JK Color Inquiry
Source/Author: Abbie Hahn, JK Teacher
September 16, 2021
One goal of The Experiential School of Tampa Bay is to help little ones develop language, literacy and math skills and concepts through scientific and social experiences and projects. One such project is happening right now in Junior Kindergarten!
Junior Kindergarteners are deep in an inquiry-based study about colors. At the beginning of the year, teachers introduced art materials - colored pencils, markers, paint and watercolors - and students learned about the color wheel. The young Chargers discovered how colors can be categorized into groups such as warm and cool colors, as well as primary and secondary colors.
“The children had many great conversations about how color makes them feel, where they see colors in our world, and how colors can change when mixed,” shared Abbie Hahn, JK Teacher.
Together classmates created a beautiful color mobile that is hanging in their art studio. They expressed a lot of interest in color mixing and the way that watercolors blend together to create new shades. Shorecrest teachers follow students’ interests and cultivate creativity. They are facilitating a deep dive into where we notice colors in the world, how we use colors to express ourselves, and the mathematics behind the ratio of colors, shades and hues.
Students recently had their own color factory, where they mixed new paint colors. They loved pouring paint into jars, measuring the height of each layer of color with a ruler, stirring them up, and labeling the newly created color. This experiential learning led to conversations about measurements, ratio and weight; naturally combining art and math concepts. Students may soon put swatches of the colors they created in a "recipe of colors" book, advancing the language and literacy used in the unit.
As students continue to show interest in the color unit, teachers will provide more opportunities for them to learn: where to find colors on campus, how to make paints and dyes from nature with a mortar and pestle, etc. The options are vast! Involving children in experiences that relate to the world around them makes learning fun and exciting.
Find more photos here.
Find more photos here.
![JK on the Run [Photos]](/Images/1px.png?command_1=url&url_1=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shorecrest.org/userfiles/shpsv2mvc/images/news-images/JKontherun.jpg&command_2=resize&height_2=85 "JK on the Run [Photos]")
