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Everyone Can Create! - By Rachel Clair

2/25/2019

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(We had the good fortune of having Rachel step in and direct a couple episodes while Sacha was out of town. She was also gracious enough to contribute to the blog!)
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Hey Good Buddies!
Last summer, I was riding a bus down Lake Shore Drive in Chicago when I saw the most perfect rainbow I had ever seen. A thunderstorm had just lifted, and the first bits of sunlight were cracking through the clouds above the city skyline. I looked out across Lake Michigan, and there it was - a fully arched rainbow featuring the completed spectrum of color - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet - or, ROY G. BIV, as I learned in the second grade.

Like many of you, I’ve been learning about colors since before I could talk. I just assumed that after 30+ years of learning about colors, I knew everything there was to know. However, I was proven wrong when I joined Sajja and Kabba onset to shoot this episode. Behind the scenes, I learned something new.

If you’re like me, you learned the three primary colors in your grade school art class: red, yellow, and blue. These three colors can be mixed together to make just about every other color of the rainbow. Grab some paint and you can experiment mixing these colors with your kiddos:
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Red + Yellow = Orange
Yellow + Blue = Green
Blue + Red = Purple

Mix in a little black or white, and you can make varying shades. ​
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While shooting Sajja and Kabba, we were working with light, not paint, and I learned that the primary colors of light are different than those of paint: red, GREEN, and blue.

I was shocked. How could this be? Why are they different?
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I did a little research, and not only did I uncover why the primary colors of light are different, I also learned that red, yellow, and blue aren’t the true primary colors of paint (or pigment as the arts and sciences world like to refer to it), but yellow, magenta, and cyan are. Talk about mind blowing!

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Color is simply light traveling at different wavelengths. For example, light with a wavelength of about 700 nanometers is seen as red.

We are able to see color because our eyes contain two different types of photoreceptors that are sensitive to light. The first kind of photoreceptor is a cone, which is sensitive to color, and the second kind of photoreceptor is a rod, which is sensitive to intensity.

The reason we can see more than one color at a time is because each of our eyes contains three different cones. Guess which colors these cones are sensitive to?

You got it! One is sensitive to red, the other green, and the third blue, creating the foundation for the primary colors of light.

You can experiment with light mixing at home by grabbing a flashlight and buying some of these colored gels off amazon.

When you do, you’ll discover, as I did, what the true primary colors of pigment are:
Red Light + Blue Light = Magenta
Blue Light + Green Light = Cyan
Green Light + Red Light = Yellow

Now, it’s up to you to decide how much you want to confuse your kids before they go to school. My suggestion? Just gather your paints and lighting gels, and mix the day away. Your kids are sure to have a blast.
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Rachel Clair lives in Chicago and can be reached at https://www.rachelclair.com ​​
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Fostering Creativity by Amanda Allen

2/16/2019

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Recently, Sajja and Kabba have been learning about colors, and we have been talking about how to incorporate these concepts into your child’s life. Check out our posts on The Importance of Coloring and ​Color Theory​. Today, let’s talk about how we can use these techniques to help build our child’s creativity ​

Why is this important?

In the 90's, a movement began in education called the 21st Century Skills. This is a set of skills that was created based on research collected when employers were asked the simple question: What skills do individuals need to succeed in the workforce? These skills include: collaboration, critical thinking, leadership, and creativity (among others). While this inventory is widely accepted by educators and administrators, execution in public education has been difficult. Ken Robinson, a leader in the education sector, addresses the problem with our current education system and views on intelligence in general in his humorous and enlightening TED Talk. Ultimately, children are tremendously creative and inquisitive beings, and we adults tend to squash that creativity. ​

How to encourage creativity?

One way is to present problems (or avenues for discovery) to children and let them explore without fear of failure. For example, you could collect a variety of cooking supplies (oil, flour, baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, etc.) and let kids experiment with mixing various substances. Last week, Sajja and Kabba were presented with an avenue for discovery when their whole world began to change colors and, like any child would, they began asking questions and learning and having fun. ​
Other great ways to engage children in creative pursuit is through art, music, and dance. Get a poster board and various art supplies and encourage them to create art, without any guidelines, rules, or order. Turn on music and have an impromptu dance party in your kitchen. Make up silly songs when you're driving in the car.
By infusing creativity in our daily lives it becomes a part of our cognitive processes. Many business professionals take improvisation classes because they recognize the need for creativity in their presentations and interactions with clients.
Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Help your child hold on to their artistic nature and rediscover your inner artist this week!
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How and Why You Should Teach Your Kids Color Theory by Michael Boothby

2/11/2019

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Life is made up of colors.
We see them everywhere we go:


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Blue, Red, and Yellow together make the three Primary Colors, and when mixed together, they create every other color in the Universe.

