Wooden tablets, all the same size and shape, with end bars long
enough for holding the tablets without touching the colored part
of the tablet.
BOX 1
The wooden box contains pairs of the primary colors; 2 red, 2
yellow, and 2 blue tablets.
BOX 2
Contains 22 tablets, representing the full color range, with
pairs
of each of the following colors: red, blue, yellow, orange,
purple, green, pink, grey, brown, black, and white.
BOX 3
A box with 9 partitions, each partition holding 7 tablets in
shades of one color. Seven shades of each of the following:
crimson red, scarlet red (both shading to pink), blue, yellow,
purple, green, orange, brown, and grey. There is only a slight
difference between any two shades in succession in order to
educate the eyes to see very slight variations of hue.
The colors used must not be crude or too bright. It is important
to give the children the most beautiful examples of color. If
possible, wind the tablets with embroidery silks. Silk takes the
dye to produce the most beautiful colors. Children appreciate the
beauty of these colors and the aesthetic sense is awakened.
Children will also enjoy the smooth texture of the silk.
PURPOSE:
To give the full color range
To make the child aware of color and lead him to observe the
environment with intelligence
To help the child to appreciate beauty
To prepare the child for art work
AGE:
21/2 years onwards
PRESENTATION:
Children's tables should be of neutral coloring for least
distraction. The teacher takes Box 1 to the child's table. She
sits beside the child and takes the tablets out of the box,
holding them by their wooden ends. she lays them in mixed order,
but parallel to each other, in front of the child on the table.
The tablets are positioned so that the wooden ends are at the top
and bottom of the tablets (instead of to the right and left).
PREPARATION:
The teacher gives the child a lesson in holding the tablets
without touching the colored part. She picks a tablet up
carefully
by the wooden end and says, "Look, I can hold this tablet like
this, and I do not touch the beautiful color. Look, I can hold
this
one too. Show me if you can hold this one without touching the
color."
BOX 1:
The child practices a little with the teacher, and then the
teacher
shows him or her how to pair the colors. She picks up any tablet,
places
it in front of the child, and asks him or her to find another
that is the same.
(The names of the colors are not used at this point, as the child
may not know the names of the colors.) If the child selects the
correct tablet, the teacher looks at the two tablets saying,
"Yes,
these are the same. We will put them together." She places them
toward the top of the table. She puts another tablet in front of
the child and asks him or her to find the matching one. When the
child does so,
the two are put side by side. "Yes, these are the same so we will
put them together." The second pair is placed under the first.
The
third pair is placed under the second pair.
If the child hands the wrong color at any point, the teacher
would not accept it. She would lay the two side by side, consider
them and say, "No, these are not the same. Find one just the same
as this one." (She puts the one she first asked for in front of
the child.)
When the exercise is completed, the pairs are mixed and the
exercise repeated. When the child understands the exercise, he or
she can
work alone.
BOX 2:
When the child can do Box 1 easily, half of Box 2 may be given.
(Some children can manage the whole box.) The exercise is the
same,
so the normal child should not need another lesson. When he or
she can
pair these six colors easily, the teacher can give the child all
11
pairs to work with.
BOX 3:
The teacher takes the box to the child's table and sits beside
him or her,
taking out seven shades of one color and laying them in mixed
order
on the table in front of the child.
The teacher asks the child to find the darkest shade. The teacher
puts this to the left and asks the child to find the darkest of
those
remaining. The teacher puts this next to the first, and so on, so
that seven shades are arranged from dark to light in a ribbon of
color. Some help may have to be given as this exercise is very
difficult.
The teacher takes out another group of seven shades of color and
helps
the child to arrange them from dark to light under the first
color. The
teacher continues to give help until the child understands the
exercise
and can work alone.
Note: The teacher does not correct the child if he makes
mistakes
when working alone. No one can teach another to see color. By
working
with the material, the child perfects him or herself. This is
especially true when
working with Color Box 3. Never mix all the colors in box 3. Only
mix
shades of one color.
VOCABULARY:
When the child can correctly match the colors in a box, as part of a
different lesson, the teacher can present the terminology for color
using the "Three
Period Lesson."
