Explore and Play: Skin Tone Collage

Materials and Preparation

• paint chips or wood stain samples in tones that resemble skin tones: shade of brown, beige, tan, pink, and off-white (if they are strips with many different shades, cut them up into individual chips) 
• paper plates
• paste

Key Science Concepts

• There are many different colors.
• A single color can have different shades, from very light to very dark.

Directions

Tell children they’ll make a collage using colors of different people’s skin tones.

1. Display the paint chips. Pass out paper plates and ask children to make a design on the plate by arranging paint chips on the plate.  
2. Have them paste the paint chips on the plates, helping them as needed. 

Reflect and Share

When children are done, ask, Why did you choose the colors you chose? Do you know any people whose skin tones match some of the colors in your collage? Are there some colors that you think don’t look like any skin colors you know? What about the people in your own family? How would you describe their skin tones?