Color

Color is something that we seem to especially enjoy discussing with young children.  They learn so much about it from just everyday conversation; there is really no need to quiz them.  Here is Renee Gaarder’s sweet baby girl gaining some up close and personal knowledge about orange.

We can make the exploration of color a hands-on experience for our little ones.

Washable crayons, color pencils, and markers can be made into painterly media by simply applying water to them with a brush.  This approach is great for short spans of time; it takes just a few minutes and cleanup is a breeze.  It helps to use sturdy paper.

For occasions when you want to do something special, try watercolor paint and lots of mixing/exploration, perhaps beginning with just the primary colors – or even just red and yellow. Your child will discover that red and yellow make orange – most likely without you mentioning it.  This is because your child is a genius, of course! 

The kind of paint that comes in tubes is far superior to the dry cakes and remember to have brushes of various sizes.  We too often give little hands too tiny brushes; covering more territory per stroke is very satisfying!  Student grade watercolor paper is affordable.  It’s also great fun to use a roll of freezer paper; just keep it going over time, rolling it back up (when dry) for storage.

Here you see Big Girl Claire and her recent finger painting work.  (I have only recently convinced myself to stop calling her Baby Claire).

There are lots of excellent books about color to share with your babes.  I recently acquired Mix it Up, by Herve Tullet, the author of Press Here.