Category Archives: Colors

A Color of His Own, by Leo Lionni

Every animal has his own special color/s except the chameleon. He changes colors wherever he goes. This is the story of a chameleon that wanted to have a special color like all the other animals. It was not until he met another chameleon did he learn how special he really was.

Materials

  • Seek and find letter C
  • Several sponges cut into small pieces.
  • Chameleons for hiding

Vocabulary

  • Chameleon (a kind of lizard that can change his color)
  • Heather (a kind of flowery bush)
  • Camouflage (to be able to hide or change color into the environment)

Before Reading the Story

Tell the children that you are going to play a same and different game today. Have two children (a boy and a girl) come up to the front of the group. Ask the other children to name ways that the two children are different. (He’s a boy, she has darker hair, he’s wearing pants and she’s wearing shorts). After the children have exhausted how the two children are different, ask them to tell you ways they are the same. (They both have arms and hands, they both are smiling, they are both tall).

Scientific Knowledge and skills; observes and discusses common properties, differences, and comparisons among objects.

Ahead of time, make a simple graph labeled, “Our Favorite Colors” and a name card for each child to stick on. Explain to the children that we are all alike in some ways but each of us is also special and different. Not all people like the same things. Pull out your Favorite Color Graph and hand out the name tags.  Ask the children to come up and put their name beside their favorite color. When everyone has done so, talk about the colors and how some people like one color better than another.

Literacy Knowledge and skills; recognizes print in everyday life, such as numbers, letters, one’s name, words, and familiar logos and signs. AND Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences.

Reading the Story

Pause on each page so the children can name the colors.

After Reading the Story

After reading the story ask the children why the chameleon was unhappy at the beginning of the story? (He did not have his own special color). What happened to make the chameleon know he was perfect just the way he was? (The other chameleon said that that was the nature of chameleons). How did the story end? (Happily ever after) If you were a chameleon, what color/s would you like to be?

Social & Emotional Development/Social Relationships; progresses in responding  sympathetically to peers who are in need, upset, hurt, or angry; and in expressing empathy or caring for others. AND Literacy/Book  Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of fiction and non-fiction, and poetry.

Discovery

Put out red, yellow, and blue stamp pads or paint in shallow dishes. Tell  the children that when you mix two colors of paint together you get a new color. Give each child a sheet of white paper. Ask them to dip their left hand in one color and their right hand in another color. Have them print their left hand on the left side of the paper and their right on the right. Ask them what color they think it will make when they mix the two colors together.  Then have them make a left hand print and put the right hand on top and mix. What new color did you make? On the bottom of the paper write color left + color right =_____. Have the child repeat the sentence back.  Have the children wash their hands before they try two other colors together and see what new color you can make.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Music and Movement

Explain to the children that chameleons move slowly.   Put on some slow music and have the children move slowly about the room while looking for an object that is a color on their shirt. Find the object and slowly bring it back to the carpet. Name the color. Put the music back on and the children can slowly go and put the object away.

Creative Arts/Movement;shows growth in moving in time to different patterns of beat and rhythm in music.

Blocks

If you have colored blocks or cubes, feature these in your center today.  As the children clean-up their structure, encourage them to clean by colors.  (Ryan you put all the red blocks away and Paula you can put the green blocks away).

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching, sorting, putting in series, and regrouping objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, or size.

Art

Explain to the children that the illustrator of the story made his pictures by doing sponge printing.   Put out small trays of red, blue, yellow, and white paint. Show the children how to sponge print by dipping the sponge lightly in the paint and then moving the sponge up and down, up and down on the paper.

Creative Arts /Art; gains ability in using different art media and materials in a variety of ways for creative expression and representation.

Library and Writing

Chameleons are very good at hiding because they blend/camouflage right in. Ask the children what letter chameleon starts with. Give children a Seek and Find page and ask them to take their favorite color and find all the C’s on the page.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; increases in ability to notice the beginning letter of familiar words.

Sand and Water

Put water in the table today.  Ask the children at the table what color food coloring they would like you to add.  After they name the color, find a corner of the table and add their color.  As you add the second color in a different corner, ask the children what they think is going to happen to the colors when they get mixed.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Dramatic Play

Add many colorful dress-ups today (scarves, hats, jewelry)

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; increases abilities to sustain interactions with peers by helping, sharing, and discussion.

