The Children of Color an Educational book by Natalie Franklin Imagine you had been told all your life that your life was limited. That you could only dream so big, reach so far: Chapter I Imagine a world where the buildings are skeletons. Dry, wooden bones intersect each other at firm, clasping joints, making structures that stretch to the skies in vain. Without covering; without roofs or walls, these dwellings offer no shelter, no shade. “Onward solemnly! Outward nobly! Upward bonely!” This is the cry that the people have been taught to utter as they build the bone buildings. Never mind that on rainy days, the people sat watching the world through dripping eyelashes as the water soaked them until their teeth needed to be wrung out. Never mind that on sunny days, their bare-bones houses provided no shield from the flaming knives of the midday sun. Never mind that on their coolest nights, they felt the breath of the mad, cruel snowman that lived on top the mountain, blowing down into the valley and into their spines... Imagine if you can the soul of any world: its people. In Color, we have people of every description: people who are tall, thin, short, fat, ebony, ivory, burgundy, bronze…people who are curious, timid, bold, thoughtful, shy. The mind of Color? Dr. Know-it-all. A man whose head held a brain frozen as hard and solid as the head of the super high mountain far to the north of Color. He had been principal as long as most could remember. His one lesson? Build the buildings. Our tasks? First, we cut down living trees, harvesting their trunks and limbs. Then we hauled the poached wood into town. Then we sliced and carved the wood up to make the buildings’ skeleton beams. Then we clasped them to each other with a grip joint. Finally, they were painted in Dr. Know grey. “Hard work,” taught Dr. Know, “will see no one homeless. In this way, everyone will have a beam over their heads and a cold, squishy bed to sleep in... Zoom in on your picture of the children of Color, and you’ll see me. I am Jembe, the small, quiet, twelve-year-old boy with skin the shade of the fertile earth. I lived in this country of Color, a place in time not as foreign as you may think. As a boy, I built the buildings, beam by beam, intersection by intersection. I never asked why. Until the day I heard the voice. And then everything changed. Now imagine yourself a being completely without restrictions…with an imagination that was without limit. Imagine a brain so open it could encompass the entire Universe, and still be hungry for more. Imagine a heart with longings so strong it would not be satisfied until the entire Universe was yours. What would you do? Chapter VII “That are as Deep as Your Imaginations” On that day, I said that our great work was just beginning. Now, five decades to the date later, we realize that the end to our great work is still just as far away as ever. For since these many years have passed, Zaina and I have had children, and the children of our children find new questions and new answers everyday. One question we asked early in our journey was, “who is student, and who is teacher?” We discovered that we are all teachers, and we are all students. Because all of us taught, and all of us learned, in place of a principal, we placed this principle: “Once our minds and hearts are open, we find that we are all geniuses.” |
About the Book
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INTEGRATED CURRICULUM
The subjects in The Children of Color are interconnected by shared
elements. For example, I Ching, Tangrams, Music and Braille all share the
numeric element of a fourth subject, the Binary System. In The Children
of Color workbook, children are encouraged to explore subject
connections deeply.
GIFTED AND TALENTED
The workbook challenges all students with brain-stimulating activities
such as designing their own color system, and creating their own visual
language.
INCLUSION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
Step by step instructions and workbook activities conducted in small
groups allow all students to be successful by providing every child a way
to participate in achieving the goal in each challenge.
MONTESSORI
The Children of Color is harmonious with the Montessori philosophy in the
following specific ways:
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
One of the most exciting breakthroughs in education has been the
discovery that we each have particular kinds of intelligences and that
learning can be maximized through activities that take advantage of each
individual’s particular intelligence(s). Recognizing an individual’s
intelligence is a journey, not a destination, and should not be used to lock
the student into only one kind of activity. Further, it would be useful for the
student to attempt to do various kinds of activities in order to broaden
their abilities. The activities in The Children of Color Workbook are all
labeled to mark the intelligences that characterize each activity. The
intelligences featured in this book include:
MULTICULTURALISM
In The Children of Color text, children from several different cultures live in
harmony in a place they call "Color". In the workbook, students learn a
little more about the cultures of these children, and explore conflict
resolution strategies. Cultures and cultural components presented in The
Children of Color include:
UNIVERSAL DESIGN
Our goal is to make The Children of Color available in a variety of formats
including:
CHARACTER EDUCATION
The subjects in The Children of Color are interconnected by shared
elements. For example, I Ching, Tangrams, Music and Braille all share the
numeric element of a fourth subject, the Binary System. In The Children
of Color workbook, children are encouraged to explore subject
connections deeply.
