A more tactile approach to the color wheel. This is fun and can get messy - depending when you want to get your child involved. Think pancake making mixed with food coloring, and while you're doing that picture your child's face after they eat a crazy-colored frosted cupcake...but all over their hands.

Not to worry — I have some top tips for less mess.

Vocabulary: Primary, secondary, tertiary colors, warm colors, cool colors, complementary colors

Activity Time: 30 minutes (or more...or less if you make the dough ahead of time)

Ages: 3+

MATERIALS
Playdough (recipe intended for multiple kids - half the recipe for a smaller batch)

• 3 Cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 Cups of salt
• 6 Teaspoons Cream of Tarter
• 3 Cups of water
• 2 Tablespoons of coconut or vegetable oil
• Food Coloring: Red, Yellow, Blue*
• Plastic Bags or Gloves for mixing
• Storage containers or bags

*I just used what I could find at our local grocery store, and to be honest the purple came out pretty grey. If you're planning ahead, the internet recommends some gourmet options including Wilton, Good Cooking, & Americolor Food Colors.

PLAYDOUGH INSTRUCTIONS 

• Create primary colored playdough (sounds easy enough)
• Option 1 for those braving the possibility of a blue-handed monster for the rest of the week
• Stir together the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large pot.
• Add the water and oil.
• Cook over low to medium heat stirring constantly.
• Continue stirring until the dough has thickened and begins to form a ball.
• Remove from heat and then place inside a large plastic bag or on wax paper, allow to cool slightly and then knead until smooth.
• Divide the playdough into three 3 balls.
• Put the individual balls into plastic bags or on wax paper if using gloves
• Squirt the food coloring into the bag with the dough and start working the color throughout - this takes some time and actually required a lot more food coloring than anticipated / depends on the brand. Start with 5 drops and go from there!
• Once the color has mixed through, it should be fine to take out and handle without gloves.
• Option 2 for the neat freaks (& I mean that in the BEST way). With this method, you make the colored doughs individually on the stove rather than making a large portion of white and then dividing the dough and adding color. This means, divide the recipe above into thirds and repeat 3 times. You can use the same pot. I would start with yellow, then blue, and then red.
• In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, cream of tarter and mix well.
• In your pot mix the food coloring into the water and stir, then add the oil.
• Add the dry ingredients into the pot and mix well.
• Cook over low to medium heat stirring constantly.
• Continue stirring until the dough has thickened and begins to form a ball.
• Remove from heat and then place inside a large plastic bag or on wax paper, allow to cool slightly and then knead until smooth.

COLOR WHEEL INSTRUCTIONS 
You should now have 3 large playdough balls of primary colors.

• Divide each individual colored ball into 4 pieces. Set one ball of each color aside, these are your primary colors.

• Make secondary colors: Take one ball of yellow and one ball of red and mix together to make orange. One ball of yellow and one ball of blue to make green, and one ball of blue and one ball or red to make purple.

• Make tertiary colors: Divide the secondary colors (orange, green, purple) in half. Leave one half to be part of the color wheel and take the second half and divide it into half again. Take one ball of each of the primary colors and divide it into half as well. Line the colors up (orange with yellow, orange with red, etc.) and start mixing.

• Arrange the final color combinations into a color wheel (take a quick photo, it can be quite impressive) and then start exploring!

PROMPTS

• Looking at the color wheel can you distinguish the warm colors from cool colors?
• Colors opposite each other on the color wheel are called complimentary colors. Can you make some sculptures using complimentary colors?