Mixing colors to create own personal skin shade
When teachers provide representation of a wide range of skin tones and facial features focusing on diversity among people, this activity is perfect tool to reject some stereotypes about labels of skin colors like white and black which are not accurate skin description of actual skin tones.
According to "Research about Children's Awareness of Human Differences" the activity of mixing colors to create personal skin shade is developmentally appropriate for ages 3 thru 8 because at this age, children acquire a self-concept, they learn how to make friends, and learn words to express themselves. (York, p. 129)At the age five through six children still asking questions and try to make sense of the world. They are still interested in physical differences and can easily describe themselves their own physical features. At this age, children's understanding of gender and racial behavior may be very rigid and traditional. As a result , they may tend to choose friends of the same sex and the same race that is a result of passive discrimination though young children. "At the ages seven to nine, children realize their gender and skin color will stay the same as they grow into childhood."(York p.18-19) According to the information above, children are aware of differences, and they form strong attitudes toward themselves and others at an early age. That's why it's necessary to provide the activity focusing on refusing some biases that could be already created by young children. The activity of mixing colors is an age appropriate even for preschoolers and is very helpful tool of refusing a myth about white and black skin colors.
This activity addresses three goals for anti-bias curriculum which are: "Recognize, appreciate, and respect the uniqueness, beauty, value and
contribution of each child.", "Provide children with a positive experience exploring similarities and
differences.", and "Increase children's ability to interact, talk and play with people who are
different from them."
A multicultural or anti-bias approaches can help young children learn to place a positive
value on the differences among people and treat all people with respect. "It can nurture the
development of positive self identity and group identity in not only the students
but also the staff and families."(Wolpert p.1)
List of Anti-Bias Goals and Objectives (York, pgs. 138-142)
List of Anti-Bias Goals and Objectives (York, pgs. 138-142)
Goal 1
Goal 1: Develop a positive, knowledgeable, and confident self-identity with a cultural context.
Objectives met:
Recognizing one's own physical features
Demonstrate positive sense of self-worth
Recognize one's beauty
Demonstrate self-acceptance of one's physical features
Objectives met:
Recognizing one's own physical features
Demonstrate positive sense of self-worth
Recognize one's beauty
Demonstrate self-acceptance of one's physical features
Demonstrate feeling of being special and unique.
Goal 2: Demonstrate comfortable, empathetic interaction with diversity among people.
Objectives met:
Accept others whoa re different from one's
Appreciate physical characteristics of others
Explore similarities and differences in positive ways.
Recognize human similarities/differences and develop positive attitudes toward them.
Recognize that human differences make people unique and special.
Goal 3: Think critically about bias.
Objectives met:
Accept that unfair treatment because of differences is wrong.
Recognize those who are left out and those who are included.
Receive simple, truthful information about human diversity.
Recognize the importance of not making judgments based on appearance.
Recognize that people within a group are not all alike.
Think for oneself.
Goal 4: Stand up for oneself and others in the face of bias.
Objective met:
Recognize that people can work together to help each other.
Cooperate with others.
Participate in group problem solving.
Participate as a group member and in group decision making.
Generate solutions to problems.
Work cooperatively with others.
Mixing colors to create own personal shades of skin tones and labels activity. An
integrated project exploration of each child’s own unique skin shade encourages more awareness of similarities and differences among classmates. It's the most important materials, items which show people in varied shades of skin tone. Crayons and pencils can be used in this activity to reach a little similar shades of peaches, tans, or brown, but it's still not good enough of creating shades as using paints.Using a plate or a cup as a palette have children keep track of dabs and drops of color to blend and create their own personal shade by mixing, testing, and using a back of a hand, similarly to make-up technician, children discover that one of them can be a toasted almond-gingerbread-peach while his friend is cinnamon-gingerbread-ivory, so this is a great way to look at skin color and racial labels. Using this activity helps children to see that we are all shades of brown and that everyone has a little bit of all the colors of their skin. This is a new framework which is more accurate to true human skin tones than Black or White.
Children's Picture Books are a great way to introduce concepts and promote discussion.
Those books can be read before the activity of mixing colors:
"Shades of People"
by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly
"Cocoa, tan, rose, and almond-people come in lots of shades, even in the same family. This exploration of one of our most noticeable physical traits uses vibrant photographs of childen and a short text to inspire young children both to take notice and to look beyond the obvious."
Sample quote: "Our skin is just our covering, like wrapping paper. And, you can't tell what someone is like from the color of their skin."
This book can be used for all ages.
"The Color of Us"
by Karen Katz
This book about a positive and affirming look at skin color, from an artist’s perspective. A seven-year-old girl named Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use a brown color to paint her skin, but when she with her mother walk through the neighborhood, Lena discovers that brown comes in many different shades. This book connects all people through differences and similarities by the eye of a little girl who begins to see her familiar world in a new way.
This book can be used for children of age 4 through 8. Interset level: preschool Grade 3.
In conclusion, according to Stacy York, “As early childhood educators, we know that children learn best when they are actively exploring materials, experiencing the world with their whole bodies and all of their senses, and interacting with a variety of people.” ; thus, a key concept of the activity of mixing to colors to create a personal skin shade foresees understanding among young children that human skin color is different than the color categories used and misused to describe races such as white,black, red and yellow.
References:
York, Stacey. Roots & Wings. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2006
HDEV025 Handout, Goals for Anti-Bias Curriculum.
Follari, Lissanna. "Valuing Diversity in Early Childhood." Colby-Sawyer College. First ed.Pearson.2013.Print.
Picture Book Review - Shades of People by Shelley Rotner ...
www.sproutsbookshelf.com/.../picture-book-review-shades-of-people-by...
]Redefining the Norm: Early Childhood Anti-Bias Strategies
www.inlyschool.org/.../Redefining%20the%20Norm%20by%...
