What is your relationship with color?
Do you think about the colors that you see daily? Have you ever considered what it would be like to not see color?
For some color blindness is real and frustrating. They now make special glasses to help people with color blindness experience all of the colors the majority of us take for granted. Look up some videos on YouTube and take a minute to watch reactions to seeing all of the colors for the first time. In fact, as a good way to kick off this mindfulness let's watch together.
April 17th episode of The Happiness Lab (if you've been reading these blogs over the years then you know this is a favorite podcast and I reference it from time to time) was called; Sight and Sound: How to Joyfully Awaken Your Senses. This episode's guest was author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin. She has recently written a book about mindfully getting in touch with our senses. Her book, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World, came about after she was told she was at high risk of losing her sight. Gretchen began exploring her senses and what they mean to her every day life. We can do the same.
Listening to the podcast I loved how she talked about color and forming a new relationship with color. Gretchen shared that she began by picking one specific and unique color. She then set out to find it and collect it. Gretchen picked the color Scarlet. She shared that she goes to thrift stores and seeks out anything in this color and has built a unique collection of scarlet items. She loves taking time to look at the collect, it reminds her to take time to enjoy what this color brings to her life.
Gretchen also spoke on involving others in this new mindfulness of color. I love the ideas she shared and I think we can take time to create a class mindfulness related to color.
The idea is to pick one specific unique color. Not just red, but scarlet. Not simply blue, but sapphire. Don't seek our green, look for emerald. Instead of focusing on yellow, seek out daffodil. Pick one color and look for it. Make it a color of the day. Ask students to (silently) focus in the halls and seek to find this color. Have them make mental notes and report back to you once in class. Encourage students to find the color during recess and come tell you what they find. Make a list and review it at the end of the day.
Gretchen and the host of the podcast Dr. Laurie Santos also talked about, finding the perfect color. You can pick a color, like orange and try to find everything orange. Then rate the oranges. Students can share why they like one shade better than another.
Color mindfulness helps us pay attention. It encourages us to slow down and appreciate what we see.
Color mindfulness can be a great way to redirect a class who begins to go off task. You can observe the class and if you notice too much going on tell the class it's a color break. Encourage them to take slow deep breaths and look around the room for color of the day and after a minute ask them to report back to you what they find. I would even challenge you as the adult to intentionally add something new in that color to the classroom. Surprise your students with something new and colorful!
Take a color walk if your class is struggling with sitting still. Again, give them a color to focus on silently as they calmly walk and breathe. When you return to class review what the students have found.
Our lives are filled with color. Music artists names songs after colors:
Yellow...Mellow Yellow...Purple Rain...Purple Haze...Red...Red Red Wine...Lady in Red...Little Red Corvette...Brown Eyed Girl...Behind These Hazel Eyes...Paint it Black...Orange Crush...Touch of Grey...Pink...Behind Blue Eyes...Blue Velvet
Color is a big part of our lives. We learn to stop at a red light. We know green means go. If we are angry it is said we see red. You can be green with envy. Go ghost white when sacred. When we are sad, we are feeling blue. If you are cowardly you are, yellow bellied.
In the spring so much is coming back to life in vibrant and colorful ways. Utilize this season to take some time to experience color mindfulness.
Pick a color today and try it out! Notice something new. Experience beauty. Be in awe. Have fun!
Excellent! The world is filled with beautiful colors. My color is cobalt!
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