Colors Teaching Theme: Black Activities and Songs

Literature and Activities for the Color Black

Books About the Color Black

  • Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
  • The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
  • The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani

Black Song

Tune: “Jingle Bells”

Black, black, black.
Black, black, black.
B-L-A-C-K.
A witch’s hat,
Her cat and bat.
All are shades of black.

Itsy Bitsy Spider: Spider Web Drawing

Book: The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani

Materials:

  • Drawing paper
  • Black crayons or markers
  • Die-cut paper spiders
  • Glue

Instructions:

  1. Read The Itsy Bitsy Spider aloud to the class.
  2. Lead students through a directed drawing activity to create a spider web.
  3. Give each student a die-cut spider.
  4. Have students glue their spiders onto their webs.
  5. Display the completed spider web pictures.

Little Miss Muffet: Sequencing and Spider Hats

Recite the nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet with the class.

Invite students to act out the rhyme, taking turns playing Little Miss Muffet and the spider.

Sequencing Activity:

Provide pictures illustrating the events in the nursery rhyme. Have students cut out the pictures and glue them in the correct sequence.

Spider Hat Craft

Materials:

  • Black construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Tape or glue
  • Paper strips for headbands

Instructions:

  1. Cut a large circle from black construction paper to create the spider’s body.
  2. Cut four long strips of black paper.
  3. Attach the strips across the middle of the circle so that four legs extend from each side, creating eight legs.
  4. Accordion-fold each leg to give it a zigzag appearance.
  5. Attach the spider to a paper headband.

Students can wear their spider hats while reciting Little Miss Muffet.

Ten Black Dots: Counting and Art

Book: Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews

Materials:

  • Black paper circles or dot stickers
  • White construction paper
  • Glue
  • Crayons or markers

Instructions:

  1. Read Ten Black Dots aloud to the class.
  2. Discuss how the black dots are used to create different pictures.
  3. Have students create their own versions of the book using black dots.
  4. Students can draw pictures incorporating different numbers of dots.

Simplified Activity:

Give each student 10 black dots and one sheet of paper.

Students use all 10 dots to create a picture, then add details with crayons or markers.

For an inexpensive alternative to black stickers, use a hole punch to make dots from black construction paper.

Night Sky Crayon Resist Painting

Materials:

  • White construction paper
  • Crayons
  • Black watercolor paint
  • Paintbrushes

Instructions:

  1. Have students draw a nighttime scene using crayons. Encourage them to include stars, the moon, and other objects they might see in the night sky.
  2. Prepare a thin wash of black watercolor paint.
  3. Have students brush the black paint over their entire pictures.
  4. Watch as the waxy crayon drawings resist the paint and appear against the dark background.
  5. Allow the paintings to dry before displaying them.

Oreo Cookie Graphing

Materials:

  • Oreo cookies
  • Chart paper
  • Markers

Instructions:

  1. Give each student an Oreo cookie.
  2. Discuss different ways people like to eat Oreos.
  3. Ask students to choose their favorite way to eat an Oreo.

Possible Choices:

  • Twist it apart and eat the filling first.
  • Eat the cookie and filling together.
  • Dunk it before eating.

Create a class graph showing students’ preferences.

Count and compare the results to discover the most popular way to eat an Oreo.

Black Color Rap

Teach students this simple rap about the color black.

Black is the night.
Black is a bat.
Black is a big, scary Halloween cat!

Have students clap or tap a rhythm as they recite the words.

Big Black Crayon: Color Word Brainstorming

Materials:

  • Black butcher paper
  • Scissors
  • White or colored chalk

Instructions:

  1. Cut a large crayon shape from black butcher paper.
  2. Display the crayon on a classroom wall or bulletin board.
  3. Ask students to brainstorm objects that are black.
  4. Use chalk to write their responses on the large black crayon.

Continue adding words throughout your study of the color black.

Possible Words: Bat, cat, spider, tire, crow, and night.

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