Primary and Secondary Colors

I did this one again today with the kindergartners, and they loved it.  It doesn't take much to excite them.  They think the milk experiment is pure magic! 


For younger grades, start by reading the book Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni to the class. (The Grovecrest Library has a copy of it.)

This is a cute little tale of two colors and the mischief they cause resulting in them becoming a new color!

Next up: color changing experiment.  First, set up three clear glasses of milk on a table.  Add a drop of RED liquid food coloring in one, BLUE in another, and YELLOW in the third. 

Then explain secondary colors are formed by mixing two primary colors together.  Add a drop of  yellow food coloring into the already made red milk (making ORANGE); a drop of blue food coloring into the already made yellow milk (making GREEN); and a drop of red food coloring into the already made blue milk (making PURPLE). 

At this point, the last time I did this, the kids wanted to see what all the colors mixed would make...which was a lovely shade of brown.

Click here for a video of the above experiment. 

To end the lesson, I hand out this handout of the color wheel and let them paint in the correct colors. 

If you are teaching older grades, this lesson from Hotchalk looks fun.  Also, I just found this experiment I'm dying to try. 

If you have more ideas for color wheel lessons, please share with us!