March 2026

RAINBOWS!!!!

Many of the books we read this month have rainbows involved. We discussed the colors (color recognition) and color order (sequence) of a rainbow, and then created our own rainbows in different ways. 

Our next experience needed us to prepare some materials. Each child filled a bag with dry spiral noodles and the paint of one color of the rainbow. They worked the paint around with their hands and covered the noodles, which was a great sensory experience! We let the noodles sit overnight and then dumped them out onto plates. Most noodles were dry but there were some that were still wet and soft. We discussed why this might have happened and the conclusion was that some colors had too much paint! It didn't have time to dry! 

We then used the colored noodles to begin our large rainbow collages. The children arranged their color on the matching color line, practicing hand-eye coordination and visual-spatial awareness. Once they ran out of noodles they could choose from a variety of art materials to add to their color "curve." The outcome was two different and creative rainbows that the children created together. 

After our group rainbows were completed, we moved to more individual work. We started with the simple materials of crayons and paper to give the children the experience of drawing their own rainbows. This activity was a "light" directed drawing experience for the children. We discussed the rainbow's features and colors, and modeled the drawing of an arch for each color. We moved through the colors one by one and the children drew each colored arch in whatever way they could or they visualized it. Using the skills we've already practiced of color recognition and sequencing to guide their work, the children were able to plan out each part of their rainbow and strategize how to draw each color and make them all fit. This visual-spatial work also required fine motor stability and hand-eye coordination. Each child showed confidence that they could draw a rainbow and were proud of their work!

After drawing rainbows with crayons we moved to corks and paint! The corks had "tops" on them that the children needed to grip tightly with their fingers, which was great motor and stability practice. They used the "dab dab" motion to build each curve of their rainbow, so while their motion was all the same their paintings all came out differently. In this activity everyone did not start with red - each child began with a different color and proceeded in a different color order. So, the children had to draw on their memory of the order of a rainbow and find where the colors belonged on the rainbow and add it on the right place.