Color Mixing and Naming

Last week, artists in 3rd grade explored color mixing in preparation for an upcoming project! We mixed 10 different colors and also came up with a unique name for each color. We looked at examples of paint chips and noticed that many names were inspired by animals, nature, food, and the weather. 

First, students explored color mixing, trying to come up with 10 different colors for their palette. We discussed how you might try to create a color that you already have in mind, like a light pink, or just see what happens if you mix a lot of yellow, a little blue, and some white. 

Since we had just painted a color wheel with primary, secondary and tertiary colors, students were familiar with which colors to mix together to get a wide range of colors. We also experimented with adding white and black to colors, noting how it made colors lighter or darker. 

After creating the colors, students thought of creative names for each color. Instead of simply naming colors "green" or "orange," students were challenged to come up with creative names like "forest green" and "pumpkin pie." The following class, we partnered up and shared our paint colors and corresponding names with our partners. We shared our favorite color names with each other and then with the whole class. A lot of students used alliteration, which is when you repeat the same letter at the beginning of your words, like "pig pink" and "grass green." Check out some of our creative names for colors below!