Leaf Color Wheel Activity

By Christina Hayduchok, LMP Intern

Fall is in full swing and the leaves are changing and falling around us. With all the vibrant colors outside, we are reminded of the beauty of nature. The world around us is creative and full of dazzling hues.

Though nature has a rhythm and we expect the same colors each year, exploring new ones allows us to be inventive and imagine new possibilities. The color wheel is a great place to start searching for new patterns by exploring complementary colors.

Our basic, primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. Two primary colors become a base to make secondary colors. Secondary colors include purple (made with red and blue), green (made with yellow and blue), and orange (made with red and yellow). Building on this, we have complimentary colors which are found across the color wheel. They help to make each other stand out and pop. Red and green are complementary colors for each other, yellow and purple are another pair, and finally blue and orange.  

Try using the color wheel and experiment with new combinations of complementary colors. Have your little one(s) trace a leaf or free drawn their own. If you collect leaves outside, use a crayon to do a leaf rubbing by placing the leaf under a piece of paper and lightly coloring over it. This will capture the details of the leaf with new colors. For example, if you have a yellow leaf, try using its complement with a purple crayon.

Explore colors outdoors and in the comfort of your own home. Share in the comments what color leaves you find and the color of your leaf rubbings!