Rainbows

I guess if I had to pick a favorite study topic in preschool, it might be rainbows. There are so many fun ways to explore rainbows, and there is something so visually "happy" to me when all the colors are organized together.

Rainbow Loose Parts

I gathered up some colored objects from our Math Bags collection to create this tray of rainbow loose parts. 

Rainbow Art

Controlling curved lines is part of the early stages of writing and handwriting, and it's fun to watch students feel successful in creating their own rainbows. 

The kids wanted to keep painting rainbows after our tinfoil canvases were used up, so we brought out more paper.

And a few kids couldn't resist using their own hands as a canvas... :)

We displayed our rainbows with the "raining clouds" we created earlier this month. 

Rainbow Order

An invitation to practice ordering, an important early mathematical skill, using the rainbow colors. 

Rain + Sun = Rainbow

The afternoon class was especially interested in the idea that rainbows need both light and water to form. One student told me that the "sun needs to reflect once in the rain to make a rainbow, and twice in the rain to make two raindrops." This concept showed up in other work they engaged in around the classroom. 

Light Box Writing Tray

I put colored tissue paper under this tray on the light box, and it was a popular activity. It gave us some good opportunities for taking turns and respecting space, besides the fine motor and sensory experience it offered.

Rainbow Bowling
We played this game along with our St. Patrick's Day celebration. Bowling is a fun way to practice counting and build number sense.