Math and Manipulatives

As the children are using the manipulatives today, encourage them to make patterns using color and naming the colors in their patterns.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Outdoor Play

Make a number of chameleons in colors that are on your playground. Before the children go outside, hide these outside yet in plain view (put a yellow chameleon in a yellow bucket, a brown chameleon in the sand)). Tell the children that there are chameleons camouflaged about the playground today so while they are out they can be on the lookout for them. Bring out a pen and as the children find the chameleons and bring them to you, you can write their name on it. When you go back in the classroom, you can count who found the most.

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; demonstrates  increasing capacity to maintain concentration over time on a task, question, set of directions or interactions, despite distractions and interruptions.

Transitions

Go back to your Favorite Color Graph and dismiss the children to the next activity by the colors that they chose.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences.

Resources

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The Mixed-Up Chameleon, Eric Carle

Materials

  • Poster Board with a simple rainbow design drawn across (see blocks)
  • Books or pictures off the Internet that show animals camouflaged into the environment.
  • 26-52 Popsicle sticks
  • Insect page
  • Chameleons page

Vocabulary

  • Camouflage (when an animal blends in with the world all around him)
  • Mixed-up (to be confused about something)

Before Reading the Story

Put a piece of paper on the wall and ask the children what their favorite animal is. Ask them to tell you something that makes that animals really special. Write their response on the paper. I would like to be a ________because______ (A big dog because I could jump on my brother, A butterfly because I could fly).

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Reading the Story

As you introduce the story, hold up the cover and ask the children what do they think it means to be a mixed up chameleon. If no one can answer, explain that to be mixed up means to be confused about something. Ask the children if they can predict what the chameleon might be confused/mixed-up about. As you turn to each new page and the chameleon wishes to be another animal, pause and see if the children can name the animal first.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to describe and discuss predictions, explanations, and generalizations based of past experiences.

After Reading the Story

Go to the last page of the story (the one with the rainbow). Can the children name the animals and the colors? Ask, “Which animal is the color blue? Which animal has wings? “ Look on your chart from before reading to see if any of the children’s animals matched the ones in the story.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching, sorting, putting in a series, and regrouping objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, or size.

Discovery

Bring in pictures or books that show animals camouflaged in nature. Use these to generate discussion of different ways that animals camouflage into their environment.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of fiction and non-fiction books and poetry. ALSO Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Music and Movement

Sing Everybody Do This to the tune of Mammy’s Little Baby  (Pick a motion/action for all to follow)

Everybody do this, do this, do this,
Everybody do this just like me.
Everybody do this, do this, do this,
Everybody do this just like me.

(Now choose a child to lead)

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences.

Sing The Rainbow Song (bring pieces of construction paper to hold up as you name the colors while singing) https://kids.niehs.nih.gov/games/songs/childrens/sing-a-rainbow/index.htm

Red and yellow and pink and green,
Purple and orange and blue,
Black, brown and white
I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow. Can you?

Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of music activities, including listening, singing, finger plays, games, and performances.

Blocks

On a piece of poster paper make a simple rainbow using the colors of a block set you have (Legos, Duplo’s, unifix cubes, or small colored wooden blocks). Put out the blocks and encourage the children to match the colors and fill in the rainbow.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching, sorting, putting in a series, and regrouping objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, or size.

Art

Ahead of time, use the chameleons’ page to make chameleons of different colors and cut out. Put these out on the art table with plenty of supplies for the children to collage. Explain to the children what the word camouflage means. You might even bring in a picture of an animal/s that are camouflaged in natural settings. Give each child a chameleon. Challenge the children to camouflage their chameleon within their picture?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences, and comparisons among objects and materials.

Library and writing

Use the list that the children made during the ‘Before Reading the Story’ Session. Encourage them to draw their animal. Write the name of their animal on a piece of paper and ask them to try to copy the animals name onto their picture.

Literacy/Book Knowledge and Appreciation; shows growing interest in reading-related activities, such as asking to have a favorite book read; choosing to look at books; drawing pictures based on stories; asking to take books home.

Cut out/around each insect on the page. Write an alphabet letter on each one. Take a loop of tape and attach to the insect at one end. Attach a loop of tape to the end of a Popsicle stick. Explain to the children that the chameleon has a very long and sticky tongue like a frog. Tell the children that they are going to pretend the Popsicle stick is their long and sticky tongue and to see if they can pick up letters with it. Make small cards ahead of time with a letter written on it. The child can match the letter to an insect. Ask the child to find a letter that is in their name. To make this more challenging, we have done this with party blowers by attaching the tape to the end and then the children blow it causing it to unroll and catch an insect. You can also include several numbers to see if the children can distinguish letters-numbers.

Literacy/Alphabet knowledge; knows that letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named.

