Going about our daily business, it's easy to ignore the beauty that surrounds us. But it's just as easy to open our eyes and hearts and seek out the small gifts of nature that can brighten our day, quicken our breath, and bring us a smile.
This is a reflection of palm trees on Risa's pool. I was struck by the lovely juxtaposition of blues; the sense of calm and beauty that it brought me. And I thought that this might be a good way to teach young children about colors and shapes.
The world around us, both natural and man-made, abounds in colors and shapes. Why not use these examples when exploring colors with young children? For example, we name "blue", often with pictures or toys or plastic shapes. But imagine the depth of meaning that "blue" takes on when we take children outside and observe blue in all its variations. Look at the sky at different times of day, during different weather conditions. What is blue? How many blues are there? Can we reproduce those blues?
How fun would it be to use paint chips for an outdoor matching/scavenger hunt? Cameras, paint, or crayons can document the findings for a beautiful and meaningful bulletin board or homemade book. What a wonderful way to strengthen focus and attention skills. And think of the expanded vocabulary developed as we give names to various hues or have children make up their own!
Most importantly, noticing the colors in our world reminds us that beauty, and its Creator, are always close at hand.
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