| The Crafty Angle |
| (And It's Not Just For Kids :-) |
Mixing Colors “By Hand”
Young children love to finger paint. There’s just something
about the feeling of wet paint on the hands that they can’t
resist.
It’s easy to turn finger painting into a color mixing lesson.
Try putting one color of paint on one of your toddler’s hands
and another color on the other. Then have him rub them
together three or four times. When he pulls his hands apart,
a whole new color will be there.
Once your child has gotten accustomed to the idea of mixing
colors, he might like to try to mix his own unique shades.
Give him plenty of paper and paint in primary colors and let
him work with minimal guidance. He’ll quickly realize what
works and what produces dull blacks and browns.
Mixing Colors in Water:
Another fun color mixing project involves mixing different colors of water. This can be accomplished with clear
glasses or pitchers, water and food coloring. Start out by filling the containers about half full of water and adding a
different color to each one. Then have your child mix the colors as he pleases, either pouring one color directly into
another or mixing colors in a separate container. Show him how to add more food coloring to change the shade or
make the color more intense.
Once he’s gotten the hang of it, try quizzing him on the colors. Provide a container of water in each of the primary
colors, and ask him to make a specific color by mixing two of them. This will provide valuable lessons not only in
color mixing, but also in trial and error.
Coloring Food:
Kids who have been exposed to color mixing might like to try their hand at coloring some of the foods they eat.
Vanilla pudding and white cake frosting are good mediums for color experiments. Kids can add a drop or two of
different colors of food coloring and mix until they end up with their favorite colors. And when they’re done, they can
eat their creations.
Mixing colors is lots of fun for kids, and it’s very educational. It can come in handy if they decide to pursue art later in
life. And any child can benefit from the reasoning and memory skills taught by color mixing experiments.
Be Aware of Toxic Chemicals in Art Supplies
Art is a wonderful thing for children. It helps them develop creativity, cognitive skills and motor skills. It is also great
for self-esteem. While these benefits are undeniable, art also poses some risks to children. That’s because many
art supplies contain toxic chemicals.
It’s fairly well known that kids should not be exposed to
certain types of paint. The chemical fumes are quite obvious,
and the containers are clearly labeled with warnings about
breathing those fumes and ingesting the product. But many
parents are unaware that not every product that contains
toxic ingredients is clearly identified. There are certain
labeling standards that must be adhered to by law, but the
label doesn’t always tell the whole story.
Every art supply sold in the United States must conform to
ASTM D 4236 standards. This means that they must display
warnings if they present an acute or chronic health hazard.
(Other Countries will have their own Standards that have to
be met)
Manufacturers are not, however, required to list each
product’s ingredients on the label.
...........Continued HERE!
Young children love to finger paint. There’s just something
about the feeling of wet paint on the hands that they can’t
resist.
It’s easy to turn finger painting into a color mixing lesson.
Try putting one color of paint on one of your toddler’s hands
and another color on the other. Then have him rub them
together three or four times. When he pulls his hands apart,
a whole new color will be there.
Once your child has gotten accustomed to the idea of mixing
colors, he might like to try to mix his own unique shades.
Give him plenty of paper and paint in primary colors and let
him work with minimal guidance. He’ll quickly realize what
works and what produces dull blacks and browns.
Mixing Colors in Water:
Another fun color mixing project involves mixing different colors of water. This can be accomplished with clear
glasses or pitchers, water and food coloring. Start out by filling the containers about half full of water and adding a
different color to each one. Then have your child mix the colors as he pleases, either pouring one color directly into
another or mixing colors in a separate container. Show him how to add more food coloring to change the shade or
make the color more intense.
Once he’s gotten the hang of it, try quizzing him on the colors. Provide a container of water in each of the primary
colors, and ask him to make a specific color by mixing two of them. This will provide valuable lessons not only in
color mixing, but also in trial and error.
Coloring Food:
Kids who have been exposed to color mixing might like to try their hand at coloring some of the foods they eat.
Vanilla pudding and white cake frosting are good mediums for color experiments. Kids can add a drop or two of
different colors of food coloring and mix until they end up with their favorite colors. And when they’re done, they can
eat their creations.
Mixing colors is lots of fun for kids, and it’s very educational. It can come in handy if they decide to pursue art later in
life. And any child can benefit from the reasoning and memory skills taught by color mixing experiments.
Be Aware of Toxic Chemicals in Art Supplies
Art is a wonderful thing for children. It helps them develop creativity, cognitive skills and motor skills. It is also great
for self-esteem. While these benefits are undeniable, art also poses some risks to children. That’s because many
art supplies contain toxic chemicals.
It’s fairly well known that kids should not be exposed to
certain types of paint. The chemical fumes are quite obvious,
and the containers are clearly labeled with warnings about
breathing those fumes and ingesting the product. But many
parents are unaware that not every product that contains
toxic ingredients is clearly identified. There are certain
labeling standards that must be adhered to by law, but the
label doesn’t always tell the whole story.
Every art supply sold in the United States must conform to
ASTM D 4236 standards. This means that they must display
warnings if they present an acute or chronic health hazard.
(Other Countries will have their own Standards that have to
be met)
Manufacturers are not, however, required to list each
product’s ingredients on the label.
...........Continued HERE!
