Elementary Art: Complementary Colors *this activity is best suited for older elementary students, or younger students with supervision!* Lesson Goals: Discover complementary colors through color mixing ​ ​ Activities: color mixing ​ ​ Assignment: ​ Take a moment to look at the color wheel. Identify the primary colors, red, blue and yellow and ​ ​ secondary colors, purple, green and orange. Complementary colors are the colors on the ​ ​ ​ color wheel that are directly across from each other. Look at the color wheel below to see what colors are paired by the arrows. They are: Blue and Orange, Yellow and purple, Red and Green. Complementary color pairing makes each color look brighter. You will need the three primary colors in a liquid state. Such as; tempera paint, watercolor, food coloring, Crayola markers. (Crayola markers are water soluble and dilute into a liquid when sprayed or brushed with water.) Try mixing the combinations below on a washable plate or any surface covered in plastic wrap Remember - two primary colors mixed together create a secondary color! Write down what three colors you get when you mix these colors: 1. yellow + red = ____________ 2. yellow + blue = ___________ 3. red + blue = _______________ Match up your three secondary colors with their complementary primary color. If you need help, refer back to the color wheel above! Paint them, color them or place them side by side. What colors make up your complementary color pairs? __________ + __________ __________ + __________ __________ + __________ Assessment: Take a moment to reflect - what was challenging? What did you enjoy? What ​ would you do differently? Write a few sentences describing your artistic process and share with a family member. This is called a self reflection, and is something artists do every day! .