Colors of Us

This afternoon the kids were happy to be back after a long weekend. Today, they were presented with different shades of brown paint on one of the tables. Without any explanation, the kids immediately began testing out different colors.

As they sat with paintbrushes in hand and scrap paper, they each talked about the different shades they were hoping to use. 

"I want the brown one!"
"They are all brown."

"Oh, well I think I want this one. It's kind of green too."

"There's one that kind of looks red, I want that one."
"I need the one that is brown because I want to make a picture of my family. I am going to make my mom, and my baby sisters!"

Everyone seemed to enjoy using the different shades of brown. A lot of the kids made non-specific pictures and just tested out all of the colors. Others found ways around only being presented with brown shades and were able to compromise their specific drawings with the colors offered. 

"I am going to make a heart with the brownish/redish one."

At meeting, we read, "The Colors of Us" by Karen Katz. It didn't take long before the children noticed the different colors of the characters. 

"That one looks like me!"

"That girl has the same color skin I do."

"I hope there's someone like me in the book!"

Turns out, the book represented a lot of the kids in the book, it was quite exciting and sparked a new idea. 

"What if we make our own book with us in it!"

After our meeting the kids took the time to find their shades. M and S tested their paint out like foundation, painting their skin with the colors on the table. 

"This one that is peach is kind of like my skin, but I am tan."

"I need the peanut butter color! It is like my skin too."

It was such a fun afternoon exploring our different shades and preparing ourselves to create a class book. Stay tuned!