Micah’s Color Adventure: Getting Ready for a Trip to the Crayola Factory

Materials Needed

• Crayons or washable markers
• Paper or a small drawing notebook
• Three small objects in different colors
• Magnifying glass, optional
• Colored pencils or paint, optional
• Child-safe scissors and glue, optional
• A simple “Color Explorer” checklist
• Pencil
• Timer or clock

Lesson Overview

Learner: Micah, age 6

Suggested time: 45–60 minutes, with optional activities before or after the field trip

Big idea: Colors, shapes, and art materials help people share ideas and make things.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, Micah will be able to:

• Name at least six colors.
• Describe at least two ways crayons or markers can be used.
• Make a simple prediction about what may happen at the Crayola Factory.
• Observe and record at least three things during the visit.
• Create a colorful picture and explain one choice made by the artist.

Success Criteria

Micah is successful when he can say:

• “I can name colors I see.”
• “I can tell what I notice.”
• “I can make a guess and check it later.”
• “I can use art materials safely.”
• “I can explain my picture.”

Introduction: Hook and Objectives

Color Mystery Hook

Place three colorful objects in a bag or behind a book. Let Micah feel or look at one object at a time without naming it.

Ask:

• “What color do you think it is?”
• “What clues helped you guess?”
• “What do you think happens inside a crayon factory?”

Tell Micah:

“Today we will become color explorers. We will learn about colors, make art, ask questions, and get ready to look closely during our Crayola Factory adventure.”

Body of the Lesson

Part 1: I Do — Learn About Colors and Crayons

Show Micah a crayon. Explain using simple language:

• A crayon is a tool for making marks and pictures.
• Crayons come in many colors.
• Artists can press gently to make a light color or press harder to make a darker color.
• Artists can use lines, circles, dots, and shapes to make pictures.

Demonstrate making:

• A thin line and a thick line
• A light blue mark and a dark blue mark
• A circle, square, triangle, and zigzag

Say each action aloud as you demonstrate:

“First, I choose a color. Next, I decide what mark to make. Then, I use the crayon carefully. Finally, I look at my picture and tell what I notice.”

Quick Check

Ask Micah:

• “What tool am I using?”
• “How can I make a darker mark?”
• “What shapes did I make?”

Part 2: We Do — Color Scientist Investigation

Work together to examine three colored objects.

1. Choose one object.
2. Name its color.
3. Describe how it looks, feels, or is shaped.
4. Compare it with another object.
5. Decide which colors look warm or cool.

Explain:

• Warm colors can remind us of the sun or fire, such as red, orange, and yellow.
• Cool colors can remind us of water or ice, such as blue, green, and purple.

Think-Pair-Share

If an adult is participating, take turns answering. If Micah is working alone, have him think quietly and then tell the adult his answer.

• “Which color is your favorite today?”
• “What color would you use to draw a sunny day?”
• “What color would you use to draw a rainy day?”
• “What new crayon color would you invent? What would you name it?”

Formative Assessment

Invite Micah to sort crayons or objects into groups by color. Notice whether he can:

• Name colors correctly
• Explain why items belong together
• Use describing words such as bright, dark, light, smooth, or rough

Part 3: We Do — Predict the Field Trip

Tell Micah that a prediction is a smart guess about what might happen.

Complete these sentences together:

• “I predict I will see __________.”
• “I predict I will learn how __________ are made.”
• “I wonder if I will be able to __________.”
• “One question I want to ask is __________.”

Possible questions for Micah:

• “How are crayons made?”
• “How do crayons get their colors?”
• “How many colors are there?”
• “How are crayons kept safe?”
• “What is your favorite color to make?”

Part 4: You Do — Create a Crayola-Inspired Picture

Give Micah paper and crayons or markers. Let him choose one project:

• Color Factory: Draw a pretend factory that makes colorful crayons.
• My New Crayon: Design a crayon, choose its color, and give it a creative name.
• Color Adventure: Draw what Micah thinks he may see during the field trip.
• Rainbow Creature: Invent an animal with at least six colors.

Encourage Micah to include:

• At least six colors
• Three different shapes
• One light mark and one dark mark
• A creative title

When Micah finishes, ask:

• “What is the name of your picture?”
• “Which color did you use the most?”
• “What part was the most fun?”
• “What would you change or add?”

Part 5: Field Trip Color Explorer Checklist

Before the visit, read the checklist together. Micah can check items during or after the trip.

• ☐ I saw a color I had never noticed before.
• ☐ I saw someone making or using art.
• ☐ I learned one new fact.
• ☐ I asked a question.
• ☐ I found a shape in the building or exhibits.
• ☐ I saw something that was moving.
• ☐ I found my favorite color.
• ☐ I made a prediction that came true.

Safety and Field Trip Behavior

Practice these simple rules with Micah:

• “I stay close to my grown-up.”
• “I use walking feet.”
• “I listen when someone is speaking.”
• “I touch only when I am told it is okay.”
• “I ask before using art materials.”
• “I wash my hands when needed.”
• “I tell my grown-up if I feel tired, lost, or uncomfortable.”

Conclusion: Closure and Recap

Tell What We Learned

Ask Micah to complete these sentences:

• “Today I learned that crayons __________.”
• “A color I can name is __________.”
• “One question I have about the Crayola Factory is __________.”
• “During the field trip, I will look for __________.”

Review the main ideas:

• Colors can help us describe the world.
• Crayons and markers are tools for making art.
• Artists use lines, shapes, and colors to share ideas.
• Good observers look, listen, ask questions, and notice details.

Summative Assessment

Ask Micah to complete a short “Color Explorer Report” after the lesson or field trip:

1. Draw one thing he saw or expects to see.
2. Name three colors in the drawing.
3. Write or dictate one new fact.
4. Answer: “What was your favorite part, and why?”

Simple Assessment Checklist

Differentiation and Choice

Support for Micah

• Offer a color chart or let Micah point to colors before naming them.
• Use sentence starters such as “I see…” and “I wonder…”
• Allow Micah to answer by drawing, speaking, pointing, or dictating.
• Practice one field trip rule at a time.
• Limit the checklist to three items if the full list feels too long.

Challenge for Micah

• Ask Micah to mix or layer colors and describe the result.
• Have him invent a new crayon color and write a short advertisement for it.
• Ask him to compare two art tools using words such as softer, harder, brighter, or darker.
• Invite him to count how many different colors he notices during the visit.

Optional Follow-Up Activities

• Create a scrapbook page using the drawing, checklist, and dictated field trip report.
• Write a thank-you note to a museum guide or staff member.
• Sort crayons by color, size, or shade.
• Make a family color hunt by finding objects that match six different colors.
• Tell a story called “The Day My Crayon Came to Life.”