Guest Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Came across this web site: www.edupics.com It contains lots of colouring pictures, of varying quality, organised into topics. Worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Thanks for this, just had a quick look, they're great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 ooooohhhh thanks very much, I liked this site. I have been looking for 'space' pictures and they have some great ones. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Thanks, just printed some snowy pictures out for my own children this morning - seeing as we've got snow again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 thanks they will be useful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I've added it to my favourites. Some nice ones for Spring. Thanks for that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apple Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 thankyou for sharing that ASPK... some good stuff to adapt in lots of different topic areas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Thanks ASPK - added to my favs for future reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 You are all more than welcome. That's what I like most about the forum - everyone shares and helps everyone else It's so nice to be able to reciprocate once in a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tinkerbell Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Thanks ASPK We are doing Transport next term and there are some lovely pictures. Tinkerbellx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Hi there Great site I just wanted to ask a question, though, about how you all use colouring in pictures, and how often. I only ask because I had been slowly building up a folder of themed colouring in pictures, thinking they were a good idea, and then both my Early Years Specialist and registering social worker were quite aghast that I was doing this and told me I should'nt be using either colouring in pictures or templates at all because it "infringes on a child's own creativity" and then they find it frustrating that they can't draw pictures that look like these templates. I was told that the children should be having real experiences and lots of observation activities in nature for example (which I agreed was of course important). Anyway, I was quite annoyed at their comments because I always thought that surely its ok as long as there is a balance, but when I look at my own little niece (who was regularly found to be colouring in with pre designed pictures as a child) she gets really frustrated and upset if something doesnt look 'right' or if she goes 'over the line', and she seems to have developed a real perfectionist attitude, and a real lack of creativity/imagination. On the other hand, she has a very developed pincer grasp and is good at forming letters. Anyway, I just wanted to see what other people thought. Regards, G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Hi there Great site I just wanted to ask a question, though, about how you all use colouring in pictures, and how often. I only ask because I had been slowly building up a folder of themed colouring in pictures, thinking they were a good idea, and then both my Early Years Specialist and registering social worker were quite aghast that I was doing this and told me I should'nt be using either colouring in pictures or templates at all because it "infringes on a child's own creativity" and then they find it frustrating that they can't draw pictures that look like these templates. I was told that the children should be having real experiences and lots of observation activities in nature for example (which I agreed was of course important). Anyway, I was quite annoyed at their comments because I always thought that surely its ok as long as there is a balance, but when I look at my own little niece (who was regularly found to be colouring in with pre designed pictures as a child) she gets really frustrated and upset if something doesnt look 'right' or if she goes 'over the line', and she seems to have developed a real perfectionist attitude, and a real lack of creativity/imagination. On the other hand, she has a very developed pincer grasp and is good at forming letters. Anyway, I just wanted to see what other people thought. Regards, G. 50588[/snapback] I wouldnt use colouring pictures as a creative activity but certainly WOULD use them for a fine motor activity linked to a theme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 We have colouring in sheets and templates in the writing area for children to access when and if they want. We would not use them for a specific activity, i.e. every child doing a particular colouring sheet. But we would have them for certain themes, such as spring etc., freely available for the children to choose for themselves. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tinkerbell Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I have never used colouring in pics with children in class time, they love them in wet play/lunch and I have used colouring in books and dot to dot books and ripped out the pages for this purpose.. I would use them as a stimulus for their own work on the making /creative table.Or as i said the transport ones look good i might cut and paste them into a smart board activity lit or maths? