small and medium objects gathered from around your home in red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple (at least 3 objects in every color)
a clear area on the floor or table
camera (optional)
Academic Vocabulary and Pre-Art Activities:
VOCABULARY color/hue: Hue is another word for color. We call colors by their names - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
color family:A color family is a group of colors that is related. All colors belong to a color family - they may even belong to more than one color family!
color wheel:A color wheel displays the color families - red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple in order in a circular or wheel-like composition.
composition:A composition is the way an artists puts together their objects and ideas.
THINK and DO Activity: Gather objects from around your home that are red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Gather at least 3 objects in every color.
What kind of objects did you choose and why?
Make Art:
Step #1: Group the objects together by color family.
Red family.
Orange family.
Yellow family.
Green family.
Blue family.
Purple family.
Step #2: Let's take a closer look at colors and color families.
Students often ask what color family pink is in. Since pink is often made from red, we can consider pink part of the red family.
Let's take a closer look at objects I have collected that are in the blue family. The scissors are a dark blue. The butterfly is a much lighter blue.
Take a look at the objects you've collected. They should be sorted by color family. Take a look at each group of objects in the same color family. How are the colors similar? How are they different? What words can you use to describe the colors?
What color do you think this dish is?
Some people might say purple. Others may say blue. We all see colors differently and the way a color appears may change depending on what other colors are near each other.
Step #3: You are going to use your colorful objects to create a color wheel.
Choose one object from each color family. Arrange the objects in color order in a circle.
Add other objects outside the circle keeping the color families together. Photograph your compositions as you create them.
Step #4: Take the color wheel apart.
Experiment with new compositions by arranging the objects in color wheel order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) in new ways.
Photograph compositions if you like.
Follow-up Questions:
What was your favorite composition you created and why?