Chalk Me!

One of the books I chose for this activity is called: The Skin You Live In. Written by: Michael Tyler. This book is about children who are different skin colors, and that Is ok. It is an important message of social acceptance of young children, friendship, and self esteem. The book has rhythm and the pages are very colorful. I felt this book was appropriate because it is important for children to be comfortable with their skin color, and who they are.

            Another book I chose is called: Little Blue, Little Yellow. By Leo Lionni. This is the story of two best friends: little blue and little yellow. They go to school and play everyday until one day they can't find each other. Finally, they reunite and the two friends hug until little blue and little yellow both become little greens! They go home and are rejected by their parents who do not recognize their own children! Not wanted in their own homes little blue and little yellow meet again and cry. Their tears change little blue and little yellow back to their original colors. Little blue speeds off to explain everything to his parents who are so overjoyed that they go running across the street to tell little yellow's parents. Then their parents end up hugging until they themselves turn green.

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Show This is appropriate because it is important for children to know early about the color of their skin, and other people’s skin color, so they don’t grow up being curious, or making fun of others.

It’s Me! The theme is the children’s bodies, and class. To recognize and celebrate one’s own physical features, and beauty, experience dignity and pride. You need small unbreakable mirrors, skin color paints, markers, or crayons, construction or drawing paper. Invite children to look at themselves in the mirror, help them notice and name their physical features, for instance, “your hair is brown, curly, and short. Your eyes are brown and round” encourage children to draw or paint a self portrait; encourage them to continually refer back to their mirrors if they forget what their face looks like. Ask each child to share his or her pictures at group time. Using larger unbreakable mirrors, invite children to draw their face on the mirror.

Self-Portrait

Bodies, our class, recognize and celebrate ones own physical features, recognize ones own beauty, experience dignity and pride. Photograph of each child, a color enlargement of each photo, a plexiglass easel or clear acetate, skin color paints, a variety of other colors of paint, paint brushes, smocks. Take a picture of each child’s face. Enlarge the photograph on a color copy machine. Lay it on the table and put a piece of clear acetate over it, or tape it to the back of a clear plexiglass easel. Invite mirrors. Encourage the child to compare and contrast their face in the mirror with the photograph and their self portrait.

Draw me/Draw you

I’m me and I’m special, friends, alike and different, five senses. Appreciate the beauty and value of others. Appreciate the physical characteristics of others. Experience positive, respectful interactions with people who are different. Drawing paper, felt tip pens, crayons. Have the children find a partner and ask them to sit across from one another at the table. Encourage the children to draw a picture of their partners face. Ask them to look at their partner. Then ask “what color is his skin? What color are her eyes? Does he have freckles? What color is her hair? How long is his hair? Is her hair straight or curly?” the drawing probably wont look like the partner. That’s all right. Looking at the features of another person is the important part. Ask the children to exchange the drawings when they are done. 1. Have the children describe themselves to each other before they begin drawing. 2. Have the children share their drawings with the class at group time. 3. Play a guessing game during group time. Have the children look at the drawing and guess who it is.


I chose an activity that I titled “Chalk Me”. For this you need chalk, kids, and sidewalk! Having a bunch of color chalk, asking the children to grab the color chalk they think their skin color is. The child hands that color to their partner and the other child lays on the ground, while the child with the chalk begins to trace the child laying down. I felt this would be a good idea for children, because they are choosing the color they think their skin color is. On page 42 (York) states “children as young as six months notice skin color.” This activity is appropriate for preschool children through age 6. On page 43 in the text York states “children of color learn racial labels and use racial labels after they classify alike and different. By age 5 or 6 children of color can correctly identify their own race.”

            When I asked a child to pick their color of skin from chalk, he grabbed the white one. I asked why he grabbed the while one and he said “because I’m white”. It made me think on the video we watched in class a while back about how children will just chose brown, or black or white, instead of peach, or Carmel. I found it very interesting that I had that experience myself.