Colors - Part 4 - Primary Colors

The Book - Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Have you noticed that many of the best books are also the simplest? In this story, cut-paper mice cleverly hide from the cat on a sheet of white. One day they discover three jars of paint and scamper in. Now blue, red, and yellow mice dance little jigs in puddles of their own spilled paint, making green, orange, and purple. This is a fabulous little story that stands on its own but is also useful for teaching primary colors.

The Activities - Condiment Colors & Sidewalk Paint

Condiment Colors
Your kid will never again forget what colors make orange! Put two spoonfuls of ketchup and two spoonfuls of mustard in a small ziploc bag. Let your child squeeze the bag to mix the red and yellow into orange. Then they can trace letters or draw shapes in the mixture. Even the littlest ones can get in on this action, just mix a smaller amount in a snack-sized baggie.


Sidewalk Paint
The condiment color activity was such a hit, I decided to do an encore! To make sidewalk paint, mix equal parts cornstarch and water (I did 1/2 cup of each). I recommend pouring into an egg carton, but I used an ice cube tray. With your child, add drops of red, blue, and yellow food coloring into six of the depressions and stir to make the three primary colors. Now add combinations of food coloring to make purple, green, and orange.

Grab your kids, a couple paint brushes and head outside! The colors are a little dull while wet, but when the paint dries, it's brilliant! Little Page and I had a great time being picassos while Littlest Page sucked on a dry paintbrush and tried to eat dirt. :) Aren't we talented?!?


The Song - Yes, a song!
I still remember this song from first grade, so I thought I'd share. Sing it to the tune of "Three Blind Mice." A perfect companion to the book!

Red, Yellow, Blue
Red, Yellow, Blue
I see you!
Red, Yellow, Blue
You are the primary colors.
You make all the other colors.
How I wish I were a color,
like Red, Yellow, Blue