Make Your Own Coloring & Activity Book

Facilitated by Jenn Yerkes and Mark Yokoyama, Les Fruits de Mer. 

Email: info@lesfruitsdemer.com

Purpose: Coloring and activity books are a fun and effective way to educate kids about the amazing birds and bird habitats around them. They are a perfect way to get bird education in schools and homes. They are tangible and infinitely scalable.

Overview: For the past several years, we have been creating and distributing coloring and activity books about local nature. They are a cost-effective educational tool and get a great response from kids, teachers, parents, and the public. They are a way to get hours of education and interaction directly to every student (from mangroves to mountains) on an island or area for just a few dollars each. They are the perfect way to develop knowledge and love of local birds amongst a whole generation of kids during their formative years. In 2023, we were able to distribute books to every student in our territory, from preschool to graduation. It is something that can and should be replicated throughout the region. These books are also a great way for organizations to create a tangible and lasting connection with the public.

Objectives: Participants will learn how to:

• Develop a coloring and activity book

• Develop a theme, choose educational objectives, and identify a target age and audience. 

• Create a variety of activities that are fun, educational, and age-appropriate

• In addition, they will be given resources to help them create activities and incorporate everything together in a book

Session Structure: The session will cycle through short informational presentations, hands-on book and activity development, and sharing of results and ideas with the workshop group. The participants will receive a bound, printed workbook that they will use to conceptualize their activity book and draft their activities. By the end of the session, participants will have worked through the process of developing a variety of activities. An abbreviated iteration of this workshop was done on St. Martin in November 2023 and the presentation and workbook pages are available here.