Making Rainbows!

After we created our Colour Mixing Rainbow, there were lots of paint sample sheets left over, so thought the children might like to make their own rainbows.  I cut the samples sheets up so we ended up with lots of shades of each colour. 

I then needed a rainbow template, so downloaded one from the internet and enlarged it using Publisher. 

I didn't think the paper rainbow would take the weight of the colour sample sheets so transfered the rainbow onto card.

You could draw one by hand, but I do admit to being a bit of a

perfectionist!

The children then began to create their rainbows. 

They chose their own colours and were very focused on staying within the lines!

I mixed all the colours together in one pot as I wanted the children to identify the colours and this led to conversations about the different shades.  The rainbow closest is mine! I find the children are more willing to join in an activity if I am doing it and infact look at me very suspiciously if I try to get them to do something that I am not joining in!

The children decided themselves what colour they wanted each section of their rainbow to be.

At one point we started to run low on yellows.  So noticing me cutting some more, J was keen to join in this part of the activity as well and set about cutting her own. 

Almost finished!  J's interest was waining a bit at this point so we made the activity into a race - who could finish first!  Being highly competitive her rainbow was finished in no time!

After cutting all those little squares it seemed a shame just to throw the rest away, so I added them to our resource wall and the children can use them for gluing or anything else they can think of!

Links to EYFS:

PD: Using Equipment and Materials (using the scissors and glue spreaders)

CD: Exploring Media and Materials (talking about the shades of colours / selecting particular colours)

Creating Colours

I decided to do this colour mixing activity as J was very interested in creating new colours when we played with the soap flake foam last week.

The children were provided with paints in the primary colours and also black and white to make the new colours lighter or darker, disposable shot glasses (to mix the paint in), cut down bamboo kebab skewers (to mix the paint with), pippettes, balloon templates (to paint) and paint colour charts.  After showing them how to use the resources to create new colours, they were free to mix the paints as they wished.

A bit of white, add some blue and voila....

..... a new blue!

Some green and a bit of white

Give it a stir....

Light green!

We used the colour charts to help us identify the colours we had created and also to give us some ideas about the colours we might like to make.

We were quite surprised by some of the colours we created!

This time we added yellow, blue and red...

...hmmm I think we might have added another colour when I wasn't looking!

We stuck all our new colours onto the fence.

We liked doing this activity alot!  But what to do with all these balloons....

.........I thought we could try to make them into a rainbow so I laminated them and the children sorted them into colours,

I covered a piece of board with plastic (as I wanted to put our rainbow outside) and we used this to make our rainbow.

Hmmm good but I didn't like the brown background.

So I carefully took it apart and painted it blue - much better!  But what to do with it now...

Problem solved! It really brightens up our music wall:)