Color Theory is an obvious choice when introducing your youngest learn to art experiences in the art room. It provides a foundation of color mixing knowledge as well as introduces students to key vocabulary. For my Pre-Kindergarten students, I adapted and redesigned a unit that I facilitated with partner last year. Using Alan Baker’s White Rabbit Color Book as a color mixing catalyst, students follow White Rabbit as she mixes different colors of paint into her fur discovering the magic of primary colors!

This series of units is similar to the ones you have seen with Mouse Paint but includes a fun final color mixing task that learners will not soon forget!

The video and lesson outline below gives a brief look into the steps within each of the three lessons within the White Rabbit Color Mixing Magic Unit.

Lesson 1: 

• Introduce White Rabbit and read White Rabbit’s Color Book
• Introduce the Primary Colors
• Use inks in water jugs to show color mixing in action
• Use primary colored inks on coffee filters or transparent circle rounds to experiment with color mixing

Lesson 2:

• Review the Primary Colors and facilitate call and response practice with color mixing of orange, green and purple i.e. red and yellow make…?
• Demonstrate color mixing on the color mixing paper palette
• Students mix paint to make orange, green, and purple
• Students mix all three Primary Colors to make brown

Lesson 3:

• Review the Primary Colors and facilitate call and response practice when mixing to make orange, green and purple
• Present the color mixing magic using the inks in the water jugs again to review
• Draw White Rabbit on student’s Brown painted paper using white paint markers or white oil pastels
• Read White Rabbit’s Color Book and say goodbye to White Rabbit

There are so many ways to introduce the Primary Colors and color mixing theory to young learners. This unit ties in a fun book to reference, color mixing exploration, painting practice, and drawing practice. Also, in a way, the lessons are linked together like a story which is helpful to learners this young. I must warn you though, your little learners may magically turn into brown rabbits when painting but it is part of the fun right!?