GIFTED AND TALENTED
The workbook challenges all students with brain-stimulating activities
such as designing their own color system, and creating their own visual
language.
INCLUSION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
Step by step instructions and workbook activities conducted in small
groups allow all students to be successful by providing every child a way
to participate in achieving the goal in each challenge.
MONTESSORI
The Children of Color is harmonious with the Montessori philosophy in the
following specific ways:
- Multi-aged Grouping based on Periods of Development
- The Human Tendencies
- The Process of Learning
- Indirect Preparation
- The Prepared Environment
- Observation
- Work Centers
- Basic Lessons
- Areas of Study Linked
- Assessment
- Learning Styles
- Character Education
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
One of the most exciting breakthroughs in education has been the
discovery that we each have particular kinds of intelligences and that
learning can be maximized through activities that take advantage of each
individual’s particular intelligence(s). Recognizing an individual’s
intelligence is a journey, not a destination, and should not be used to lock
the student into only one kind of activity. Further, it would be useful for the
student to attempt to do various kinds of activities in order to broaden
their abilities. The activities in The Children of Color Workbook are all
labeled to mark the intelligences that characterize each activity. The
intelligences featured in this book include:
- Visual/Spatial (2-D)
- Visual/Spatial (3-D)
- Verbal-Linguistic
- Auditory-Linguistic
- Visual-Linguistic (American Sign Language [ASL] receptive skills)
- Manual-Bodily Linguistic (American Sign Language [ASL]
expressive skills) - Written-Linguistic
- Tactile-Linguistic (Reading and Writing in Braille)
- Manual-Kinesthetic
- Bodily-Kinesthetic
- Logical-Mathematical
- Musical
- Interpersonal
- Intrapersonal
- Naturalistic
- Smell or Taste
MULTICULTURALISM
In The Children of Color text, children from several different cultures live in
harmony in a place they call "Color". In the workbook, students learn a
little more about the cultures of these children, and explore conflict
resolution strategies. Cultures and cultural components presented in The
Children of Color include:
- Guam
- India
- Israel
- Ghana
- Puerto Rico
- Ireland
- Hopi
- US Virgin Islands
- Australia
- Palestine
- China
- Inuit
- Colombia
- Ethiopia
- Romania
- I Ching
- Kwanzaa
- Adinkra
- Deaf Community
UNIVERSAL DESIGN
Our goal is to make The Children of Color available in a variety of formats
including:
- Text CD
- Audio CD
- American Sign Language (ASL) DVD
- Braille
- Spanish
CHARACTER EDUCATION
- Friendships and other Relationships
- Feelings
- Empathy
| SCHOOL / HOME-SCHOOL EDITION Teacher's Guide: The Children of Color: Bringing Out the Genius in Every Child Contents: Text and Workbook with Teacher Guides, Step-by-Step Instructions, and Appropriate Answers Format: Folder Children's Text: The Children of Color Contents: Story about children who discover that the world is the ultimate classroom, and it's many wonders are the best subjects Format: Hardcover Book Children's Workbook: The Children of Color Challenge Book: Open Hearts, Open Minds Contents: Activities, Step-by-Step Instructions in Appendix Format: Softcover Book in Full Color HOME EDITION Parent's Guide: The Children of Color: Bringing Out the Genius in Your Child Contents: Guide book for parents with Step-by-Step Instructions, and Appropriate Answers Format: Softcover Book in Full Color Children's Text: The Children of Color Contents: Story about children who discover that the world is the ultimate classroom, and it's many wonders are the best subjects Format: Hardcover Book Children's Workbook: The Children of Color Challenge Book: Open Hearts, Open Minds Contents: Activities, Step-by-Step Instructions in Appendix Format: Softcover Book in Full Color |
| To receive an email when The Children of Color becomes available, please click on this link: natyfranklin@yahoo.com or write: Natalie Franklin The Children of Color PO Box 432 Frederiksted, VI 00841 |
| Editions will be sold in packages including the text, guide book and workbook. |
