As we gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let us remember the power of coloring books.
And coloring sheets. And, of course, the collaborative coloring poster.
All of these can be found in the high school/middle school library in the school district where I’m the librarian. I am always gratified when I walk into the room and see groups of students sitting peaceably around tables, coloring.
Our current contentious political environment has reached into our personal lives, and many people have reported that their relationships with family members and friends have frayed because they can’t agree with one another. A striking public example: Six siblings of U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) ran ads supporting his rival in the midterm elections. (He won nonetheless.)
Thanksgiving could prove challenging for many families. That’s why I’m suggesting they get out the coloring books.
Last week, two of our student library aides and two of their friends were in the library workroom. They were busily coloring Thanksgiving-themed pages for a bulletin board. They are sophomores. It didn’t matter. Today’s coloring transcends age.
I first brought coloring to the library because I began seeing coloring books for adults. I’d had one as a teenager—it was pages of psychedelic designs of the type that were common in the 1970s. But that was one book. Now it clearly is a trend. I was intrigued and bought one. Soon I had to have the best colored pencils. Then I needed quality markers as well.
If I liked it so much, wouldn’t my students?
We set out coloring pages with a sign inviting students to “Relax…Color.” It quickly became a popular activity. High school students’ schedules are more flexible than their middle school counterparts, so they are the ones who are usually wielding the colored pencils. The high school students have 75-minute periods. They have study halls. They have a 20-minute period in which they can work with teachers to make up work. If they don’t have any to do, they can come to the library.
I’ve noticed serious students take a break from their studies to color for 10 minutes. Then they return to their carrels and their books and computers.
This is a wise move. The brain works better after a break.
Young people today face many pressures. Many parents want their children to excel in both academics and sports. Technology is all encompassing, and the social media world can be dangerous and cruel.
Coloring can be a respite. It is low-tech, tactile and creative. Students often color together, which provides face-to-face time that is healthy and socially enriching. Last year, we introduced collaborative coloring posters. These are set out on a table. Students come and go, coloring in parts of the poster. Sometimes teens who don’t know each other start coloring together. I can’t say for sure, but I suspect some friendships have been formed this way. I know at least one romance blossomed!
Mindfulness training is a trend in education right now. Our minds are filled with noisy distractions—binge streaming, video games, social media. This affects even our youngest students. The day after Halloween, a pre-kindergarten class delayed its library visit for 15 minutes so the youngsters could run around the playground. They were overstimulated by the holiday (and the sugar).
Coloring focuses the brain. We need to concentrate in order to fill in those little spaces. We need to be in the moment.
It is a respite from overthinking.
Colors can change our moods. If pink makes us happy, then we can make rose-colored cows and petal-blossom stars.
Coloring is a creative act that even nonartists can succeed at. It’s satisfying to see that our finished work looks good, even though we can’t draw a box in perspective to save our lives.
I first brought coloring to the library because I began seeing coloring books for adults. I’d had one as a teenager—it was pages of psychedelic designs of the type that were common in the 1970s. But that was one book. Now it clearly is a trend. I was intrigued and bought one. Soon I had to have the best colored pencils. Then I needed quality markers as well.
If I liked it so much, wouldn’t my students?
We set out coloring pages with a sign inviting students to “Relax…Color.” It quickly became a popular activity. High school students’ schedules are more flexible than their middle school counterparts, so they are the ones who are usually wielding the colored pencils. The high school students have 75-minute periods. They have study halls. They have a 20-minute period in which they can work with teachers to make up work. If they don’t have any to do, they can come to the library.
I’ve noticed serious students take a break from their studies to color for 10 minutes. Then they return to their carrels and their books and computers.
This is a wise move. The brain works better after a break.
Young people today face many pressures. Many parents want their children to excel in both academics and sports. Technology is all encompassing, and the social media world can be dangerous and cruel.
Coloring can be a respite. It is low-tech, tactile and creative. Students often color together, which provides face-to-face time that is healthy and socially enriching. Last year, we introduced collaborative coloring posters. These are set out on a table. Students come and go, coloring in parts of the poster. Sometimes teens who don’t know each other start coloring together. I can’t say for sure, but I suspect some friendships have been formed this way. I know at least one romance blossomed!
Mindfulness training is a trend in education right now. Our minds are filled with noisy distractions—binge streaming, video games, social media. This affects even our youngest students. The day after Halloween, a pre-kindergarten class delayed its library visit for 15 minutes so the youngsters could run around the playground. They were overstimulated by the holiday (and the sugar).
Coloring focuses the brain. We need to concentrate in order to fill in those little spaces. We need to be in the moment.
It is a respite from overthinking.
Colors can change our moods. If pink makes us happy, then we can make rose-colored cows and petal-blossom stars.
Coloring is a creative act that even nonartists can succeed at. It’s satisfying to see that our finished work looks good, even though we can’t draw a box in perspective to save our lives.
When students see a collaborative project hanging on the wall of the library, they know they have been part of something that is bigger than themselves. Especially if they are nonathletes, they may feel proud of being part of a team.
From the librarians’ viewpoint, coloring is a good option for the student who is having a bad day, who otherwise might act out in unfortunate ways. There are students who eat their lunch quickly and don’t want to stay in the food court for social reasons. They can come to the library to color. And we appreciate the art work that results. The library has never looked so colorful.
This year, for the first time, we had a coloring problem. A student wrote his name on a collaborative poster and he and another boy scribbled on it. I happened to be covering the circulation desk when it happened, and the damage was done so quietly, I didn’t even notice it was happening.
We dealt with the situation, and the perpetrators have returned to the coloring table without incident. It’s surprising, really, that it hadn’t happened before. But coloring seems to calm people, rather than incite them to graffiti. Hopefully we have returned to our enviable status quo—a peaceful world of color and creativity; a sanctuary from the vicissitudes of the real world.
From the librarians’ viewpoint, coloring is a good option for the student who is having a bad day, who otherwise might act out in unfortunate ways. There are students who eat their lunch quickly and don’t want to stay in the food court for social reasons. They can come to the library to color. And we appreciate the art work that results. The library has never looked so colorful.
This year, for the first time, we had a coloring problem. A student wrote his name on a collaborative poster and he and another boy scribbled on it. I happened to be covering the circulation desk when it happened, and the damage was done so quietly, I didn’t even notice it was happening.
We dealt with the situation, and the perpetrators have returned to the coloring table without incident. It’s surprising, really, that it hadn’t happened before. But coloring seems to calm people, rather than incite them to graffiti. Hopefully we have returned to our enviable status quo—a peaceful world of color and creativity; a sanctuary from the vicissitudes of the real world.
No comments:
Post a Comment