How-to

Follow these steps to successfully execute the coloring page activity: 

1. Create Coloring Pages: Create simple, black-and-white perspectives of the site where the projects will take place using a design software of choice, such as Adobe InDesign or Photoshop. Examples are shown below. 

2. Add Instructions: Include clear instructions on the top of the coloring pages that guide the children to draw what type of feedback is needed for the project. 

For example: Draw you and your friends playing outside! Draw your favorite activity! Draw what you wish was here!

3. Print Copies: Ensure you print enough coloring pages for all participating children, plus a few extras copies for project members to join in.

4. Gather Supplies: Collect a variety of coloring materials, such as crayons, markers, and colored pencils. (Discuss beforehand with the community coordinators to check if they have coloring any coloring supplies available for use.)

5. Distribute Materials: Once you are at the community engagement event, hand out the coloring sheets and supplies to the children. Take a moment to explain the project and clarify what you would like them to draw.

6. Engage with the Children: Actively participate in the coloring activity with the children. This will help you guide any children that may become distracted and will also cultivate a stronger relationship and between the project team and the community. 

7. Ask Questions: While the children are drawing, engage with them by asking about their artwork. After they finish coloring, write down their responses on a sticky note and place it on their page.

8. Compile Feedback: Once the activity is completed, collect all the coloring sheets. Create a document summarizing the most valuable feedback gathered during the activity.

In the Fall of 2024, a group of students from the College of Environment and Design at the University of Georgia embarked on a redesign project for Athen’s Pinewoods Library and Learning Center and Broadacres Community Center. Both Pinewoods and Broadacres provide a variety of services and programs to their communities, which mostly hold minority and low-income residents. This project aimed to enhance their outdoor spaces by integrating design elements that promote educational opportunities, encourage physical activity and free play, and accommodate multi-purpose spaces for various community events. Given that the primary users for the redesign would be the children of the communities, it was important to use the coloring page activity as a method to gather insightful feedback from them. 

 One of our group members created customized coloring pages illustrating the front and back of both sites. As for supplies, both Pinewoods and Broadacres had coloring materials available, and as a group, we purchased snacks and refreshments to hand out during the activity. In addition, we reached out to a local pizza shop and had ten pizzas donated to these events for us to hand out as well. The coloring page activity was executed at Pinewood’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration and the Broadacres’ Reading Rainbow afterschool program. We had the kids sit at tables, handed out the coloring sheets and supplies, and asked them to draw themselves playing outside as well as their favorite outdoor activities.

 This activity was very successful. We had such a great time interacting with the kids and seeing what creative ideas they had to offer was incredibly helpful. Interestingly, we ended up receiving more useful feedback from Pinewoods than Broadacres. More concrete ideas, such as playing soccer, play structures, and a free library, came out of the Pinewoods drawings. For Broadacres, the children had a harder time following instructions on what we wanted them to draw, However, this was not a huge setback since engaging in the activity and talking with them still gave us an idea of what they enjoyed playing, including playing pretend and using their imagination. 

In terms of what could have been done differently, we had originally organized an event for both communities that was solely dedicated to introducing the project and conducting our activities. We had also printed out fliers to give out and invite the community; however, due to some unforeseen circumstances, our original event for Pinewoods was canceled. Instead, we organized our activities at Pinewoods’ Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. This event was much larger and more hectic than we anticipated it to be, and it seemed that some people were only interested in the food, so once we ran out, people stopped coming up to us. It would have been a calmer and smoother process if we had been able to do our original event. 

Lessons Learned