Inquiring into the Arts

Colour is like magic to young children. Put two or more colours together and "Poof"! There's something from nothing.

We decided to encourage and provoke learning in this area by offering an experience to mix coloured water using eyedroppers.

At first, the children were tentative, but they soon were exclaiming in delight when a new colour appeared on the mixing tray.

As the teachers observed, we noticed the activity wasn't just about making new colours. The children were using fine motor control to manipulate the eye droppers, and they experimented with fast and slow drops.

They also experimented with the tray itself. Could they fill up all the compartments? How much water was needed to fill the larger areas? Some students liked the organization of the small areas, while others delighted in great big swaths of colour. Their interactions with the materials revealed aspects of their artistic personalities.

We also observed the bystander effect. The children watching also participated by asking questions, offering advice, and giving instructions. In our room, we use a philosophy called social constructivism....basically we encourage the children to teach each other. In the art studio, this was in full effect!