The first book is Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman.
Bear and Mouse see many of their friends, as well as many colors throughout this fun, rhyming book. This book will help children understand that they can see several colors in every day experiences, whether inside or outside.
Read along with the book here (She does a clapping activity with the children at first. The book starts at about 1:25)
Activity: Color Scavenger Hunt
This can be done inside or outside. If it is snowy like it is here today, this would definitely be best inside. All you would see outside is a whole lot of white! :) Go around with children and find colors with them. This can be done simply in the car on the way to the grocery store, or to make it even more fun, make "magnifying glasses" with them, and then use them to find colors.
Supplies: paper, popsicle sticks, saran wrap (or anything else that is clear)
Cut two pieces of paper and saran wrap all the same size. Cut two large circles (same size) in each piece of paper. Glue or tape the pieces of paper together, with the saran wrap in the middle. Glue the popsicle stick to the bottom to be used as a handle to hold onto.
The second book is Mix It Up by Herve Tullet.
This is a fun and interactive book where readers can explore mixing colors. Reading this book with children is a fun experience for all. Children get to squish "paint", shake "paint" and much more as they turn the pages.
Activity: Mess Free Painting
There are so many fun color mixing activities. This one comes from Pinned There, Done That
All you need is paint, Ziploc bags, and tape. Don't be afraid to have messy painting every once in awhile too! :)
Activity: Colored Water
If it's snowy like it is here today, put some food coloring, or colored water in spray bottles and spray some color into the snow. Or, if you're lucky and it's warm wherever you are, fill some water balloons with colored water and pop the balloons into a pool. (This also works in the bathtub) Here is an example from Learn Play Imagine.
Singing Time!
Teaching Mama has so many fun color songs on her blog. They can be used in small groups, or individually.
This could be an extremely long post because there are so many great color activities and books. I'll finish with sharing one of my most recent favorites. I am a big fan of Pete the Cat and all of the wonderful life skills Eric Litwin teaches through his writing. His book Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes is a great book about colors, as well as keeping cool when accidents happen. If you already have the book, they have the song you can read along with at Harper Collins Publishers' website. If you don't have the book handy, you can read along here.
Have fun exploring colors! :)