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbase Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Yes we use them for times like first thing when children are settling, we offer them in PDR, we sometimes use them for fine motor skills sessions, for times when a new topic or object is introduced and we have them for taking home. I often use pics from clip art and adapt them through the editing mode to make them black and white which I then use for colouring and tracing if they are simple enough. I don't think colouring in a picture does inhibit creativity, I think it enables a child to see the shape and form of an object and as they fill that shape and form it helps them to visualise it for when they draw that object themselves. I also think it can help with vocabulary as a child names or labels something he/she has coloured. The danger comes when we just give a child a colouring in to do because it's easy, it keeps them busy or it fills time. (none of which we do) What do others think? Trudiex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Im sure we all know teachers who use colouring sheets this way. I went into a class recently and the teacher explained they had a carosel of activities going and it was working well. EVERY activity was some form of colouring!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbase Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Hi Marion That is such a shame for the children. We are such a valuable resource to those little minds, it really saddens me to think that children are still in classrooms where all we have learnt over the past few years has made little difference. Why hasn't all the monitering and observing sorted out problems like this? It does seem to make a mockery of it all!!! Trudiex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 We have just been having a 'colouring in' discussion at my school because I have just read 'Early Childhood Education' by Tina Bruce and she describes colouring in sheets as a very 'low level activity' that is often given to children to keep them occupied. It really made me reflect on my own practice/provision because although I never, ever gave children colouring in sheets they were available for PDR on the graphics trolley and were quite a popular thing. Too popular ! The observations on children we did while they were doing them gave us nothing really , ie, no significant learning was taking place. I decided to put them all away (only to be used at wet play.) I will consider making a specific one or ones available if I could justify it to support a particular interest or vocab etc but it will be the exception not the norm. A few children found it quite difficult during PDR because there were no colouring in sheets (This was the other problem - they really were popular but what were the children learning??????????? - not alot, there are other finer motor control activities etc) However, we stuck to our guns and I can honestly say within the week we had some fantastic work - a boy had drawn and worked out a whole football game, we had some lovely pictures, books etc. Much more than normal. I actually do think they can inhibit creativity and would just urge everyone to think really carefully about their use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I don't put out colouring sheets very often, either, but the children can access them from the resources drawer if they want them. I always ask them to try and write a sentence to go with their picture if they are doing a colouring activity. My main interest in the web site is for my own teaching resources! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I dont think anyone would advocate the regular use of colouring in sheets but as an occasional option it cant be too harmful provided along side other activities I think it depends HOW they are used. If a colouring in sheet is presented to fill in time and keep a child occupied then it is a waste of effort on everyones part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbase Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Interesting discussion. I think there is a place for letting children do the things they really enjoy, (especially when they are under pressure to read, write and computate before they are 5) )but if colouring is only used to fill time regularly then it does become a wasted activity. Trudiex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I have used colouring sheets to promote handwriting skills, not by colouring in the traditional way in between the lines, but using each section to produce the pattern that we were developing so may be with vertical or horizontal lines, individually and then as a cross and then as a star. Children would have practised all these forms in other ways first and on whiteboards and in sand etc before putting pen to paper and I have indicated to them which shape to use by marking the area. I also think they have an important place in developing hand eye coordination so wouldnt want a blanket ban although they do need to be used carefully! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Personal hate of mine I'm afraid I encourage the children to draw their own pictures (can copy from illustration if they go and get a book but most choose to use imagination) and then if they want to colour them in they can, that way they still get pencil control skills. Almost all the children have colouring books at home so I just don't see the need or the skill value at nursery/school and I always emphasise there is no right way to draw a picture. In reception/Y1 If there were pictures on a worksheet I would let them colour them in after the work IF they wanted - some chose to do so, some never did. My 6 yr old came home with a reading book, 10 words in a packet to learn and an ORT workbook in which she had to complete 2 pages on finding the right sentence endings, all to be done for the next day - BUT she was also expected to colour in all the pictures on those 2 pages - WHY??? Colouring in was nothing to do with the reading skill and she had had enough after doing all the rest. She didn't do the colouring in and I wrote a note to explain why - she has never been asked to do it again thank goodness Whoops my high horse has come out - sorry I better stop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Its good to hear everyone's views. Can I just ask, what is PDR time? & what's an ORT workbook? Thanks G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 ORT is the Oxford Reading Tree scheme Megsmum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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