Complementary Color Experiments
Discover complementary colors! Then see how your brain can trick your eye into seeing images.
1. Experiment 1--Complementary colors. Have you ever mixed primary colors—red, blue, and yellow—to make secondary colors (green, purple, and orange)? Try it with Crayola Dry-Erase Markers on an individual white board. Work quickly for best results!
2. After you have mixed secondary colors, erase your experiments. Draw your own color wheel. Figure out how to place the primary and secondary colors in their correct order! Look at a color wheel to verify your placement.
3. Colors that appear directly opposite each other on the color wheel are called complementary colors (red/green, yellow/purple, and blue/orange). What sports teams or other groups use complementary colors in their logos? Why do these colors "pop" when you look at them?
4. Together, read a book such as Hello, Red Fox by Eric Carle. The concept of complementary color is fascinating at any age!
5. Experiment 2--Optical illusion. With a red dry-erase marker, draw a small heart in a corner of a white board. Place a black dot in the center of the remaining white space.
6. Stare at the center of the red heart while you slowly count to 10. Then shift your gaze to the black dot. Do you see a green heart floating in the white space? Try this experiment with several other colors and simple images. How can you explain this colorful optical illusion? Find out how it happens by researching this phenomenon.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
- Create a color wheel with a compass, ruler, and paint on white paper.
- Illustrate an original story in Eric Carle’s graphic style.
- Young children or students with learning differences might benefit from engaging in these experiments in several short sessions. Introduce Hello, Red Fox first and then learn about the color wheel.
- Invite a science teacher or other expert to explain how the brain creates the illusion of an image in a complementary color.
- Assessment: Note the neatness and accuracy of individual color wheels. Ask students to turn in reflective writing describing what they learned and how they felt about it. Or ask students to demonstrate the concept for their families and bring in a note from a parent describing what they discovered.
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