It can be tough finding the perfect volunteer for a classroom. It needs to be someone who loves to be with children, but works well with the adults too. They need to have childlike qualities without be childish. They need to have fun with the kids without losing focus of the lesson. It can be too easy to veer off course.
When I drew this cartoon, I thought of the adult coloring book craze that began around 2015. Grown-ups were buying and using coloring books with intricate designs as a form of relaxation and meditation. I looked at some of the books and thought this would be too complex for the average child to color.
I could imagine a child going off to do their own thing while a parent stayed mesmerized for hours, working on their coloring page. When they came to, they would wonder where their little one went off to and why was the front door wide open. It could become a dangerous activity indeed!
Before you know it, there would be public service announcements imploring parents and teachers to practice safe coloring book hygiene. Maybe that’s why the adult coloring book craze died off after a couple of years.
If you are a parent, teacher or children’s worker, be aware and don’t let the coloring book trap get you. When the kids stop coloring, you do the same. It will be a much safer world if we follow that simple rule.
Of course, who am I to talk? I’ve been having fun coloring my own artwork for years! My kids survived, but it’s probably caused a few of the classrooms I’ve led to run amuck.
