Experimenting with Color
Experimenting, identifying colors, and honing fine motor skills - all in one activity that takes LITERALLY 1 minute to set up?! Sign me up. This activity is great for getting outside quickly without exerting a ton of energy. I love to do this in the morning while I’m enjoying that first cup of coffee.
All you need is:
An ice tray for each child filled with water, not ice
A small pipette or dropper
Food coloring in primary colors (red, yellow, and blue)
Once you’ve collected the necessary items, head outside for the activity! Place a few drops of each primary color in their own ice tray spots. Encourage the children to see what new colors they can make when adding a drop of each primary color to the other ice tray spots.
My five year old LOVES this activity. She likes being in control of the experiment and finding ways to make variations of each color, for example, “Red and blue make purple, but I only do one drop of each for lavender and a lot of drops of each for a dark purple.”
My two year old gets amazing fine motor practice with the pipette by squeezing in the liquid, emptying it, and then stirring her new concoctions.
When your child fills up the whole tray, you can start over by pouring out the current colors and filling it up again. Highly recommend pouring the finished trays into a large bowl or water table for an extra colorful “soup” that will extend this play beyond the color experimentation.
Could this activity be done inside? Absolutely! But if your aim is to get outside with your children, low-lift activities like this are a great way to start spending more time outside each day.
