Question

Just Add Color
News: Health

No matter how old we are, picking up a crayon or colored pencil or pen can stir a mental picture, maybe of us sticking out our tongues in concentration as we bring white paper to life, or a time we quietly conferred with classmates as we colored a poster for the bulletin board. For some of us, just the distinctive scent of crayons is reason to smile.

Coloring and coloring books have a colorful history, with antecedents that stretch back some 400 years. While many people relegate this activity to the realm of childhood, that wasn't always the case—and is no longer the case. In recent years, clubs have sprung up in schools, public libraries, and even online, to offer the creative and calming benefits of coloring to artists of any age and ability, and even therapeutic professionals have chimed in about its merits.

A Colorful History

In the 1600s, it became fashionable for some in the British aristocracy to develop their artistic skills and geographical knowledge using watercolors to fill in the outlines of maps. The expressive pastime grew among the upper classes with the publication of books featuring engraved line art of flowers, animals, and landscapes waiting to be painted.

Lithography, a revolution in printing, helped introduce coloring books to the mass market. By the mid-1800s, this printing process was making the inclusion of images in printed materials easier and cheaper, which in turn made illustrated texts more affordable and accessible to children. In 1879, a publishing company produced the "Little Folks" Painting Book with paintable illustrations of stories and verses. It became very popular and inspired a plethora of copycats. In 1902, the invention of Crayola® crayons put that remarkable coloring tool in kids' hands.

Coloring Books Grow Up

Since then, coloring books have found a myriad of purposes, and they're definitely not just for little kids anymore. Companies use them as marketing tools, especially for inveigling young fans of cartoon characters and superheroes, as well as for promoting restaurants, toys, and other products. For older students, educational publishers design coloring books for use as teaching tools. For example, coloring a schematic of the body can help reinforce the learning of anatomy and biology, while filling in maps can still help students commit geographical knowledge to memory. Coloring books for adults are their own genre, and many feature intricate and abstract illustrations that require fine point pens or well-sharpened colored pencils and the finest of fine motor skills.

Coloring sessions and the mindful moments they engender seem to have beneficial effects for partakers. That's the observation of educators and therapists who have incorporated coloring into their work, and medical research seems to support their judgment. According to WebMD, a medical information website, coloring: (1) relaxes the brain and reduces heart rate; (2) improves brain function and concentration; (3) reduces anxiety and relieves stress, while boosting self-confidence; and (4) improves sleep, especially when done before bed and in lieu of screentime and phone scrolling.

In fact, some experts in adolescent mental health view coloring as an effective analog activity for disrupting compulsive phone usage. Coloring enthusiast and veteran teacher Jennifer Sutherland, agrees: "In the digital age, where teenagers' lives are saturated with technology and constant connectivity, coloring is an activity that disconnects and detoxes from screens, offering a much-needed respite."

More people seem to long for a break from the hectic pace of daily life. That's why public libraries are hosting coloring nights for kids and families, and some high schools are providing coloring centers with all the supplies that let students, staff, and teachers forget their cares and worries in a moment of pure creative expression.

"It's really nice to think that something that is just pen and paper—really basic like that—is so appealing," Emma Farrarons, author of The Mindfulness Coloring Book series, told The Cut. "I think that might be it. We're going back to basics."

Think about and discuss these questions:
Think of the different reasons people have used coloring books. What reason did you find the most interesting, and why?
Based on what you know, why might coloring be more relaxing than using a phone?
Question 2


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According to the article, which of these happened third?


Crayola crayons began selling coloring tools made for kids.
British aristocrats painted within the outlines of maps.
Paintable illustrations were printed in a popular story book.
Lithography revolutionized the process of printing images.


slow bot js answer

Answer 1

"Paintable illustrations were printed in a popular story book." (Option 3)

Timeline: British aristocrats painted maps (1600s) → lithography revolutionized printing (mid-1800s) → the "Little Folks" paintable book appeared in 1879 → Crayola crayons in 1902.