to write and read.  She also talked about the colors mixing together to make what is called neutral grey, but what she refers to as icky brown.

She also discusses the difference between photography and light colors versus paint, pencil or crayon colors. The primary colors in lights and photography being magenta, cyan and yellow (think of your printer). If these three lights combine they make white. She also talked about a prism and the spectrum (rainbow).  Next she drew pictures with warm colors only. We attempted this picture as well. Our leaves did not look nearly as good.

Hazel's Warm Color Drawing

My Warm Color Drawing

Next she made a picture of mountains and water with only cool colors. We tried this as well.

The next day we looked at the experiments in Color by Ellen Lawrence. The first one we did was to make a rainbow by shining a flashlight through a glass of water. I did not get any pictures of this since we had trouble getting the rainbow. The next experiment was about mixing colors and I have seen it on-line recently including being shared by From ABCs to ACTs: Preschool Science: A Color Mixing Experiment at a recent Sharing Saturday.

The book said to watch closely, but Hazel did not have the patience for this. It takes quite awhile for it to happen, so we let it sit and did some more experiments. The next one involved paper towels as well. You cut a paper towel so it will fit in a baking sheet and then draw dots of color on one end. Tape the paper towel to pan and then slowly add water so it just touches the bottom of the paper towel.

The colors spread out and the ones that have multiple colors in them separate, so you can see some of the colors that make them up.

Our final experiment involved a walk outside. We had to gather leaves of different shades of green. Then we looked at the shades and tried to mix green paint with white and black to make the shade. We found we had to add yellow for some.

 
Then Hazel wanted to paint the leaves that we tried to match with the color we made. Finally she wanted to make a shades of green painting. We have a few more experiments from this book to try still, but we have been loving it. Plus we have more books with color experiments. Stay tuned!!

We have also been loving the music on Laura Freeman's Color Wheel Cartwheel CD. It includes ways to say rainbow and the colors in many different languages and then a song about each color and finally a song about the rainbow of colors. It is very fun!!

For more on color explorations, check out:

• Color Explorations: Painting
• Book Inspired Painting
• The Colors of Us
• The Colors in Nature
• Luka's Quilt
• Dying Yarn with Fruit and Vegetables Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
• Outside Water Play
• Picture a Tree
• Mixing Colors
• Brown at the Zoo
• Color Experiment Pinterest Board

Favorite Colors--Mine is Pink! -- Activity Book Review & Fun Facts

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What is your favorite color? It is a question we often ask children and occasionally adults. My favorite color is pink, in case you couldn't guess. It always has been pink. Growing up my favorite flavors of ice cream were strawberry and bubble gum. I still love strawberry ice cream and strawberry cake. I believe Hazel's obsession with flamingos when she was little was because they are pink. It is her favorite color as well. Today I get to share one of the books in the My Favorite Color Activity Book Series. And, yes, I get to share My Favorite Color Is Pink illustrated by Mei Støyva.

Color Experiments: Exploring Shades and Intermediate Colors

Have you entered my current giveaway yet?

We continued our color experiments. This time we looked at shades of a color and the intermediate colors. We started with violet. We added blue to make blue violet, red to make red violet, white to make it lighter and black to make it darker. We also mixed some red and blue to make a violet. Our set up was simple, violet, blue, red, white and black paint, an empty plastic egg carton, brushes and paper.

We started with the violet out of the bottle. Then we had fun mixing.

The first color is what I got mixing blue and red. The second color is straight from the bottle. The third color is violet with a little blue. The fourth color is the violet with lots of blue (Hazel kept adding it). The fifth color is violet with a good amount of white. The sixth color is violet with some black. The seventh color is violet with some red. The eighth color is color four with some white. I painted this guide so we could see all the colors we created.

Hazel on the other hand started to make a picture.


For more color explorations and crafts check out:

• Exploring Hues and Secondary Colors 
• Color Wheel and Mixing Colors
• Color Explorations: Painting
• Book Inspired Painting
• The Colors of Us
• The Colors in Nature
• Luka's Quilt
• Dying Yarn with Fruit and Vegetables Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
• Outside Water Play
• Picture a Tree
• Mixing Colors
• Brown at the Zoo
• Color Experiment Pinterest Board

Color Exploration: Art, Quilts, Music and Color

Congratulations to Cindy R for winning the latest giveaway!!

We have been rather busy with our color explorations. Awhile ago we discovered some fun color music. I made a CD of songs from the following CD's having to do with colors or a color. It is one of our favorites to listen to besides maybe the Frozen Soundtrack. One of the songs on it is The Purple People Eater. (We found it on the Kidz Bop Halloween Party CD.)

Since Hazel has been loving the song, I made her a purple people eater peg doll. So here is our "One-eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater."

His horn and arms are from pipe cleaners and his wings are a piece of felt with a pipe cleaner to form them. 

