Color and shape are two very noticeable attributes of the world around us. When you look out your window, you may not be saying it … but your mind is noticing and identifying the green trees, brown rectangle buildings, square windows, and blue sky. Color and shape are ways children observe and categorize what they see. These very recognizable characteristics encourage children to define and organize the diverse world around them. For this activity, we used rainbow ribbons, and the song Colors of the Wind (from Pocahontas) to talk about colors!

We also looked at a variety of bug pictures to describe the variations in color among the different critters. Students first played a memory game, where they were told to memorize a variety of disappearing items of same and differing colors. They than sang a song about the color yellow. Following this, they listened to the song Colors of the Wind as they danced around the room with rainbow streamers. After that, they looked at a variety of bug pictures. Lastly, they drew a picture of a rainbow! Developmentally appropriate music activities (such as music and movement) involve the whole child-the child’s desire for language, the body’s urge to move, the brain’s attention to patterns, the ear’s lead in initiating communication, the voice’s response to sounds, as well.