We are still curious about color…
What ways do we discover how to create new colors?
After reading Mix It Up we discussed our new intention of creating different colors of paint. We showed the children the beginnings of a color wheel that had been pieced together by their own watercolor exploring. The children noticed that there were a lot of colors that were still missing. After making choices, Alex and Charlie Menke both landed in the watercolor mixing area, where they were provided with blue and yellow watercolors as well as our posted incomplete color wheel. They got busy making shades of green.
“But we don’t have all the colors we need! We need orange!” ALEX
Charlie agrees. As Charlie continues to mix the watercolors, Alex gets up and finds the nearby book Color by Ruth Heller. He pages through the book and then directs DJ to look at the page he has found. “This is the page we need!…So, can we have red and yellow?” DJ explains that she has made a note about needing these colors so we can provide them on another occasion. Alex and Charlie continue to work with the provided blue and yellow. After a bit more time Alex declares,
“This is a different color. This is turquoise!”
“That made purple…I think this will make purple.” KYLA
“Look at mine, it’s beautiful.” VICTORIA
“Maybe I should use more yellow. I got some orangey peachy.” KYLA
“It’s so beautiful!” JACK
Meanwhile, red, yellow, and blue paint is also provided at the easel and Zack gets to work mixing and creating new colors.
Looking ahead we wonder…
What other ways will we discover how to make new colors and shades?
How will this work inform us as we continue to discover where colors come from?
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Over the past few weeks, the children have been devising ways of playing games in our back room. Initially we offered wood cuts and wooden figures in this space and wondered what might emerge.
Kyla and Amelia are playing with the wooden pieces at the table in the back room. They create a game using these pieces, involving spinning and game pieces. Language like “pieces” and “jump” emerge. Kyla is telling Amelia how to play the game, placing small pink people figures on top of a wooden mushroom and explaining that turning the V-shaped log piece will tell you if you can move 1 or 2. Lea is watching nearby. When asked how Lea could join, Kyla responds,
“put a pink one on the mushroom.”
Eva then comes over and once again the group wonders how she might join. Amelia appears concerned.
“There are no more pink ones.” AMELIA
“That’s okay. She can use a different color.” KYLA
The children’s interest in creating games continued and the materials offered evolved to foster this play. Dominoes, chips, player pieces, and paper dice along with dots on our table provoke more ideas about games.
What makes a game?
How do we play?
“What do you do with these?”
ALEX
“Oh, I know Jenga! You need to put it all clear so it’s a rectangle. Then you need to take pieces out. When you take out all of the pieces out that means you win and then it falls down and then you say Jenga!” CHARLIE M.
What ways will we understand games as we explore creating our own?
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