As the children explored with watercolors, they noticed how the colors changed when mixed. We took this interest and used color mixing as the idea behind our canvas. We discussed with the children the primary colors, (red, yellow, blue) and secondary colors (orange, green, purple), explaining how mixing colors creates new colors. We also pointed out to that there are many different shades of each color. For example, Julia R and Jordyn were both wearing purple, however the purples didn’t look the same. “Some purples are light and some purples are dark” Julia R. noted. We explained how adding white or black can change a color lighter or darker.  

To create a color of their own, the children decided which colors they were going to use as we measured how much. Each spoonful of paint equals 1 unit. We noticed that Aksel and Dean both used yellow and blue but their greens looked different because they had different measurements! Once their custom color was created, they each gave their paint a name. 

Each child made a color different than the next, just as each one of the children in our class is different from another. They all came together on our canvas with bright and rich colors just as they fill our classroom with a variety of vibrant personalities.