An Exploration into Colour

We have been thinking about images and words and how we react to them. We wondered about the role of colour in the images, words, pictures, and objects we see around us.

🤔 Why do we make these choices?

To help us explore this further, the students were invited to think about how colours affect their choices.

• Fedo began by stating that, “Colour is important.”

The students looked at 2 pictures. They needed to vote for their favourite picture.

• Agata “It is the same one!”
• Teacher “Which one makes you want to eat the food more?”

5 students voted for picture 1, 4 students for picture 2.

• Seungbin “Because I like to eat food.”

Teacher: What is affecting your choice? What does this picture make you feel?

Grace” I like to eat the oranges because it has highlights.”

Ella “It makes me feel hungry.”

Yuchan “It makes me feel hungry because I like the orange and the pizza.”

The children agreed that the food looked yummy and made them hungry. A second image was shared. The food was the same but the colours were different.

• Hyun Seo “This picture makes me feel yuk and sick.”
• Seoyeon “This picture makes me feel disgusting.”
• Alejandra “I have never tasted blue oranges so I would like to try this one.
• Ella agreed with Alejandra.

The students decided that they did not want to eat the food anymore.

Teacher: What is affecting your choice and your feelings?

• Amber “I think that the colours affect my feelings, because these are the cold colours and warm colours.”
• Seungbin “These are warm colours, orange, yellow and red. These are cold colours “Black, blue and white.”
• Ella “I think the second ones are winter colours and the first ones are summer colours.”

 The children talked to their elbow buddies to share their thinking about the two images.

Pointing at the first picture, Yuchan “Makes me feel scary.”

Other students agreed.

• Seungbin “Green looks scary to me. They use it in the movies to make scary things.”
• Ella “The artist used warm colours in the second picture. The second one looks happy and like joy.”
• Alejandra “All of them make me feel sad.”
• Seungbin “It makes me feel dizzy.”

The way the artist draws the picture makes him feel dizzy. Some of the colours make me happy and some make me sad. Black makes me feel sad.”

• Hayoon “I feel warm because the sun is yellow and orange and red and it makes me feel warm.”
• Ethan “it makes me feel like I want to move, like exercise and the green one makes me feel cold.”
• Fedo “Green makes me think of broccoli, so I feel hungry.”

Next, the students brainstormed the different colours and what they made them feel or think of.

Then, the students went on a colour hunt to look for signs, words, and images where particular colours were used for a purpose.

They reflected on the following:

• What do we see/notice?
• What do we think or wonder about it?
• What does it make us want to do?

The students sorted their pictures and discussed the choices people make about colour, and how words and images communicate powerful messages.