Unless your child is
color blind, they're going to be seeing and interacting with every color of the rainbow on a daily basis.

And according to a study conducted by NASA,
we all are born creative geniuses.

This includes your children, so you may as well set them up for creative and artistic success in their lives and teach them Color Theory.​

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Color Theory is the study of the combination of colors, and while it can get complicated, it can also be broken down into simple terms that even the youngest of children could understand.

Primary Colors

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If your child is of preschool age, begin by explaining the three Primary Colors to them:
  • Red
  • Blue
  • Yellow
Then give them some construction paper and paint and have them paint circles of each primary color.

After, you may ask them to combine the colors and let them see what happens.

Don't try to explain it too much at this point. Just let them have the experience.

This will introduce them to the concept of....

Secondary Colors

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The three Secondary Colors are Orange, Purple, and Green. If your child is in Kindergarten, feel free to use the paint of the the three Primary Colors to show them how:
  • Combining Blue and Red makes Purple
  • Combining Blue and Yellow makes Green
  • Combining Red and Yellow makes Orange
If you believe your child will understand, explain to them in your own words how this concept works and encourage them to blend the primary colors themselves with the paint.
If your child is in Elementary School (or you believe them to be the next Vincent Van Gogh) feel free to introduce them to the concept of...

Tertiary Colors

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When you mix the three Primary colors with the three Secondary colors you get Tertiary Colors which include more nuanced blended colors such as...
  • Orange-Yellow
  • Blue-Violet
  • Blue-Green
At this point, the sky's the limit. Now combine your primary color paint with your secondary color blends to create every other color under (and around) the sun.
If you think your child will understand, explain to them in your own words the concept of Tertiary Colors.
Remember: Teaching your children is also a great way to re-learn these concepts for yourself!
And we could all use a bit more color in our lives.
Click Here for Art Projects
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The Importance of Coloring by Amanda Allen

2/1/2019

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PictureYou remember these right?

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Hey Good Buddies!

Today let’s talk about the Importance of Coloring.
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That’s right. Coloring. The thing we make children do so we can have a moment's rest. Well, it turns out, we should be coloring too!

Here are 5 Benefits of Coloring:
  • Improved fine motor skills. Want to set your toddler up for success as a writer? Build the strength and dexterity in their hands
  • Increases focus. Coloring is an activity that requires children to stay on one task for a long time, maybe even three minutes! Initially, your child will not be able to maintain focus but by engaging in coloring on a regular basis they will begin to build this skill and if you join them they can learn by example!
  • Enhances creativity. For many of us, the goal of coloring is to stay inside the lines and create a beautiful picture. And there is a certain amount of creativity within these guidelines. What color will you use? But maybe we can foster more creativity… Let’s color outside the lines! Or only use blues to color the whole picture.
  • Provides much needed quiet time for children. “Children needing quiet time?!” I can hear you laughing. But it’s true. Young children need time to be alone with their thoughts, especially those that are transitioning out of naps.
  • Connection. While we need time for our children to play independently (and they need it too!), we can also use coloring as a way to connect with our kids. Try to engage children in conversation or simply share your thoughts. “What color should I use on her dress?” or “I think I will color the tree orange because it’s fall.” Or, even better make up a story about the picture you are coloring! Double points for visual and verbal creativity!

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I’m a big fan of coloring for one reason: there are basically no rules. Maybe rules such as “Don’t eat the crayons” or “draw on the paper only” are needed but otherwise it is an activity born out of freedom. Your kids want to scribble? Go for it. They want to color white on white? Go nuts! 
When kids are in an environment that has very simple, easy to understand rules their creativity flourishes, and they can relax. Don’t get me wrong! I’m NOT saying rules are bad. Rules are essential, but they can be very confusing and taxing to children because they don’t understand them. So, the next time your little one is feeling overwhelmed or frazzled sit down with them and color a picture or two, it might even help you relax!

And be a Good Buddy and check out our free coloring resources!
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