What reptiles and amphibians are colorful? How do these animals use these colors to help them? Watch the recorded program now to find out!

Content Unit :

Color

Featured Creature :

Corn snake; Fiji island iguana

Smithsonian Partners :

National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of American History, National Museum of Asian Art, National Postal Museum, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Smithsonian Gardens

ELOF Standards :

IT-C 10; P-SCI-1; P-SCI-2; P-SCI-3

Lessons and Activities

Check out fun and easy classroom activities to help kids, families, and teachers explore the topic of color with seven different Smithsonian museums and centers!

Letter to Families

Print or send this letter home with your students to help them share what they learned during the "Colorful Creatures" virtual field trip and how families can continue the learning at home!

Resources

A close-up of a flamingo with bright pink feathers resting its head on its body
Happy Bird-Day, Head Start! Colorful Creatures Pre-Math With Cheetahs

Color Experiment with Flamingos

This playful experiment brings color mixing to life as children learn how flamingos get their pink feathers!

Additional details
Age Group:
Preschool
Animal:
Birds
ELOF Domain:
Approaches to Learning Social and Emotional Development Language and Communication Literacy Scientific Reasoning Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development
Format:
E-Course
Language:
English
Museum:
National Zoo
Topic:
Color Math Science
A display of minerals arranged by color to create a rainbow effect.
Colorful Creatures

Mineral Rainbow

In this lesson, students will practice making and sharing observations of different minerals, classify and sort minerals, and create their own rainbow inspired by colors and textures found in nature!

Additional details
Age Group:
Toddler Preschool
ELOF Domain:
Cognition
Format:
Video
Language:
English
Museum:
National Museum of Natural History
Topic:
Color
An eight rectangle collage showing many colors.
Colorful Creatures

Smithsonian's Color Quest

Discover colorful objects across the Smithsonian with Pinky Jackalope and Nick the Music Man! This video resource follows Pinky and Nick's journey as they discover a new colorful object from eight different museums, research centers, and the National Zoo. From a red airplane at the National Air and Space Museum to a purple amethyst at the National Museum of Natural History, there is so much to explore at the Smithsonian!

Additional details
Age Group:
Toddler Preschool
Animal:
Birds
ELOF Domain:
Cognition
Format:
Video
Language:
English
Museum:
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center National Zoo National Air and Space Museum National Museum of Asian Art National Museum of American History National Postal Museum National Museum of Natural History
Topic:
Color
A close up angle of a yellow daffodil flower with green leaves with more daffodils behind.
Colorful Creatures Three Cheers for Trees

Hue Hike Across the Smithsonian

Take a Hue Hike with Pinky at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and Smithsonian Gardens. Discover the colorful nature that surrounds you, whether in a forest or even in a city!

Additional details
Age Group:
Toddler Preschool
ELOF Domain:
Cognition
Format:
Video
Language:
English
Museum:
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Smithsonian Gardens
Topic:
Color
A woman stands next to a pink jackalope puppet in front of a wall with two painted gold peacocks. The room they are standing in is called the Peacock Room found at the National Museum of Asian Art.
Colorful Creatures

The Peacock Room at the National Museum of Asian Art

Did you know there are 15 known colors of male peacocks and female peahens? In this video, search for all the different colors and patterns in the spectacular Peacock Room at the National Museum of Asian Art! With the help of Pinky Jackalope and Smithsonian educator Brigitte, see if you can find blue, green, gold, and purple colors in a real peacock feather before searching for these colors in the painted peacocks on the walls and ceiling.

Additional details
Age Group:
Toddler Preschool
ELOF Domain:
Cognition
Format:
Video
Language:
English
Museum:
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic:
Color
A black and orange butterfly rests on a cluster of small pink and purple star-shaped flowers.
Colorful Creatures Three Cheers for Trees

Colorful Pollinators Matching Activity

Learn to identify colors while engaging with the beauty of nature in this hands-on activity! Just like humans, animal friends need to eat, including pollinators, who find their food inside of flowers. Pollinators are drawn to some colors more than others, and this helps them decide which flowers to visit when they get hungry. In this activity, help six pollinator friends find some of their favorite flowers so they can eat and help new flowers grow!

Additional details
Age Group:
Preschool
Animal:
Bugs and Insects
ELOF Domain:
Cognition
Format:
PDF
Language:
English
Museum:
Smithsonian Gardens
Topic:
Color Nature

Recursos

A close-up of a flamingo with bright pink feathers resting its head on its body
Happy Bird-Day, Head Start! Colorful Creatures Pre-Math With Cheetahs

Experimento de Color con Flamencos

This playful experiment brings color mixing to life as children learn how flamingos get their pink feathers!

Additional details
Age Group:
Preschool
Animal:
Birds
ELOF Domain:
Approaches to Learning Social and Emotional Development Language and Communication Literacy Scientific Reasoning Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development
Format:
E-Course
Language:
Spanish
Museum:
National Zoo
Topic:
Color Math Science