Colors are one of the first things preschoolers learn. Recognizing the colors and identifying the color names is an important part of a child’s development. Teaching the colors through recycling is a very unusual but great and unique way to do it. Now, you may think recycling is boring for children or that they are too small for it, but recycling is for everyone! First of all it is a good practice for the environment, it teaches valuable skills such as responsibility and it teaches children to care about were they live and understand that resources are not limitless. The way colors are introduced through this mechanism of teaching is by linking the act of sorting and association to colors and materials. Kids learn to identify, recognize and classify the colors! Here are some examples of fun crafts, and games for children to learn colors with recycling.
Ball Maze Game
Materials:
For the box
- A cardboard box
- Paper towel rolls or Toilet paper rolls
- Acrylic paint (different colors)
- Paint brush
- A bouncy ball
- Silicon glue
For the cards
- Cardboard rectangles
- Acrylic paint (the same colors)
- Paint brush
Procedure:
The child will paint the paper rolls and the cards with the acrylic paint. Each paper roll of a different color and its matching card. The adult will assemble the box.
The child will move the box in order for the ball to go through the paper rolls that match the colors of the corresponding cards. He will follow the order in which the cards are placed to complete the maze.
Source: https://frugalfun4boys.com/2016/09/14/make-ball-maze-hand-eye-coordination-game/
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Color Hunt
Materials:
- 3 paper plates (you may add more)
- 3 color markers
Procedure:
The child will color the paper plates with the markers.
Then he will go around the class/bedroom/garden looking for objects that match the colors of the plates. Then, he will look and play with his or her findings.
Source: http://clareslittletots.co.uk/2016/01/going-on-a-colour-hunt/
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Pompom eggs
Materials:
- Egg cartons
- Color pompoms
- Finger paint (about 5-6 colors)
- Tweezers
Procedure:
The child will use the tweezers to pinch the pompoms and place them in the corresponding hole that matches the color. He will place all the pompoms of one color first and so on. He will name the color as he works
Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/393009504965605457/
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Color Run
Materials:
- Paper towel rolls or Toilet paper rolls
- Big cardboard box
- Tape
- Bottle caps (of different colors)
- Acrylic paint (5 colors that match the bottle caps)
- Paint brush
Procedure:
The child will throw the bottle caps in the corresponding paper roll and watch how it falls to the floor. Many children may play at once and make a race to see which color gets to the floor first.
Source: https://panaka62.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/occuper-votre-2yo-bouchons-carton-et-rouleaux/
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Recycled wall
Materials:
- Colored bottle caps
- Silicon glue
- Big cardboard box
Procedure:
The child will save all of the bottle caps he uses and with them create a recycled wall. The child will classify each bottle cap by color and glue them to the cardboard in the order of the colors of the rainbow.
Source: https://www.oh-i-see.com/blog/2014/01/20/peter-reynolds-and-the-dotkickstart-creative-expression/
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