Sand and Water

Put small animals and sand in the table today. Give the children tongs to use to poke around in the sand and pick up the animals. Can they name the animals that they have picked up?

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, hammer.

Dramatic Play

Put out any dress-ups that you might have that represent animals. (We have tiger striped gloves, a scarf with a snake looking skin design, several animal tales, and a chicken suit.)  Again, take your list of the children’s favorite animal and why. This time ask them to act their animal out. Can they remember any of the animals in the story? What did these animals have that made them special? Can the children act out these animals?

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.

Math and Manipulatives

Make many chameleons and color them in 1-3 different colors. Use these to make patterns for the children to copy. ABAB, ABCABC,ACCBACCA. Encourage the children to try to make their own pattern for you to copy.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Outdoor

Play Simon Says using colors. “If you’re wearing red, jump across the yard. If you’re wearing purple skip across the yard.”

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; shows increasing levels of proficiency, control, and balance in walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.

 Transitions

As the children go to the next activity, ask them to think about and respond to the following sentence; ‘I like to be me because I can__________. ‘ Write their responses on another piece of large paper and hang next to the first chart.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences.

Dear Parent- Today we read a story that involved many colors. Think of two colors that your child may not be too sure about and go together on a color hunt looking for that/those colors around the house.

Resources

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alligator
tiger

jaguar
toad
chameleon
owl
elephant

Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson

Join Harold as he draws his way through a wonderful adventure using his purple crayon as his guide.

 Materials

  • Paint chip samples (these can be gotten free most anywhere paint is sold)  Get 2 of each sample that you collect.
  • Waxed paper cut into 8 inch strips
  • Yarn, many colors or just one. Cut into lengths of 6-12 inches

Vocabulary

  • Adventure-a journey or an exploration to some place new or special.

Before Reading the Story

            Ask the children if they can think of things that are red. Younger children may only be able to name concrete items in your room. Older children should be able to use their minds eye to recall things that they have seen that are red. Do this also with one or two other colors ending with asking, “what is purple”? After the children have named any purple things that they can think of, tell them that the story today is about a purple adventure. Explain to the children that an adventure is to go on a journey or exploration to someplace new or special. Give the children time to respond (My Mom and Dad and me went to the beach and spended the night, I like to go to the park). Tell the children that your story today is about a boy named Harold who goes on an adventure with his purple crayon.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Reading the Story

As you read the story, slow down at parts where Harold is drawing. Can the children guess what he is going to draw by looking at the picture and listening to your clue? (He needed something to walk on, he didn’t want to get lost in the forest so he made just one, suddenly he realized what was happening, picnics made him hungry, etc).

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from book sand experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.

 After Reading the Story

            Ask the children to recall all the things that Harold drew with his purple crayon. Ask the children if they might be able to guess what color crayon Harold liked best. Take 4 different color crayons and put them in 4 areas of your classroom. Ask the children to walk to the color that they like best. Count the number of children at each color station. Leave the one with the most children and add 3 more colors. Ask the children to again walk to the color that they like best.   Again, count the number of children at each color station. Which one had the most this time? If the same had the most both times, announce that today the color ______had the most votes. If a different color had the most votes, take the top two colors and put them out. Have the children walk to the color that they like best. Count how many children are at the two color stations. Then say, after this final color vote today, the color ________had the most votes.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from book sand experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.  AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; demonstrates increasing interest and awareness of numbers and counting as a means for solving problems and determining quantity.  

Discovery

Put out red, blue, and white paint at the easel today, encourage the children to make shades of purple.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; shows increased awareness and beginning understanding of changes in materials  and cause-effect relationships.

Music and Movement

Go on a Bear Hunt with the children.

Teacher says a line and the children repeat it back.