We also had a big adventure yesterday. We headed into Boston to go to the Museum of Fine Arts. I went to meet my mother back in April to see the Quilts and Color Exhibit. Hazel really wanted to go see it, so I took her before it ended. We have also been reading books about artists some are shared below. Hazel wanted to see some of the paintings by the artists we read about. She really wanted to see something by Pablo Picasso. She has decided her favorite artists are Pablo Picasso and Georgia O'Keeffe.

When we first got to the museum we were told to go to the customer service area and ask for an art bag for Hazel. They give you a little tote bag full of scavenger hunts, questions about artwork and a sketchpad and colored pencils. Most of the things were for exhibits we were not planning on viewing, but she loved the sketchpad and tried to sketch some of her favorite quilts. After not finding all the colors she needed she decided I should take pictures and she would sketch them at home. 

In preparation for the visit to see the quilt exhibit, we have been reading books having to do with quilts. Above are the ones we have enjoyed. We loved reading about each state in A Quilt of States by Adrienne Yorinks and fifty librarians from across the United States. Another great one that teaches some American history as well as information about quilt squares is The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days with Projects Kids Can Make by Mary Cobb. We have done a few of the activities in it. The first is making a paper nine-patch square. For the paper you cut out color squares from magazines. We did this at my parents and cut up two of my mother's old magazines. Hazel had so many squares and so much fun, she made three paper nine-patches.

While at my parents, my mother offered us some five-inch squares she already had cut. Hazel picked out nine and began to hand sew them together. Then she picked out another nine to sew. Neither is completely finished, but she is close. She wants to make a reversible quilt for Ducky.

For more on color and quilts, check out:

• Exploring Intermediate Colors and Shades  
• Exploring Hues and Secondary Colors 
• Color Wheel and Mixing Colors
• Color Explorations: Painting
• Luka's Quilt
• Book Inspired Painting
• A Baby Quilt
• The Colors of Us
• The Colors in Nature
• Dying Yarn with Fruit and Vegetables Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
• Outside Water Play
• Square It Up! Quilts
• Picture a Tree
• Mixing Colors
• Brown at the Zoo
• Color Experiment Pinterest Board
• Quilt Pinterest Board

Fun & Facts Coloring Books Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent digital copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Daniel Gershkovitz and am receiving a small stipend for this review. All opinions are my own.

Today we get to share eleven fun coloring books that aren't just for coloring. They have fun facts about each of the pictures featured in the coloring page. The topics of these books range from animals to vehicles and space. There is literally something for every interest!! The books are We Can Color! Fun & Facts Coloring Books created by Daniel Gershkovitz. They each have 70 pages and are for all ages! Plus there is a giveaway at the end!

Books Involving Color and Art

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Some of the links (Target ones) are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

I love art and want Hazel to love art. My love for art came from having an amazing elementary school art teacher. In fifth grade the special field trip was to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In order to go you had to pass a test on art and artists as well as complete a packet of projects and more. I am always looking for ways to bring art into our lives and I love doing it with books. Plus of course taking her to museums, but this is not always possible, so books at home definitely help. Today I am going to share five books that involve art or color. Some are about color and some are about art and others are based on art. All of them help you have conversations with kids about color and art. We will start with the two about color. The first is Pink Is for Boys by Robb Pearlman and illustrated by Eda Kaban. This book is coming out in June!

Color Experiments

Have you entered my current giveaway yet?

One of my goals for this summer is to do some explorations with colors. We have been having fun with this goal. The other day we pulled out some paints and eye droppers. We were going to experiment with secondary colors and hues. Then we went to our local library for their color exploration program. Here are some of the things we did.

Our set up was simple. The three primary colors and black and white paint in a plastic egg carton. Each has an eye dropper except we only could find four, so we used a medicine syringe as well. Then of course some brushes and paper. The idea was to keep track of how much of each color, but it didn't work out that way. We just kept experimenting with colors to try to get ones we liked.

I tried to make a pretty pink and teal, but was not very successful. Hazel played with greens and browns.

My painting to see colors

Then at the library we were read a book and looked at making secondary colors with color paddles and a flashlight. Then they explored how black markers are made by drawing black line on a coffee filter and putting an edge of the filter in water.

The children immediately saw blues and greens and some reds. We let them sit and at the end of the program they looked like this with reds and oranges showing.

The other experiment involved bowls of water and Skittles. You put three different color Skittles in each bowl spread apart. The colors come off of them, but do not mix unless the table is bumped or done intentionally.

After the experiment, the librarian had the kids mix up the water and add more Skittles. I like that you can see the "S" from the Skittles floating in the water. Whatever makes the "S" is lighter than the water and floats to the top.

