Beautiful Coloring ~ A Timberdoodle Review

Beautiful Coloring  is part of the Timberdoodle 4th Grade 2017 Curriculum Kit. Your child will learn step-by-step coloring techniques to create coloring pages in new and original ways. This paperback book has a beautiful foil-embellished cover and contains thick pages in order to help prevent color leak through. This book provides children with art, fun pattern techniques, and plenty of room for creativity. Your child will be introduced to the color wheel including the three primary colors and how mixing primary colors makes secondary colors. Your child will learn the difference between warm colors and cool colors. This 128-page book will cover the following colors:

• Red
• Orange
• Yellow
• Green
• Blue
• Pink & Purple

Each color is introduced explaining its significance. For example, "Red is a warm color, and its complementary color is green. It is associated with love and danger." After each color is introduced your child will learn and practice pattern techniques that they will then use to color various pictures.

As you can see my daughter is practicing a curved shape pattern as well as a vertical stripe pattern in the below pictures. The biggest hiccup was convincing my daughter that her practice section did not need to look identical to the example. I let her know that it was okay if she made mistakes and it wasn't perfect.

After practicing the patterns your child will then get to use the patterns they have learned to color several pictures. Your child is given the opportunity to fill in the picture any way they want to using the patterns learned. My daughter really enjoyed coloring.

My daughter really liked drawing the loop lines. The long diagonal lines were more of a challenge. I encouraged her to keep them as straight as possible.

Some of the patterns are definitely more challenging than others. I never really thought about using these techniques for coloring. The coloring pictures are pretty basic and simple to enable the child to practice the pattern techniques taught. Throughout the book there are coloring pages labeled 'freestyle' where the child can color the picture any way they want to. 

My daughter said, "Mom, these pictures kind of remind me of the the detailed adult coloring but but instead I am adding the detail." 

Here are examples of some of the easier patterns.

Here are some of the more challenging patterns.

There are so many benefits that your child will gain from working through this book. Some benefits I see for my daughter are:

1. learning patience
2. mastery with practice/repetition
3. confidence in ability
4. attention to detail
5. gaining greater fine motor skills
6. slowing down/not instant gratification
7. creativity
8. strategy/planning when coloring and placement of various patterns

During one of my daughter's infusions the nurses were intrigued by the coloring book. They thought it was really unique and definitely different from what you would normally see kiddos doing in a coloring book. 

My daughter has really enjoyed working through this book. Some of the more challenging patterns kind of frustrated her but pushed her to see that whatever she practices enough is possible. I definitely would recommend this coloring book to others. Even though it is part of the 4th grade curriculum kit it would most definitely be something that older and younger children would also enjoy. Check out this book as well as other amazing educational materials at Timberdoodle. 

My daughter's final thoughts: 

"I really like this coloring book. My sister was jealous that this book was for only me. She is in 6th grade and wanted to do it too. Some of the patterns are so hard!! I really have had fun learning all of the fun patterns and coloring the pictures with the patterns is really fun! I didn't know that colors had meanings. Learning about the color wheel was fun too."

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for my honest thought and opinion from Timberdoodle.