Saturday March 23rd

Over the years, I have discovered something commonly done by all teachers that causes young learners of color to feel discouraged, stressed, inferior and not included… When using paint with young children, many teachers refer to the color brown as yucky, and children are not encouraged to mix all colors together and make brown. It is a color that is often taught to be associated with things that are negative in the eyes of a child. As a color, brown is often not associated with positive things like the earth, tree trunks, or chocolate. I am often asked by teachers to do self-portraits with young students. When students are asked to do a self portrait, children who are Caucasian are taught that their skin color is white, pink or peach, while students of color, are often invited to use “yucky” brown, yellow or black to paint their skin color. Interestingly enough, skin color can only be created using brown made by first mixing all the primary colors together and then adding or subtracting primary colors, black or white. This workshop is based on an art lesson that I designed and have done for many years with children of all ages. It combines practical strategies and the joy of experimentation. During this workshop, teachers will learn a fun and engaging activity that they can adapt and use with their students to creatively promote and assist their young learners to discover they are all connected and represented in their classroom and school community.

Suitable for: All Teachers