Exploring Color with Shapes and Light

How can we connect the children's experiences to color, which we have primarily offered through paint at this point in the year, with another material and means of expression, or language?
Our idea was to use cellophane paper, in the primary colors, on the light table. Not only do the children interact with the familiar and well loved colors of red, yellow, and blue but it also allows for the happy accidents of color mixing. The children are able to extend their experiences with color by moving and arranging the colored shapes. This helps them to build upon their existing knowledge of color and  expands that knowledge, as they further develop their relationship to the languages of color and light.  As for the shapes, they added possibility for geometric design and of course they added an element of fun as well. Who says learning can't be fun? We learned about squares, right triangles, and equilateral triangles. 

"We used triangles." -Janie

"I took the yellow and put the pink (later corrected to red) on the yellow and then it turned orange." -Jack

"This is for Wolfie." -Cedar

"I'm making a giraffe. I put one on top and put one down." Put one up, down and then you put one down. Watch." -C.C.

She lays them down. Then she moves on. 

Now I'm going to make a baby giraffe (the blue triangle and blue square.)" -C.C.

Giacomo works alongside Lochie: 

"I'm going to make a path all the way around." -Lochie

Above: Lochie's completed path arrangement

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Sylvie began by placing only red triangles onto the light table and arranged them with fairly equal spacing. When invited to add another color, she did. She next arranged some yellow triangles, and a couple yellow squares on top of the red triangles  She concluded with a blue.

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Janie places many shapes, mostly triangles, beginning with yellow (a color she favors) on the light table.

Violet and Maxon respond to the colorful
​materials with curiosity and wonder.