Mixing Paint

Objective: To explore the concept of mixing certain colors together to create a different color. To practice traveling movements such as skipping or galloping while also exploring another concept.
Age: 3, 4, 5, & 6 with variations depending on age
Props: Color Dance by Ann Jonas, empty paint bucket (or container), Leap ‘N Learn scarves of various colors (for example, 1 red + 1 yellow = 1 orange)
Music: Galloping, skipping, or waltzing selections from KIDS! or KIDS!2

Exercise 1

  1. Gather dancers into a circle and read the book Color Dance by Ann Jonas.
  2. Divide dancers into two groups. Place one group on one side of the room (stage right) and the other group on the opposite side of room (stage left). Establish partners, pairing a stage right dancer with a stage left dancer.
  3. Place a paint bucket on the centerline. Depending on class size, place one or more paint buckets on the centerline having one or more pairs of dancers performing the exercise at the same time.
  4. Decide which color the dancers will create.
    • Red + Yellow = Orange
    • Yellow + Blue = Green
    • Red + Blue = Purple
  5. Give a stage right dancer a red scarf and a stage left dancer a yellow scarf. Place an orange scarf in the paint bucket.
  6. While holding their scarf, ask the dancers to either gallop (forward or sideways) or skip toward the bucket.
  7. Ask the dancers to hold the ends of each other’s scarves once they meet at their bucket.
  8. Ask the dancers to mix their paint colors together by galloping (tummy to tummy) around the paint can; ask them to gallop in the opposite direction on cue.
  9. On cue, ask the dancers to check their new paint by dropping their current scarves into the paint bucket and pulling out the existing scarf from the bucket.
  10. Ask the dancers to hold the scarf in-between themselves and to gallop or skip around the room in celebration of their new paint color.

Exercise 2

  1. Place two scarves of the correct color in the paint bucket. Have each dancer remove one of the scarves from the bucket and either free dance away from bucket or perform a given exercise.

Exercise 3

  1. To make the exercise more challenging, place a scarf of the incorrect color in the bucket along with the correct color. Challenge the dancers to choose the correct color from the bucket.

Exercise 4

  1. Change movement from gallops and/or skips to waltzing or polka. Any movement that travels will work for this exercise.
  2. Combine different movements together, such as forward gallop to bucket, side gallop around bucket, polka away with partner.
Lesson Plan, Book RecommendationAmanda Spell