For more color explorations and crafts check out:

• Color Wheel and Mixing Colors
• Color Explorations: Painting
• Book Inspired Painting
• The Colors of Us
• The Colors in Nature
• Luka's Quilt
• Dying Yarn with Fruit and Vegetables Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
• Outside Water Play
• Picture a Tree
• Mixing Colors
• Brown at the Zoo
• Color Experiment Pinterest Board

Multicultural Coloring Books -- A Relaxing Saturday Review

Disclosure: I was sent these books free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

It has been awhile since I have done a Relaxing Friday review, so today I am sharing three coloring books with you. These books each help teach a bit about cultures. Join us as we take looks at Asia, a Japanese garden and Ancient Egypt. Our first book is A Touch of Asia from Tuttle Publishing. 

Anything But Pink -- a fun picture book about accepting one's own true colors

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and J.C. Benthin and will receive a small stipend for this review. All opinions are my own.

What is your favorite color? Mine is pink. Would you want everything in your world to be your favorite color? I know I wouldn't. I don't even dress completely in pink ever. Today's book is about being a different color from everyone else. I will admit when I heard the title of the book, the first thought I had was of a baby girl. I remember getting a shower gift that was white with ladybugs. My friend who gave it to me said she got it so I would have something nonpink to put on my baby girl since everything for a baby girl is always pink. I figured the book would be about a girl who didn't like pink. I was very pleasantly surprised. This book is so much better than anything I was imagining. The book is Anything but Pink by J.C. Benthin and illustrated by Andy Catling. 

Color Explorations: Painting

A few things happened in my life recently to bring me to start exploring color again with Hazel. The first is I went to see the Quilts and Color: The Pilgrim/Roy Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts with my mom. The exhibit really focused on how the colors played with one another and I thought it would be neat to take Hazel to see it. It will still be there when she is out of school, so we will be going. I found it so interesting to see the movement in some of them. Here are a few of my favorites.

Then last week I went to a paint party. Have you been to one of them yet? I had actually planned this one as a fundraiser for my church. We met at a local restaurant and had dinner first and then joined the instructor in the back room of the restaurant for our paint lesson.We chose to use an instructor from North Shore Paint Party and I picked the sunset from her gallery. She gave us only five colors of paints to make our sunset paintings--red, blue, yellow, white and black. Hazel was rather jealous that I was going to this and when I saw all the paint mixing to get the colors you want, I knew I would have to try it with her. Since I was not completely happy with the colors in my painting, I decided to try again with Hazel. I learned when you are happy with the color or pretty happy with it to stop. If you keep painting it will eventually get muddy and dark. It was amazing to see all the different versions of the painting at the party.

My Paint Party Painting

Since I had some acrylics, brushes and canvases, we tried it the next day. Since the weather was gorgeous we painted outside. I however did not have the correct acrylics and should have bought artist acrylics and not the little bottles I had. Oh, well. We had fun and love our new paintings. For supplies you need red, yellow, blue, black and white paint, three brushes (large, medium and small), a canvas (we used 16" x 20"), a cup of water, a paper plate for your palette, and paper towels. Oh, and an easel.

You give each painter a paper plate with a spot of each color on it and three brushes. They can mix colors on their plate. We started in the upper left corner with blue for the sky. Then we mixed other colors. In the class the instructions were to mix green, but I tried purple at home instead.

I made the mistake of not showing Hazel how to do the strokes to fill in the area, so hers was blotchy at first. I painted a yellow horizon line on hers so she would know where the sunset ended and we talked about the colors to use for the sunset.

When we both had finished our skies we stopped and looked at each others. At this point Hazel had a bit of a meltdown since she liked mine better than hers and she decided she would never be able to paint well. I showed her the stroke and helped her achieve more of a sky like mine.

My Sky

Then we started on the water. The water is a bit easier since it is mostly blue. I helped her a bit more than I normally would have but that was because of her mood. I also did her trees for her since she was sure she would not be able to do them.

Hazel's Sunset Painting

My Sunset Painting

I added a lighthouse to mine for Steve. He loves lighthouses. We have both paintings hanging up now. Hazel has hers in her room. She still wanted to paint so we grabbed more canvases. She really wanted to make grey paint. Our paper plates looked like this in the end. You can also use the water to help mix the colors a bit on the canvas, but this worked better with the other acrylics.

Hazel's Second Painting

I did not help at all with her second painting. While she did this I painted her a flower for her room.

We have been reading books on color as well. Our favorite has been A Color Sampler by Kathleen Westray. Hazel is really enjoying learning more about colors. She already knew her primary and secondary colors. Now we have been exploring with other things like tints and shades.

I will share more of our color explorations soon. For more experiments with color check out:

• Book Inspired Painting
• The Colors of Us
• The Colors in Nature
• Luka's Quilt
• Dying Yarn with Fruit and Vegetables Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
• Outside Water Play
• Picture a Tree
• Mixing Colors
• Brown at the Zoo