A color search is a fun, easy way to have your student practice their observation and matching skills, while also discovering the new colors of spring! This activity can be done in your yard, local park, neighborhood or from your window. 

Materials: 

• Paint sample chips 
  • Substitutes: cut pieces of colored contruction paper OR draw different colored squares on computer paper and cut them out

Steps:

1). Gather or make materials needed to conduct your color search. I find that having 5-10 colors works best depending on how long you would like to do the activity. 

2). Talk to your student about what colors they expect to find. Make some predictions about what the most common and least common colors you will encounter. 

3). Head out to your searching place - a garden, backyard, local park, neighborhood or window! I conducted my search in a garden where I felt comfortable letting kids take samples of the things they were finding. It is up to you if you would like to do the same on your own property or garden. However, please leave living plants and things where they are if you are at a park or on a walk. Explain to your student the parameters that apply to your environment. 

4). Give your student a color sample chip and ask them to find something nearby that matches that color. 

5). Dicuss! Were your student's predictions correct? Were they surprised by how difficult or easy it was to find certain colors over others? Were you able to find ALL the colors? 

Dicussion Questions/Topics:

• Why are there so many colors in nature? 
• Do you think you would find more colors during a different part of the year?
• Did any colors surprise you?
• Do you think animals and insects are attracted to certain colors more than others? 
• Why did we see so much green? (This can open a discussion about plant anatomy and their green pigment, chlorophyll for older students)

Optional: This would be an interesting activity to do throughout the different seasons! You can track how colors change throughout the year.