Complementary Colored Giraffes with 1st & 2nd Grade

I love a good children's book before the start of a lesson or project but towards the end of the year, it gets pretty old reading the same story nine times! So, whenever I find a great online version of a story with animations I am pretty quick to show it to my students. Especially the words are also on the screen during it!

When I decided on giraffes for this lesson on complementary colors the book Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae, was the first thing that popped into my head! It is a fantastic book about a very unique giraffe and what a better way to start an artwork with very unique colored giraffe!

Day 1: Started off with the the digital version of Giraffes Can't Dance, the awesome version I found can be found on vimeo here.

Scholastic Interactive: "Giraffes Can't Dance" from Kat Llewellyn on Vimeo.

After the story we got into how our giraffes were going to be very unique because of their colors and then I did a lesson a complementary colors. I found the best thing in teaching complementary colors is making real world connections. I give examples of where the pairs are being used like sports teams and movies. The obvious favorite was this picture that I stumbled upon...

Let me tell you that none of them forgot the purple and yellow pair of complementary colors.

After we wrapped up the lesson on complementary colors we did a draw along of the giraffe and I gave them a bunch of suggestions of how to make it their own..they drew in sharpie only and then painted the first color in their pair with watercolors for the body.

Day 2: Review of complementary colors and then onto the spots! We used tempera paints for the spots for a little more contrast. When their spots were complete they were instructed to create a border with a second pair of complementary colors in oil pastels.

My plans for next year are to give them an option of any animal with spots or stripes but they will have to do a sketch first to make sure the animal is clear. This is pretty ambitious idea for me for 1st and 2nd graders but i'm feeling hopeful for next year!

3rd Grade Complimenting Complementary Pumpkins

I always try to find ways to teach color wheel concepts without the typical color wheel worksheets and projects. Students just seem to enjoy it, and remember it, more in a project about something other than the color wheel!

Since it is Halloween season and Fall, I chose to use pumpkins that were complimenting each other (Social skills!) to teach the concept of Complementary Colors. I also try to relate back to real life experiences..."Where do you see complementary colors together?" My best examples are Christmas colors, Bears colors, and Vikings colors, the kids get a kick out of this because they boo at me when I say Bears and Vikings (the little Packer fans that they are). And they are complimenting because complementary colors look good together. Here is the poster I made to go with it!

Here is the artwork!

McDill Elementary, just hung on a strip...

Jefferson Elementary, hung outside of the 3rd grade rooms above the lockers, these walls/boards are very difficult to hang on, they do not hold staples and tacks well, a lot are falling, do not know if I will try this again...

Kennedy Elementary, the best I pulled for the district Art show before I hung these up and got the pictures taken but these are still some of my favorites....