Lesson Plans

Crazy Color Critters
Warm Colors / Cool Colors / Neutral Colors

Grades: Pre-K – 2nd

Objectives:

• Introduce students to beginning color theory and use of the color wheel.
• Demonstrate the use of color to indicate temperature or emotion and allow students to classify colors as “warm”, “cool” or “neutral.”
• Students will improve fine motor skills through cutting and gluing.
• Students will use their imaginations and express their creativity by inventing and creating make -believe animals.

Materials Needed:

• Color Wheel
• Glue
• Assorted Pom Pons - Mini, Small & Medium in size. Estimate 4 - 5 pom pons per child
• WonderFoam® Peel and Stick 9” x 12” Sheets
• Jumbo Craft Sticks, Bright Hues - 1 for each student
• Jumbo Chenille Stems cut into 3” or 4” lengths
• 100 pieces Assorted Wiggle Eyes
• Pencils
• Scissors
• Examples of paintings in the cool color range and in the warm color range. Suggestions: The old Guitarist, Pablo Picasso; Sunflowers, Vincent van Gough; Starry Night, Vincent Van Gough; Water Lilies, Claude Monet.

Introduction:

1. Show your class a color wheel. Explain how colors can be considered “cool” (blue, green and violet) or “warm” (red, yellow and orange.) Explain that colors may be used to represent things like mood and temperature.
2. Touch the color wheel and indicate that the colors don’t feel hotter or colder.
3. Introduce a new vocabulary word “neutral.” Explain that neutral colors (black, brown, gray and white) are neither “hot” nor “cool”. Neutral colors are not hot, cold, happy or sad colors. They go with other colors. Ask them to think of things that have neutral colors in them.
4. Show students examples of paintings that represent the “cool” sad colors; “warm” happy colors, or “neutral” colors.

Procedure:

1. Lay out supplies and tell children they are going to make funny, imaginary animals or “critters” with the supplies they have. Tell them to choose to make a “cool” critter, a “warm” critter, or a “neutral”. Every supply they choose must be “cool”, “warm”, or “neutral”.
   
2. Show examples of finished “critters” and let the students pick their supplies.
3. Demonstrate how to make antennas by twisting the pipe cleaners around a pencil.
4. Have the children layout arms, pom pons and eyes onto WonderFoam® rectangle before gluing.
5. Glue on Chenille Stem arms and antenna first.
6. Next have children glue on mid sized Pom Pon’s for bodies, small Pom Pon’s for Feet and heads and mini Pon Pon’s for ears.
   
7. Glue small Wiggle Eyes to front of heads for eyes and mini Pom Pon for nose.
8. Allow to dry.
   
9. When dry - peel off backing to reveal adhesive side of WonderFoam®. Glue to Jumbo Craft Stick.
   

Extension Activities

• Introduce a game of “Hotter - Colder” substituting colors - Red for hot, Orange for warmer, Violet for cooler and Blue for cold.
• Play classic Red Light, Green Light game after discussing use of warm and cool colors in traffic lights.
• Invite students to use critters as puppets. “Warm” colored critters could be used as happy puppets and “cool” critters may be used as sad puppets.

Conclusion:

• Ask questions such as; which colors seem colder than others? Which colors seem warmer? Why do some colors seem warmer and others seem cooler? Which colors represent warm things like fire, the sun, and heat? Which colors represent things like cool water and night time?
• Start a discussion about color and emotion. Ask questions such as, which colors do they think would show that they’re happy? Which colors would show that they’re sad?
• Invite students to share examples of cool and warm colors used to tell us things every day. (I.e.; hot and cold water faucets. Red green and yellow traffic lights.)
• Students can create imaginary critters using only warm colored or cool colored supplies.

Note: May be adapted for teaching primary colors, secondary colors, or complimentary colors.