As part of our Social Justice Curriculum, this week we have an art lesson on creating skin tones.
1. Children will use color mixing with watercolors to create their skin tone (and the skin tones of anyone they know). They will experiment and play until they get a color that is close to their own. They will also try to make a variety of skin tones of the human race: http://wonderteacher.com/how-to-create-skin-tones-with-watercolor-paints/
2. Next, they will name their newly created color based on things they like in nature (ex: honey caramel, almond delight, mahogany)
In later assignments, they will trace their hand and color it to match their own. We will make a classroom display of “helping hands” as a symbol of teamwork and cooperation.
Later, we will do a variety of self-portraits. Crayola tempera paints in a variety of skin tones are also available.
Other resources:
http://www.karenkatz.com/colors%20of%20us.pdf
Books we will read:
Black is Brown is Tan
http://www.amazon.com/black-brown-tan-Arnold-Adoff/dp/0064436446
The Color of Us
http://www.amazon.com/The-Colors-Us-Karen-Katz/dp/0805071636/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y
The Skin You Live In