Nature Color Mixing
Have you ever wondered about how the many colors of our world are created? Join LCC in creating with the color palette of nature using just 4 primary colors.
Two of my most favorite things in the world are being outside and lots of color. When I go out for a walk I love to spend time just looking around. On sunny days I notice the bright, bold colors in the sky and in gardens. On grey, rainy days I notice the dark clouds and muddy ground. Have you ever wondered about how the many colors in our world are created? Let’s check it out!
A really good place to start is the color wheel.
The color wheel is very helpful to artists. It shows them which colors to start with and how to make the colors harmonious. Harmonious means things get along. When colors mix happily together they make our eyes and minds happy!
Red, yellow and blue are known as primary colors.
From these three colors you can make almost ANY color you can think of! I’m serious! They are amazing! Adding white to the palate can help make a color lighter. Ready to start mixing? YAY! I am too.
My first color combination is red and yellow. Combining these two colors gives me a crazy bright orange. I added a little bit of white and matched my nature inspiration, a beautiful monarch butterfly! (It is really sitting on my hand!) Can you think of something orange?
My next color combination to mix is blue and yellow. Can you guess what color these two make? GREEN! My nature inspiration here is a nest full of Robin eggs. I mixed the blue and yellow with the white and got a nice soft turquoise. (This nest was in a cedar tree at my house!) What is your favorite shade of green?
And here is my last color mixing combination. Red and blue together make a deep, rich purple. When I mixed in a bit of white I was able to match my nature inspiration. I took this picture on trip to Minnesota with my family. It’s one of the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever seen. Can you think of something purple you like?
Happy mixing and be sure to share your colors and inspirations. Have beautiful day! XOXO Sara Tall XOXO
Good Night Gorilla
"Good night, Gorilla!," says the zookeeper. But mischievous Gorilla isn't quite ready to go to sleep. This is a favorite story at LCC! Join us for another fun read along with teacher, Nora Stone.
Homemade Music
Manitou Island teacher, Aaron Ryder, experiments with the fun and physics of making music with a few simple items that everyone will have at home!
Shadow Tracing
The sun has returned! Yay! This activity is a fun way to explore shapes and shadows. Using the sun to create a shadow, place chosen objects on paper and use a pencil to trace around the shadow. Afterwards you can color, paint, or decorate your drawing. We'd love to see your creations!
Materials Needed:
The Sun!
White paper
Pencil
Various plastic animals
Directions: Using the sun to create a shadow, place the animal(s) on the paper and use your pencil to trace around the shadow! Afterwards you can color, paint, or decorate your animal drawing!
*This can be modified to different ages of kids by using less complex items to trace around. Try using blocks, duplos, favorite action figures, dinosaurs, cars, diggers etc.
These are My Glasses; a favorite LCC finger play
Our Fox Island preschoolers frequently requested this sing along finger play this school year. Join teacher Nora Stone and follow along. Be warned that it is very catchy and may be stuck in your head all day :)
Homemade Butter - Some Scrumptious Science!
I love butter! It is one of the most delicious things I can think of. I do a lot of baking and I always use butter. But did you know that you can make your own butter at home? It’s true! And it’s science!
This experiment requires only two ingredients.
Yup! That’s it. Just two! You will need:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Glass Jar with a lid
The first step is pouring the cream in the jar. Fill about half way full. Get your lid on nice and tight. Don’t forget or you will have MESS!
Now here’s where the fun and the science begin. Somehow the heavy cream has to turn into butter, right? But how? Should you ask it nicely? Give it a little smooch? NO! You have to shake it up! And shake and shake and shake and shake...
Magical things are beginning to happen!
The cream started out liquid and white. Take a couple peeks inside the jar as you shake. Do you see any changes happening? What about the sound in the jar? And what about the color?
After about 10 minutes of shaking you should notice a separation between the solid butter and the liquid left in the bottom. That liquid is called buttermilk. It’s really light and sweet. Give it a taste! Pour the butter milk off and put your fresh butter in a dish. That’s it. BUTTER!
I added a pinch of salt and some maple syrup to my butter. Other additions could include honey or brown sugar. Be adventurous! Sit back and nibble some toast topped with your scrumptious science!
Xoxo Sara Tall
Paper Bag Puppets with Rachael
Watch my video as you make your own paper bag puppet! Make more than one puppet, and have a puppet show behind a box or piece of furniture? You and your child can explore broader/more abstract ideas, topics, and even current issues that might be celebratory or troubling as the puppet does the talking. Therefore, puppet making is not only a creative art outlet for your child to express their individuality, but a way to explore social emotional expression - and to help address anxieties, fears, worries, or feelings of excitement and anticipation. Go with the flow! Make clothes, add details with glue (beads, the foam shapes thy cake inside your bags, etc.) and let your imaginations run wild! You might even want to record your child’s original stories to read later or act out familiar stories your children cherish:) If your child is inspired to create, share a photo of their puppet, and maybe a chosen name!
Crushed Chalk Paint
Here is another beautiful, fun process art project! The bright colors of sidewalk chalk make a wonderful invitation to create while the chalk crushing benefits hand-eye coordination and develops grip strength. It’s magic all the way around!
Crushed Chalk Paint
Here is another beautiful, fun process art project! The bright colors of sidewalk chalk make a wonderful invitation to create while the chalk crushing benefits hand-eye coordination and develops grip strength. It’s magic all the way around!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Pieces of chalk (I like sidewalk chalk. It’s very colorful and a bit softer)
Water
A mortar and pestle
Small jars
Small bowls
Spoons
Chopsticks (for stirring. Totally optional)
Paintbrushes
Paper Tray (optional, used for painting on)
Step 1
The first step is crushing up the chalk. Put a piece in your mortar and crunch and crunch and crunch with your pestle until your big piece of chalk has become a soft, fine powder. There maybe big chunks but that’s okay! You can leave them in the mix for more textured paint or take them out and crush up another time. Put each color you crush into small bowls.
Step 2
Once your chalk is crushed up you can begin to mix up your colors. Take a small jar and scoop some chalk powder in. Add a little water and stir. Add more colors until you love the color so much you don’t want to add anymore! Keep filling your jars and mixing. You will have many paint colors to work with.
Wow!
Look at all the colors we mixed up. They are so beautiful.
And now! The moment of magic.
Grab a piece of paper and a paint brush and make… PAINT! You might notice the texture of your paint. Is it smooth or is it a little lumpy? Which do you prefer?
Let’s name the colors!
One thing I love to do while working with my new paints is to name the colors! Can you name yours? I had a mint green, a tangerine orange and my most favorite color was a turquoise that reminded me of Lake Michigan in the spring.
ENJOY! ENJOY! ENJOY!