We’re goin’ on a bear hunt
(We’re goin’ on a bear hunt)
We’re going to catch a big one,
(We’re going to catch a big one,)
I’m not scared
(I’m not scared)
What a beautiful day!
(What a beautiful day!)
Uh-uh!
Grass!
Long wavy grass.
We can’t go over it.
We can’t go under it.
Oh no!
We’ve got to go through it!
Swishy swashy! Swishy swashy! Swishy swashy!
(make a motion swishy swashy and do with the children)
Chorus: We’re going on a bear hunt…
Uh-uh!
A river!
A deep cold river.
We can’t go over it.
We can’t go under it.
Oh no!
We’ve got to go through it!
Splash splosh! Splash splosh! Splash splosh!
(make a motion for splash splosh and do it with the children)
Chorus: We’re going on a bear hunt…
Uh-uh!
Mud!
Thick oozy mud.
We can’t go over it,
We can’t go under it.
Oh no!
We’ve got to go through it!
Squelch squerch! Squelch squerch! Squelch squerch!
(make a motion for squelch squerch and do it with the children)
Chorus: We’re going on a bear hunt…
Uh-uh!
A forest!
A big dark forest.
We can’t go over it.
We can’t go under it.
Oh no!
We’ve got to go through it!
Stumble trip! Stumble trip! Stumble trip!
(make a motion for stumble trip and do it with the children)
Chorus: We’re going on a bear hunt…
Uh-uh!
A snowstorm!
A swirling whirling snowstorm.
We can’t go over it.
We can’t go under it.
Oh no!
We’ve got to go through it!
Hooo wooo! Hooo wooo! Hooo wooo!
Chorus: We’re going on a bear hunt…
Uh-uh!
A cave!
A narrow gloomy cave.
We can’t go over it.
We can’t go under it.
We’ve got to go through it!
Tiptoe! Tiptoe! Tiptoe!
WHAT’S THAT!
One shiny wet nose!
Two big furry ears!
Two big goggly eyes!
IT’S A BEAR!
Quick!
Back through the cave!
Tiptoe! Tiptoe! Tiptoe!
Back through the snowstorm!
Hoooo woooo! Hoooo woooo! Hoooo woooo!
Back through the forest!
Stumble trip! Stumble trip! Stumble trip!
Back through the mud!
Squelch squerch! Squelch squerch! Squelch squerch!
Back through the river!
Splash splosh! Splash splosh! Splash splosh!
Back through the grass!
Swishy swashy! Swishy swashy! Swishy swashy!
Get to our front door.
Open the door.
Up the stairs
Oh no!

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.  

Blocks

Ask the children if they can remember something that Harold made on his adventure. Encourage the children to try to build whatever it was that Harold drew that they recalled. (a boat, buildings, a sidewalk)

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from book sand experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story. AND Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; demonstrates increasing ability to set goals and develop and follow through on plans.

Art

Put out the many pieces of yarn that you have cut from 6-12 inches in length. Put out bowls of school glue with forks. Show the children how to dip a piece of yarn into the glue and then lay it on the waxed paper. Allow the children to add as many pieces of yarn as they like but tell them that they all must cross over another piece of yarn. Once the children have finished their yarn art, lay it flat to dry. When completely dry, carefully peel from the waxed paper, attach a string/yarn, and hang it from the ceiling or door frame.

Creative Arts/Art; develops growing abilities to plan, work independently, and demonstrate care and persistence in a variety of art projects.    

Sand and Water

            In the story Harold made an ocean. Fill the table up with water today  and  float and sink items to explore.  Science/scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss differences, and comparisons among objects and materials.

Library and Writing

            Put out purple crayons, markers, and pencils today. Encourage the children to draw their own adventure. Write their dictations of their artwork or adventure on the bottom of the page or on a piece of paper attached.

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play.

 Dramatic Play

            In the story Harold drew a picnic. Encourage the children to use a small blanket and a basket to pretend to cook and go on a picnic adventure. Move your dramatic table out of the way and have the children set up their blanket on the floor and spread out all the foods they cooked.

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; participates in a variety of dramatic play activities that become more extended and complex.  AND Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; shows increasing abilities to use compromise and discussion in working, playing, and resolving conflicts with peers.

Math and Manipulatives

            Put out your pairs of paint samples for the children to match. For younger children I usually put out maybe two shades of green, two of red, etc.. For older children I put out many shades of similar colors so the children must really examine and sort. Try using many shades of purple today with the children.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching, sorting, putting in a series, and regrouping objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, or size.

Outdoor Play

            If you have a parachute, take it outside today and play Color Change. Have each child hold a loop or a color on the parachute. Practice making waving motions up and down while holding onto the parachute. This works best if you have two teachers evenly spaced. Once the children have the hang of making the parachute wave up and down, call out a color as you begin an upward wave. “All children holding red run under the parachute”! The children holding red let go and run under the parachute and come back out to hold on somewhere else before the parachute makes a down wave. Continue until the children lose interest.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multi-step directions.

Transitions

            Dismiss the children to the next activity by colors today. If you are wearing the color ______, you may go line up. Have the children show you the color on their clothing.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching, sorting, putting in a series, and regrouping objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, or size.

Dear Parent, today we read a story about a boy who drew many objects using his purple crayon. Give your child paper and crayons/pencil and encourage them to draw you something special. Or help your child review their colors by going on a color walk through the house. How many things can your child find that are purple in 3 minutes? Play this game using several colors that you may be helping your child to learn.