CURIOSITY LAB 3
Why are there different shades of skin and what does it mean?
You already know that people can look very different from each other! Have you ever wondered why?
Today, you’ll learn a little bit about why humans have a range of skin tones.
Welcome Game
Think + Learn:
Group Agreements
In these workshops, we’re getting curious about ourselves and our world. It takes a lot of bravery to share who we are with each other, to talk about our feelings, to admit when we don’t know something or made a mistake. It can even take bravery to ask questions.
Let’s do our best to respect each other’s bravery, identities, and experiences.
Click through the slideshow to read guidelines to help us do that, or click here to watch a video that explains our group agreements.
Listen + Share:
What did you notice?
In our last workshop, we explored the shades in our own skin. What did you discover about your skin? Do you look at your skin in any new ways?
Take some time to share your paintings, poems, or oríkìs.
Skin can come in so many different shades. Once you start looking at it more closely, it seems like everyone’s shade of skin is really unique.
Have you ever wondered why there are so many different shades of skin? What do you think?
Think + Learn:
Sun in Our Skin video
Watch this video to learn about why humans can have a whole range of skin tones!
Learning new information can bring up feelings and questions. Pause a few times during the video to check in for questions, and to tell the feelings that are coming up for you.
Here’s a list of words that you can use to help you figure out your feelings.
Game: Roll it!
Supplies: One potato or sweet potato for each participant
Depending on the size of the group and space, try this game either all at the same time or team up to make a relay.
Each player tries their best to roll a potato or sweet potato across the floor from one side of the room to the other…using only their nose.
Or, see how far each person gets in one minute.
Modify as needed.
Read: Let’s Talk About Race
by Julius Lester
Read this book, and pause at the “What race are you?” page.
Listen + share:
Your racial identity
People used physical features like skin tone, hair color and texture, eye color, eye shape and nose shape to group people together based on what they look like.
We call the categories that people have made up “race.” We know that there aren’t actually different races – if you look at people’s recipes, or DNA, there’s no way to separate people into groups based on what they look like. But we do live in a world where race and racism are real.
So how do you identify racially? That question is a part of your racial identity journey. Your racial identity journey is the process of figuring out which race or races you feel that you fit into, and learning what that means.
Talk about your racial identity with your family. Then continue reading the book.
Game: Flip it!
Supplies: Pencils for each participant
Ask each person to hold a hand out, palm down. Put a pencil on the back of their hand. Then ask them to quickly flip their hand, trying to catch the pencil.
Replace the pencil and repeat. See how many pencils each person can catch in one minute.
Make: Family Truths Mobile
So much of life involves learning, unlearning, and relearning over and over again! Our brains can quickly fall back into old thinking. Let’s do our best to remember what we’re learning about race and humanity by creating a piece of art that we can look at to remember what we’ve learned.
Activity:
Write a letter to yourself
Did you gain a new appreciation for the complexity of your amazing body after watching the Sun in Our Skin video? We sure did! Take inspiration from the book The Best Part of Me by Wendy Ewald and take a photo of your “best part.”
Or, write a letter to yourself to express appreciation for your incredible brain and body!
You are amazing! Enjoy this short film “The Reflection in Me” by Marc Colagiovanni and Peter Reynolds.
Activity:
Everyone has equal + infinite worth
In this activity, you’ll get a chance to show off and appreciate your own and others’ individuality and uniqueness, while affirming that each person has the same value.
By doing this activity, did you learn anything about yourself?
Did you learn anything about the people in your family?