Monday marks a special holiday for many in the country of India, particularly people of the Hindu faith – Holi. Holi is celebrated for many different reasons – the end of winter and beginning of spring, the opportunity to start anew, and the triumph of good over evil. It is also referred to as the Festival of Color, as people take to the streets to sing, dance, and throw colorful powders. Each color has its own meaning. For instance, green represents spring and new beginnings, while red represents love. Learn more about Holi HERE.
In honor of this colorful holiday, today, we are going focus on the “A” in STEAM with a fun and simple color mixing art project using paint and coffee filters. Your child will create a beautiful painting while learning about what happens when two colors are mixed together.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Coffee filters
- Red, yellow, and blue (primary colors) paints
- Three jars
- Eye droppers
Now it’s time to explore color! Start by putting red, yellow, and blue paint into separate jars, adding water, and mixing until each color is watered down. Next, add an eye dropper to each jar. Jumbo droppers are best for this activity, but regular droppers will also work.
Lay out one or more coffee filters on a water (and paint)-safe surface, then use an eye dropper to squirt some of the first color onto your filter. Pick another color, and squirt it onto the filter close to the first. Watch the colors spread together to make a new color. What color is it?
Have your child continue this process to create as many color combinations as he or she can. What colors can he/she identify?
When the art project is done, continue the color exploration by mixing the watered down paints together to see what colors you create!
Check out the full colorful project from Messy Little Monster HERE.
As always, get as creative as you want, and above all, have lots of fun learning together!
We’ll see you right back here next Saturday for another STEAM Saturday activity! Scroll through the rest of our website to learn how Critchlow Adkins is Building Brighter Futures for the children and families we serve!
