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LITTLE LESSON 02 · PRESCHOOL · TK · EARLY K
Can We Catch a Rainbow?
Allow extra drying time for paint or glue. Children can pause and return.
Elements of Art focus: Color. Collect colors you notice, then compose your own picture. Meet the seven art ideas →
Let’s wonder!
“Can we find a rainbow hiding in the things around us?”
Our little purpose: Notice colors in the room and arrange personal color marks.
Gather a little magic
Paper, crayons or washable paint, and colorful objects to look at.
For your grown-up: Use washable art materials and protect your work surface. Never look directly at the sun to hunt for rainbows.
Make it yours
Wonder together · 2–3 min Try & make · 12–20 min Share & tidy · 3–6 min
- Go on a color hunt. Find colors around your room without needing to collect the objects.
- Make color patches on paper. Mix or layer a few and notice what changes.
- Arrange your colors into an arch, a trail, a spiral, or your own shape.
- Give your rainbow a story. Where did you catch it, and where might it go?
“I’ll show you how I did mine. Yours doesn’t have to look like mine.”
Look what you discovered
Ask: “What did you choose? What changed? What would you try next?”
Notice: The child finds a color and makes or chooses a related mark.
Listen, watch, or accept pointing and home-language responses. Notice the process, not resemblance to an example.
Every idea belongs
A little support: Offer a few large color tools and let the child point to a found color.
A little more: Invite a color mixture and ask what changed.
No supplies today? The child can make choices, predict, and direct a grown-up.
The learning underneath
California Preschool/TK Learning Foundations · Visual Arts: 1.8, 1.5. Kindergarten bridge · California Arts Standards: K.VA:Cr2.1.
These are planning connections selected for this activity, not a claim of mastery or state endorsement. The kindergarten code is an extension, not a preschool requirement. Read the code key and official California sources →
PLAY THIS ART ADVENTURE · 02
Color Collector
Collect colors you notice, then compose your own picture.
Art ideas: Color. One playful connection to this project.
Find this resource again: mrrichiecreates.com/lessons/catch-a-rainbow