Color Grading

Almost a year ago (right after hearing about Doman) I made this really neat activity for Hunter about color grading. I got the idea from Montessori materials and decided to make my own but for much cheaper.

I used free paint samples from the store, cut off the words and glued them from darkest to lightest on a piece of card stock. I then outlined blank spots where the matching pieces should go (I got two of each paint sample).

In the meantime I showed them to my mom, and she said that he would get pick up on it really quick if I first showed him a more obvious color difference (like one dark blue, one medium blue, and one light blue). I intended to do this and put away my finished project, waiting till I had more time to work on it.

Nonetheless it had been almost a year since I made the activity and never managed to create a simpler one. It's been sitting under Hunter's desk and under the bottom of my priority list for many months now. But today I saw it and got it out. "Look Hunter!" I said excitedly. "Look what Mommy's doing... you wanna see?"

He watched as I matched the first two pairs. "Hmm..." I said thinking and demonstrating out loud. I scanned one of the cards across the colors until I found the one that was the same, then went back and forth again between the two that looked nearly the same to let him see me observing the subtle differences. I matched two pairs and then offered if he would like to try matching some. He eagerly took the little paint sample cards and matched them exactly to the correct colors, without much effort or forethought. I was impressed! There's not that much of a difference between some of the colors (especially the light ones), but he passed with "flying colors".

I only did one, and then put them away. Remember the cardinal rule of teaching - always stop before the child wants to stop.

I'm going to have to say that this activity was just a little too easy for him though. Maybe I waited too long, and he's too "old". Or maybe he's just already learned to notice subtle differences, so it came naturally for him. Like learning the difference between the vertebrae C3 and C4, the difference between a enneadecagon and an icosagon (a 19- and 20-sided polygon), the difference between the shapes of Arizona and New Mexico, the difference between the sound of C and C sharp, or the difference between the brush strokes of Renoir and Monet.

That might have something to do with it.

Either way, it was a fun, almost-free, interesting little activity, that even if he didn't have trouble with it, still probably emphasized the artsy-lesson of color shades, the terms light and dark in color, and, um, yeah, that's all I can think of at the moment.

"Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place."

2 Chronicles 7:15

Hunter is 3 years, 5 months old